Chapter 158: Between Light and Darkness, The Second Pair of Divine Eyes
Outside the Shikkotsu Forest.
It was now the second evening of the battle. The twilight sky darkened, signaling the approach of night.
Uchiha Kagami stood atop the battlefield, his gaze sweeping across the chaos as the battle neared its climax.
Shisui was now in dire straits.
In a life-or-death fight, no one cared who your relatives were.
Fortunately, Moryō's forces and Kirigakure's shinobi were also sabotaging each other, allowing Shisui to barely hold on.
Blood trickled from his sharingan eyes, the intense strain of overusing his visual prowess making them burn like fire.
But right now—
Shisui had never felt more alive.
Among the Uchiha clan, his temperament was considered gentle, even with his occasional sharp tongue.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have subconsciously saved Deidara back then.
However—
No matter how kind an Uchiha was, the madness and obsession in their blood would eventually awaken.
A normal person's emotional outburst might last for a moment.
An Uchiha's emotional breakdown would permanently alter their very being.
—
Uchiha Kagami's eyes narrowed slightly.
Standing at the highest point, his body was surrounded by a blazing, scorching aura.
Slowly, he raised a hand, and at his fingertips, a pure black sphere of energy began to form.
A terrifying power radiated from it.
The surrounding crimson flames surged toward it.
WHOOSH!
The intense heat instantly evaporated the toxic mist covering the Shikkotsu Forest!
A deep, ominous red glow bathed the battlefield, its flames searing into the hearts of every witness.
Everyone's attention instinctively shifted toward the sky.
Except for Shisui.
He was now completely immersed in his own world, sensing an inexplicable transformation taking place within him.
—
"What the hell is that…?"
Sasori stepped back, retreating behind Kakuzu as he muttered to himself.
"Is Uchiha Kagami really planning to wipe us all out in one go…?"
Kakuzu wanted to dismiss Sasori's fears.
If Kagami had really intended to exterminate them, he could have done so before the tournament even began—there was no need to wait until now.
But then again…
Uchiha were unpredictable creatures.
Maybe Kagami had just suddenly decided that mass slaughter sounded fun.
"…Maybe we shouldn't have ganged up on that Uchiha brat?"
"…Is Kagami really that petty?"
For the first time, Kakuzu wasn't sure.
—
Flame Release: Crimson Lotus Inferno
A scarlet sun now loomed over the Shikkotsu Forest, its origin—Uchiha Kagami himself.
The entire sky was now split into two colors:
One side radiated brightness—"Yang".
The other side remained cloaked in darkness—"Yin".
He was the mountain dividing light and shadow.
—
Elsewhere, Nagato and Orochimaru's battle came to a halt.
Their eyes were locked on the blazing sun in the sky.
Senju Tobirama scoffed.
"Breaking the rules again, huh?"
"You set these conditions yourself, yet you constantly interfere whenever you please."
Orochimaru grimaced, visibly uncomfortable.
To him, that fireball wasn't just ordinary flames.
There was something deeply unnatural about it—something that rejected all Senjutsu users.
His instincts screamed danger.
—
As the crimson sun expanded, the white bone forests of Shikkotsu began to crack and crumble into dust.
A torrent of natural energy was drawn toward it, refined and absorbed.
This wasn't an attack.
It was a purification process—a fusion of Flame Release and Yin-Yang Release.
In simple terms—
This was Uchiha Kagami's version of the God Tree.
—
Kagami ignored the 48-hour time limit he had set.
Shisui had reached the threshold.
That meant this pointless contest could finally end.
Those who survived would be granted access to the final battlefield.
KABOOM!
The colossal white serpent slithered toward the burning sphere, stopping just a hundred meters away.
Wisps of crimson energy began to seep into its massive body.
Kagami had summoned the White Snake Sage for one reason—
To help it ascend into a dragon.
A dragon that belonged to him.
—
Meanwhile, on the battlefield…
A small ember flickered before Nagato and Orochimaru.
The flame twisted, forming a projection of Uchiha Kagami.
Everyone instantly tensed.
"…Kagami, you're not about to attack us, are you?"
Orochimaru swallowed hard.
He was willing to fight Nagato, but Uchiha Kagami was a different monster entirely.
He had grown far stronger than even during the Konoha Civil War.
The gap between them was unfathomable.
Kagami ignored him, his gaze locking onto Tobirama.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen's final decision…" Kagami spoke calmly, "…has made me decide to offer you redemption."
Tobirama's eyes narrowed.
He didn't believe he had anything to atone for.
Everything he had done was for the village, for the greater good.
But then—
Kagami's next words shook his resolve.
"As Hokage, you once gave your life to protect your comrades."
"My grandfather also gave his life for his friends."
"I will give you a dignified end."
"A chance to redeem yourself."
"For your descendants."
Tobirama's breath hitched.
"…What are you planning?"
—
Kagami turned toward the distant battlefield.
"I want Shisui to have the same eyes as me."
"…No."
Tobirama shook his head.
"I understand your eyes. You had no brother to transplant his eyes from, yet your Mangekyō surpassed even Madara's Eternal Sharingan."
"You found a new path."
He inhaled deeply.
"What I want to ask is—"
"What is your true goal?"
Kagami finally turned back to him.
His voice was cold.
"I only discuss my ambitions with those worthy of my time."
"This is not a negotiation."
"I am offering you a choice."
"Sacrifice yourself like Hiruzen, or rot alongside Danzo."
Orochimaru's smirk disappeared.
Either way—death was certain.
And no one wanted to share Danzo's fate.
—
Tobirama was silent for a moment.
Then, he handed his crystal to Orochimaru.
And then—
He smiled.
"I knew you weren't the forgiving type, brat."
"But I still don't regret my choices."
"Uchiha Kagami… if not for you, the Uchiha never should have existed."
He clasped his hands together.
Edo Tensei: Release.
His soul did not ascend.
In this land, the dead could not rest.
Instead—
Tobirama moved.
He was going straight to Shisui.
His final act—was to ensure that the next divine eyes were born.
And in the depths of Shisui's bleeding eyes—
A fourth tomoe slowly began to form.
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