As Kirito observed Chizuru's poised stance, he recognized that she was about to unleash her full power. In response, he swiftly clapped his hands together, completing a seal in an instant.
Suddenly, over a dozen water clones manifested on the surrounding water's surface.
Simultaneously, more than a dozen Chizuru replicas materialized before him, their presence accompanied by a dazzling display of thunderous light. Within that brilliance, Kirito caught sight of a colossal pair of Sharingan eyes.
Kirito realized that he was under an illusion and immediately mobilized the chakra in his body to break free.
In an instant, the illusion cast by Chizuru shattered, and the giant Sharingan fragmented like a broken mirror.
Reality swiftly returned to Kirito's senses, but before he could react, a sharp blade pressed against his throat, dispelling his liquid form.
"I've won," Chizuru declared with a smile, playfully tapping Kirito's face with the blade.
"It's hard to say," Kirito responded mysteriously before vanishing into a cloud of white smoke.
"Shadow Clone!" Chizuru exclaimed, scanning her surroundings for Kirito's true form.
"Here I am!" Kirito's voice resounded from above, surprising Chizuru. She looked up to find Kirito standing in mid-air on a circular platform made of iron sand.
"Haha, how about this? My magnetic escape works wonders. It can even allow me to fly, though it's still a bit slow," Kirito teased, manipulating the platform to hover in the air.
"Come down immediately! How can we fight like this?" Chizuru demanded angrily, feeling frustrated at her inability to reach Kirito in the sky.
But Kirito was out of her range, comfortably out of reach of her attacks and tools. He teased her further, aware of her frustration.
Exasperated, Chizuru demanded that Kirito descend. Kirito complied, creating an iron sand platform beneath her and lifting her up.
"What are you doing? I told you to come down!" Chizuru protested, holding onto the edge of the platform.
"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Kirito taunted with a smirk.
"Not at all!" Chizuru retorted defiantly, though her actions betrayed a hint of nervousness.
As the platform ascended, Chizuru's balance wavered, and she instinctively grasped the edge tightly. Kirito quickly created a support to stabilize her.
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall," Kirito reassured Chizuru with a smile.
As Kirito spoke, iron sand swiftly ascended from the ground, gathering into a chair under his feet. Beside him, another long chair made of iron sand materialized for Chizuru.
"Take a seat. The view from here is quite something," Kirito suggested, reclining comfortably on the chair and gesturing towards the Hokage Rock bathed in the sunset's glow.
With a cold snort, Chizuru settled onto the chair next to Kirito, her gaze drifting over the miniature village below. From this vantage point, everything seemed so small and distant.
Despite the height, Chizuru felt oddly at ease, knowing Kirito was by her side. If he wasn't afraid, why should she be?
As she lounged on the iron sand chair, feeling the wind's gentle caress from such a height, Chizuru glanced around, taking in the sights of Konoha. Her gaze lingered on the Uchiha district and then wandered to other parts of the village. Each place held its own memories and significance.
However, the entire Uchiha territory, while separate from the rest of the village, remained an integral part of Konoha. This realization brought an unexpected calmness to Chizuru's previously turbulent emotions.
After a moment of silence, Chizuru abruptly spoke, "Sister Sakura is gone."
Kirito was momentarily stunned, a pang of sadness washing over him as memories of the gentle Uchiha medical ninja flooded his mind. "How did it happen?"
He had always known that in their line of work, death was a constant possibility. Yet, he hadn't expected to lose someone so soon, especially someone as caring and kind as Sakura.
"I heard she was treating a fellow ninja on the battlefield when an enemy ninja from Iwagakure attacked. Sakura sacrificed herself to save her comrades. She's a hero of Konoha, a true shinobi," Chizuru recounted, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Moved by the loss of someone dear to her heart, someone who had guided her through her growth, Chizuru couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed.
Kirito's response was firm and supportive. "Sister Sakura is indeed a hero. Her bravery and sacrifice won't be forgotten."
Chizuru nodded, tears still streaming down her face. "It's just... it's just so unfair."
