A Hunger for Power

The earth had been carved open by a bottomless ravine. Blue B, still wrapped in the Tailed Beast cloak, had been split evenly in two.

When a Tailed Beast was extracted, its Jinchuriki died.

Likewise, if a Tailed Beast had not escaped its Seal, the Jinchuriki's death also meant the Tailed Beast's death.

Crimson Chakra flowed slowly, like blood.

Standing beside Blue B's corpse, Kagami Uchiha looked like an evil ghost drinking blood.

The freshly dead Blue B still contained a vast amount of Tailed Beast Chakra.

Ever since their battle against the Four-Tails, Minato and the others had known that he could absorb Tailed Beast Chakra. There was no point hiding it anymore.

If anyone asked, he would say it was because of the Sharingan. It wasn't like they had one.

"Y-You just... killed the Jinchuriki like that...?"

Jiraiya and the others teleported over, their faces filled with disbelief.

The battle had not actually lasted long. They had not even seen Kagami Uchiha use any ninjutsu.

They could only vaguely hear him saying something, followed by evasive movements as he darted about.

And then—

Without warning.

A single slash had cut the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki cleanly in two!

Even his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, probably could not have done something like that!

Kagami Uchiha had no intention of explaining. This battle had not been a matter of overwhelming strength.

From beginning to end, he had relied on underhanded tactics, precisely exploiting the emptiness in Blue B's heart.

Whenever words could shake an enemy, Kagami Uchiha did not mind turning into a chatterbox.

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Jiraiya did not dwell on Kagami Uchiha's absorption of Chakra. He merely frowned and sighed.

"Kagami, you were too impulsive. If we had attacked together, we might still have been able to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki alive."

"Now that he's dead... Kumogakure won't let this go."

"Teacher, you're wrong."

It was Minato who refuted Jiraiya.

His gaze was firm and his voice steady. "Kumogakure killed our comrades first. We're the ones who shouldn't let this go!"

He had already noticed the mangled corpses of Konoha ninja at the edge of the battlefield.

The intelligence they had received also indicated that Kumogakure had been the first to invade the Land of Fire.

"I know..."

Jiraiya's expression was bitter. "I know... I just... hate this kind of endless war..."

"If there is peace at the end of war, then I'll fight to the very end." After saying that, Minato flashed a brilliant smile.

Watching the massive amount of Chakra being absorbed by Kagami Uchiha, Minato cautiously asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Kagami Uchiha also had a similar sealed space within him. One door held Sukuna, while the other could be used to store this Tailed Beast Chakra.

The Nine-Tails Chakra, with only "Three Cards" remaining, sat in one corner, while several dozen Cards of Four-Tails Chakra were stored off to one side.

The Eight-Tails Chakra he had just absorbed amounted to roughly two hundred Cards.

The Eight-Tails' attributes mainly consisted of Water Release and certain special abilities, giving it considerable research value as well.

At its core, a Tailed Beast was a product of Yin-Yang Release.

Every type of Tailed Beast Chakra could deepen Kagami Uchiha's understanding of Yin-Yang Release a little.

If his understanding became deep enough...

He even had the idea of directly obtaining the ocular power of the Eternal Mangekyo!

Kagami Uchiha could not do what Orochimaru did—cultivating an Eight-Tails horn from a bit of skin—but he did not need such a complicated process.

The Sharingan was the pinnacle of Yin Release, and through Black Flash, he had touched upon the essence of Chakra.

To put it simply, Orochimaru's research could reach the cellular level, while he could analyze things on a molecular level!

Heh heh, Orochimaru. Go lament the tragic fate of having no Sharingan.

After calming his thoughts, Kagami Uchiha turned to look at everyone.

"I said it long ago. It's just one Tailed Beast."

"Only a lecherous old man like Teacher Jiraiya can't handle one."

Thud!

Caught completely off guard, Kagami Uchiha took a heavy punch to the head.

So fast!

So strong!

It hurt so much!

Who was that?!

Ah... Kushina.

"What are you doing?!"

Kagami Uchiha clutched his head and shouted angrily. This woman's fists were far heavier than those of A, the current candidate for Raikage.

As expected of an Uzumaki descendant—a woman who could suppress the Nine-Tails even while on the verge of death.

Kushina clenched her fists, her red hair whipping about like tails.

"I worked so hard to suppress the Nine-Tails, you know! The way you said that makes me sound like that pervy old man!"

The pervy old man did not dare say a word right now.

Kagami Uchiha first assessed the gap between himself and Kushina.

It did not feel as though he stood no chance against her.

But if they fought, Minato would one hundred percent side with Kushina.

Hmm... he could not beat them if they teamed up.

