"Indra and Asura's chakra is truly special."
Inside the Kirigakure's Kekkei Genkai Laboratory—
After conducting a meticulous analysis of the two strands of chakra that Yoru had brought back, Yukiko, her crimson eyes activated, spoke earnestly to him:
"Yoru-sama, the strength of these two chakra sources is extremely high—even greater than 'Specimen No. 9.'
However, one of them, Indra's, leans toward yang; the other, Asura's, toward yin. Compared to the completeness of Specimen No. 9, these are somewhat unbalanced.
"Still, their chakra intensity has increased dramatically compared to what you provided three years ago. It's as if something that had been sealed away… was finally released. If all their seals are lifted completely, then even with that imbalance in nature, the sheer volume alone would be enough to reach Six Paths level."
In the original series, Naruto and Sasuke had activated their Indra and Asura bloodlines through Hagoromo's blessing, reaching Sage level strength. However, even at that level, they weren't necessarily the strongest.
Yet when both their powers were unleashed simultaneously, they produced a perfect synergy.
Now it seems... that synergy was born precisely because of the opposing natures of their chakra.
"How's your Kekkei Genkai Fusion research going?"
"Almost complete. With the chakra of Indra and Asura that you brought back, the research progressed even faster."
Yukiko performed some hand seals, and a huge container jar immediately appeared on the table in front of her.
The jar was filled with a nutrient solution, and a pale figure was immersed in the liquid with its eyes closed.
On both sides of the nutrient jar, there were six faint glows. Each glow contained a dense chakra source.
The Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Hyūga, and Kaguya clan, as well as the chakra of the descendants of Kinkaku and Ginkaku that the Fourth Raikage had provided not long ago.
The six chakra strands glowed on the instruments, slowly fusing into the figure in the nutrient jar, like a pure white painting being painted with six completely different colors.
"The chakra is quite stable, Yukiko." Yoru was a little surprised. "For such different chakra to blend together so smoothly and harmoniously… The techniques behind this can't be explained in just a few words."
The tendency of chakra to revert to its source is very serious. That is, within the same type of chakra, the main chakra can easily overwhelm the other branch chakra and forcibly take it over and fuse with it.
It's like the cells of Hashirama Senju. Once his cells are implanted into a person, if there is not enough opposing power to resist them, the vessel will soon be devoured and assimilated by Hashirama Senju's cells.
But Yukiko had somehow managed to balance all six bloodline chakra within a single vessel. The techniques involved in this were not something that could be explained in one or two sentences.
"Honestly, it's not that difficult."
Yukiko smiled sweetly, flashing her adorable little fang:
"Mainly because that Otsutsuki outcast you captured is so incredibly valuable. His physique is the perfect medium.
Whether it's Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, or Hyūga—all bloodlines integrated flawlessly.
I used his body as the core and partially integrated some of your artificial body cells.
Once the chakra fully merges, your soul will be able to enter and take control of the vessel."
The Moon-dwelling Ōtsutsuki's physique hadn't been polluted by Earth's bloodline impurities. Its purity was almost identical to the original Ōtsutsuki body.
That likely explained why the bloodline chakras were able to merge so stably.
"You never disappoint, Yukiko."
Yoru gently ruffled her silky hair.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Yoru's current power was indeed formidable—but it was primarily Shinigami power.
Previously, the Shinigami system held the advantage over the shinobi system. But with the emergence of the Ōtsutsuki clan, the shinobi system was elevated to such a degree that even Yoru couldn't definitively say which side held supremacy.
To truly understand, he had to experience the power firsthand.
"Oh right. Analyze the chakra in this item."
Yoru pulled out the black chakra rod that Jigen had given him, handing it to Yukiko.
"I've left a soul barrier on it. It should block any chakra signals from leaking. Feel free to study it."
"This is...?"
Yukiko curiously took the rod. The moment it touched her hand, she sensed a profoundly unique chakra.
Weak in quantity—yet astonishingly dense and powerful.
Even stronger than the chakra of 'Specimen No. 9'—the Ōtsutsuki outcast.
"This level of chakra... still exists in today's world?"
Yukiko was shocked. No wonder Yoru-sama acted with such caution despite his strength.
She had originally thought that the former First Hokage, the Shinobi God, was the strongest in this world. Then, the Moon Ōtsutsuki appeared
And now, an existence even stronger than the Moon Ōtsutsuki had appeared.
The depths of the shinobi world… truly bottomless!
Yukiko carefully put away the chakra rod, ready to study it in detail, but unexpectedly, Yoru took out another item.
"What's this…?"
A small, exquisitely crafted Buddhist charm pouch—gold-threaded and faintly fragrant with incense. Yukiko stared blankly at it.
Her dazed look made Yoru chuckle. He gently placed the pouch into her hand.
"Take good care of this. I personally prayed to Buddha for it."
"You... personally prayed to Buddha…?"
Yukiko murmured softly, stroking the silk fabric with delicate fingers. Her cheeks flushed pink.
Adorable as ever, Yoru couldn't resist pinching her cheek.
"Alright then, I still have paperwork waiting. I'll leave you to it."
"Mm!"
She nodded, eyes down, cheeks red.
Yoru laughed heartily before vanishing on the spot.
Once he was completely gone, Yukiko cradled the golden pouch in her hands like a precious treasure. She examined it, felt its energy, and finally tucked it into the hidden lining near her heart.
Feeling its warmth against her chest, she finally beamed with joy and picked up the chakra rod, diving into her research.
...
After leaving Yukiko, Yoru made a visit to Hiromi, giving her a pouch as well.
Since he had taken Terumī Mei and Pakura to the Fire Temple, he couldn't afford to be biased. Everyone got one—including those aiding him from the Shadow Island and even little Hinata back in Konoha.
