Hikaru really wasn’t sure what would happen if he tried fusing the Three-Tails’ chakra into Little Nine-Tails.

He had always coveted the Ten-Tails, but the Ten-Tails he wanted was one built around Little Nine-Tails’ personality and will.

Little Nine-Tails had been with him for two or three years now. Even though the little guy spent most of his days sleeping, Hikaru had grown used to having him around.

So Hikaru did not want anything bad to happen. Even if his bond with Little Nine-Tails was not as deep as Naruto’s bond with Kurama in the original story, he still did not want a tragedy to occur.

Just imagine what would happen if Naruto lost Kurama.

Putting aside strength, losing a friend alone would be enough to hurt deeply.

Over these years, Little Nine-Tails had helped Hikaru far more than a little.

There had even been a time when he was one of Hikaru’s strongest powers. Hikaru would never forget that.

So he did not want Little Nine-Tails to disappear for some strange reason. If that really happened, Hikaru would not be able to accept it.

Faced with Hikaru’s question, Little Nine-Tails froze for a moment, then began thinking seriously.

After a long silence, he finally said, "Actually, I’m not completely sure. But I can feel that if you fuse Isobu’s power into me, there shouldn’t be any problem."

"Is that so?"

Hearing that, Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

Little Nine-Tails’ intuition was a mysterious thing. Hikaru was not sure whether he should trust it.

It was hard to say whether Little Nine-Tails’ perception was correct. This matter concerned himself, and Hikaru did not think he would joke about something like this.

There was also another point. Little Nine-Tails was produced by the system. Maybe his intuition carried some kind of hint from the system.

Of course, these were only Hikaru’s own thoughts. He could not say what the truth was, so he felt extremely conflicted.

After all, if he made one mistake, Little Nine-Tails might be replaced outright.

"Yes, that is what I feel." Little Nine-Tails tilted his head and said softly, "Don’t forget, I can also devour other chakra to improve myself."

"You mean you want to devour the Three-Tails’ power?"

Hikaru’s mouth twitched.

"If that happens, I won’t be able to use the Three-Tails’ power."

The Three-Tails’ power was an important part of Hikaru’s plan. The identity he had created was meant to use different tailed beast powers to deceive people, or even frighten them.

He did not mind Little Nine-Tails becoming stronger, but he did not want his entire plan to collapse because of it.

That would be terrible.

"Of course not. I sleep all the time, but it’s not like I don’t know your plan."

Little Nine-Tails shook his head. The little head on Hikaru’s shoulder looked rather listless as he said in a muffled voice, "I won’t devour that power. I haven’t even finished digesting the Dragon Vein’s power yet, so how could I think about anything else? What I mean is, if you fuse his power into me, there’s a good chance I won’t be swallowed by his will. At the same time, I’ll possess the Three-Tails’ power. That way, you can obtain two kinds of power from me. In human terms, that means the power of the Three-Tails and the Nine-Tails."

"Are you sure you can do that?"

Hearing this explanation, Hikaru had to admit he was tempted.

If he could obtain both the Three-Tails’ and Nine-Tails’ powers from one Little Nine-Tails, that would save him an incredible amount of trouble.

After all, Hikaru’s intermediate goal was the Ten-Tails, and preferably a Ten-Tails that preserved Little Nine-Tails’ will.

If Little Nine-Tails could really do what he said, then this would be an excellent result for Hikaru. It could even solve many future problems and disputes.

Thinking of this, Hikaru felt he really needed to consider it properly. The benefits were simply too great.

"Let’s try it," Little Nine-Tails suddenly said. "If something feels wrong, I’ll immediately tell you to stop. Don’t worry, I won’t joke around with my own life."

"That’s best. I don’t want a tragedy happening here."

Little Nine-Tails’ caution made Hikaru nod.

He truly did not want that kind of tragedy to happen to him.

Now that he had the little guy’s assurance, even if he could not completely relax, he at least had some expectation of safety.

This was worth trying.

And Hikaru had to try it.

With that thought, Hikaru no longer hesitated. He slowly took out the fruit containing the Three-Tails’ chakra.

He closed his eyes slightly, then placed it straight into his mouth.

That bitter taste once again spread wildly across his tongue. Even though he had experienced it countless times, it still made him feel awful every time.

He did not know what Saya and Ayame had felt when they experienced this, but Hikaru absolutely hated it.

At the same time, he was filled with anticipation.

When the Three-Tails’ power completely merged into his body, Hikaru instantly felt as though a newborn consciousness was beginning to form.

He had experienced this once before when nurturing the Nine-Tails, so he was not too surprised.

