"Ding. Successfully copied Asura's chakra. Fuse?"
To Kazama Shin, this was nothing less than heavenly music.
Suppressing his overwhelming excitement, he quickly said goodbye to Uzumaki Naruto and rushed back home. The moment he entered, he could no longer hold back and shouted inwardly—
"Fuse!"
The instant the thought was completed, a surge of chakra appeared within his body, merging with him.
Pain!
Unlike the previous fusions that brought comfort, this time—
It was unbearable agony.
The pain sank deep into his bones, as if every single cell in his body was being torn apart.
"Hss—!"
Clenching his teeth tightly, Kazama Shin didn't dare cry out. Only a muffled groan escaped his lips as sweat poured down his pale face.
This fusion felt less like integration—
And more like a complete transformation.
Every cell in his body was undergoing a fundamental change from within.
And this pain—
Was only the beginning.
Enduring it with everything he had, he didn't know how long passed before he finally lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.
…
When he opened his eyes again—
It was already the next morning.
…
"Th-This is…"
Climbing out of bed, Kazama Shin felt an unprecedented sense of comfort.
Every cell in his body radiated vitality, as if his entire being had been reborn.
A boundless life force surged within him.
All the minor injuries and accumulated fatigue from past training—
Gone.
Completely erased.
At the same time, the chakra within his body had undergone a terrifying increase.
In just one night—
It had multiplied dozens of times.
This level of chakra was no longer inferior to that of a Jonin.
And just yesterday—
He had only possessed Genin-level chakra.
"Asura's talent… is truly terrifying!"
Now, he felt as though he could extract chakra anytime, anywhere—effortlessly and at incredible speed.
Compared to the Fourth Hokage's talent—
It was a difference between heaven and earth.
"And this chakra…"
Kazama Shin raised his hand.
Instantly, a mass of deep blue chakra surged into his palm, tinged with a faint green vitality.
The life force within it was immense.
If he chose to learn medical ninjutsu, he would undoubtedly become a top-tier medical ninja in the future.
"As expected… Asura inherited the Sage of Six Paths' body."
He clenched his fist, retracting the chakra.
Having only just fused this power, without even fully developing it—
He already possessed the foundation of a basic Sage Body.
Asura's bloodline was truly monstrous.
And with this—
Kazama Shin finally gained the true foundation to stand at the peak of the ninja world.
…
Before he could further explore the changes in his body, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar.
"Naruto? And… I can hear from this far away now?"
A thought flashed through his mind.
Focusing his senses, he directed chakra toward his perception.
"It really works!"
He realized that he could now sense people through chakra.
Just moments ago, he had detected two hidden ANBU about two hundred meters away, closely following someone approaching this area.
"Those must be the ANBU protecting Naruto…"
Kazama Shin thought.
…
At the same time, among the two ANBU trailing Naruto—
One of them suddenly felt something and quickly scanned the surroundings.
"That's strange…"
"What is it?"
"I feel like someone is watching us."
Hearing this, the other ANBU also became alert, carefully inspecting their surroundings.
After checking everything, they found nothing.
"Probably just your imagination."
They said so, but internally, both had heightened their vigilance.
Because it was entirely possible—
Someone really was lurking in the shadows.
For example—
Root.
Danzo, unintentionally, had just taken the blame for Kazama Shin's accidental exposure.