"Magatama!?"
Shinji furrowed his brow, turning his head to glance at the mirror on one side of the laboratory.
In the mirror, his eye sockets held a pair of pale purple Rinnegan, each now adorned with three neatly arranged ink-black Magatama.
"This…"
Shinji froze in place.
The Rinnegan exists in many forms—this much Shinji knew.
For instance, his own, Uchiha Madara's, and Karin's Rinnegan all shared pale purple pupils with spiral patterns.
Meanwhile, among the Otsutsuki clan, Urashiki Otsutsuki possessed a Rinnegan that could shift between Byakugan, golden Rinnegan, and blue Rinnegan.
The difference in color was just one way to distinguish Rinnegan forms.
Another distinction was the Magatama on the spiral patterns of the Rinnegan, which gave rise to the term "Magatama Rinnegan."
Shinji clearly remembered that in the original timeline, when Uchiha Madara absorbed the Ten-Tails and activated Infinite Tsukuyomi, a blood-red Rinnegan appeared on his forehead, distinctly marked with nine Magatama.
And during the Fourth Great Shinobi War in the original timeline, after Sasuke received the "Power of Yin" from the Sage of the Six Paths, his left Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan awakened into a Rinnegan, one that bore six distinct Magatama!
Mumei leaned in, staring at the mirror alongside Shinji. "Huh, three Magatama on each side, just like a Sharingan!"
"Hm!"
Shinji nodded lightly.
Due to the rarity of the Magatama Rinnegan, information about it was scarce. After all, in the entire shinobi world, only Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Madara, and a few Otsutsuki had ever possessed this type of Rinnegan, so Shinji's knowledge of it was limited.
But one thing was certain: the Magatama on the spiral patterns likely represented a unique dojutsu power.
It could be understood simply as the dojutsu power of the Sharingan, or as a special dojutsu power beyond that of the Rinnegan!
With this in mind, Shinji slowly closed his eyes.
Whish
When he opened them again, a golden silhouette projected from his body, quickly forming into a skeletal structure that enveloped him in protection.
Mumei recognized it instantly. "Susanoo!?"
As Shinji tested his control over Susanoo, he said excitedly, "As I thought! As I thought! My dojutsu are back—all of them!"
In the original timeline, Sasuke, whose left eye awakened the Rinnegan, could simultaneously wield the dojutsu of both the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and the Rinnegan.
Shinji had just tested it himself and found that when Magatama appeared on his Rinnegan, he too could activate Susanoo, Susanoo Tomoshibi, Jikibi, and Wazunagi—all the dojutsu from his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan days!
Seeing Shinji reclaim his Mangekyo dojutsu, Mumei placed a hand on her chest, letting out a sigh of relief. "Phew"
Shinji smiled at her. "Mumei, thank you!"
Mumei lowered her head. "You've done so much for me. All I did was safeguard your dojutsu for a bit. It's nothing!"
Shinji didn't dwell on it further. Between him and Mumei, there was no need for such formalities.
Mumei then asked, "Shinji, does this mean you now have the abilities of both the Rinnegan and the Sharingan at the same time?"
Shinji shook his head.
Mumei looked surprised. "No? But didn't you just successfully activate Susanoo?"
Shinji's smile faded as he explained, "I just tested it, and I found that Susanoo can only perform at the level of my Mangekyo Sharingan days!"
While activating Susanoo earlier, Shinji had also tried Susanoo Tomoshibi, only to discover that no matter how much dojutsu power he channeled, Susanoo's head could only form two pairs of eye sockets.
This confirmed his suspicion.
When he had fused his grandmother's Mangekyo Sharingan and awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, his Susanoo Tomoshibi could manifest three pairs of eye sockets.
This proved that the dojutsu he could currently use were only at the level of his Mangekyo Sharingan days.
"Huh?"
Mumei was a bit disappointed.
She had thought she'd returned Shinji's dojutsu to him intact, but now she realized what she'd given back was a weakened version.
Shinji, however, didn't mind at all. In fact, he said enthusiastically, "I think I understand the limits of your Yachihoko's ability and what the Magatama Rinnegan is all about!"
"Tell me quick!"
Mumei crouched in front of Shinji, resting her hands on her head, listening intently.
Shinji explained, "Although you used Yachihoko to return my dojutsu to me, in reality, these dojutsu are only temporarily stored in my Rinnegan through chakra. In other words, if I overexert my dojutsu power, the Magatama on my Rinnegan will disappear."
Mumei frowned. "You mean…"
Shinji nodded. "Exactly. These dojutsu haven't truly been returned to me. You used Yachihoko to infuse them into my Rinnegan. It's like using a Transcription Seal to seal these dojutsu into my Rinnegan. The difference is that your Yachihoko is more powerful than a Transcription Seal, so I can use these dojutsu multiple times without them vanishing after one or two uses."
Mumei looked a bit discouraged. "Then doesn't that make it pointless?"
Shinji smiled. "No!"
"Oh?"
Mumei's eyes lit up.
Shinji continued, "For now, the fact that you used Yachihoko to transfer these dojutsu to me doesn't mean much. But if—if—your Mangekyo Sharingan evolves into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and your dojutsu power undergoes a qualitative leap, who knows what Yachihoko could achieve then!"
Mumei pointed at herself. "Me?"
Shinji nodded. "The clan's approach was correct. Your Yachihoko has near-infinite potential. Every step you take to increase your dojutsu power will massively enhance Yachihoko. But they used the wrong method. Forcibly implanting dojutsu into your body doesn't fundamentally improve your dojutsu power. Instead, it makes your Yin Release chakra impure and drains your potential!"
Mumei understood Shinji's intent. "Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Exactly!" Shinji nodded. "Only by fusing a pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan can you fundamentally enhance your dojutsu power!"