But just as Hikaru was about to guide this chakra into Little Nine-Tails’ body, the chakra suddenly moved on its own and rushed toward the Nine-Tails.

In an instant, the Three-Tails’ and Nine-Tails’ chakra began to intertwine violently.

The fox head on Hikaru’s shoulder vanished at that moment.

Hikaru clearly sensed that Little Nine-Tails had not reacted immediately to the sudden power entering his body. And now, he was interacting with that power through...

"Fusion?"

Hikaru immediately realized that this situation was different from what he had expected.

After the two powers collided, they did not attack each other.

Instead, there seemed to be a connection between them, and that connection caused the two powers to blend continuously.

"Still, this fusion doesn’t seem especially smooth."

Hikaru observed carefully.

As the two powers kept blending, he clearly noticed that although they possessed compatibility, something seemed to be missing. That missing part prevented them from fusing completely.

"Could it be because not all the tailed beasts have been gathered, causing some kind of difference?"

Hikaru thought silently.

Meanwhile, things on Little Nine-Tails’ side were almost over. His chakra was becoming more stable, smoother, and calmer.

A short while later, all the strange movement inside Little Nine-Tails stopped, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"So that’s how it is?"

Hikaru looked at Little Nine-Tails and finally nodded.

After everything calmed down, Hikaru immediately asked the little guy what had happened.

Although Hikaru had some guesses of his own, many things still needed Little Nine-Tails to explain personally before they could be considered clear and objective.

What relieved Hikaru was that Little Nine-Tails was still Little Nine-Tails.

His awareness, personality, and everything else had not changed.

The only thing that had changed was probably his chakra.

At this moment, Little Nine-Tails’ chakra did seem somewhat chaotic.

His form had not changed much, but his chakra had split into two parts. Not only did he still have the Nine-Tails chakra Hikaru was familiar with, he also now possessed the Three-Tails’ chakra.

Little Nine-Tails explained his condition to Hikaru in detail, allowing Hikaru to clearly understand what had happened.

To put it simply, whether it was Little Nine-Tails or the Three-Tails chakra newly nurtured by Hikaru, both were essentially powers born through Hikaru.

These powers did belong to the tailed beasts, but they were also extremely compatible with Hikaru himself.

With Hikaru’s chakra acting as the link, the powers of the Nine-Tails and Three-Tails could merge without much difficulty.

"I really didn’t expect my power to have this kind of effect..."

Hikaru’s mouth twitched after hearing Little Nine-Tails’ explanation.

This was the first time he had discovered that his power could be so interesting.

Of course, that was only part of it.

His power provided the foundation for the fusion of the Three-Tails’ and Nine-Tails’ chakra.

But it was only the foundation.

The real key to their fusion was that their powers were inherently compatible.

To put it plainly, that compatibility existed because of the Ten-Tails.

Whether it was the Three-Tails or the Nine-Tails, both had originally come from the Ten-Tails. They had merely been separated by Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo thousands of years ago.

That separation did not change the essence of their power.

As long as there was a link connecting them, it was not impossible for them to fuse again.

In the original story, that link was naturally the Ten-Tails’ body.

Hikaru did not have that now, but his situation was even more special.

His tailed beasts had been nurtured by the system through chakra. These tailed beasts were not fundamentally different from the originals. If there was any difference, it was Hikaru’s chakra.

His chakra existed inside the tailed beasts, and now it played a very interesting and subtle role.

It was replacing the Ten-Tails’ shell as the link between them, giving them the prerequisite for fusion.

"It’s just that if they want to fuse completely, my power and the Three-Tails’ power alone are not enough, because the continuity between their chakra isn’t especially good."

Little Nine-Tails’ words stayed firmly in Hikaru’s mind.

The continuity between chakra probably referred to sequence or order.

From the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails, there had to be some kind of order and connection between them.

Even if Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo had divided their power in a simple way, like giving one portion to the One-Tail and one portion to the Nine-Tails, there probably would not be much chakra inside the Nine-Tails that could merge directly with the Three-Tails.

So sequence was important.

The fact that the Nine-Tails’ and Three-Tails’ chakra had not completely fused now seemed normal.

"That’s about it." Little Nine-Tails twisted around inside Hikaru’s body, seemingly still unused to his current state. "I feel like I’m no longer quite myself. It’s like there’s something else inside me."

"Don’t phrase it so strangely. Although you’re not exactly wrong."

Hikaru’s mouth twitched, but he eventually shook his head.

"Forget it. Even if I explain, you’ll understand. In short, you’re not in your original shape anymore."

