Chapter 2: Mangekyō Sharingan

Outside Konoha Village, the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the ground. The sky was ablaze with hues of red and orange.

"So, Master Madara agrees to take me away?" Shenyu asked softly, his voice filled with a mixture of hope and uncertainty.

Madara nodded with a sense of pride. "Yes."

Shenyu's story and the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan had struck a chord with Madara. Whether as a follower, an assistant, or a potential successor, Shenyu had proved himself worthy of accompanying Madara on his journey beyond the confines of Konoha.

"Thank you, Madara-sama," Shenyu said, a genuine smile forming on his face.

"The abilities of my Mangekyō Sharingan are my greatest secret..." He paused, his fingers gently tracing his eye sockets. His eyes, clear and radiant with a jade-like texture, held a hidden power that he was ready to reveal.

"But since it's you, Madara-sama, I'll share them with you."

Madara's eyes glinted with curiosity. He leaned in slightly, eager to hear more.

"The power of my left eye is called ' Absolute Resilience.' It allows me to adapt to any attack or threat and counter it with unparalleled force."

Shenyu took a deep breath and continued, "It works by infinitely analyzing everything I see or come into contact with. This process, called adaptation, neutralizes any harmful effects and provides me with permanent immunity. It also lets me understand the source of the threat and counter it effectively."

"The power of adaptation aligns with cause and effect. It isn't limited by time or space, and if I'm attacked again during the adaptation period, the process speeds up, continuously improving my defenses."

"The only thing it can't adapt to is the damage my eyes take from overusing my Mangekyō Sharingan," Shenyu added, a slight frown creasing his forehead.

"And what about the right eye?" Madara asked, his interest piqued by the intricacies of Shenyu's abilities.

"The technique of my right eye is called 'The Eternal Standing of Heaven.' It allows me to reverse my state in time and space, returning to a point up to five minutes in the past. I can choose to revert either my temporal state or my spatial position, with only a one-second cooldown."

Shenyu's eyes gleamed with intensity as he explained. "This means I can undo any damage or change by going back in time or moving back to a previous position. However, once a time mode has been used for backtracking, it cannot be selected again."

Madara's eyes widened in awe. "Infinite adaptation and time-space retrieval... These are truly extraordinary powers. When combined, their potential is immense."

Shenyu blinked, holding back the full extent of his right eye's ability. He didn't disclose that "The Eternal Standing of Heaven" could target not just himself but also any object or person he saw, allowing him to revert their state in time and space. Revealing this would make him not only a powerful shield but also a formidable support, something he wasn't ready to share completely.

"All right, let's move," Madara said, turning his gaze away from Konoha, his earlier somber mood lifted by the excitement of their new journey.

But Shenyu didn't move.

"What's the matter?" Madara asked, noticing his hesitation. "Is there something you left behind?"

"In a way, yes," Shen Yu replied with a soft smile. "Madara-sama, there's another member of our clan who has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"Really?" Madara asked, intrigued. "Is it your brother?"

Shenyu shook his head. "No, he doesn't have that potential. He hasn't even awakened his Sharingan yet. But there's someone else..."

"Do you remember the Uchiha clan's secret weapon from the Warring States period?"

"The secret weapon?" Madara's eyes narrowed as he searched his memory. Then, a look of realization crossed his face.

Many years ago, before Madara became the clan leader, the Uchiha clan had a prodigy named Uchiha Hikari.

Like Shenyu, she had awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan at a young age. Her unique ability, "Eight Thousand Spears," allowed her to mark enemies and absorb their chakra, strengthening herself and controlling their spirit and chakra, regardless of distance.

Naturally, such power made her a target within her own clan. The Uchiha leaders, driven by ambition, used her as a secret weapon, imprisoning her in a dark dungeon, only releasing her for battles.

But even this wasn't enough for them.

In their unrelenting pursuit of power, they forcibly implanted the techniques "Amaterasu" and "Tsukuyomi" into her, stripping her of her name and identity, and turning her into a weapon devoid of humanity.

She became known as the Nameless Weapon. Her power reversed Uchiha's fortunes on the battlefield until the Senju clan, with the help of other ninja clans, managed to seal her away at great cost.

"Are you planning to free her?" Madara asked, his eyes narrowing with interest.

"Yes, she too is an outcast," Shen Yu replied. "If we can convince her to join us, under your leadership, we can forge a new Uchiha clan."

"A new... Uchiha?" Madara repeated, the idea resonating within him. Warmth and hope began to dispel the darkness that had been consuming him.

"But..." He hesitated. "I don't know where she's sealed. That was so long ago."

"Just because you don't know doesn't mean Konoha doesn't," Shenyu replied with a knowing smile. "I bet there's information about her in a secret scroll stored in the Hokage's building."

While Shenyu didn't know the exact location of the seal, he remembered that the information was recorded in a document called "History of the Sealing of the Warring States Period," which was typically kept in a hidden room within the Hokage's office.

"I see..." Madara pondered, a mix of curiosity and hesitation on his face.

He had just left the village, severing ties with his friend Hashirama and turning his back on Konoha. Going back now, in such a manner, seemed contrary to his principles.

Sensing Madara's dilemma, Shenyu offered, "Madara-sama, I can sneak back into the village tonight and retrieve the secret scroll under the cover of darkness."

"It's dangerous. Aren't you afraid of being caught by the Senju ninjas?" Madara glanced toward the village, shaking his head.

Shenyu smiled confidently. "Master Madara, stealth and teleportation are my specialties. They won't notice me. I evaded everyone's sight when I followed you out of the village."

"No wonder you didn't come out with me immediately. You had this plan all along..." Madara mused, a newfound respect in his eyes.

Resolute as ever, Madara agreed to Shenyu's plan. They decided to act that very night. Regardless of whether Shen Yu succeeded or not, they would leave the village before the moon reached its peak, with Madara waiting outside to meet him.

As the night descended, Shenyu's right eye began to glow a deep, ominous red. The intricate pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan spun slowly, veins of blood appearing in the whites of his eyes.

In the dim light of the moon, the fire clouds drifted slowly, leaves hung suspended in mid-air, and the wind's whispers stilled, as if time itself had paused.

From Shenyu's perspective, his body left a distorted trail in the space-time continuum, stretching from their location to Konoha Village, like a ribbon unfurling in the wind.

He could manipulate this timeline, selecting a moment within the past five minutes to return to, allowing him to reappear at any chosen position as if he had never left.

This was his Mangekyō ability, "The Eternal Standing of Heaven."

Shenyu dragged the timeline to its limit, focusing on a point five minutes earlier when he had been hidden in a bush within the village.

In an instant, he vanished from Madara's sight, disappearing as if erased from existence, leaving no trace behind, not even a ripple in the air.