Elsewhere, Sosuke had returned to his room.
He had been traveling for two days straight and felt worn out, but he didn't rest right away. There was still one matter he needed to resolve.
He sat cross-legged on the wooden floor and closed his eyes to gather his thoughts.
"Hogyoku, are you awake?"
He spoke softly. He had sensed something strange in his body earlier, and had spent the entire journey back wondering what it could be.
After killing so many people, the word "souls" had immediately come to mind.
Then Sosuke thought of the Hogyoku hidden inside him.
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, a childish voice suddenly rang out in his mind, startled and flustered.
"You discovered me, Lord Aizen!"
Sosuke was speechless. It had been secretly siphoning his chakra inside his body for the past two days. How could it think he wouldn't notice something so obvious?
Still, Sosuke didn't hold it against her. The Hogyoku was like a little child, after all.
He patiently asked in a gentle voice,
"Hogyoku, when did you wake up? Why are you absorbing my chakra?"
The Hogyoku answered in a bright, babyish voice.
"When you killed those people two days ago, their souls happened to be enough to wake me up. But the quality of those souls was really poor. Compared to them, I like the power inside you much more, Lord Aizen."
Sosuke wasn't surprised. From the moment she had first awakened inside his body, she had kept clamoring for souls to eat.
Thinking that she not only ate souls but also absorbed his chakra gave Sosuke a headache.
Even he was running low on chakra. He didn't have nearly enough to spare!
Now that the little one had awakened from her slumber, if he had to set aside a portion of his chakra to feed her regularly, that would be far too extravagant.
And souls were even more out of the question. He couldn't go out killing people just to keep her fed!
He had personally killed plenty of bandit ninja, but they were all despicable people with blood on their hands. Sosuke had no qualms about killing them!
But killing a lot of innocent people for the Hogyoku would go against Sosuke's ninja way, and it wasn't realistic anyway.
As if sensing Sosuke's dilemma, the Hogyoku spoke in a wounded, plaintive voice.
"Have I caused you trouble, Lord Aizen? If you don't want me to, I won't absorb your power anymore."
Hearing how pitiful she sounded, Sosuke couldn't bring himself to say no. He answered softly,
"It's all right, Hogyoku. If you like my chakra, go ahead and enjoy it. I'll find a way to manage."
The Hogyoku's voice was filled with delight and excitement at his agreement.
"Really!? I like gentle Lord Aizen the most! Then I won't hold back."
Immediately, Sosuke felt another portion of his chakra drain away.
The sudden loss made his heart ache. No, he had to find a way to increase his chakra reserves!
Then he heard the Hogyoku's contented voice.
"Lord Aizen, power infused with your presence really is the most delicious! Before, you always had me eat the Reiryoku of those Death Gods. It was high quality, but it just wasn't to my taste. But that's all right. I'll grow up quickly this time, and then I'll help you like I used to."
"I'm so full from all this power, Lord Aizen. I'm going back to sleep."
After that, she fell silent, presumably slipping back into slumber.
Inside the room, Sosuke wore a helpless expression after losing a huge chunk of his power. He sensed that only half of his chakra remained and couldn't help giving a wry smile.
He could recover his chakra after a night's rest, but nobody could put up with having a chunk suddenly swallowed every time!
Sosuke thought it over. For now, he had no other options, so he could only take things one step at a time.
It seemed Kyoka Suigetsu had no way to solve this problem either.
Then he settled into a deep meditation.
Outside, the night was quiet and still.
It was still that lush, vibrant palace.
Soft green grass carpeted the floor of the great hall. It must have felt wonderfully soft underfoot.
High atop the stone dais, a figure lounged on a flower-ringed throne, as languid as a cat. Her clothes were thin, her skin as fair as fine jade, and she paid no mind to the beautiful sight of spring spilling from her garments.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her beautiful eyes slowly opened.
A sharp glint in their depths shattered her languid air!
"Awake again!? Even now, that shameless thing still dares to take Sosuke's power!"
Her expression darkened as she slowly uttered the words in a voice cold enough to freeze to the bone!
As her fury flared,
the entire palace seemed to undergo the four seasons in the blink of an eye, as though time had raced forward!
All the vibrant life around her withered away!
The flowers wilted, and the green grass fell dormant.
The once-brilliant world seemed to be overlaid with an old, faded picture.
Desolation and silence filled the entire hall!
On the high stone throne, Kyoka Suigetsu sat upright, her face cold and her body tense. Her kimono was neat and formal. She tapped her fingertips lightly against the armrest, brows knitted as if deep in thought.
In the outside world,
after a full night's rest, Sosuke had already recovered completely.
Although the Hogyoku inside him might often sneak a gulp of his power, Sosuke didn't hold it against her.
For some reason, he seemed to have an endless supply of patience for the Hogyoku.
Finding a way to increase his chakra reserves was now Sosuke's most urgent priority. Otherwise, with the amount he had, he might not even be able to chant those high-level Kido spells, let alone use them!
There was no helping it. His chakra reserves were incredibly meager.
Having just completed a Root Base mission, he had a relatively easy day ahead.
Early that morning, he went to the Konoha Forest!
No one became powerful out of nowhere. Whether someone had exceptional talent or outstanding natural abilities, without the perseverance to train hard, they would achieve little more than the average person and eventually vanish into the dust of time.
Sosuke still kept to a demanding routine and hadn't slackened in the slightest!
Here, he trained hard in Taijutsu!
If the Hakuda techniques Kyoka Suigetsu taught him were the most refined martial arts and fighting skills, then the Taijutsu practiced by ninja was about raw, overwhelming physical strength!
Without physical abilities beyond the ordinary, even the most refined Hakuda techniques would be nothing more than a house built in the air.
Sosuke understood this perfectly and didn't dare let up!
Just as he was drenched in sweat, thoroughly enjoying himself as he honed the most basic punches and kicks,
a series of hoarse shouts rang out from beyond the woods again!
"...If you don't manage to walk ten thousand steps on your hands!! Then you'll do five thousand squats with a log on your back!!..."
Before you continue