Her grief poured out in sobs, enveloping the quiet atmosphere around them.
In the midst of her sorrow, Chizuru's Sharingan spun rapidly, and a new pair of tomoe emerged within her eyes, a sign of her emotional turmoil and power surge.
Her tomoe even had sign of connecting
Feeling exhausted from the emotional release, Chizuru eventually drifted off to sleep, her head resting on Kirito's shoulder.
Kirito, observing the changes in Chizuru's chakra with his spirit vision, noticed the rapid activity of her Yin Release chakra. He was aware that this could signify an evolution in her Sharingan.
This sudden surge in strength could potentially lead to adverse effects if the individual lacks a solid physical foundation. A prime example of this is Uchiha Itachi, who suffered from a terminal illness at a young age. His condition was attributed to the strain caused by pushing his body's limits excessively during his youth.
Concerned about the sudden power increase and its potential consequences, Kirito retrieved a summon scroll from his belongings. Using the release techniques, he produced a white porcelain medicine bottle containing a red pill, which he gently administered to Chizuru to help stabilize her newly evolved abilities.
This pill is a special Nutri Pill developed by Kirito by combining Konoha's medical knowledge with the expertise of numerous top pharmaceutical experts hired by Gato Pharmaceutical Company at high salaries.
Its primary effect is to provide the body with essential nutrients rapidly, aiding in better absorption and digestion. Additionally, it accelerates wound healing, aids in chakra recovery, and to some extent, increases the user's chakra capacity.
Unfortunately, due to the high costs and the rarity of the required ingredients, mass production is currently impossible.
The core reason preventing the mass production of this Nutri lies in its dependency on Sage chakra.
Without this specific Chakra, even if others know the formula, they would struggle to produce it successfully.
After administering the Nutri Pill to Chizuru, Kirito began quietly combining Chakra and natural energy to create Senju Chakra. He then infused this Chakra into Chizuru's body to nourish her.
During this process, Chizuru's curse seal activated on its own, and numerous flame-like runes spread across her body, eagerly absorbing the naturel Chakra infused by Kirito.
"such a magical transformation," Kirito exclaimed in surprise as he witnessed the change in Chizuru's curse seal.
Observing that the curse seal wasn't harming Chizuru, Kirito continued to infuse Celestial Chakra into her. The curse seal greedily absorbed this energy, creating new runes that extended throughout Chizuru's body.
After some time, the runes covered Chizuru's entire body. Concurrently, her physical appearance began to change. Her hair rapidly grew white, her skin became pale akin to the Otsutsuki clan, and two miniature white horns emerged. Additionally, her chakra emitted a wave of Celestial energy.
"Is this the second stage of the curse seal, or has she entered a sage state?" Kirito pondered in amazement as he observed Chizuru's transformed appearance.
He had applied the top-tier curse seal to Chizuru, completely harmless and with a built-in limiter to prevent overexertion. The curse seal could also serve as an external organ for sensing natural energy.
As time progressed and it fully integrated with Chizuru's body, it would enable her to sense and absorb natural energy, paving her way towards becoming a Celestial being.
Kirito was surprised that the Celestial sage Chakra could enhance the curse seal's growth. However, he promptly ceased the infusion of Senjutsu Chakra into Chizuru's body. The curse seal settled down, and Chizuru's appearance reverted, although her chakra and physical strength had significantly improved.
Her complexion had improved, indicating a better recovery, thanks to the nourishing effects of the naturel Chakra.
"Sleeping soundly, I see. You'll need to keep up your efforts in the future," Kirito whispered with a smile as he gently pinched Chizuru's nose.
He then directed the iron sand chair to descend and headed towards Chizuru's house. Using his soul's perception, he sensed Uchiha Homura's return and planned to confront him about the debt.
After a while, Kirito brought Chizuru back to her house's courtyard.
In the courtyard, Uchiha Homura observed Kirito's control over the iron sand chair, lowering Chizuru from the sky. At first surprised, Homura's expression shifted to vigilance upon seeing Chizuru asleep. Approaching Kirito swiftly, he carefully lifted the sleeping Chizuru, noting her improved condition compared to earlier in the day. Relieved, he relaxed his guard slightly.
