UTBW: Ch. 87

Kotoamatsukami!

Before the age of god-like battles in Naruto: Shippuden, this was truly the most powerful genjutsu. It could forcibly alter a person's will, turning them into your puppet.

Of course, this ability had its limits.

Advanced dōjutsu users, Sage Mode users, Six Paths-level entities, and so on, naturally have very high resistance to genjutsu. Even some extremely perceptive and intelligent individuals might notice subtle signs that they've fallen under a genjutsu.

Kotoamatsukami was by no means omnipotent. It was impossible to use it to control beings like the Sage of Six Paths, Kaguya, or the God Tree.

But when used on ordinary people, its effect was excellent.

"One eye for each, just enough to control Jiraiya and Tsunade," Junichi muttered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at the Mangekyō Sharigan in his hand.

Schemes and manipulation had their limits. No matter how clever the tactics, they would never make Tsunade and Jiraiya submit.

So he chose force.

He would directly rewrite their wills using Kotoamatsukami, making them serve him.

Pop—

He unplugged the stopper from a glass vial and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

A cold ocular power surged out, transforming into visible black currents of air, high-purity Yin Release chakra forming physical shapes from nothing. The black chakra suddenly condensed into two living crows.

Caw! Caw!

The crows gave harsh cries, flapping their wings as they circled him a few times, then landed on his shoulders.

He took out Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan and inserted them into the eyes of the two crows.

Zing!

Immediately, the crows' eyes glowed red with blood-colored light. Deep cold chakra gathered in their eyes.

"Not bad." Junichi nodded slightly. With a thought, the crows transformed back into black fluid, carrying the Mangekyō with them, and flew into his body to reside there.

This was a method modeled after Itachi in the original story. The essence of the crows was high-purity Yin Release chakra, both tangible and energy-based.

They could freely transform. At the same time, the yin chakra served perfectly as a key to activate the Mangekyō's power.

"This is another way to use ocular power," he murmured. "The power of the Mangekyō itself is a form of high-purity Yin Release. Besides being used for dōjutsu, it can also be applied in other ways. For example, Madara's method…"

He narrowed his eyes. His Mangekyō faded, reverting to ordinary black pupils. However, the presence of ocular power remained—it continued to surge actively.

Shhh, shhh, shhh…

This flowing power merged with his chakra and naturally began to construct a massive form.

In the next moment, a towering figure formed, composed only of rib bones.

"So this is what it feels like to summon Susanoo without the eyes?" Junichi closed his eyes, sensing the flow of ocular power.

To use ocular power, the Sharingan wasn't strictly necessary. In fact, it was the use of ocular power that triggers the Sharingan's appearance!

The Sharingan was merely a symbol. Once the ocular power had awakened, it could be used directly without needing the Sharingan to appear. And Susanoo was a technique etched into the very essence of ocular power.

Once that power evolved, Susanoo could awaken on its own. The Mangekyō was just a sign of that evolution.

"It seems... it might be possible to bypass the Mangekyō's limitations and use Susanoo directly?" He suddenly felt something and opened his eyes, a thoughtful expression appearing.

As a transmigrator, his thinking was more flexible. Most people believed that you needed to awaken the Mangekyō to use Susanoo. But Madara already proved, one could use Susanoo even without eyes.

Junichi had now experienced it for himself.

To him, Susanoo seemed more like a secret technique engraved into ocular power itself. And since it was a secret technique, there was room for training and development.

The Ino–Shika–Chō were prime examples of such tradition.

"Speaking of which, Shikamaru had sent over the secret techniques of the three clans," he recalled. He turned around and went back into the house, heading to the archive room to retrieve the freshly sealed scrolls containing the clans' techniques.

The Shadow Imitation Technique.

The Mind Body Switch Technique.

The Multi-Size Technique.

Of these, the Multi-Size Technique belonged to Yang Release, and was of limited reference value.

Junichi focused his attention on the Shadow Imitation and Mind Body Switch Technique.

He studied them for an entire afternoon. Gradually, he gained insight.

"If I treat Susanoo as a secret technique and use hand seals to aid in its activation, could I bypass the need for ocular power transformation? It seems plausible."

With a clear direction in mind, he began experimenting right away. He tried various combinations of hand seals.

Before long...

---

[You have practiced the Sharingan ocular power. Proficiency +1]

---

"It worked!" He showed a look of delight. The system's notification was the best proof. He had discovered a way to bypass the Mangekyō limitation and still use Susanoo!

From then on, he dedicated himself to refining and optimizing this secret technique.

He named it: Ocular Power Training Method.

---

Inside a side hall of the Daimyō's Residence, a court attendant, wearing a polite yet distant smile, spoke to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, the daimyō is extremely busy. Being granted even one meeting is rare. Please don't press further. Return to Konoha." 

Tsunade fell silent, her fists clenched tightly. Beside her, Jiraiya also frowned deeply, his expression troubled. They had just met the daimyō, but to their surprise, he was not under any genjutsu control! The decision to appoint Junichi as Hokage had come entirely from his own will.

But why?

She couldn't understand it, and neither could Jiraiya.

The Uchiha glorified violence. Making one of them Hokage would only destabilize the peace. Their Senju faction was clearly the best candidate for Hokage.

"Please leave," the attendant urged again.

Tsunade stared silently at him. The attendant maintained his smile and showed no intention of yielding.

If she weren't officially designated a princess, she wouldn't even have been allowed into this side hall, let alone meet the daimyō.

"…I understand." Tsunade finally relented, sighing as she left the hall with Jiraiya.

---

Outside at a run-down inn, the leaders of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans gathered in a single room, each holding a secret letter. Their expressions shifted between dark and conflicted.

It was a letter from Shikamaru, who was entrusted with the future of the three clans. Their earlier show of loyalty had succeeded in earning the goodwill of the Fifth Hokage.

However, the Fifth was incredibly domineering, he demanded they betray Jiraiya and Tsunade in exchange for sparing their clans.

This left the three clan leaders hesitant.

They had already betrayed the Sarutobi clan once. If they now turned their backs on Tsunade and Jiraiya too… There'd be no turning back. They would be bound to follow the Uchiha clan to the bitter end. And no family wanted to become permanent servants of another clan.

"You decide," said Inoichi, turning to Shikaku, who gave a bitter smile.

"This is a huge matter… I can't make a decision right away."

"Then let's just wait and see," Chōza said in his deep voice.

"Yeah, we wait and watch," Shikaku nodded, gazing toward the Daimyō's Residence. "At the very least, let's wait for the results of the investigation before deciding."