The discussion about naming the technique came to an abrupt halt. Since the original body and the shadow clone shared the same mind, even the clone couldn't help with the naming dilemma. In any case, the grey bone's ability to absorb chakra and life force had been significantly suppressed.
Flesh-formed sealing inscriptions completely enveloped the bones, as if dense crimson script had been carved into the ashen-white surface. Layer upon layer of chakra-blocking seals turned the grey bones into an isolated zone, cutting them off from absorbing even the slightest trace of energy.
Like invasive roots, the bone branches greedily siphoned life force from the surrounding flesh. But passive absorption was nothing compared to the Eight Gates, a technique designed from the start to burn life energy.
On top of that, Hikari herself was tipping the scales—preventing the grey bones from stealing even a shred of vitality. In the end, they could only remain in a state of starvation, sinking into deep dormancy.
After being weakened so severely, the patterns on the grey bones still grew, but at a rate so slow that even Hikari's Byakugan struggled to perceive any change.
A rough estimate suggested their growth had slowed by at least a hundredfold. If she never used the grey bones again, the Shikotsumyaku would never fully evolve into its final form before her natural death.
Which meant she no longer had to worry about whether her body could withstand the next stage—Tsukuyomi's Grey Bone.
In a way, she had already cured her kekkei genkai's affliction through sheer ingenuity.
But that wasn't enough.
Hikari observed the dormant bones within her body, unsatisfied. Though her arsenal of techniques had expanded, her most fundamental and powerful abilities remained the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku.
Abandoning the latter would be like cutting off her own arm—not to mention the wasted potential of that deadly power.
So the Reverse Eight Gates research couldn't stop. The Sage Body had to be perfected. Only then could she sustain the grey bone's evolution. And her chakra reserves were still a major bottleneck—though the Samehada temporarily compensated, it was only a stopgap.
External power could never match the reliability of one's own strength.
She had easily defeated Kisame Hoshigaki, the man who had taken down the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, precisely because he relied too much on Samehada.
If she grew complacent in the false strength it provided, she'd eventually meet the same fate.
And that was an outcome she refused to accept.
"Where's the three-tomoe Sharingan?"
"Right here!"
At her original body's question, the Yang Release clone pulled out a small vial freshly retrieved from the lab and shook it.
Glug, glug.
The viscous liquid sloshed oddly.
Preserved in a transparent saline solution, the crimson three-tomoe Sharingan floated lifelessly, its bloodshot sclera riddled with veins—enough to make anyone with trypophobia shudder.
Unfazed, Hikari took the vial and poured the eyeball into her palm.
The limp, purplish-red nerves and vessels dangled limply. The damp orb was dull, its once-lively tomoe now frozen in place.
Fshh.
A thin slit split open in Hikari's palm, from which tendrils of flesh and blood vessels extended, intertwining with the Sharingan's own veins. Slowly, meticulously, she stitched the lifeless eye into her hand.
Squelch.
The grotesque sound of flesh merging echoed through the cave as the two crimson orbs settled into their new sockets.
A verdant glow—the light of the Mystical Palm Technique—illuminated the cavern as the triangular and inscribed-circle marks on Hikari's forehead began to rotate.
Crack.
The three Gates of Life, bound by chakra chains, loosened slightly, releasing a pure stream of vitality.
Guided by Yang Release chakra and the Byakugan's power, this life energy flowed through her meridians, fusing the Sharingan seamlessly into her palm.
Hiss!
The implanted eyes flared to life.
Violet chakra, brimming with vitality, surged through the connected pathways. The three tomoe spun faster and faster, endlessly converting the crimson Yin-based pupil power within.
In just two minutes, the plug-and-play Sharingan had been perfectly integrated.
"How does it feel?"
The Yang clone stepped closer, eyeing the original body, who was silently assessing the new addition.
Aside from the Sage Body, Hikari now possessed all of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's core abilities. The Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku already synergized into "physical manipulation." Maybe the Sharingan would trigger something new.
"Feels… like nothing's changed."
Hikari frowned, pouring even more chakra and life force into the three-tomoe eyes, hoping for a breakthrough.
But even when the Sharingan's pupil power overflowed, no hidden potential awakened.
"The Sharingan can convert chakra and life force into pupil power, but the efficiency is abysmal." She clenched her fist, feeling the Byakugan's energy clash faintly with the Sharingan's.
"The Byakugan converts chakra to pupil power at a near 1:1 ratio. The Sharingan? Ten units of chakra for one unit of pupil power. Keeping it active is like spamming the 'Rotation' nonstop."
Life force fared slightly better—fifteen units could be condensed into one unit of pupil power.
"Wait, hold on." The Yang clone blinked, doing mental math. "Which one's more efficient? I'm lost."
"Life force, obviously."
Hikari flexed the Sharingan's power, finding it sluggish—nothing like the Byakugan's seamless control.
"Our chakra quality is three or four times higher than average, yet it still takes ten units for one. For a normal shinobi? Thirty units, minimum."
