Naruto's Strongest Force

Land of Fields, Hidden Sound Village

Natsuki had previously given Orochimaru a direction for his research: the evolution of the Sharingan.

It was about perfecting the Yin Release chakra from the single tomoe to the standard Mangekyo Sharingan. The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, on the other hand, likely involved completing the body’s genetic makeup to ensure it could withstand the ancestral power of the Mangekyo without damaging the eyes over time.

However, he had effectively skipped that process since Natsuki had already achieved the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan through his “golden finger” (system). His goal was to let Orochimaru study how an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could emerge without the usual genetic completion.

When Orochimaru learned that Natsuki had already attained the Eternal Mangekyo, he was incredulous but not entirely surprised, given Natsuki’s ability to foresee the future. He accepted that Natsuki had some unique capabilities.

Orochimaru proceeded with various tests on Natsuki, including examining the abilities of his Mangekyo Sharingan, such as his Susanoo and two unique eye techniques.

Currently, Natsuki’s Susanoo can grow up to 100 meters tall and is still expanding in size. His first eye technique, Ame-no-Murakumo Style, was powerful enough to astonish even Orochimaru. It could erase space itself, obliterating everything in the area it cut through and leaving only a void.

When Orochimaru heard the technique’s name, he looked at Natsuki with a peculiar expression before pulling a sharp sword from his mouth.

“The Kusanagi Sword?” Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

Wait, wasn’t the Ame-no-Murakumo also known as the Kusanagi Sword in myth?

However, in this world, the Kusanagi wasn’t just a singular sword—it was more of a sword style. Natsuki’s Ame-no-Murakumo Style was a chakra-infused ocular technique that manifested through his Susanoo’s weapons.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, possessed several Kusanagi Swords. His Eight-Headed Serpent Technique, often associated with the legendary snake Orochi, was said to wield the Kusanagi. In myth, each of Orochi’s eight heads bore a Kusanagi Sword, so Orochimaru had an infinite supply of them—though only a few were genuinely sharp and effective.

“Perfect timing,” Natsuki said, “I need a gift for my disciple. How about giving me one of those Kusanagi swords, Orochimaru?”

Natsuki didn’t hold back when dealing with close acquaintances. He extended his hand without hesitation.

Orochimaru, unconcerned, spat out another Kusanagi Sword.

“This one should be just right for little Sasuke,” Orochimaru said with a slight smile. Since he had such a close relationship with Itachi (as his “valuable experimental subject”), gifting Sasuke a sword seemed fitting as a gesture from an elder.

After attaching the Kusanagi Sword to his waist, Natsuki prepared for the day’s experiment.

His second ocular technique, Susan O-o’s Eye, only enhanced his vision. When his ocular power was amplified, the world became clearer until, at a certain point, everything blurred again.

Natsuki rarely used this ability because he hadn’t faced an opponent requiring such extreme visual clarity, and the technique consumed much of his ocular power.

Today, however, Orochimaru planned to test how long it would take for Natsuki’s Eternal Mangekyo to exhaust its power and recover. Susan O-o’s Eye was perfect for this test.

Natsuki activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and his aura instantly shifted. He focused on distant scenery, steadily injecting ocular power into his eyes.

At first, the world became more transparent and precise, but it blurred again after a certain point.

“Is this the limit?” Natsuki thought, frowning.

He decided to push further, continuing to channel his ocular power. Suddenly, the blurry landscape transformed into something entirely different, as if the world was being viewed through a new lens, resembling the creation of heaven and earth itself.

“Boom!” Orochimaru, who was nearby, used a storage scroll to retrieve something, piquing Natsuki’s curiosity.

“Boom!” Orochimaru then performed a summoning technique, seemingly checking for any new information.

Natsuki turned toward the source of the sound and saw a spatial rift open where Orochimaru had summoned something. Through the rift, Natsuki could see into another space filled with snakes, including a massive white-scaled snake in a temple. The snake’s eyes locked onto Natsuki’s gaze, reflecting his image within its enormous pupils.

Startled, Natsuki snapped out of the technique. His ability, it seemed, allowed him to see into other dimensions and trace spatial coordinates.

…

Ryuchi Cave.

The White Snake Sage’s pipe twitched slightly. Who was just spying on Ryuchi Cave?

The White Snake Sage tried to predict the future but saw only chaos.

…

“This technique lets me see into other dimensions and trace spatial coordinates,” Natsuki explained.

Orochimaru was equally fascinated. A technique that could trace spatial coordinates was useless in low-level battles but offered a tremendous advantage in dealing with space-time ninjutsu.

The most famous space-time ninjutsu was the Flying Thunder God Technique. It involved two steps: marking a coordinate with the Flying Thunder God seal and teleporting to that location. If someone fought against Natsuki, he could trace the coordinate and anticipate where the Flying Thunder God Technique user would teleport next, eliminating the need to find the seal.

Natsuki, however, had something else in mind. He realized that this ability could help him track Obito’s Kamui dimension. Previously, he had assumed he could only break through Obito’s Kamui, but now he could pinpoint Kamui’s corresponding location in the real world. Obito wouldn’t have anywhere to hide.

…

A few days later, Orochimaru completed his analysis of Natsuki’s Sharingan.

Their earlier hypothesis suggested that the Sharingan’s evolution was driven by the layering of Yin Release chakra within the bloodline, with relatives’ genes intertwining at a genetic level. This completed the bloodline, allowing the eyes to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

In Natsuki’s case, however, his ocular power had become so immense that it resulted in a natural transformation. It was as if an ordinary container had limited space, but continuously filling it with water made its contents compressed. The water would continue to compress as long as the container remained strong enough.

Why Natsuki’s “container” was so strong remained a mystery even to Orochimaru.

Natsuki’s method of attaining the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan opened up a new line of thought for Orochimaru. Now, Shisui’s eyes had a second potential pathway for evolving into the Eternal Mangekyo.

However, whether the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could evolve further remained an open question. Natsuki and Orochimaru agreed to explore this topic further.

During their discussions, Natsuki revealed everything he knew about the Otsutsuki clan and the reincarnations of Indra and Asura.

Currently, the only known pair of Rinnegan eyes in the world belonged to Nagato, so there was no reference point for comparison. Without Indra’s chakra, whether a Sharingan could evolve into the Rinnegan remained uncertain.

Since they had no clear leads on the Rinnegan, they decided to set that research aside for now. If Indra’s chakra were indeed a necessary component, then only Sasuke could achieve the Rinnegan.

If that were the case, the relationship between the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and the Rinnegan wouldn’t be hierarchical; instead, the Rinnegan would simply be a variant of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

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