Nine-Tails Chakra

Researching ninjutsu took a lot of time.

Su Yu wasn't starting from scratch, but considering he had no references to work from, managing to develop a prototype of the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken was already impressive.

On the first day, he settled on a direction for his research.

On the second day, he began testing different ratios.

After a week, Su Yu had determined the chakra ratio for the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.

But a new problem arose.

An S-rank Wind Style: Rasenshuriken wasn't something he could easily throw.

So he turned his attention to how to use Tailed Beast Chakra, hoping to coat one arm in it and create an effect similar to a partial Tailed Beast Cloak.

But he had too little One-Tail chakra to draw on enough of it.

Unless Su Yu could obtain chakra from another Tailed Beast.

Fire Temple.

It was a famous temple in the Land of Fire.

Compared to the might of Konoha, Fire Temple seemed weak.

But the warrior monks there were certainly not to be underestimated.

In the forest outside Fire Temple.

Su Yu stood atop a tree, dressed in Anbu attire.

He had left the Land of Waves and had been waiting here for three days.

He had spent those three days waiting for someone.

That person wasn't especially powerful, but he possessed Nine-Tails Chakra.

His name was Sora. He was a warrior monk from Fire Temple, and his circumstances were much like Naruto Uzumaki's.

The only difference was that the Nine-Tails Chakra inside Sora was more violent. It hadn't been implanted in him in the form of a Jinchuriki; instead, it had simply been sealed inside him.

As a result, his body was different from an ordinary person's.

In plain terms, his body had mutated.

Using the Byakugan and the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Su Yu had pinpointed Sora's location.

But Sora had never left Fire Temple.

Like Konoha, Fire Temple was protected by a barrier.

That was why Su Yu didn't dare infiltrate it directly.

Even Akatsuki's Immortal Duo had suffered a setback there. Su Yu had only one pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and at best, his strength was on par with an elite jonin. If he went in, he might not make it back out.

So he could only wait here.

Waiting for a chance to catch Sora outside.

From his observations, the warrior monks of Fire Temple went to nearby villages to buy food every few days.

They always went in groups of three.

It was a little like Konoha's three-man teams.

That was why Su Yu thought he might get a chance to catch Sora alone.

He wasn't in a hurry. If anything came up, Karin Uzumaki could contact him through Katsuyu. And with Uzuki Yugao around, Su Yu wasn't worried about anyone breaking into his home.

A few days earlier, Karin Uzumaki had signed a contract with Katsuyu. She was now training in Medical Ninjutsu.

"Hm?" Su Yu suddenly caught sight of a flash of fire.

A nearby village must have caught fire.

Fire Temple reacted quickly, and more than a dozen warrior monks gathered at once.

Su Yu hurriedly used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and the Byakugan to pinpoint Sora's location.

He was in the group, too.

Before long,

the warrior monks set off.

They were heading toward the fire. It was clear this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

Su Yu kept his eyes on Sora.

As the group moved farther and farther away,

Su Yu hesitated for a moment, then followed.

It was already afternoon.

If his guess was right, after helping put out the fire, the monks would stay in the village for a while.

That would give him an opportunity.

With help from the warrior monks of Fire Temple, the blaze in the village was soon extinguished.

To thank them, the villagers prepared a lavish dinner.

The monk leading the group thought it over, but before he could say anything, his stomach growled.

The village chief smiled kindly but said nothing.

The monks couldn't help laughing.

Embarrassed, their leader had no choice but to accept the villagers' hospitality.

The monks began eating.

They gathered in small groups, but no one sat beside Sora.

The villagers knew who he was and kept their distance.

Sora finished dinner in silence, then left the village alone.

He walked through the quiet forest.

Moonlight fell brightly across the forest floor.

Sora gazed up at the moon, his eyes clouded with sadness.

"Do you hate your own power that much?" a voice suddenly asked.

Sora stopped and looked at the Anbu Ninja perched in a tree ahead.

"Who are you?"

"Someone who can help you."

As soon as Su Yu finished speaking, he blurred out of sight.

The next moment,

he appeared in front of Sora.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun!

S-rank Hell Viewing Technique, activated!

Sora's eyes went blank for a moment.

Then a terrifying aura emanated from his body.

Su Yu didn't panic.

Four golden chains appeared behind him, binding Sora as they began absorbing his Tailed Beast Chakra.

This chakra was different from the One-Tail's. Its violence was unmistakable, as if a crazed will lurked within it.

Su Yu ignored that will and continued absorbing the Tailed Beast Chakra with all his might.

The Nine-Tails Chakra didn't merge with the One-Tail's chakra. Instead, it formed a separate mass of Tailed Beast Chakra.

As Su Yu absorbed it,

the Tailed Beast Chakra within Sora dwindled, and he slowly regained consciousness.

When he realized he was losing the Nine-Tails Chakra, he looked bewildered.

"If you trust me, I can remove the Nine-Tails' power and let you return to a normal life," Su Yu said slowly.

"You had a chance to kill me just now. Why didn't you?" Sora asked.

"If I killed you, the power inside you would disappear. That would be a poor trade for me. I could extract some of the Nine-Tails Chakra from your corpse, but I don't want to kill you," Su Yu said, mixing truth with lies.

Sora fell silent for a moment, looking at Su Yu.

"If you want this power, then take it. To me, it's nothing but a curse."

Su Yu met Sora's gaze and walked toward him, step by step.

When he was half a meter away,

Su Yu's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun again.

S-rank Hell Viewing Technique, activated!

Sora's eyes went blank. This time, the Tailed Beast's power didn't erupt again.

Su Yu took out the potion he had prepared and poured it down Sora's throat. It would keep him asleep for a long time.

Sora's body pitched forward. Su Yu caught him and carried him out of the forest.

The next day.

The capital of the Land of Fire.

After finishing breakfast at the inn, Su Yu set off on his way back.

He had removed all the Nine-Tails Chakra from Sora, and Sora had returned to normal.

Su Yu gave him some money as compensation.

Sora had no intention of returning to Fire Temple. Instead, he planned to travel the world as a true monk, helping those in need.

It had to be said, that was very wholesome.

On the way back,

Su Yu received a message from Tsunade.

Uchiha Sasuke had defected.