"Why do I feel like what you’re saying is even more questionable than what I said?"

Little Nine-Tails looked at Hikaru strangely. He always felt that his jinchūriki’s words were not quite right.

But Hikaru clearly had no interest in continuing this topic.

No matter what strange thing had been injected into Little Nine-Tails’ body, and no matter what shape he had become, at least the little guy was still the same little guy.

That had not changed.

Besides, Hikaru now cared more about another issue.

How well could Little Nine-Tails control these powers?

And would his improvement remain limited to himself, or would the newly absorbed Three-Tails power improve along with him?

These were all things Hikaru wanted to understand.

"Right. How does the Three-Tails’ power improve?" Hikaru asked directly. "Also, can I enter Three-Tails Chakra Mode?"

"The Three-Tails portion can improve through my own growth."

Little Nine-Tails answered without hesitation.

"I can clearly feel that it has already begun absorbing my power. As for Three-Tails Chakra Mode, I think it should be possible. These are all my powers now. I can mobilize them."

Hearing this, Hikaru finally relaxed.

What he had feared most was Little Nine-Tails being unable to control his own power, leaving Hikaru still only able to use Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. That would have been awkward.

Hikaru truly did not know what Three-Tails Chakra Mode would look like. After all, he had never seen it or experienced it before.

Even in the original story, that Mizukage had not shown such an ability. It seemed he had only developed the tailed beast cloak and had gone no further.

But Hikaru had no intention of testing it right now. He would have plenty of time later.

What he cared about more now was how his system panel had changed.

With that thought, Hikaru quickly opened the panel. Soon, his data appeared in his vision.

Name: Senju Hikaru

Gender: Male

Birthday: Konoha Year 34, March 24

Level: Quasi-Kage level (system evaluation without using any abilities), massive chakra reserves, small portion of sealed Dragon Vein chakra

Dōjutsu: Jōgan (initial stage, development progress: 52%)

Bloodline Development: Intermediate (Senju Secret Arts, Beginner Yang Release Secret Arts), Kekkei Tōta (Unnamed), Beginner Yin Release Secret Arts, Yin–Yang Release (fusion progress: 1%)

Jinchūriki: Nine-Tails (Three-Tails), Intermediate; can grow by devouring large amounts of special chakra; planting an advanced Nine-Tails Fruit can accelerate growth; still growing after absorbing excessive chakra

Seeds: Sharingan Origin Seed (3%)

Fruits: Intermediate Fire Release Fruit (1), Intermediate Water Release Fruit (1), Intermediate Earth Release Fruit (1), Beginner Three-Tails Chakra Fruit, Intermediate Wood Release Fruit

Missions: Become the True Final Boss of the Ninja World (Unique), progress 45%; Ten-Tails Jinchūriki (Optional), Nine-Tails and Three-Tails obtained, fusion progress not activated

Hikaru stared blankly at his panel.

He really had not expected to somehow activate a system mission.

One interesting trait of Hikaru’s system was that it never issued mandatory missions.

There were no tasks forcing him to act, no time limits, no instant rewards for success, and no death penalty for failure.

It was the kind of extremely laid-back system that gave him one mission, a long-term one at that, and basically left him to do it or ignore it as he pleased.

Hikaru actually liked that.

The problem was that there had only ever been one mission from beginning to end, which had left him somewhat unsure what to do at times.

And now, this super-laid-back system had issued another mission. How could Hikaru not be surprised?

This new mission was quite interesting. It seemed to have been specially created in response to his current situation.

Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.

This could be considered a relatively simple way to enter the so-called Six Paths level.

Of course, "simple" was only relative to other methods that relied entirely on oneself.

Relying on bloodline evolution was extremely difficult. At least in the current era, ancient pure bloodlines had almost been exhausted.

Hikaru remembered that some certain fellow who shouted about "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west" had fallen into decline because his family’s bloodline had been exhausted.

The ninja world was actually in a similar state now.

Look at the Hyūga, the Uchiha, and the Senju. Which of them could truly restore their clan’s ancient glory?

Aside from Hikaru’s Senju Clan, there really did not seem to be any.

And even Hikaru relied on a cheat. As for reaching the level of Indra and Asura, he could only think about it for now.

If bloodline already seemed so unreliable, then walking the path of chakra fusion toward Kekkei Mōra was basically a dead end.

At least with bloodline advancement, there was still some hope.

But chakra fusion was almost hopeless. Even in the original story, no one had truly attempted it.

The furthest the entire ninja world had gone was Ōnoki’s Kekkei Tōta, which fused three chakra natures.