"Life force quality doesn't vary much between people. Thirty versus fifteen? Life wins."
"That's terrible."
The Yang clone grimaced. With the same chakra, she could keep the Byakugan active indefinitely—its drain was negligible compared to her natural recovery.
But the Sharingan? At full output, her reserves would last an hour. The gap wasn't just thirtyfold—it was exponential.
No wonder Kakashi was always exhausted.
Three-tomoe was already this taxing. A Mangekyō? The cost would be unimaginable.
Hikari agreed—the conversion rate was pitiful. But the Sharingan wasn't truly plug-and-play.
According to the Second Hokage's research notes, the Sharingan's true nature lay in the unique chakra produced by an Uchiha's brain during extreme emotion.
This special Yin-based chakra interacted with the eyes, imprinting unique patterns—hence its true name: "The Eye That Reflects the Heart."
Even the basic three-tomoe was a reflection of the user's soul.
Each tomoe represented a shinobi's three core talents—the three powers every warrior sought:
Taijutsu: Dynamic vision, reflexes, predictive movement. Genjutsu: Hypnosis, illusion-breaking, discerning deception. Ninjutsu: Sensing chakra flow, copying techniques, spotting weaknesses.
Three tomoe turned even the most mediocre Uchiha into a well-rounded prodigy.
And chakra wasn't even a concern.
The Sharingan's nature meant it would force conversion—burning life force if chakra ran low.
All kekkei genkai diseases followed the same logic.
Advancing to Mangekyō required another surge of that unique chakra, reshaping the pupil into a new pattern and birthing esoteric ocular powers.
Obito, desperate to escape reality, gained Kamui's intangibility. Kakashi, wanting to banish the Three-Tails from Rin, manifested a more offensive long-range Kamui. Itachi, pressured by the world, craved control—hence Tsukuyomi. And when his best friend died, his unquenchable rage birthed Amaterasu's black flames.
The patterns were superficial. The brain's unique Yin chakra was key.
Without it—or if the implanted eye's chakra didn't match—the user had to brute-force conversion with life energy and massive chakra. Hence the inefficiency.
Even control became difficult.
Danzo's Izanagi lasted a minute. Obito's? Three. If he'd lined his arm with three-tomoe, her Yang clone would've died on Thunder Drum Mountain.
As for evolution? A hundred times harder.
An average shinobi could pour all their chakra and life into a two-tomoe and still fail to reach three.
The Mangekyō? The Second's notes were vague, but Hikari doubted even Hashirama's cells could make it likely—let alone the Eternal or Rinnegan stages.
Kakashi's case was a fluke.
Obito's awakening had resonated with him, forcing his Mangekyō to activate. Killing Rin wasn't the trigger—if he'd locked himself in a room reading Make-Out Paradise, it still would've happened.
(Though the resulting ability might've been… different.)
"So, can the Sharingan work as a life filter?" The Yang clone cut to the chase.
She'd crossed mountains and fought Uchiha Obito for these eyes. If they were useless, all that effort was wasted.
Hikari's ashen pupils gleamed as she ran simulations in her mind. Finally, she sighed.
"No way to know without testing."
The Sharingan and Hashirama's cells represented the extremes of Yin and Yang. Using the former's intangible pupil power to simulate the latter's physical form…
It was the pinnacle of Yin-Yang manipulation.
If this failed?
Then there was no other way.
The two fell silent, frustration mounting. But they knew the magnitude of what they were attempting.
In a thousand years of shinobi history, only one Hashirama Senju had existed. And Hikari was this close to reaching that pinnacle.
If she succeeded, her life force and chakra would grow limitlessly. The path to the Six Paths would be wide open.
The Reverse Eight Gates was her ascension.
Failure wasn't an option. And the longer it took, the less time she'd have to grow—the more variables would stack against her.
Hikari's resolve hardened.
She crossed her fingers.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
BOOM!
Dust filled the cavern.
The Yang clone coughed, waving away the smoke to reveal sixty-six silver-haired girls in white robes.
"This many?!"
Her pupils contracted.
She knew Hikari better than anyone. The original's chakra reserves couldn't sustain this many clones.
Which meant only one thing—
"Hah… hah…"
Hikari's face was deathly pale. The violet core in her chest pulsed erratically as the seal on her forehead unlocked the three Gates of Life, releasing torrents of green energy.
She was burning life force for chakra.
But once the Reverse Eight Gates was complete, the lost vitality would be trivial to restore.
With the grey bone's threat gone, she could afford to go all-out.
"Handle everything outside. I'm going into seclusion."
"Understood."
The Yang clone glanced at the sea of shadow clones filling the cave, sensing the original's determination.
Hoisting the motionless Samehada onto her shoulder, she turned and left.
The sword had a voracious appetite. With Hikari's chakra drained by the clones, feeding it fell to her.
She'd have to raid Root's prison for convict chakra. If that wasn't enough, there was always the other massive chakra source in the lab's basement.
Let's hope Samehada can stomach Hashirama's energy.
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