213. Eye Transplant

Creak~

As the tightly shut doors opened, Uchiha Madara, who had been anxiously waiting outside, felt his heart, already on edge, leap into his throat. Watching Uchiha Miao step out of the room in a white coat and a mask, he cautiously asked:
"Elder Haru, how is my father’s condition?"

"Sigh. Clan leader, I’ve done my best, but the old patriarch is advanced in age, and the injury is critical. Go in and see him one last time, then prepare for his funeral."

With a heavy sigh, Uchiha Haru stepped aside to clear the way, his tone filled with deep regret as he spoke to Madara.

"No... Impossible!"

Even now, Madara refused to believe it. His once-invincible father could not leave him so easily. Suppressing the overwhelming grief in his heart, he stepped into the room.

The sharp smell of antiseptic filled the air, and on the room's lone hospital bed lay Uchiha Tajima, resting peacefully. Though the bloodstains on his body had been cleaned, a faint metallic scent still lingered beneath the disinfectant.

"Cough, cough. Is that you, Madara?"

The sound of footsteps had apparently stirred the dying Tajima. His weak voice shattered Madara’s dazed state.

"Father, I’m here."

Madara’s dark eyes brimmed with sorrow as he quickly approached the bedside. The once-indomitable man now lay weak and pale, devoid of vitality. Madara extended trembling hands, but they froze mid-air, unsure what to do.

"Where is Izuna?"

"Father, my brother is on his way. Please hold on—he’ll be here soon."

Sensing his father’s life force fading, Madara clenched his teeth. Hatred for a certain white-haired foe surged within him.

As he struggled with the impending loss of his father, Tajima, lying on the bed, took a labored breath and spoke:
"Madara, you must understand—my death was inevitable."

"Father, please stop talking."

"No. It all began when I lost the light in my eyes. Without it, how could I have been bested by that brat?"

With great effort, Tajima propped himself up and removed his glasses, revealing a pair of lifeless, dim eyes. He stared at Madara, who was struck with disbelief.

"Your situation isn’t much better than mine. If you continue as you are, you’ll eventually fall to those brothers. When that happens, the Uchiha will vanish from the history of the Land of Fire."

"And you will be the sinner of the Uchiha."

"Father, I—"

Faced with his father’s harsh admonition, Madara wanted to retort but ultimately chose to remain silent, swallowing his words as he gazed at his dying parent.

"I am dying, but I refuse to accept it."

Tajima reached out a trembling hand to grasp Madara’s shoulder and, with all his strength, said:
"Madara, I want you to take my eyes and lead the Uchiha to the pinnacle of the Land of Fire."

"Father, do you mean—"

Madara’s heart sank as he began to understand his father’s intentions. His voice wavered as he asked.

"That’s right. Transplant my Mangekyo and gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan—a light that will never fade!"

Tajima’s hand on Madara’s shoulder tightened, his tone brooking no refusal.

"I won’t—"

Madara began to reject the idea, but Tajima’s resolute gaze silenced him.

"Madara, the Eternal Mangekyo is our clan’s ultimate power. Once you possess it, your strength will soar. At that time, even that Senju brat will be no match for you."

"But—"

Though conflicted, the resistance in Madara’s expression started to waver.

"Cough, cough. My time is short, and there’s one more thing…"

Suddenly, Tajima coughed up blood, the red staining the white sheets like the Sharingan of the Uchiha. Wiping the blood from his lips with a trembling hand, he looked at Madara, his voice tinged with a faint plea.

"Make sure to give your cousin a raise… Let him work in the dungeon until he retires."

"Yes, Father. I promise you."

Madara, closing his eyes and making a monumental decision, opened them again, the red of the Sharingan flickering faintly. He nodded solemnly to his father.

"Good… Good… Now I can leave in peace."

Satisfied with Madara’s agreement, Tajima no longer resisted. With his head tilting to one side, the hand on Madara’s shoulder fell limp. His life had come to an end.

"Father!"

For the first time in years, Madara wept as he lost another loved one. His mouth opened wide, but the overwhelming grief left him voiceless.

"Clan Leader!"


Outside the room, Uchiha Haru, who had been watching the drama unfold, finally decided to step in at the right moment. The usually composed and stoic eighty-year-old elder now had tears welling in his eyes. Gazing at the lifeless body of "Uchiha Tajima," his voice trembled slightly.

"Clan leader, please accept my condolences. Did the old patriarch have any unfulfilled wishes?"