After all, while Kagami Uchiha usually kept strangers at arm's length, within the Uchiha Clan, all those uncles and aunties considered him a well-behaved, sensible child with a lovely smile.

When Obito's grandmother was still alive, whenever Obito said Kagami had bullied him, she never believed him.

Kagami Uchiha's smile did not look fake at all—just as sunny and gentle as Minato's.

"The Nine-Tails is obviously different. It's a Tailed Beast that even the First Hokage had difficulty sealing. In my view, it is stronger than all the other Tailed Beasts combined."

"So when I evaluate Tailed Beasts, I don't include the Nine-Tails. Kushina, you misunderstood."

The difference between Kagami Uchiha and the future Sasuke, both representatives of Uchiha good looks, was that Kagami knew when to put on an act and when there was no need to.

Giving way at the right time was not shameful.

A true man could bend and stretch as needed.

Seeing Kagami Uchiha's warm smile, Kushina loosened her fists.

That was more like it... He might act smug sometimes, but he was still a sensible kid.

And he had said something about Uchiha Madara... That Nine-Tails really did know how to lie!

She raised a hand and gently rubbed Kagami Uchiha's head.

"You have to call me Big Sister Kushina!"

"Just talk. Don't touch my head!"

Kagami Uchiha, who had only just managed to suppress his anger, nearly blew up in rage as he slapped Kushina's hand away.

"What a childish temper. What's wrong with touching your head once?!"

Minato watched the two, who were about to start arguing, with a wry smile. He felt that Kushina was even less mature than Kakashi; at least Kakashi knew to humor an Uchiha.

Carefully pulling Kushina a little farther away, he said, "If Kagami doesn't like it, then don't do it. You don't like it when people give you nicknames either, right?"

Hearing Minato's words, Kushina seemed to realize she had been in the wrong.

She casually leaned close to Kagami Uchiha and bumped her shoulder against his.

"Alright, kid! Don't be mad anymore. When we get back to the village, I'll treat you to barbecue!"

"Your big sister here is very rich, you know!"

Kagami Uchiha curled his lip disdainfully. "I have an entire street in the Uchiha Clan Compound!"

Those were all Shen Huo Elder's accumulated assets, and they had already been placed under his name.

"Is that so? I have an entire street in the Konoha Commercial District!"

Tch, so what? It would all be destroyed later when the Nine-Tails went berserk anyway.

Jiraiya quietly pulled Minato aside.

Leaning close to his ear, he spoke in a very soft voice.

"Um... Minato... how far have things gotten between you and Kushina?"

"As your teacher, well... you know, whether it's traveling or gathering material, it all costs a lot of money..."

Maruboshi Kosuke was a quiet observer, watching Konoha's new generation with a smile.

In his eyes, even Kagami Uchiha was only cold toward enemies; he still cared about his comrades.

The four of them had been a team for over half a month now and had completed their initial period of adjustment.

As he watched the three of them, Maruboshi Kosuke felt as though he were seeing the Three Legendary Sannin from before.

Minato had a better temperament than Jiraiya, Kagami was as stern as Orochimaru, and there was no need to mention Kushina. She and Tsunade were distant relatives and usually as close as sisters.

Sure enough... wherever Konoha's leaves danced, the fire lived on without end!

Seeing that the atmosphere had relaxed, Maruboshi Kosuke tapped the iron pot on his back.

"Hungry? How about I cook? We can eat and chat at the same time."

"Sure, sure! It's been ages since I've had Uncle Kosuke's cooking!" Jiraiya immediately perked up.

During their time stationed here, they only got a proper meal every few days. More often than not, they filled their stomachs with Soldier Pills, and their mouths were practically devoid of taste.

They were all shinobi. Even Kushina, who had not gone on many missions, had seen quite a few dead bodies.

There was nothing unnatural to them about eating beside corpses.

"I brought a bento."

Taking out a lunchbox from the small backpack behind him, Kagami Uchiha walked off to one side and began eating alone.

No one said anything, pretending not to notice.

At first, Kushina truly could not understand Kagami Uchiha's antisocial behavior, and Maruboshi Kosuke had assumed Kagami was dissatisfied with his cooking.

That was until they saw what Kagami Uchiha was eating...

The Uchiha Medicinal Bath did not only involve soaking in medicinal herbs; some of it also had to be consumed internally.

Kagami Uchiha's bento had neither color, aroma, nor flavor. It was simply a pack of medicine.

Unconvinced, Kushina snatched some and tried it. The stuff was even harder to swallow than Soldier Pills!

Minato and Jiraiya had known about this for a long time, so they were not surprised that Kagami Uchiha possessed his current strength.

They simply could not understand... why Kagami Uchiha craved power so desperately.