The Mangekyō Sharingan brought Sasuke a massive power boost.
With the enhancement of these eyes, his taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu all improved significantly.
But he didn't stop there.
To adapt to his new eyes and prepare for his revenge, he embarked on a new round of rigorous training.
With the support of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke further developed Chidori, creating techniques like "Chidori Blade" and "Chidori Spear," while his swordsmanship advanced at an astonishing pace.
At the same time, he took on missions with unrelenting dedication to earn more blood insects.
His efforts were rewarded.
In less than a year, not only had the number of blood insects in his body exceeded thirty, but even members of the special ops unit, who typically looked down on him, started to see him differently.
Ultimately, strength is what changes others' perceptions.
Sasuke's growth was swift, and even he could feel it, but he was still unsatisfied.
He wasn't strong enough yet—not enough to defeat Shigeo Aburame!
His obsession stemmed from his desire to retrieve his brother Itachi Uchiha's eyes.
Sasuke vividly remembered how his brother entrusted his eyes to Shigeo Aburame before leaping to his death, asking him to pass them on when the time was right.
However, Shigeo had taken no action.
Fearing something might happen to his brother's eyes, Sasuke once requested them but was flatly refused.
The words of refusal echoed in his mind:
*"You're too weak. Giving Itachi's eyes to you would betray his trust. Unless you can defeat me—whether in a fair fight or an ambush—I will not return them."*
Sasuke committed those words to memory, often challenging Shigeo or even attempting sneak attacks.
During challenges, the Mangekyō Sharingan allowed him to fight multiple sage-mode Wood-Style clones of Shigeo simultaneously, only to lose consciousness after being thoroughly defeated.
As for ambush attempts on Shigeo's real body, he would often black out without even realizing when it happened.
One puzzling aspect was that after every battle, when he woke up in the Konoha hospital, his entire body felt sore and weak, with his complexion deathly pale, as if he had suffered extreme blood loss.
However, he clearly hadn't lost much blood during the fights, leading him to suspect he had been poisoned with something highly unusual.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out how he'd been poisoned.
Even with the Mangekyō Sharingan active throughout the battles, he hadn't detected any sign of Shigeo deploying toxins.
This left him deeply perplexed.
Additionally, he found that his genjutsu was entirely ineffective against Shigeo.
Even when successfully cast, the illusion broke within a second.
Sasuke attributed this to his own lack of skill in genjutsu.
*"It seems I must train even harder!"*
Determined, Sasuke redoubled his efforts, eagerly anticipating his next sparring session with Shigeo.
He believed that each encounter with Shigeo helped him grow stronger.
Shigeo, too, shared this sentiment.
Thinking about his next session with Sasuke, Shigeo would often open his desk drawer, gaze at the stacks of blood bags, and fall into contemplation.
*"Should I take 600cc next time, or 800cc?"*
---
Using Sasuke's blood as a synthesis material was a recent experiment for Shigeo.
He had discovered that the quality of synthetic materials directly correlated with the strength of their source.
For instance, blood insects synthesized from young Nagato's hair were five times weaker than those made from cells of adult Nagato.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke now provided top-tier synthesis material!
No need for nurturing—ready to extract and use, low-cost and high-quality—it was an ideal substitute for Hashirama cells.
Combining it with blood insects, Shigeo could create ten new blood insects for every 100cc of Sasuke's blood, dubbing them "Second Son Blood Insect Lite."
These insects consumed five times more chakra than standard ones but had a theoretical lifespan of 25 years.
For Shigeo, this was sufficient.
He believed that once Sasuke attained the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan or even the Rinnegan, he could produce "Second Son Blood Insect Premium" or "Second Son Blood Insect Deluxe."
As for whether Sasuke would surpass him by then, Shigeo wasn't concerned.
Compared to Sasuke, Shigeo's rate of growth was faster!
*"New bugs, new abilities!"*
Murmuring to himself, Shigeo walked to the mirror and removed his sunglasses.
Staring at his reflection, his face lit up with a brilliant smile as he gazed at his two-tomoe Sharingan.
*"Just seven hundred of these Second Son Blood Insects were enough to awaken my two-tomoe Sharingan. By the time I reach a thousand, I should unlock the three-tomoe stage."*
As for the Mangekyō, that could wait.
Firstly, he wasn't sure if Second Son Blood Insects could unlock such a unique Sharingan.
Secondly, the Sharingan wasn't his primary focus—it was the other ability granted by the insects:
Yin-attribute chakra!
When Shigeo synthesized the Wood-Style sage bugs, his chakra had already become purely yang-attribute.
Now, with yin-attribute chakra, he had access to another powerful capability:
Tailed Beast Bombs!
Understanding the lore of the Shigeobi world, Shigeo knew that Tailed Beast Bombs were created by mixing yin and yang chakra at a 2:8 ratio.
By varying the chakra ratio, the size and power of the bomb could be adjusted.
For Shigeo, this was crucial.
It meant that once he mastered Tailed Beast Bombs, he would no longer rely on the cumbersome and limited exploding insects.
At that point, he'd dominate in close combat with Wood-Style techniques, raw strength, and the unpredictable phosphorus bugs. For mid-to-long-range combat, he'd wield the devastating power of Tailed Beast Bombs.
Had he possessed this ability during the destruction of the Sound Village, Orochimaru and others might not have escaped.
Tailed Beast Bombs were the pinnacle of mid-to-long-range destruction!
As for the release method, the tailed beasts had already demonstrated the ideal technique:
Forming the bomb in their mouths and launching it!
For the tailed beasts, firing a Tailed Beast Bomb was as effortless as spitting. Achieving this mastery was Shigeo's goal.
To this end, after work, Shigeo headed to an old Uchiha clan site and stood before a massive lake.
Facing the water, he slightly opened his mouth and mixed a small amount of yin and yang chakra at a 2:8 ratio before—
*"Huh... ptui!"*
*"Boom!"*
(End of Chapter)