"True Illusion!"
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes morphed into Mangekyō Sharingan. He held up a mirror and activated his right eye's dojutsu True Illusion.
But unlike the usual applications of True Illusion, this time the target wasn't someone else—it was himself.
Buzz—
The scenery around him didn't change, but the familiar sensation of control let Fugaku know that he had already entered the illusion.
True Illusion was the key to mastering the Eight Gates.
The reason he chose to cultivate the forbidden technique Eight Gates and why he believed it suited him so well—was precisely because of this dojutsu, True Illusion.
And the reason he was confident in mastering all Eight Gates in a short time was also thanks to this dojutsu.
"Enhance physical body" Fugaku muttered.
As the words left his mouth, an invisible force acted upon his body, and his physical strength began to change.
It was as if his body had undergone years of rigorous tempering—his physique clearly improved beyond its previous level.
Within the True Illusion, he could optimize and enhance himself to a certain extent.
He could bypass hand seals to cast jutsu.
He could even raise the concentration of his Wood Release kekkei genkai to use techniques otherwise impossible in the real world.
Naturally, enhancing his physical strength was also possible.
With that improvement, Fugaku now met the physical prerequisites for training the Seventh and Eighth Gates, which in the real world he previously couldn't attempt due to insufficient bodily resilience.
This was his plan to use True Illusion to rapidly master the Seventh and Eighth Gates.
"Not only can I quickly master the Seventh and Eighth Gates, I can even use the Eight Gates without any side effects and open the Eighth Gate itself!"
Another reason why the Eight Gates were so compatible with him was because True Illusion granted him infinite resurrection within the illusion.
With infinite resurrection, he could open the Eight Gates without any consequences.
Even activating the Death Gate, the final and fatal gate, required no price.
And since True Illusion could also inflict real damage on enemies...
Anyone caught in it would be at a severe disadvantage.
"Unfortunately, even if I open the Eighth Gate, I doubt I'll reach Might Guy's level—at least not in the short term."
The Eight Gates is a forbidden technique that exponentially boosts one's strength. But the final output depends heavily on the user's base physical capability.
This is why the power gap between Might Duy and Might Guy after opening all Eight Gates was so vast.
Though True Illusion can boost his body, there are limits—it cannot enhance endlessly.
If it could, he would simply boost himself to Six Paths Sage level and be unstoppable.
He estimated that after enhancement, his body might rival Might Duy, but still fell short of prime Might Guy.
So, he couldn't yet reach the level of kicking around Six Paths Madara like Guy had.
To reach that point, he would still need extensive physical training in the real world.
"I could also use this illusion to improve my spatial affinity and train in Flying Thunder God, but there's no need."
In True Illusion, he could already teleport freely—learning Flying Thunder God was unnecessary.
"Let's begin training the Seventh Gate."
Taking a deep breath, Fugaku started cultivating the Seventh Gate – Shock Gate.
The final gate before the Death Gate—once opened, it would cause his sweat to evaporate and emit blue steam.
In that state, his combat power would surge dramatically.
Might Guy once used this form to easily defeat the Akatsuki-level opponent Kisame Hoshigaki.
One hour later, Fugaku exited the True Illusion.
Using the technique on himself consumed far less ocular power than using it on others, but even so, he could only maintain it for an hour per day.
Fortunately, after fusing with White Zetsu's body, the Mangekyō Sharingan no longer caused side effects. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare use True Illusion so frequently.
After taking a bath, Fugaku felt slightly relieved from the exhaustion caused by activating the Eight Gates.
He hadn't stayed long in the Sixth Gate in reality, so the physical toll wasn't too severe.
With Hashirama cells aiding his regeneration, his body would fully recover in two or three days at most.
"Fugaku, the First Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder are here to see you."
With the sound of approaching footsteps, Mikoto Uchiha walked in wearing a traditional kimono.
Her long, smooth black hair cascaded down her back, and her gentle voice carried the message.
"All three at once?"
Fugaku immediately sensed that something unusual had occurred. He rose and went to the reception hall.
"Clan Head!"
Inside, the three elders—Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Mamoru, and Uchiha Shi—stood upon seeing him and greeted him respectfully.
After the previous clan meeting, the three had come to realize that only Uchiha Fugaku could lead their clan to true strength, and had pledged their full allegiance to him.
From that point forward, Fugaku held full control over the Uchiha clan.
"What's the matter?"
Once seated and after setting up a soundproof barrier, Fugaku asked.
For all three elders to visit together, something major must have happened.
"Uchiha Shisui has just returned."
The First Elder, Uchiha Setsuna, spoke with a tone full of disdain.
He had once held high hopes for the young prodigy of the Uchiha, but ever since discovering Shisui's role as a spy, his opinion had turned to contempt.
"He's back? Didn't he encounter the Wood Release kekkei genkai ninja?"
Fugaku was surprised.
He had originally planned to shadow the twelve elite jōnin on their mission and reap the benefits after the battle.
But unfortunately, the squad had secretly left the village through a special channel, and he couldn't find a chance to follow them.
"According to him, the mission failed. They encountered the Wood Release ninja and were wiped out. He was the only one who made it back alive."
The Third Elder, Uchiha Shi, explained.
"So he did encounter the enemy—and still survived."
Fugaku sounded disappointed.
Uchiha Obito possessed both Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan, making him terrifyingly powerful.
Fugaku had expected the mission to fail—but not for Shisui to survive.
His plan to use Obito to eliminate Shisui had failed.
"He's lost his right eye. Claimed it was due to an injury, but I believe he used Izanagi."
The Second Elder, Uchiha Mamoru, added.
"That explains it."
Fugaku nodded in understanding.
If before they only suspected Shisui had stolen a forbidden Sharingan technique, now it was certain—he had indeed learned it.
The fact that he dared to sacrifice a Mangekyō Sharingan to cast Izanagi proved his resolve.
"Clan Head, what shall we do next?"
Murderous intent flickered in the eyes of the First Elder, Uchiha Setsuna.
Shisui was injured and down an eye—his strength undoubtedly diminished. This might be the best chance to get rid of him.
"We don't need to do anything. That Wood Release ninja will take care of Shisui for us."
Fugaku shook his head.
Uchiha Obito was not someone who would let things go.
After being ambushed, he would undoubtedly target the only survivor—Shisui. Fugaku was certain an assassination attempt was coming.
His only regret was not being able to claim Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Now that Shisui had mastered Izanagi, the difficulty of seizing his eyes had increased significantly.
Even Obito would find it hard.