Year 13 of Konoha, year-end.
Leaves fell in profusion as the weather grew colder, and the withered yellow grass was already covered with a layer of white frost.
A month had passed since the invasion of the Land of Fire by Kumogakure. The main forces of both sides clashed fiercely in the north, with victories and defeats on both sides. But as Ginkaku joined the battlefield, the scales of victory instantly tipped in Kumogakure's favor.
As the frontline commander, Uchiha Kagami was no match for the two brothers and suffered successive defeats. Faced with the fierce onslaught of the enemy, he decisively abandoned their position to preserve the lives of more comrades.
After several battles, Konoha's casualties were not severe, but the price was... the main forces of Kumogakure had already advanced deep into the heart of the Land of Fire.
Under Kagami's leadership, Konoha's vanguard forces retreated entirely, with the entire army falling back to Kikyō Pass to defend it strictly and hold their ground.
When this news reached Konoha, the higher-ups immediately erupted into chaos.
Many people were condemning Uchiha Kagami, believing he was the root cause of the frequent defeats. As a commander, he grew increasingly timid in battle, lacking even the resolve to sacrifice himself—how could he possibly hold the front lines?
After the meeting, the clans that had criticized Kagami were dispatched by Tobirama to the front lines as the main reinforcements for the Kikyōyama battlefront.
The Tobirama of the past would have joined the ranks of those reprimanding Uchiha Kagami. But he suddenly recalled the words Hashirama had spoken to him before his death, and his perspective shifted.
The Hidden Leaf Village... is never just a place. It's the people who make it truly the Leaf.
This couldn't help but make him acknowledge his disciple a little more.
'Kagami, you are the true inheritor of your brother's will…' Tobirama gazed out the window, sighing with furrowed brows.
Kagami had a very peculiar habit—after every mission, he would meticulously compile detailed notes of the mission specifics to analyze intelligence and review his own shortcomings in combat.
No matter how minor the detail, if it caught his attention, it would be thoroughly recorded in his reports.
At this moment, the thick stack of papers on the Hokage's desk was the compiled report from Kagami, accumulated over a dozen battles, both major and minor.
Clearly, Tobirama had read it over and over again several times.
"Insufficient ocular power?"
His brows furrowed tightly, unable to suppress a tinge of worry.
According to Kagami's description, the Mangekyō Sharingan is a path to blindness. While its ocular techniques are powerful, the ocular power itself is non-recoverable.
So-called ocular power refers to the strength of the eyes, a form of Yin Release chakra purely composed of mental energy from the brain, fused with a portion of physical energy, manifesting as an external force.
After awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, Kagami's mental energy underwent a qualitative transformation, causing the Yin Release chakra within his body to rise accordingly. This is also the reason he advanced to the level of a Kage-tier shinobi.
The report from Kagami clearly states that every time he activates his ocular technique, his spiritual energy surges dramatically, and his Yin Release chakra grows increasingly stronger. However, this energy has already surpassed certain limits, and once it reaches a critical threshold, it begins to corrode his body.
This Yin Release energy gradually accumulates in the mind, starting with the destruction of the optic nerves, then progressively eroding the physical body, causing irreversible damage.
The external manifestations include deteriorating vision, the gradual collapse of the optic nerves, and every cell in the body feeling as if pierced by needles.
Of course, compared to the devastation of the soul, external wounds are utterly insignificant.
Kagami confessed that every time he unleashes his pupil technique, an uncontrollable urge to destroy fills his heart, driving him nearly mad.
Only by releasing this power can his spirit find satisfaction, but after the satisfaction comes a prolonged emptiness, compelling him to unleash even greater power to fill this maddening restlessness.
This cycle repeats endlessly, the price being his increasingly blurred vision day by day.
Every battle with the Kinkaku Brothers was a fight for his life, and his eyesight had deteriorated significantly—unable to distinguish genders beyond 200 meters, or tell humans from animals past 500 meters!
Kagami once mentioned that the reason Uchiha Kamihane was so fixated on his Mangekyō Sharingan was because only by transplanting the eyes of a blood relative with matching chakra could one awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!
This not only allows the fusion of another person's ocular power but also eliminates the adverse effects on the caster's body. The Yin Release chakra will no longer damage the optic nerves, completely preventing the side effects of deteriorating vision and blindness.
"If that's the case..." Tobirama murmured worriedly, his expression dark and somber.
The mirror is a rare combat force on the front lines, the only combat force at that. Moreover, the Raikage of Kumogakure has yet to make a move. Once the opponent personally enters the fray, what can this Hokage... possibly accomplish?
If one day, Kagami truly reaches his limit, his eyes completely destroyed, what then should he do?
Within the village, the only ones who could be considered Kage-level combatants are Kagami and Hyuga Haruka.
As the head of the Hyuga main family, Hyuga Haruka's personality and methods are more suited for defense, making it the wise choice for him to remain in Konoha to guard the stronghold.
In other words, Konoha's current peace is maintained only by Kagami's bloody battles on the front lines.
For some reason, Hashirama's voice and smiling face drifted through my mind.
'Perhaps entrusting the future to these children is the right decision after all...'
That morning, as he gazed down at the mountains, his laughter was so carefree, a kind of ease that radiated from within.
Tobirama was absolutely certain—that expression was one he had only seen when Konoha was first founded.
'How cunning... rushing off like that and leaving this mess to me...' Tobirama snorted coldly to himself before letting out a long, quiet sigh.
To maintain the power of the Mirror, one must preserve his eyes—seize the eyes of Uchiha Kamihane and achieve eternity!
But... this is clearly impossible.
He is the one who defeated my elder brother, and calling him the strongest of this era is no exaggeration. What can the weakened Konoha possibly do now?
If not for the unique pupil technique of the mirror, that guy would have succeeded long ago.
To be honest, the reason Tobirama is so apprehensive is that he fears one day Kamihane might suddenly go berserk and join the battle. If that happens, the entire shinobi world would be thrown into chaos by him.
"Could it be... that we really have to try transplanting Big Brother's flesh and blood into the mirror?"
In fact, he had long wondered—if the Mangekyō Sharingan damages the optic nerves and destroys body cells, wouldn't the risk of blindness be avoided if those cells possessed the same constant regenerative ability as his elder brother?
But...
This information came straight from Uchiha Kamihane's mouth!
He couldn't guarantee at all whether this guy would stab him in the back during the war, nor could he be sure if there was some conspiracy involved.
Yet, having his disciples fight desperately outside while he, as the Hokage, could only hide in Konoha and cling to survival, tormented his heart endlessly.
Although the villagers didn't say it outright, he could sense that some people were already starting to have reservations about him as the Hokage.
Though he maintained a respectful facade, the faint trace of disdain in his eyes was as clear as day to him.
"Big brother, what should I do..."
Time slipped away as Tobirama wrestled with his shame and indecision.
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