Cloud Village's Decision, Turtle Island

A cold curve tugged at Minamoto Takuya's lips.

To seek out, in reality, an agony extreme enough to tear apart his soul and ignite the Mangekyo?

But the question was, would that truly be any more "gentle" than the aftereffects brought by that device...? He had no way to compare them.

Besides, in this vast Shinobi World, amidst this chaotic reality, what could truly shake his current state of mind and give him the kind of earth-shattering stimulus capable of tearing apart his personality?

He examined himself. Power? The foundation of the Snow Ninja Village? Konoha's plans? Such external things were like drifting clouds; gaining or losing them made little difference, and abandoning them would not be regrettable.

So-called influence was merely a tool on his path upward.

The only thing he truly cared about was the staircase leading upward—the road to the pinnacle of power itself!

If someone dared erect an insurmountable barrier, or directly destroy this road to the heavens...

Then perhaps that was the only "loss" he could not calmly accept.

As the thought arose, it brought a sharp, genuine pain.

But this seemed to form a paradoxical dead loop. He craved the power of the Mangekyo so that he could climb upward faster and become stronger, yet the condition for awakening the Mangekyo might require him to sever his future path?

Destroy his own future in exchange for power? How could Minamoto Takuya possibly make such an absurd choice!

His turbulent thoughts swirled like a vortex. Then, in the midst of this seemingly unsolvable impasse, Minamoto Takuya's mind suddenly stalled!

A possibility he had never considered before struck deep into his consciousness like a bolt of cold lightning!

"Perhaps..." he murmured, his voice so soft it was nearly a whisper. "...it may not be entirely impossible."