In the Uzushiogakure Hospital.
Shanks stood beside Mikoto, his gaze steady as it rested on Shamrock and Uta. The faint sterile smell of medicine lingered in the air. "Now activate your Mangekyou Sharingan and see."
As soon as Shanks said this, they both activated their Mangekyou Sharingan. Their black eyes began to shift, slowly transforming—until they turned a deep, pure red etched with intricate black patterns. A faint pressure spread through the room, subtle yet unmistakable, like the air itself had grown heavier for a moment.
Shanks watched them carefully. "How do you both feel?"
Shamrock blinked once, his expression sharpening slightly. "It feels like my eyes have become lighter."
The moment Shanks heard that, he understood—the burden has lessened. A quiet confirmation of what he had expected.
Uta followed, her voice calm but carrying the memory of strain. "When I first awakened my Mangekyou Sharingan and had barely used it… activated it a few times… back then, I felt a lot more pressure on my eyes and on my body because of it." She paused briefly, her fingers curling slightly at her side. "That pressure is still there… but it doesn't feel that suffocating anymore—especially after knowing that I won't become blind."
A faint silence followed her words, filled only by the soft hum of the hospital surroundings.
Shanks nodded once.
"Now your Mangekyou Sharingan is not just an ordinary Mangekyou Sharingan—it is the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan." His voice carried quiet certainty. "It does not have the side effects that the Mangekyou Sharingan normally has. You both can use your Mangekyou Sharingan with ease."
He paused, then added, his tone grounding the moment. "But of course, the strain on your body and your chakra after using it will still be there. That is something you will learn to handle with more training." His gaze softened slightly. "So after today, just like before—till now, how I have been training you—I will continue to oversee your training and make sure that you both grow carefully… and properly."
After hearing this, both Uta and Shamrock nodded.
A quiet wave of relief passed through them, subtle but real. It's over… no more fear of losing our sight.
Mikoto, standing beside Shanks, let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. Her shoulders eased, the tension finally leaving her body. The operation had been completely successful. Her children were safe now—truly safe—and no longer had to carry the fear of inevitable blindness.
And with that realization, a deep, quiet relief settled within her.
After this, Erza took both Shamrock and Uta with her to conduct further testing, making sure there was nothing wrong with their eyes. The faint sound of their footsteps echoed down the hospital corridor as they left, their figures gradually disappearing behind the white walls.
Shanks remained still for a moment before turning and walking out of the hospital. As he stepped outside, a gentle breeze brushed past him, carrying the distant scent of the cherry blossom. He lifted his gaze toward the sky, his expression turning thoughtful.
I don't know if my children will be able to awaken the Rinnegan or not.
His eyes narrowed slightly as his thoughts deepened.
Technically, Madara was able to awaken his Rinnegan due to the combination of so-called Yin and Yang… that is, Hashirama cells and his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.
A faint pause.
So, my children—who carry the bloodline of both the Uzumaki clan and the Uchiha clan… the Uzumaki clan having vitality similar to the Senju clan…
His fingers curled slightly at his side.
I hope that they can awaken their Rinnegan in the future.
Of course, Shanks did not expect such a thing to happen quickly. He was not naïve enough to believe that they would awaken the Rinnegan within just five or six years. Even Madara had taken more than a decade to awaken his.
But still…
With Raphael by his side, and with his growing mastery over the Hashirama cells he had accumulated through Raphael's assistance, a quiet confidence settled within him.
I will be able to make it happen… I will have my children awaken the Rinnegan.
…
After this, the days continued to pass, steady and unhurried like the tide.
The Shadow Guards, lead by White Tiger, eventually returned after months of their expedition, having moved through hidden paths and distant lands to destroy the bases of Orochimaru—or at least the bases predicted to belong to him.
And not only that—due to the advertisement done by Shamrock and Renji in Konoha regarding the healing potion, ripples began to spread far beyond what was initially expected. Nobles and daimyo from different countries started showing keen interest, some even sending direct offers, all wanting to secure healing potions for themselves.
Uzushiogakure—and Shanks—did not hold back.
They were proactive, calculated, and ready to sell.
However, at the same time, they deliberately created a sense of scarcity. The production was presented as limited, almost strained, while the demand was allowed to appear overwhelming. A careful imbalance… a controlled illusion.
In reality, that was not the case at all.
They possessed multiple healing potions—far more than what was being shown.
At the very least, nearly half of the Uzushiogakure army, all of the Shadow Guards, and all core Uzushiogakure members had already been provided with healing potions.
Yet outwardly, the image remained the same—
Limited supply.
