Land of Rice, High Heaven Palace, Laboratory
The laboratory was brightly lit, cold white light pouring down from rows of tubes across the ceiling.
Tobirama stood before the enormous culture vessel at the center, his back to the door. His short white hair looked as though it had been dusted with a thin layer of frost beneath the cold light.
He leaned forward slightly, staring at the fist-sized piece of biological tissue floating within the vessel, his brows tightly furrowed as he was clearly lost in thought.
"How is it? Has there been any progress in the research on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?"
Hearing the voice behind him, Tobirama instinctively frowned.
"Do you not know that interrupting someone's thoughts is extremely rude, brat?"
As he spoke, he turned around, prepared to complain to that innately evil Uchiha brat.
But when his gaze fell upon Kou, his pupils involuntarily contracted.
Kou still wore that roguish expression, a punchable grin hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Yet with Tobirama's perception, he immediately noticed something unusual.
The vitality within Kou's body was nearly several times stronger than when he had last seen him the previous night!
Moreover, the light in those Rinnegan seemed brighter and deeper than before...
What exactly happened to this brat?
Only one night has passed. Why does it feel like his strength has risen by another huge margin?
Tobirama muttered in confusion, then suddenly seemed to recall something, his pupils shrinking.
Did something happen when this brat spoke with my brother alone last night...?
"Hey, you white-haired old man, I asked you a question. Don't pretend you didn't hear me!"
Kou flicked his hair and walked two steps closer to Tobirama, teasing him casually.
"What, were you dazzled by your big brother Kou's roguish charm