Chapter 93: The Eternal Gaze
The number hung in the void of his mind, a digital monument to his triumph: **671,000 points**. It was a figure so vast, so abstractly powerful, that it momentarily stole the breath from Ren's lungs. The colossal, stabilized Garel vein hummed placidly before him, its azure light the only illumination in the infinite blackness of his personal dimension. It was no longer just a source of power; it was an infinite bank, a geyser of potential that promised to fund ambitions he had once considered the stuff of distant dreams.
A low, incredulous laugh escaped him, the sound swallowed by the oppressive silence. *This is it. The turning point.* The struggles, the calculations, the constant pretense—they had all led to this singular moment of acquisition. Danzo, Konoha, Orochimaru, even the specter of Akatsuki—they all seemed to shrink in perspective, transforming from insurmountable threats into manageable variables in a much larger equation. He was no longer just a piece on the board; he was a player who had just been handed the majority of the chips.
His mind, sharpened by years of survival and strategy, immediately began to allocate the newfound wealth. And one investment stood above all others, the ultimate symbol of his clan's power and his own personal salvation: the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Throughout the Uchiha's bloody, illustrious history, only two had ever achieved this legendary state: the clan's founding monster, Madara, and his own brother, Sasuke, in a future that now felt malleable. Its documented abilities were vague, shrouded in myth, but its core promises were unequivocal. It was freedom. Freedom from the creeping darkness that stole his sight with every use of Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi. Freedom from the debilitating migraines and the fear of eventual blindness. It was the key to unlocking Susano'o's true, complete form without the agonizing cost. It was, for an Uchiha, the closest thing to godhood.
"System," he spoke into the stillness, his voice calm but vibrating with a tightly leashed intensity. "The exchange price for the Eternal Mangekyō was 500,000 points. I now possess well beyond that. I have the base Mangekyō. Are there any other prerequisites? Any... biological requirements I must meet?" He had to be sure. The old stories spoke of a gruesome exchange between siblings, a sacrifice he was neither willing nor able to make.
The system's response was immediate and sterile, a balm to his fears.
***Analysis: Host meets all prerequisite conditions. Requirement: Possession of an active Mangekyō Sharingan. Requirement: Sufficient exchange currency (500,000 points). No additional biological components or external catalysts are required for this transaction. Evolution is available.***
The relief was so potent it was almost a physical sensation, a loosening of a chain he hadn't fully acknowledged was constricting his chest. *No. No need for Sasuke's eyes. No dark rituals. Just pure, transactional evolution. Power, bought and paid for.*
"Then initiate it," Ren commanded, his voice dropping to a whisper that seemed to resonate in the infinite space. "Open the exchange interface for the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Now."
A familiar, holographic screen shimmered into existence before his eyes, its data crisp and clear against the darkness.
---
**ITEM: ETERNAL MANGEKYŌ SHARINGAN**
**RANK: SS**
**COST: 500,000 POINTS**
**DESCRIPTION: The final, perfected evolution of the Uchiha ocular legacy. Permanently negates all degenerative effects associated with Mangekyō usage, including vision loss and blindness. Ocular techniques can be employed without risk of sealing or external suppression. Unlocks the inherent potential for the manifestation of the Complete Body — Susano'o. Significantly enhances base visual perception, chakra perception, and genjutsu potency. Represents the absolute pinnacle of the Sharingan's power.**
**PREREQUISITES: MET.**
**CONFIRM EVOLUTION? (Y/N)**
---
Ren's crimson eyes, still in their perfected base state, scanned the text. There was no hesitation, no second thought. This was the entire reason he had sought the Garel vein. This was the foundation upon which his future would be built.
"Confirm."
***Ding! Exchange initiated. 500,000 points deducted. Host's remaining points: 171,000.***
The points vanished from his mental ledger, a king's ransom spent in the blink of an eye. For a moment, there was only silence. Ren stood perfectly still, waiting.
Then it hit.
It was not a sudden, sharp pain, but a deep, internal *ignition*. A torrent of raw, scalding energy erupted from the very core of his being, a river of fire that surged through his chakra pathways with violent purpose, its destination unmistakable: his eyes. It felt as if his very genetic code was being unraveled and rewoven, his optic nerves dipped in molten lead and then stretched taut.
"UNGH—AAAAAGH!"
The scream was torn from him, a raw, animal sound of utter agony. His knees buckled instantly, and he crashed to the unseen floor of his dimension, his body curling into a fetal position. His hands slammed over his eyes, nails digging into his scalp as if he could physically claw the pain out. His whole world narrowed to the two spheres of incandescent agony in his skull. It was a thousand times worse than the first awakening of the Mangekyō. This was not trauma; this was metamorphosis. His body convulsed, muscles seizing uncontrollably as waves of nausea and white-hot fire washed over him. Cold sweat soaked through his clothes, forming a clammy layer against his skin. He gasped, shuddering, each breath a ragged effort against the overwhelming torment.
Time lost all meaning. He existed only in the crucible of pain, each second an eternity of suffering. Just as he felt his consciousness beginning to fray at the edges, threatening to snap entirely, the intensity began to recede.
The inferno dulled to a throbbing, deep-seated ache. The unbearable heat faded, replaced by a strange, pulsating warmth that radiated from his eye sockets. The pain ebbed away, leaving behind a profound, humming stillness. Spent, utterly drained, Ren lay on his back in the darkness, panting, his limbs feeling like they were made of lead. He could do nothing but breathe, waiting for the tremors to subside and a fraction of his strength to return.
When it finally did, the difference was immediate and staggering.
The constant, subtle pressure he had grown accustomed to—the faint, ever-present whisper of degradation behind his eyes—was gone. In its place was a profound and solid stability. A deep, boundless power hummed within his pupils, feeling not like a borrowed tool, but an innate, permanent part of his anatomy. It was calm. It was limitless. It was *eternal*.
With a grunt that was part effort and part awe, he pushed himself up onto his elbows. His body felt heavy, but his spirit felt lighter than air. He stumbled through the organized clutter of his stored items, his movements uncoordinated but driven by a desperate need to see. His hands finally closed around a large, polished fragment of a mirror, salvaged from some forgotten place.
Holding it up with trembling hands, he took a final, steadying breath and focused.
***Shift.***
The change was instantaneous. His onyx-black pupils vanished, replaced by the stunning crimson of the Sharingan. But it was not the pattern he knew. His unique hexagram design was there, but it was sharper, more intricate, and infinitely more profound. A stark, black cross now bisected it, adding a layer of brutal symmetry and depth. The crimson seemed richer, darker, as if infused with ancient blood. And they *glowed* with a steady, internal light that was both terrifying and beautiful, casting faint red highlights onto his face in the dim azure glow of the Garel vein.
He stared, mesmerized, at the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan gazing back at him from the reflection. A slow, triumphant smile spread across his features, erasing the last vestiges of pain and fatigue. This was no mere upgrade; it was an ascension.
"This," he whispered, his voice hushed with reverence and a fierce, possessive joy, "is what true power feels like."
He allowed the transformation to fade, the world returning to its normal hues. But the feeling remained, a core of unshakable confidence settled deep within his soul. The ceiling that had once confined him was shattered. He had breached a barrier few of his clan had ever crossed.
He was no longer a fugitive with a dangerous, self-consuming gift. He was a sovereign who had mastered his birthright. The landscape of the entire ninja world had just been irrevocably altered, and Uchiha Ren now stood at its apex.