Beyond that, everyone else had only fused two chakra natures.

So compared with those two methods, directly becoming the Ten-Tails jinchūriki did seem like a simpler option.

But the difficulty inside this path was still extremely high, because it had very strict strength requirements.

First of all, thanks to Senju Hashirama, all the tailed beasts had ended up in the hands of the ninja villages.

The first thing one had to do was attack a ninja village, find its jinchūriki, and escape safely.

How high the success rate of that would be was hard to say.

In any case, Hikaru felt that very few people could do it.

Second, one needed a cheat like Hikaru’s, which allowed the tailed beasts to recombine without relying on the Ten-Tails’ shell.

Without that, one would need a pair of Rinnegan, then summon the Ten-Tails’ husk from the moon.

Finally, even if all of that succeeded, and even if one endured all the ninja alliance forces coming after them and managed to summon the Ten-Tails, there was still one more problem.

The struggle against the Ten-Tails’ will.

In a sense, the Ten-Tails was the Divine Tree. For a mortal to control such power was practically a joke.

The Ten-Tails would never allow a mortal to wield it, control it, or enslave it.

Hikaru felt that without enough willpower, it would be extremely difficult to control the Ten-Tails.

Unless someone was like Obito, so obsessed with a woman that even the Ten-Tails could not suppress him.

"So after thinking about it, I’ve realized that these things are basically made for advanced players. Ordinary people really don’t have many options."

At that thought, Hikaru’s mouth twitched.

The ninja world really was a place that depended on bloodline.

With bloodline, one had strength. And with strength, one could do all sorts of things that seemed irrational.

Hikaru stopped thinking about it after that, because as far as he was concerned, he was now walking three paths at once.

The bloodline advancement path was something the system had possessed from the beginning. It could be considered a benefit that gave him a direct route toward the final destination.

Chakra fusion was something Hikaru himself had always been exploring, and he had found certain ways to solve its problems.

Now he had not only fused a Kekkei Tōta, he had also begun researching the fusion of Yin–Yang Release. It could be said that he was steadily moving forward on that path too.

And now, the third path had also opened.

The fusion of the Three-Tails and Nine-Tails had caused the system to create an optional mission. This mission gave Hikaru hope.

Even though there was no fusion progress shown yet—he guessed that might only appear after he obtained all the tailed beasts—he had at least seen the possibility of success.

He had seen the hope of completing it all.

Advancing on three paths at the same time could not be considered a rational choice.

But from another angle, did having one more path not also mean having one more margin for error?

"Besides, even without this mission, wasn’t I already walking all three paths?"

Hikaru stretched slightly.

He was in a pretty good mood now.

Originally, he had still been wondering whether his method would work.

But now that the system had issued a mission, it meant his idea and method were both correct. This could be considered a kind of approval from the system.

"Looks like the war between Konoha and Kumogakure really has to happen now."

Hikaru slowly walked to the window and looked out at the scenery.

He had not forgotten that Kumogakure possessed two tailed beasts.

Originally, he had already planned to obtain the chakra of those two tailed beasts.

Now it seemed that he had to do it.

Not only did he have to do it, he had to do it well.

He knew this would be his greatest opportunity.

An opportunity not only to obtain enormous benefits, but also to stand firmly on the grand stage of the ninja world.

He could not miss it.

In Iwagakure, Ōnoki was focused on handling documents.

The current ninja world already smelled faintly of gunpowder. Kumogakure’s movements had not been noticed only by Konoha. In truth, any slight disturbance in the ninja world could be detected by the major villages.

After noticing those movements and considering the current situation, they immediately understood what Kumogakure wanted to do.

Kumogakure had not signed an agreement with Konoha, so no matter what they did, it would not damage the ninja world’s evaluation of their credibility.

Moreover, everyone knew that throughout the entire Third Shinobi World War, Kumogakure had suffered the smallest losses. They possessed sufficient military strength to launch this war.

"Looks like the ninja world won’t be peaceful in the future."

Ōnoki thought with a smile.

Whether the ninja world was peaceful or not did not really matter to him.

Even if he wanted to step in and take a bite out of Konoha, he had no way to do so.

He had signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha. For the sake of his own credibility, he naturally could not act against Konoha.

This meant that in the war that might soon break out, he could only obediently remain a bystander. He had no way to intervene.

In truth, there was one thing even he had not thought of.

Why could he not attack Kumogakure?

Kumogakure and Iwagakure could be considered mortal enemies. In fact, among the villages of the ninja world, who was not someone else’s mortal enemy?

