Holding Obito's Mangekyo in his hand, Qiu Xia utilized the devouring ability inherent in his own eyes. Before long, Obito's Sharingan was reduced to useless scrap, while Qiu Xia's own ocular power surged. His proficiency in ocular jutsu was now only fifty points away from reaching completion.
Glancing at the origin points he had harvested from his recent exploits in Konoha, Qiu Xia didn't hesitate. He immediately spent fifty points and applied them to his Sharingan.
As those points were added, an intense, searing pain washed over his eyes. Blood, a sight that hadn't appeared for a long time, began to trickle down from his eyelids once more. His ocular power intensified at a staggering rate, and alongside it, his mental power skyrocketed.
During this process, the Circulating Heaven Stars within his Sea of Consciousness spun rapidly, greedily swallowing the sunlight around the courtyard to temper his divine soul. The Thief of the Sage also worked frantically, devouring spiritual qi: thirty percent went to his eyes, fifty percent reinforced his internal organs, and the remaining twenty percent transformed into mana.
It took a full hour for the metamorphosis to conclude. Sensing the formidable ocular power and the explosive increase in his mental strength, Qiu Xia nodded in satisfaction. Returning to his room, he looked into the mirror. "Mm, still as handsome as ever."
Staring into the glass, Qiu Xia activated his Sharingan. His once distinct black and white eyes began to manifest white-gold tomoe one, then two, then three. This shifted into a Taiji Diagram Mangekyo, followed by a Bagua Diagram. Finally, his eyes settled into three concentric purple-gold rings, each adorned with a single tomoe.
"Yoshi! This data system really is a godsend. Without it, let alone awakening the Rinnegan, I wouldn't have even achieved the Mangekyo in this lifetime!"
The benefits of the upgrade to the Rinnegan were immense. First, his mental power had increased nearly tenfold. Given his previous bonuses, his mental strength was already superior to many Celestial Masters; another tenfold increase was simply staggering. This allowed him to channel even more spiritual qi and refine greater amounts of astral and solar energy.
Beyond the surge in mental power, he gained numerous ocular jutsu. He possessed every ability that Madara had bestowed upon Nagato's Rinnegan. Furthermore, his eyes had awakened a new mastery over time and space. Much like Otsutsuki Huishi, Qiu Xia could now leap through time for short durations. As for space, a unique dimension had opened within his eyes, the development of which would depend entirely on his own efforts.
In short, with the awakening of the Rinnegan, Qiu Xia was virtually invincible, barring a few hidden monsters of the shinobi world. Even against those legends the Six Paths Brothers, the Three Great Sages, or the likes of Otsutsuki Isshiki and Otsutsuki Kaguya he could at least escape if he couldn't win.
"A happy heart makes for a refreshed spirit. Today is a good day. If I weren't so young, I'd definitely have a drink to celebrate. Well, since alcohol is out, I'll go out for a bowl of noodles instead. I haven't tried Ichiraku Ramen yet. How could anyone say they've been to Konoha without eating there?"
Grabbing some cash from his room, Qiu Xia shut the courtyard gate and strolled leisurely out of the Uchiha compound. Because of the words he had spoken while disguised as Obito Uchiha, neither Konoha nor the Uchiha had opted for war. Instead, the leadership had all rushed to the Hokage Building for an emergency meeting.
The suspicions held by Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya had been correct; it was indeed an Uchiha's doing. However, it wasn't the Uchiha of Konoha, but Obito Uchiha the man previously hailed as a war hero. He hadn't died on the battlefield; instead, after witnessing the death of the girl he loved, he had descended into utter darkness.
He now viewed the people of Konoha with disdain and no longer cared for his own kin. Even his former friend, Kakashi, had his eye reclaimed by Obito because he failed to protect Rin.
Facing such a madman devoid of any moral compass, the people of Konoha were at a loss. Obito's ocular jutsu was far too troublesome; genjutsu, seals, ninjutsu, and even ninja tools all failed to touch him. He was like a living phantom.
As they discussed Obito's capabilities, Shikaku Nara, Konoha's brilliant strategist, suddenly had a realization. "When the Nine-Tails appeared, the Fourth Hokage fought a great battle against Obito.
The Fourth won that encounter, proving that Obito's ninjutsu is not invincible. I believe his technique is a form of space-time ninjutsu. It was precisely because the Fourth mastered the Flying Raijin Jutsu that he was able to counter and defeat him."
"Therefore, during this time, we must research space-time ninjutsu. At the very least, we need to develop seals specifically designed to target spatial techniques. Otherwise, having Obito able to enter Konoha at will is simply too dangerous."
Everyone present agreed with Shikaku's proposal. Fugaku Uchiha then spoke up. "Obito Uchiha murdered the village elders. The Uchiha clan will issue a bounty of fifty million on his head, inviting the rest of the shinobi world to deal with him."
Hearing Fugaku's words, the ninja of both the Uchiha and Konoha couldn't help but roll their eyes. You're likely only issuing that bounty because your son died at his hands, they thought. If only the village elders had died, you'd probably be clapping your hands in joy instead of spending money.
Huolie Uchiha interjected, "The elders were Konoha officials; the village should issue the bounty. Our clan's coffers are currently empty; we don't have fifty million." He wasn't joking. Whether it was the village elders or Fugaku's son, none of them were worth the clan's money in his eyes.
Fugaku's eyes turned bloodshot as he growled, "This money won't come from the clan. I'll pay it myself." As the head of a great clan, Fugaku did have personal wealth. Fifty million was a massive sum, but he could produce it, even if it drained years of savings. To avenge his son, it was worth it.
Seeing the conflict between Fugaku and his clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered. "Konoha will officially declare Obito Uchiha a rogue ninja," he announced. "Furthermore, the village will provide another fifty million for his bounty."
Standing to the side, Shikaku Nara added, "Lord Third, I believe we should also include the information that Obito killed several elders and made off with the Scroll of Seals."
Hearing this, one of the other clan heads asked, "Shikaku, what do you mean by that? If we publicize this, won't the other four villages seize the opportunity to launch a war against us?"
Shikaku smiled. "No, announcing it will actually prevent them from starting a war. Not much time has passed since the last great war; we haven't recovered, and neither have they. If we broadcast this, they will all fixate on Obito Uchiha. Killing him wouldn't just bring them a fortune, but the Scroll of Seals as well."
"Furthermore, we should reveal that Obito is controlling the Fourth Mizukage. If we don't, it will be a massive headache if he uses the Mizukage to start another conflict."
After a moment of thought, the assembly agreed to Shikaku's suggestion. Even if it failed to kill Obito, it would certainly cause him enough trouble to keep his head spinning for a long while.
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