Rising demand.
And the world, unaware of the truth, began to respond exactly as expected.
But of course, Shanks had deliberately created this shortage. Because of it, the prices rose sharply—and the nobles and the leaders of various countries were more than willing to pay such amounts without hesitation. The healing potions were sold at a high price, and the flow of wealth into Uzushiogakure increased rapidly.
Using the money earned from these sales, Shanks immediately ordered Erza to increase the production of the Super Shinobi Serum. The order was carried out without delay, and the production rose drastically.
With that, the number of Shadow Guards began to grow.
The Shadow Guards were generally divided into two parts. One group consisted of the true Shadow Guards—those who had already been injected with the Super Shinobi Serum. The other group was known as the intern Shadow Guards. These were individuals who had not yet received the serum, and so their strength was not up to the required level. Even if some of them possessed comparable ability, they were still not fully acknowledged as Shadow Guards. They continued their training, waiting—until the Super Shinobi Serum was ready for them.
Only after being injected with it did they officially become members of the Shadow Guards.
And so, day by day, the number of Shadow Guards steadily increased.
Similarly, the number of elites within the Uzushiogakure army also began to rise—those who were being injected with the Super Shinobi Serum, their strength climbing with each passing phase.
Three years passed by.
The seasons shifted quietly over time, and growth—both seen and unseen—took root.
Shanks stood in a forest within the land of the Uzumaki. The rustling of leaves filled the air as a soft wind moved through the trees. Before him lay a large open clearing, the ground marked with signs of repeated combat.
In the center of that clearing, Shamrock and Uta stood facing each other.
They were sparring.
Shamrock stood firm, his posture steady, his sword gripped in his right hand. His Mangekyou Sharingan was already active, its red glow sharp against the shadows of the forest. As he focused, the sword in his hand began to change.
Using his Mangekyou Sharingan ability, he transformed the sword—
into Cerberus.
In an instant, a massive figure materialized. A towering three-headed dog appeared before him, its size nearly double Shamrock's height. Flames coiled and flickered around its body, heat distorting the air slightly around it.
The three heads snarled in unison.
And immediately, Cerberus lunged toward Uta—its three mouths opening wide as flames burst forth simultaneously, surging forward in a blazing assault.
These flames were extremely hot, their color a deep, ominous black. Although they were not exactly Amaterasu, their temperature far surpassed that of normal Fire Release—or even fire enhanced by Wind Release. Shamrock called this technique Hell Flame, and the moment it was unleashed, the black fire surged forward, rapidly closing the distance toward Uta.
The heat distorted the air as it roared ahead.
But just as the flames were about to engulf her, a sudden surge of chakra erupted around Uta.
In an instant, a large skeletal structure formed—half-complete, yet imposing. It rose around her like a guardian: two massive skeletal arms, a hollow ribcage, and a skull-like head looming above. The lower half remained unfinished, rooted where Uta stood. This was the initial phase of the Susanoo.
The black flames collided with it.
Fire spread across the skeletal frame, wrapping around it, crackling violently—but not a single trace of it reached Uta within. She remained completely unharmed, her figure calm inside the flickering cage of chakra.
Without wasting a moment, Uta activated her Mangekyou Sharingan as well. Her crimson eyes sharpened, and she invoked her ability—
Kotouta.
Her lips parted as she spoke, her voice soft yet clear, cutting through the chaos of the battlefield.
"Hello, brother… listen."
The moment her voice carried through the air, her ability activated. Kotouta was a Mangekyou Sharingan technique bound to her voice—anyone who heard it would have their consciousness forcibly drawn into a separate space, a dimension she now called the Uta Dimension. Within that domain, everything bent to her will.
The forest seemed to still for a brief second as the invisible pull spread outward.
But Shamrock remained standing there, unmoved.
Not even a flicker of reaction crossed his face.
He had already foreseen it.
Using his Observation Haki: Future Sight, he had predicted that Uta would use Kotouta. And knowing just how overwhelmingly broken that ability was, he understood one thing clearly—
If I get caught in it… I lose.
So, before her voice could reach him, Shamrock had already closed his ears using chakra, sealing off the sound.
Uta's ability passed over him… without effect.
However—
Cerberus was not as fortunate.
The massive three-headed beast froze mid-motion. For a brief moment, its flaming bodies flickered—and then, all at once, its consciousness was pulled away.
Dragged into the Uta Dimension.
The towering creature collapsed heavily onto the ground, its massive form hitting the earth with a dull thud. The flames around it dimmed as it lay there, completely still—
as if lifeless.
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