Kirito, noticing Homura's cautious demeanor, responded angrily, "Why are you giving me suspicious looks? I haven't done anything harmful to her; in fact, I've helped her significantly."
He then turned his attention to Uchiha Kari, the No.3 Uchiha, who also regarded him with suspicion and hostility, being Chizuru's daily bodyguard.
"Girls are going out, so be careful," Uchiha Homura remarked with a laugh as he handed Chizuru over to Uchiha Kari, who looked at her with concern and guided her back to the room to rest.
"Chief Homura, I have successfully completed the task you assigned to me earlier. Is it time to discuss the reward you promised? After all, my actions have greatly benefited the Uchiha clan, and I expect due recognition," Kirito said with anticipation, looking towards Uchiha Homura.
Feeling a bit uneasy under Kirito's expectant gaze, Uchiha Homura coughed lightly before replying, "Let's not forget that Chizuru saved your life during the Nine-Tails inheritance operation."
Kirito didn't hesitate to clarify, "That was a deliberate move on my part to give Chizuru an opportunity to save me. Otherwise, the attack from the Yunyin spy wouldn't have posed a threat."
He explained that although physically unable to act, he had Baijue's avatar within him capable of defensive ninjutsu. However, he allowed Chizuru to take the spotlight, improving the Uchiha clan's image in the eyes of other ninjas.
Sensing Kirito's subtle refusal of a reward, Homura replied with a smile, "It seems you didn't exert your full effort at that time. You're quite the skilled individual. Please continue to look after Chizuru in the future."
Although Homura had intended to use the rescue incident to urge Kirito into accepting the reward, he decided to let it slide to maintain a positive relationship.
Homura was confident that the reward he had prepared would satisfy Kirito. As an ancient and influential clan, the Uchiha possessed many treasures obtained through their long history. Despite their disdain for other clans' legacies, they had treasures in their possession that would surely impress Kirito.
"Oops, I fell for the old fox's trap," Kirito thought to himself upon realizing the subtle manipulation by Uchiha Homura. However, he maintained his composure and decided to stay cautious in his dealings with the Uchiha clan.
Homura nodded in satisfaction as Kirito regained his vigilance. Maintaining vigilance was crucial for a ninja, and Homura observed that Kirito had briefly let his guard down, likely due to his recent interactions with Chizuru. He led Kirito towards the reward, confident that it would strengthen their bond further.
It's good that Kirito's attitude towards the Uchiha clan is improving, which can be attributed in part to Chizuru's efforts not going in vain. The death of Uchiha Sakura during battle for Konoha deeply affected Kirito, prompting him to reconsider his views about the Uchiha clan.
Kirito realized that there are Uchiha clan members like Sister Sakura who are willing to make sacrifices for non-Uchiha companions, which gives hope for the Uchiha clan's integration into Konoha.
"I hope more Uchihas in the clan will follow Sister Sakura's example in thinking beyond clan boundaries. It could be a great asset for promoting unity within the village," Kirito thought as he followed Homura Uchiha into the house.
Soon, they reached a dimly lit underground collection room. Kirito saw numerous well-preserved scrolls and collections neatly arranged on shelves, exuding a strong sense of history. These artifacts would be highly valued by collectors as precious antiques.
Among the items, Kirito spotted a huge scroll and wondered if it was a psychic scroll of a summoning beast.
"Yes, it's a scroll for summoning beasts, specifically passed down by the Uchiha clan to contract with the Ninja Cat clan. By signing your name here, you can seek aid from the Ninja Cat clan in the future," Homura explained.
Kirito was intrigued by the idea of forming a contract with the Ninja Cat clan. This clan was known for its vast intelligence-gathering capabilities, with members scattered throughout the ninja world.
The Ninja Cat clan's ability to blend in with humans made them excellent spies, and Kirito realized the potential value of having such a powerful intelligence network at his disposal.
Homura's gesture in offering him access to this valuable intelligence network was indeed generous, and Kirito appreciated the opportunity.
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