"Elder Haru, I entrust you with the task of transplanting my father's eyes into me."

Hearing Uchiha Haru's seemingly casual question, Uchiha Madara pulled himself from his grief. His cold gaze locked onto the elder as he made the request.

"As you wish!"

This was precisely the response Haru had been waiting for. With Madara's cooperation, the Mangekyō Sharingan transplantation surgery proceeded smoothly.

When Madara, his eyes now covered in white bandages, was wheeled out of the room, the long-"deceased" Uchiha Gin finally opened his eyes. Stretching his stiff body, he couldn’t suppress the smile on his lips, one so wide that even wooden dolls couldn’t flatten it.

"The surgery was successful. Once the anesthesia wears off, the clan leader will be able to use his new eyes normally," said Uchiha Haru as he removed his gloves, addressing "Uchiha Tajima," who was now grinning mischievously.

"Phew... That wasn’t easy, but at least this will deceive my dear cousin for a while," said Uchiha Gin as he dispelled his disguise technique. Leaping down from the bed, he turned to his accomplice with a reminder.

"Are you so certain that even with Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the clan leader still won’t surpass that Senju Hashirama?"

As the Uchiha clan’s top researcher, Uchiha Haru understood the power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan better than anyone. The ability to use ocular techniques without side effects was already the pinnacle of shinobi power. And combined with the massive boost it gave to Susanoo, it created a force of unmatched devastation.

"Wood Release."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and softly uttered the words.

"That Senju’s secret technique? It’s strong, yes, but I don’t think it’ll hold up against the clan leader."

"No one knows Wood Release better than I do!"

As one of only two current users of Wood Release, Uchiha Gin could keenly sense the overwhelming vitality of Senju Hashirama’s Wood Release chakra. That man’s natural Sage Body was extraordinary, and even during their spars, Hashirama would hold back, careful not to accidentally kill his closest rival.

"Whatever his reasons, Hashirama has always held back. But now that my dear cousin has the Eternal Mangekyō, it should force him to get serious. Just wait and see."

"All for your little house-building technique?"

Uchiha Haru had always looked down on Wood Release, perhaps because he knew that Gin often used it to build houses. To him, such a mundane application diminished its value compared to the Uchiha’s noble bloodline powers.

"Alright, alright. How’s the project I entrusted to you coming along?"

Gin didn’t bother explaining. After all, Haru had never witnessed the true might of Wood Release on the battlefield. Instead, he changed the subject, asking about the task he had assigned.

"The iron-hulled ships you requested have been designed. They’re currently in the testing phase. If all goes well, they’ll be mass-produced by the end of the year."

Recalling Gin’s request, Haru furrowed his brows. He still couldn’t figure out why Gin wanted such ships. Why leave the safety of the Land of Fire to venture out to sea?

"Good. Elder Haru, the future of the Uchiha clan rests in your capable hands."

Hearing the progress report, Gin breathed a sigh of relief. The contingency plan he had painstakingly prepared for years was finally taking shape.

As the two delved into an intense discussion about the ship designs, a familiar voice called out from outside the room.

"Big brother! Big brother! What happened to Father?"

The weary and anxious Uchiha Izuna rushed in, his handsome face filled with worry. Having just returned to the camp and learned of his father’s death, the sudden tragedy left him overwhelmed. With red-tinged eyes and trembling hands, he hurried toward the room.

"Ah, my little cousin is here."

Hearing Izuna’s shout, Gin quickly created a Wood Clone and cast a disguise technique to impersonate the lifeless body of Uchiha Tajima. He returned to the bloodstained bed while Gin and Haru stood at the bedside with solemn faces, feigning mourning.

"Big brother! Father... is he..."

Izuna burst into the room, only to see Gin’s grief-stricken expression. His heart sank. Then his gaze fell on the bed, where his father lay lifeless. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes, and his legs weakened.

"Father! How could you leave us so suddenly?"

Izuna slid to his knees, hugging the "corpse" as he wept uncontrollably. His tears and mucus smeared across the Wood Clone’s face, prompting Gin to silently thank his decision to not play the corpse himself.

"Little cousin, please compose yourself," Gin said, placing a comforting hand on Izuna’s shoulder.

"It’s all my fault. If only I had managed to hold off that white-haired Senju..."

Blaming himself for his father’s death, Izuna clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his pale knuckles. If only he had defeated or delayed Tobirama, his father might still be alive.

"Sigh... The fault doesn’t lie with you, but with this cruel world."