These weren't just Buddhist protection charms. Beyond the standard divine blessings, each pouch contained Yoru's own spiritual power, condensed into a unique spiritual crystal.
To put it simply, they could definitely block one attack from Nagato's Susanoo Golem during the battle at the Gold Sand Fortress.
Hiromi gratefully accepted the pouch and also reported Yoru on the latest research into Shinigami and Hollows. Only then did Yoru return to his Mizukage office.
This office—symbol of power in the Mist, and currently across the whole shinobi world—was, thankfully, not buried under scrolls and documents thanks to his hyper-competent assistant, Yuki Kiri.
Inside, two women were present:
Terumī Mei, flaunting her buddhist pouch with a grin so wide it could reach the sky.
Yuki Kiri, calmly working on paperwork with her usual stoic expression.
"Heehee Jealous, Kiri? Yoru-sama personally got this for me"
Mei waved the pouch in front of Kiri and began recounting their entire journey in exaggerated detail.
Kiri remained expressionless, unmoved, but Mei chattered on with enthusiasm—until Yoru cleared his throat.
"Thanks for your hard work, Kiri."
Yoru took out a Buddhist pouch from his jacket and, in Mei Terumī's slightly dazed gaze, personally placed it in Kiri's hand:
"Is there anything you need me to handle?"
Kiri gave Mei Terumī a faint glance, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips before she put the Buddhist pouch into her pocket.
The corner of Mei Terumī's mouth twitched. Just as she was about to speak, Kiri pulled out two scrolls from the desk and handed them to Yoru, while opening one of the scrolls and speaking in an orderly manner.
"This is all the details and losses of the village's invasion while you were away. Including the Kirigakure Battle Tower and the Ninja Academy, a total of six important facilities were damaged. However, all the damaged areas, including the Hueco Mundo and all the village barriers, have been repaired and updated."
"There were two Adjuchas, twenty-one Gillian, and nearly a hundred other Hollows that invaded. They have all been annihilated," Kiri paused in her speech: "And according to the information provided by Kimimaro, all the Hollows this time were controlled by Obito Uchiha, and his real purpose was to capture 'Kimimaro'."
"Kimimaro repelled Obito, but Obito still managed to steal a few jōnin who had awakened the Shikotsumyaku."
So that was it. Obito was after the Shikotsumyaku…
He'd sacrificed an entire village, drawing attention with Nagato and Hikari just to create an opening—and even targeted Kimimaro directly.
First the Hyūga, now the Kaguya.
Obito, so you've chosen this path too…
Yoru reviewed the scroll.
"You handled it very well. Kimimaro also did an excellent job. By the way, I remember he's also old enough to go to the Academy, right? Tell him to enroll when he gets back. He can be in the same class as Hikari."
"Yes," Kiri nodded, clearly already aware of Hikari's identity.
She then opened the second scroll:
"This is an invitation from the Fourth Raikage. He's calling for a Kage Summit to address the Akatsuki issue.
After your battle at the Gold Sand Fortress, the Fourth Kazekage held a press conference, revealing the Akatsuki's threat and his own manipulation.
The news caused widespread upheaval. Hence, the Raikage wants to convene a summit."
"Sounds good. Never visited the Land of Lightning before."
Yoru didn't decline. It was a perfect chance to see how far Lightning Country had spread spiritual power.
During the Chūnin Exams in Sunagakure—though the ending was chaotic—those who wielded spiritual power performed brilliantly.
Fugaku and Rasa had already committed to widespread adoption of spiritual power in their nations. If the Raikage followed suit, that would mean four major villages—Mist, Fire, Lightning, and Wind—all embracing it.
Then it would only be a matter of time before Iwagakure and the smaller nations followed suit.
Full-scale spiritual power transformation of the shinobi world… is just around the corner.
Having wrapped up these matters, Yoru didn't touch the rest of Kiri's paperwork. After all, the capable should handle more—Kiri had proven more than up to the task.
...
Meanwhile, in a hidden base in the Land of Grass—
After studying all the details countless times and starting to use genjutsu to simulate and rehearse the ritual, Obito's frown deepened.
"Still not enough. Even if I gather all the dark chakra I've accumulated over two years—it's far from enough.
How is that possible?!"
According to his calculations, the chakra needed for his ritual was multiple times greater than what Hiruko required for his.
The chakra he'd stockpiled was laughably insufficient.
"Planning to extract from the reserve White Zetsu?"
Black Zetsu looked in the direction of Obito's gaze. It was a dark underground area, a region that Madara had originally set up for the Gedō Mazō.
In this dark underground area, there were countless White Zetsu that Madara and Obito had accumulated over the years!
"You know what we'll be up against once the war starts. Without those Zetsu, things will get messy," Black Zetsu warned.
"Of course I know!" Obito responded with an irritated growl. He never expected his ritual to require such a massive amount of chakra. This was completely beyond his expectation.
What should he do? Where could he find so much chakra?
Did he really have to wait for the power of the celestial phenomena and use that?
No, the celestial phenomena would cause too much of a commotion. Once Yuki Yoru discovered it, that guy would definitely not stand by and do nothing.
If his ritual was interrupted and obstructed by Yuki Yoru, that was something Obito absolutely could not accept!
Obito was a little flustered. He had originally thought that he could start his plan after observing Hiruko's ritual and making up for any deficiencies. But now...
"Wait, Obito!"
In the silent, quiet base, Black Zetsu's voice suddenly sounded: "I think we've found a chakra source."
Obito suddenly raised his head: "What do you mean?"
"One of my clones is being studied by the Third Tsuchikage..."