July 5th, 3:18 a.m.
Akira gently lowered Hikari from the air and laid her down.
Even after being set down, her body still trembled slightly.
After tidying things up, Akira covered her with a blanket.
Hikari pulled the quilt over half her face, rolled onto her side, and looked drowsily at Akira as he got dressed.
"You're going out again? Aren't you tired, hubby?"
Akira slipped into his ceremonial robe, leaving his chest and abdomen exposed. Sitting by the entrance, he put on his boots.
"I don't know what's going on. I was completely exhausted after today, but after… tossing around for a bit, I suddenly feel full of energy again."
"Probably has something to do with absorbing Hashirama's chakra when I awakened the Rinnegan."
Standing up, he picked up the shoehorn and eased his heel in.
"The plan has started. There'll be more things to deal with from now on. I'll probably have to go out in the middle of the night quite often."
Hikari said lazily, "You've got your work to do. I understand. I don't ask for much—just come home on time for meals~."
Akira smiled, walked over, and gently tapped her forehead.
Suddenly, Hikari remembered something.
"Oh right, Akira. Yesterday, when you were out, Sister Konan came to see me."
"She said Xue, Feng, and Hua are already qualified to graduate from the ninja academy."
"She asked whether Hidden Shade should participate in this year's Chūnin Exams."
"She thought it wasn't a small matter, and that you should make the final decision."
"The Chūnin Exams…?"
Akira zipped up his robe, adjusted his collar, and fell into thought.
Xue, Feng, and Hua had lived in this isolated Hidden Shade Village since they were six.
Life was peaceful, but they had no idea what the wider ninja world was like.
Their horizons were too narrow.
Akira had always wanted to take them out someday, let them interact and spar with other villages' ninja.
The Chūnin Exams were a perfect opportunity.
Moreover, Akira guessed that if Momoshiki was going to make a move, it would likely be at the exams, just like in the original timeline.
That would be the perfect time to close the net.
"As long as Paradise isn't exposed, attending wouldn't be a bad idea."
"I'll talk to Konan about it myself later. I also happen to need to 'borrow' something from her."
"Mm… I can't hold on anymore. I'm going to sleep~."
"Good night~."
"Good night~."
When Akira stepped outside, the streets were already dimly lit.
He leaped up and crouched atop a utility pole.
"Whoosh!"
Before long, Obito appeared on a nearby pole in a swirl of black space.
"Didn't come with Uncle Madara?"
"He's in the back mountain with your eldest daughter. No time to come."
"Sounds about right."
Akira smiled knowingly.
Obito asked curiously, "Why are you up again at this hour? After yesterday, I thought you'd sleep like a log."
Yeah, I wanted to. Who knew I'd get recharged after messing around with Hikari…
Marital matters were best left unspoken.
Akira laughed.
"I'm in my prime. When it's time to grind, you grind~. Come on, let's go check on our pillar."
Hidden Shade Village was surrounded by four great mountains to the southeast, northwest, and northeast.
"Whoosh!"
Akira and Obito arrived at the southern mountain.
Three years ago, Akira had ordered Konan to have Kakuzu fund and oversee an enormous excavation, hollowing out the entire mountain.
The result was a cavern complex even grander than Madara's old base.
It was protected by powerful barriers.
Passing through the torii gate at the entrance, they entered the main chamber.
More than twenty candelabras illuminated the vast stone hall.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path sat cross-legged on its giant wooden lotus throne, just as it had in the past.
After dealing with Black Zetsu, Akira had once been struck by a sudden idea.
At the time, he had judged it "reckless" and "crazy."
Even now, that hadn't changed.
He was here to verify whether it was feasible.
Akira's right eye flashed crimson.
"Snap!"
In his hand appeared Kaguya's frozen severed arm wrapped in its sleeve.
As the ice thawed, the skin regained its soft texture.
Obito said nothing, simply sat on a stone chair and watched.
Akira formed seals with two fingers.
"Wood Release."
Crack!
A tree rose up, lifting Akira into the air until he was level with the artificial Hashirama body embedded in the statue's chest.
The artificial body was still covered in the black Yin-Yang substance he had created with Madara's power—nicknamed "asphalt."
After awakening the Rinnegan, Akira had absorbed the state of synchronization with this body.
So it was no longer useful to him.
His hand seals shifted, and a thin layer of azure chakra covered his palm.
Obito was surprised.
"That's… a chakra scalpel. He's skilled in medical ninjutsu too? At Kabuto's level?"
No wonder.
He could conduct cell experiments himself and even create summonings like Guhuo Bird.
For half an hour, Akira performed delicate surgery on the artificial body's chest using the chakra scalpel.
Half an hour later, the tree lowered him back down.
Akira wiped away the sweat from intense concentration.
Obito stepped forward and stared at the arm grafted onto the chest.
"You've really got guts. Who else would even think of this?"
Akira replied, "I can't predict the consequences either. This is unprecedented."
"Gurgle… gurgle…"
Over the next ninety minutes, they witnessed a dramatic transformation.
At the junction between the artificial body and Kaguya's arm, a visible bulge began to form.
The black substance left by Madara spread toward the arm along with it.
The arm gradually swelled and thickened.
Meanwhile, the artificial Hashirama body kept shrinking, until it barely resembled a human shape.
Obito was stunned.
"Kaguya is terrifying. Her severed arm actually took over as the main body and swallowed the artificial Hashirama—and even Madara's residue!"
After consuming a chakra fruit, a lifeform underwent a qualitative transformation of body and soul.
Madara had once said that even Hashirama's massive chakra had originally been part of Kaguya's God Tree.
That arm had been torn off by Naruto before she was sealed, retaining complete life material.
That was why it possessed such terrifying vitality and侵蚀性.
Another half hour passed.
The artificial body was completely gone.
The arm, having swollen continuously, lost all recognizable features.
What remained was a black-and-white mass of flesh.
Its surface was covered in membranous veins, pulsing rhythmically.
Obito narrowed his eyes.
"It looks like it could keep growing… it just lacks enough energy."
At that moment, Akira looked over.
"Obito. Back then, when your chakra was in Kakashi, he used Kamui Shuriken to tear off several tails of Kaguya's Rabbit Form, right?"
"The severed parts… they should still be in your Kamui dimension, shouldn't they?"
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