The unique nature of the Limbo Clones made them completely intangible and non-existent to ordinary people—unless Uchiha Kirin actively initiated an attack.
Because of this, the Limbo Clones seemed especially suited for exploring the past.
After all, their very nature ensured that, unless one intentionally sought to change something, it would be extremely difficult to affect the past in any meaningful way...
Since Urashiki wouldn't arrive for some time, the Limbo Clone began to leisurely wander around the area.
At this point in time, Rōran was not yet the desolate ruin it would become in the future.
Instead, it was a massive metropolis built on an oasis beside a great lake in the desert. Isolated from the wars of the shinobi world, it had become something of a paradise—and as a result, it attracted large numbers of outsiders.
Perhaps it was precisely this overpopulation that led to the overconsumption of water, causing Rōran's eventual decline. The oasis would wither, and the once-vibrant city would crumble into ruins...
Even just a brief patrol gave him a sense of time's passing—of how the world could shift and decay.
Uchiha Kirin was quick to realize this was no coincidence. There was an intrinsic connection at work here:
All six of his Limbo Clones shared a deep mental link with his true body. Their synchronization…
It far exceeded even that of the Six Paths of Pain and the Outer Path. Rather than mere clones, they were more like extensions of his limbs.
In fact, Uchiha Kirin constantly shared sensory data with the Limbo Clone dispatched to the past.
Perhaps because the duration of his stay in the past was uncertain, time between the two began to flow in a strange, unpredictable manner:
Most of the time, the present—his true body and the five other Limbo Clones—moved slower, while the Limbo Clone in the past experienced accelerated time.
Occasionally, the reverse would occur.
And in rare instances, it seemed as if one side became completely still!
These erratic fluctuations in time felt like some kind of sacred trial.
As his breathing technique circulated, Kirin could feel his body slowly evolving.
The mysteries of time became a constant source of inspiration.
"Maybe... this is a brand-new path for cultivation."
He had keenly sensed the opportunity. At this point, Uchiha Kirin's existence had already transcended the mundane.
Even the power of stars was now merely a quantitative increase. Significant breakthroughs could only come from filling in the gaps, and that—clearly—was a long, painstaking process.
In the future, perhaps only by consuming the fruit borne of the Divine Tree could he stably and efficiently elevate his lifeform tier.
However, the Divine Tree took centuries, even millennia, to grow. Otherwise, his only other option was to devour the major Ōtsutsuki in the shinobi world—but doing so might alert the higher-ups of the Ōtsutsuki clan and ruin his hidden development.
If that happened, he'd no longer be able to quietly grow in the shadows of the shinobi world.
But now—right before him—was an excellent, entirely new opportunity for cultivation!
By using the power of time itself, he could baptize his body through temporal resonance and trigger further evolution!
After a bit of experimentation, Uchiha Kirin discovered that both his true body and the Limbo Clone in the past could adjust the frequency of their breathing techniques to achieve resonance.
Once resonance was achieved, a flood of energy—what appeared to be temporal power—poured into his being.
When the resonance faded, the temporal power that had washed over him would expel some matter from his body, cleansing him.
With every breath, even the small world forming within him absorbed some of this energy, gradually becoming more refined and complete...
"This really is an incredible cultivation method. In the future, maybe I can send Limbo Clones into different time periods and train simultaneously. I might even gain insights into the laws of time..."
Uchiha Kirin was overjoyed by the realization.
Still, time was an elusive, enigmatic force. And the terrifying glimpse he had seen back in the Dragon Vein—where even the system had been damaged—made him cautious.
He decided to blow up Urashiki's gear and immediately return to the timeline of his original body.
Fortunately, even Konohagakure hadn't been founded yet. The region was still just a massive, bamboo-covered basin—no sign of buildings anywhere.
The Senju and Uchiha clans were still locked in their life-or-death struggle. Tobirama Senju had just invented the Flying Thunder God Technique and used it to unexpectedly cut down Uchiha Izuna.
Devastated by grief, Uchiha Madara suppressed his fury and secretly completed the transplant of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Heh, so this ocular technique amplifies both the power and the number of ninjutsu one can use. No wonder he could go toe-to-toe with Hashirama, that chakra monster!"
Taking a moment, the Limbo Clone copied Uchiha Madara's ocular powers.
At this point, Kirin had already mastered the full capabilities of the Rinnegan with Nine Tomoe. Whether it was the Rinnegan or Mangekyō Sharingan, he could now reproduce all the unique techniques they possessed.
However, without the corresponding rule-based power to support them, they couldn't become true Divine Techniques.
For a being at Uchiha Kirin's current level of existence, they were little more than flashy decorations—maybe useful for feints, but they offered no real enhancement.
Still, it was a nice bonus. Mangekyō abilities like this were recorded in many scrolls passed down through the Uchiha clan.
He copied all those scrolls and planned to recreate them one by one once he returned. If any of them happened to align with the laws he had already mastered...
That would mean he could "freeload" his way into gaining a new Divine Technique—now that would be a true power boost!
Several months passed in a flash. After the Uchiha clan returned with bountiful gains, Uchiha Kirin, using the cursed technique seal embedded in the wedge, began estimating the time differential.
According to his calculations, Urashiki Ōtsutsuki would arrive in about five to six years.
That made things clearer: whether the difference lay in time or in space, it all came down to one thing—distance.
And cursed techniques, being extremely effective at interpreting "distance," made it possible to pinpoint Urashiki's location!
So, during this still-ample window of time, Uchiha Kirin concealed himself within the Dragon Vein, continuously adjusting the resonance between his clones and his true self.
He immersed himself in the infinite power of time, letting it wash over him again and again.
Just as he had deduced before, the Limbo Clones were not simple copies, but extensions of his true self—akin to his arms and legs.
Now, it was as if he had been stretched across time to a ridiculous degree.
And the part of him extended into the past was being ceaselessly scoured by the invisible forces of time and space—resulting in a kind of direct, internal tempering.
With each collision, his body and soul were refined by the impact of time itself. And during bursts of inspiration, he worked tirelessly to refine the cursed technique derived from Jashin, improving its locking accuracy.
He was just waiting for Urashiki to arrive—then he'd drain every last treasure from his body.
Time passed quickly—years, in the blink of an eye.
And then, the wedge marked by the cursed technique began to tremble.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki... had arrived!
Uchiha Kirin and his Limbo Clone awoke in unison, his body and mind feeling refreshed.
The benefits of years of temporal tempering—well, they spoke for themselves...
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