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[NTU] [ARC-21] Chapter : 288
🕑 Added 2025-04-04 18:37:41 +0000 UTCRoshi walked away helplessly.
This place has been exposed... I can’t stay here any longer.
As his figure gradually disappeared into the distance, far beyond his line of sight, a small figure silently put away a telescope.
"...Seems I was overthinking it."
Uchiha Itachi had been observing from afar, wary that the Hokage might take more drastic measures. Only after confirming that Roshi was unharmed did he finally relax.
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Toshiro ignored the still brightly lit Hokage Building and headed straight to his private basement.
There, under a warm glow that lit the room like daylight, he stood in front of a scroll and eight mysterious containers, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
The space was vast—made to feel even more expansive by a high domed ceiling and the absence of clutter. All experimental equipment had already been cleared out.
At the center of the room stood nine altars arranged in a perfect circle.
Each altar held a single container, tightly sealed with intricate spell markings.
Of the nine, eight already contained distinct chakra forms—each swirling with its own unique energy.
One resembled an endless stream of sand, its grains whispering through the air in miniature sandstorms that spun within the container.
One container held what looked like a sphere of deep blue flames, burning silently within the seal—its fire strangely cold to the touch.
Another emitted a shaft of light filled with shimmering, multicolored phosphorescence. As the viewing angle shifted, it refracted like a rainbow, casting an enchanting glow.
Toshiro unrolled the sealing scroll in his hand and carefully transferred a fiery red chakra into one of the remaining containers.
It was the chakra of the Nine-Tails.
As he gazed at the swirling mass, now safely sealed, his eyes drifted to the other eight containers. Each one held chakra of varying color and intensity—each with its own distinct presence.
He noticed something curious.
The Nine-Tails’ chakra, which he had collected first, had nearly tripled in volume since it was originally sealed.
Even the Three-Tails’ chakra, gathered more recently, had expanded by nearly ten percent after being contained.
Does this mean… these chakras continue to grow on their own?
Toshiro’s mind began to race.
“Can I uncover the secret behind how tailed beasts develop physical bodies?”
After all, tailed beasts began as nothing more than immense, sentient chakra. Yet somehow, they had material forms—bodies capable of movement, interaction, and battle.
How exactly does that chakra evolve into flesh and bone?
Yin Release—born from nothingness?
And when combined with Yang Release...?
From Orochimaru's reincarnation technique, Toshiro had already grasped the basic method of allowing chakra to carry consciousness—or even the soul itself.
If he could unlock a way to transform chakra into flesh, then perhaps… he could merge the two.
Chakra and body. Spirit and substance.
Wouldn’t that be the path to true immortality?
Surely, that was far more enticing than chasing world peace, glory, or even beauty.
Another mystery lingered: the chakra of the tailed beasts seemed to grow in volume over time. Was it subconsciously absorbing the natural energy freely dispersed throughout the world?
"Hmm... Could these chakra sources be another form—another manifestation—of natural energy?"
After all, the Ten-Tails could directly draw in natural energy. And in the original accounts, when Naruto entered Sage Mode and attempted to sense the Ten-Tails, what he perceived was nature itself.
Could it be that the chakras of the nine-tailed beasts were refined fragments of natural energy?
Were they perhaps not lesser forms—but specific expressions of that same energy?
"No... it's not accurate to say they are a lower level of natural energy," Toshiro mused.
"It's more precise to say… they are aspects or properties of it."
The ability to extract distinct elements—wind, sand, water, fire, and lava—from the chakra of the Ten-Tails suggested one crucial truth:
These elemental forces were already embedded within natural energy itself.
They weren’t foreign additions, but rather, innate components—simply too intertwined to be distinguished by ordinary means.
“They’re all there,” Toshiro murmured. “Just... fused together.”
With that realization, he didn't hesitate.
"Susanoo!"
In an instant, the towering red chakra giant emerged behind him.
With a sharp swish, a chakra sword materialized in its hand, gleaming with destructive energy. Without pause, Susanoo brought the blade down toward the clustered tailed beast chakra on the altar.
Roar!
With a single powerful strike, the sword carved out distinct portions of chakra—each representing one of the nine tailed beasts.
Then, Susanoo let out a guttural growl, opened its enormous mouth, and began swallowing the chakra spheres one by one.
First the One-Tail… then the Two-Tails… Three… Four…
Each orb of chakra disappeared into its mouth, until finally, even the massive Nine-Tails’ chakra was consumed.
And then—he felt it.
A strange sensation stirred behind his eyes, deep within his soul.
It began subtly, a ripple in his core, then spread—growing stronger, seeping through every fiber of his body.
“This feeling…”
Within the heart of Susanoo, Toshiro’s lips slowly curled into a grin.
A dark, triumphant smile stretched across his face, wild and unchecked, like a man standing on the edge of something great—something terrifying.
"Hahaha!"
"This... it's really happening!"
Toshiro couldn't contain his excitement. He could feel it—a deep, resonant pulse—the unmistakable sign that his Sharingan was evolving once again.
How could he not laugh at such a revelation?
“So fusing the Ten-Tails’ chakra was this simple all along? Just combine the chakra of the nine-tailed beasts…”
He had been cautious. During the experiment, Toshiro had activated Izanagi as a safeguard, fearing an unexpected backlash or loss of control.
But in hindsight, that precaution had been completely unnecessary.
“And here I was worried about needing some kind of specific chakra ratio!”
He had assumed that synthesizing the Ten-Tails' chakra would require meticulous calibration—balancing each tailed beast’s chakra in perfect proportion.
That alone had been a source of endless frustration.
With nine different chakras, the permutations and combinations were practically endless. Even with the help of shadow clones, it would’ve been an exhausting process.
But just moments ago, on a whim, he decided to attempt a direct fusion—and it worked.
No complex ratios. No intricate balancing. Just raw power.
It was a breakthrough born of intuition, and the result left him genuinely astonished.
"This is truly... hahaha~!"
Another surge of wild, unrestrained laughter echoed through the chamber.
"Ugh—"
Mid-laugh, Toshiro suddenly froze, as if an invisible hand had seized his throat.
Was I... too excited just now?
No... this shouldn’t be happening!
Dispelling his Susanoo, Toshiro closed his eyes, centering himself and extending his senses inward.
Moments later, his expression darkened.
"The fluctuations in my mental energy... they’re becoming active again."
He pressed a hand to his forehead, groaning in frustration.
The spiritual turbulence he had worked so hard to suppress just a few years ago was once again stirring to life.
"The evolution of the Sharingan... it really is maddening."
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