Tobirama Senju's chakra was naturally formidable. Its high energy density brought a quality and abundance that far surpassed the imagination of an ordinary person like Yujin.
The strongest enemy Yujin had faced so far was the ill-fated captain of the Tsugawa pursuit squad who was assassinated. The chakra of a jōnin had left a deep impression on him. However...
It might not sound nice, but comparisons can be cruel.
To put it simply, if an average ninja's chakra was like a light domestic beer, then the "high-quality" chakra Yujin had once imagined would be something like top-shelf whiskey. But Tobirama Senju's chakra? That wasn't even a drink anymore—it was pure grain alcohol.
If even the younger brother was this strong, Yujin couldn't imagine how powerful the elder brother must be.
On a side note, if we're sticking with this rather eccentric rating system, then Yujin's own chakra right now would barely qualify as strong moonshine. His goal was to climb from the backwoods brew to something that could sit proudly on a distillery shelf.
As impressive as Tobirama's chakra was, Yujin knew better than to get greedy. He merely wanted to get a sense of what a future powerhouse's chakra felt like—nothing more.
Besides, it wasn't like he could truly claim someone else's chakra as his own. That was simply impossible. Tobirama wasn't White Zetsu, after all. Since he could only borrow it, Yujin naturally had no problem letting go.
As for trying to permanently control Tobirama—that was pure fantasy.
In fact, Yujin had recently come to an important realization: what he could use wasn't the complete version of the Spore Technique.
When White Zetsu used it, he could silently implant spores into a target ninja's body ahead of time and remotely control their growth. He could then seize the perfect moment to drain the target's chakra and deliver a fatal blow.
In White Zetsu's hands, the Spore Technique was flexible and deadly.
But in Yujin's case? He could only use it when in direct contact with the target.
Strictly speaking, for him the Spore Technique was merely a method of absorbing and redistributing chakra. He could only absorb pure chakra—no ninjutsu or elemental jutsu—so it didn't even offer any defensive capability.
The reason for this flaw likely stemmed from the fact that Yujin wasn't a pure White Zetsu. His human side restricted some of the abilities that White Zetsu had. He couldn't split himself, nor could he create spores. So how could he perform remote parasitism and control through spores?
Far from being discouraged by this weakened version of the power, Yujin actually found it comforting on a psychological level—it meant he wasn't the same as White Zetsu. At his core, he was still human.
And that, in any case, was a good thing.
…
After waking up, Tobirama maintained a basic level of shinobi alertness, but he no longer had any intention of attacking. After all, when he had been completely helpless, the person before him hadn't harmed him—instead, he had treated his wounds.
As for why he had lost the ability to resist? Don't ask. Don't pry.
"Let me repeat myself," Yujin said, sitting on a nearby tree stump, "this is all a misunderstanding. Whoever you're looking for, they're not in our camp."
This time, Tobirama didn't argue or insist otherwise. He simply nodded slightly.
It wasn't that he suddenly believed Yujin, but there was no point dwelling on it anymore. Even if the person he had been chasing had once been in this camp, they surely fled while he was unconscious.
"How long was I out?" Tobirama asked.
"A little over ten hours," Yujin replied as he took a scroll off his back and placed it before Tobirama. "Given how much blood you lost yesterday and still insisted on fighting, passing out was perfectly reasonable."
Tobirama nodded again.
Of course, he knew he hadn't passed out from blood loss—it was clearly due to his chakra being drained. But he was a mature man; some things didn't need to be said aloud. If neither of them mentioned it, the unpleasant incident could simply be left behind, avoiding further awkwardness.
Tobirama wouldn't bring up the chakra theft, and Yujin wouldn't mention how Tobirama had barged into the camp and made unreasonable demands.
"I'm Yujin. May I have your name?"
"Tobirama Senju."
With names exchanged, they were now formally acquainted.
"Well then, Tobirama, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
Yujin sounded like someone who got familiar fast. He unfurled the supply scroll to reveal the sealing formula within.
"I want to extract the supplies sealed inside this scroll, but I can't understand this specialized sealing technique."
When he had looted the scroll, Yujin hadn't thought too much about it. His only goal was to snatch and run. It was only after bringing it back that he realized—he didn't know how to unseal it.
Tobirama gave it a glance. "The sealing formula on this scroll isn't complicated. It likely contains ordinary supplies. I know how to break it, but… I need to know where you got this scroll. Do you—or your group—have any ties to the Sarutobi clan?"
It was indeed just a standard supply scroll. For someone knowledgeable, the sealing formula wasn't difficult to decipher.
Tobirama came from a great ninja clan with a deep heritage. He was already well-versed in many kinds of sealing techniques. Furthermore, the Senju and Sarutobi clans had close ties—he had seen and even used scrolls like this before.
"We have no connection to the Sarutobi," Yujin said, adding a little more detail to make it believable. "I picked this scroll up on the battlefield. The two sides fighting at the time were the Sarutobi clan and the Ishihe clan…"
Tobirama gave him a suspicious look. Picked up, huh? More like looted amid the chaos.
Still, it was just a standard scroll—it wouldn't compromise the Sarutobi's core interests. Tobirama also understood the survival strategies of small clans and rogue ninja. So he decided to help with this small matter.
Just as Yujin hadn't harmed him when he was defenseless, Yujin likely wouldn't go so far as to kill a Sarutobi either. After all, drawing the attention of a great clan could be deadly… Fine. Let's just say he really did pick up the scroll.
Tobirama slowly raised his hands and formed a seal, then slapped the sealing formula with one palm.
With a soft pop, the spatial seal was lifted, and a large quantity of supplies materialized before Yujin.
He was delighted.
He started inspecting them.
Then the smile vanished from his face.
Within just a few minutes, Yujin's mood underwent a classic three-stage transformation—because the supplies were far from what he had hoped for.
There was some grain—three sacks, perhaps 300 kilograms total—enough to relieve the camp's immediate needs.
There were also more than twenty ninja tool pouches, a crate of medical supplies, and…
Over fifty baskets of tea.
Unconsciously, Yujin's resentment toward the Sarutobi clan began to grow.
So much tea—were they planning to eat it?
Were they going to war, or going on a tea party?