It was just that the degree of enmity depended on current interests.

Konoha occupied the richest and most abundant resources in the entire ninja world. Its geographical position was exceptionally favorable, and all kinds of crops could be grown there.

This made the Land of Fire’s agricultural economy extremely strong. Not only could its people eat their fill, they could also export large amounts of agricultural products.

Konoha also occupied the center of the ninja world. It was a natural transportation hub. Just collecting road fees from merchant caravans passing through was enough for Konoha to earn enormous profits.

On top of that, the Daimyō of the Land of Fire was extremely wealthy and invested massive sums into Konoha, which further created Konoha’s position in the ninja world.

Imagine a ninja village with a superior climate and farming conditions, fully self-sufficient while continuously exporting goods and making money from other villages.

And on top of that, it controlled a transportation hub. If you offended it, it could cut off your trade routes directly.

Who would not hate such a village?

It could be said that aside from Konoha, every village in the ninja world had its own natural disadvantages.

When the villages had first been founded, no one dared say anything, because Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama’s strength stood there like mountains.

But now Konoha had weakened. Most of its strong people were dead or gone. Who would not want to take a bite?

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Konoha, so they naturally overlooked the other villages.

After all, ninja villages were the true rulers of their nations. As Kage, what they considered most was interest, not hatred.

"Lord Tsuchikage."

Just as Ōnoki was thinking about how far Konoha and Kumogakure might go, someone suddenly knocked on his office door.

"Come in."

Ōnoki quickly gathered his thoughts and answered.

The door opened, and an Iwa ninja slowly walked in.

In his hand was a newspaper.

"What is it?"

Ōnoki did not notice the newspaper at first and looked back curiously.

Ōnoki’s temper was not usually this good. It was just that the issue between Konoha and Kumogakure had put him in a decent mood.

After all, once those two villages started fighting, even if he could not get direct benefits, he could use the chance to develop rapidly.

During wartime, those two villages would be unable to take missions, and those missions would naturally shift toward countries that were not at war.

Thinking of that, Ōnoki naturally felt pleased, and his mood improved quite a bit.

"Lord Tsuchikage, there is something I need you to see."

The Iwa ninja remained cautious as he handed over the newspaper.

"We found this from a merchant caravan. The things recorded inside are somewhat..."

"What is this?"

Ōnoki froze for a moment, then reached out and took the paper.

A newspaper was still something unfamiliar to him.

Looking at the dense rows of tiny words printed on the modest sheet of paper, he could not help the corner of his mouth from twitching.

He was old now, and his eyesight was not as good as before. Reading such small characters was somewhat difficult.

But this was not a major problem for him.

He opened the newspaper and looked at the first page.

The moment he saw it, he froze.

"Kumogakure troop movements? Is this an intelligence file? No, that’s not right. Why is there Konoha news below it? And why are there records of ANBU missions and personal experiences?"

The more Ōnoki read, the more confused he became.

He truly could not understand what this thing was.

Why did it record so much intelligence-related information while also including so many things completely unrelated to intelligence?

He even saw information about the Land of Earth inside, such as complaints from certain towns about low wages.

This thing seemed like intelligence and gossip at the same time. It truly left him unable to make sense of it.

After a long while, he finally raised his head and asked, "You said this came from a merchant caravan?"

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage." The Iwa ninja immediately nodded. "It was a caravan entering the Land of Earth from the Land of Grass. We found it during a routine inspection."

"What did they call this..."

Ōnoki held the newspaper and paused.

"Newspaper, Lord Tsuchikage. They said this is called a newspaper." Fortunately, the Iwa ninja was quick-witted and immediately explained, "These newspapers are published in the Land of Fire. They record all kinds of secrets and interesting stories. They are reading material meant for everyone."

"The Land of Fire? Meant for everyone?"

Ōnoki frowned.

For a moment, he did not know how to evaluate it.

This kind of thing was really meant for civilians and ordinary ninja to read?

Were they not afraid of leaking information?

Were they not afraid that other villages would obtain it?

"Could this thing have nothing to do with Konoha?"

Ōnoki thought silently.

But he quickly rejected that idea.

With so much intelligence inside, there was no way this could have been obtained without Konoha’s help.

Then why would Konoha do this?

Ōnoki really could not understand.

Suddenly, he remembered that his ANBU had once reported that Konoha was developing something.

That thing seemed to be called a newspaper.

Thinking of this, Ōnoki immediately made a decision. He raised his head and looked at the Iwa ninja before him.

"Go collect them. Get your hands on the previous newspapers as well, then bring them back to me. Understood?"

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!"

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