Splash.
The waters of the Naka River carried shattered debris and murky currents as they flowed into the distance.
Inside the barrier.
The moment Uchiha Kai saw the scene before him, he froze in place.
What lay ahead was far crueler than anything shown in the original story.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and scorched flesh.
Ten meters away, Minato Namikaze lay on his side.
His abdomen had been torn open by a massive wound.
Yet at the rupture, there was no exposed flesh—only crystallized chakra, frozen mid-disintegration.
Nearby, Kushina Uzumaki's chest had been pierced clean through by the Nine-Tails' claws. Viscous crimson chakra mist continued to seep out, gathering in the air and forming a thin veil.
Beneath that veil, Naruto—who should have been wailing—slept peacefully, wrapped in a faintly golden chakra cocoon.
Father and mother alike.
Each was loving their child in their own way.
Kai suddenly understood why, in the original story, Naruto never fell into darkness—despite being treated the way he was.
Instead, he grew into the village's greatest hero.
Maybe inheritance really was something you couldn't escape.
If it were him?
He'd probably tear Konoha apart brick by brick.
No wonder he wasn't the protagonist.
Shaking his head, Kai stepped forward.
Minato Namikaze was the very embodiment of effort among ordinary men.
One of the few in the Naruto world who reached the pinnacle of power without relying on bloodline advantages—a true shadow-level combatant.
The instant Kai drew close enough to Minato's clothes, which still retained a trace of warmth, dazzling trait-light flooded his vision.
[Contacting target: Minato Namikaze (Deceased)]
[Available Traits to Plunder: Flying Thunder God Technique (Gold), Rasengan Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three (Gold), Reaper Death Seal (Black), Sealing Arts (Purple), Sage Mode (Gold)…]
Golden traits flared like solar eruptions.
Among them, Flying Thunder God Technique burned brightest, turning the surrounding blood mist into molten gold.
Beside it, the black trait Reaper Death Seal exuded a terrifying violet-black haze.
Just looking at it felt like your soul might be dragged away.
"So this is the ceiling-tier space–time ninjutsu from the original story…"
Kai murmured, conflicted.
"System… what if I touch something I don't want?"
[Corpse trait plundering cooldown: 365 days.]
[Living target trait copying cooldown: 7 days.]
Kai's face darkened instantly.
"One year? That's basically permanent cooldown."
"I'm a fresh account—don't suppress me like this!"
Every single trait here was something he wanted.
Except the Reaper Death Seal.
Then again…
If he activated Body of Light while using the Reaper Death Seal—
After turning into light, would the Shinigami still be able to grab his soul?
When the system didn't respond, Kai stopped hesitating.
Left hand on Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai.
Right hand on Minato himself.
Looting a Hokage—
Begin.
Tick.
Tick.
Thirty seconds passed in silence.
[Plundered Legendary Trait: Flying Thunder God Technique (Gold) Lv.1]
[Effect: Instantly teleport between marked objects within 30 meters. Each use consumes 100 chakra.]
[Feeding ninjutsu can increase Flying Thunder God level, extend teleport range, and reduce chakra consumption.]
A growable space–time technique.
Unexpected—but also perfectly reasonable.
After all, Minato had wielded the Flying Thunder God even better than its creator, Tobirama.
Without changing expression, Kai turned and reached toward Kushina.
Splash!
The instant his hand moved—
The Adamantine Sealing Chains around Kushina's abdomen suddenly lashed out!
It looked like a post-mortem protective seal, meant to prevent desecration of the body.
Bang!
"Figures. Still a hothead even after death."
Kai shook his head, his two-and-a-half-year-old body carrying an unnatural steadiness.
Raising his hand to the moonlight, he said calmly, "Body of Light—activate."
Buzz.
Golden radiance enveloped him once more, his body partially transforming into light.
The adamantine chains struck nothing but empty air.
After waiting a moment to confirm there was no follow-up reaction, he reached out again.
[Contacting target: Kushina Uzumaki (Deceased)]
[Available Traits to Plunder: Chakra Titan (Gold), Four Red Yang Formation (Purple), Sealing Affinity (Blue), Nine-Tails Power · Pseudo (Purple), Great Strength (White)…]
Compared to Minato, Kushina's traits were slightly weaker—but every one of them was premium.
Especially chakra reserves.
As one of the last pure Uzumaki, her chakra capacity was unrivaled across the shinobi world.
No one wouldn't be tempted.
Especially a certain silver-haired "fifty-fifty" ninja crippled by eye stamina issues.
Naturally, Kai was tempted too.
Even more so by the Nine-Tails power.
It might be inferior to the real thing—but his traits could level up.
Feed it for a few years, and who knew?
Maybe it would surpass the original.
Tick.
Thirty seconds passed.
[Obtained Epic Trait: Adamantine Sealing Chains · Incomplete (Purple)]
[Effect: Summons three chakra chains to bind targets. Effectiveness doubled against tailed beasts.]
"Adamantine Sealing Chains… not bad."
Kai wasn't disappointed.
Even though he missed out on Chakra Titan and Nine-Tails power, he already had invincibility, stealth, and teleportation—and now he'd added binding chains to the mix.
His toolkit was more than rich enough.
Far beyond his original expectations.
He took a deep breath and turned toward the blond infant between them.
"Alright… you're next, Naruto."
Crack.
But the moment he tried to touch Naruto—
The Four Red Yang Formation above suddenly surged with power!
Step. Step. Step.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
And in the center of his vision—
A smoking pipe slowly came into view.