I'm Not Code, but I'm Not the Ten-Tails Either

As for Code's body, Uchiha Ensei hesitated for a moment before eagerly beginning a dissection.

Under normal circumstances, Uchiha Ensei would never bother with something so technically simple.

But there was too much he didn't understand about the clone Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had left behind.

For one thing, Code's body was unlike those of people from the Ninja World—or even members of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. It appeared to be the product of a partial fusion with the Ten-Tails.

That reminded Uchiha Ensei of Hashirama Senju.

The Wood Release that man used was unusual too. Like the Reflection Code had used in battle, it was an ability Ensei couldn't fully master.

That was right. Although Uchiha Ensei had copied Code's Reflection with his Nine-Tomoe Sharingan, there were subtle differences in how he could use it.

Code, of course, died during the dissection.

Yet Uchiha Ensei sensed no trace of a soul leaving him.

With Uchiha Ensei's current mastery of Yin–Yang Release, he might not be able to interfere with souls, but he could still sense the pull of the Pure Land claiming one at the moment of death.

If he grew a little stronger, Uchiha Ensei might even be able to visit the Pure Land himself.

But taking another step forward with his current power would not be easy.

Naturally, Uchiha Ensei was curious why the Pure Land had not claimed Code's soul.

At first, he thought Code's soul might be hidden somewhere in his body, or perhaps in that so-called "Karma."

But even after using the Rinnegan ability he had copied, Uchiha Ensei found no sign of a soul in the body he had dissected.

Even if a clone's soul was unusual and needed time to develop, it shouldn't have been like this.

To get to the bottom of it, Uchiha