Konoha, Uchiha Clan's Main Residence~
Fuma sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, reviewing the 'Titles' within his mind and sorting through his own power system.
"Sigh, I have such an excellent appetite, yet the main course keeps hiding from me. Oh, comrades of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, are you, like me, yearning for war?"
After a brief sigh, Fuma exhaled deeply. The recent lull had left him feeling somewhat idle.
Though he had suppressed the Kaguya clan and unexpectedly inherited the remnants of the Land of Sky, these were not what Fuma truly desired.
"The direct descendants of the Ōtsutsuki, the ultra-ancient veins of chakra… They're valuable, yes. But none of them compare to the chakra of the Tailed Beasts that I so desperately crave."
"Such an abundant feast—one taste isn't enough. I can't help but want another serving. It's truly unforgettable."
Ever since he obtained the power of [Blissful Gluttony], Fuma's ability to devour chakra had increased dramatically. However, the right opportunity had yet to arise, and only by sheer luck had he managed to savor a fulfilling meal thanks to the Gelel Stone.
After all, just a little over a year had passed since the end of the Second Shinobi World War. The world was still in a superficial state of peace.
Despite the underlying tension—an imminent storm brewing—every faction was restraining itself, unwilling to be the first to make a move.
For Fuma, only chakra on the scale of a Tailed Beast was worth his attention—only that level of energy could drive the evolution of his abilities.
A single Tailed Beast held as much chakra as an entire village's worth of shinobi below the Jōnin level, making them the most concentrated chakra sources in existence.
Right now, thanks to their pivotal role in the war, the Tailed Beasts had become the focus of all major villages.
Even though Fuma had slain both Isobu and Shukaku, their rampage had crushed the Konoha forces led by Sakumo Hatake, proving the overwhelming power of these war machines.
Thus, every village had begun training their Jinchūriki in full secrecy, keeping them under the tightest security.
Infiltrating a village and locating their Jinchūriki wouldn't be difficult—especially with Kushina and Minato as his scouts.
But the real issue was that Fuma didn't just need a Jinchūriki—he needed a fully manifested Tailed Beast. Only then could he extract the purest essence of its chakra. A mere chakra cloak from a Jinchūriki wouldn't even qualify as a snack.
Obviously, triggering a full Tailed Beast rampage inside enemy territory while openly consuming it would be highly conspicuous. Declaring war outright would be far simpler and more direct.
"Still, thanks to the Gelel Stone, at least I got to enjoy a small feast."
Fuma glanced at the faintly glowing 'Title' within his mind, calculating his progress. "At this rate, devouring another Shukaku's worth of chakra should be enough to trigger an evolution in my abilities."
"But compared to the sheer amount of chakra required for evolution, what truly troubles me is acquiring the necessary supernatural substance for a special transformation."
Fuma frowned slightly as he gazed at the [Inseparable Union] ability. This ability, which bound his physical and spiritual states together, had reached its limit, nearing the threshold of transformation.
With his current level of mental resilience, Fuma was already immune to most genjutsu. His special Sharingan, inherited from Indra's chakra, ensured that even Mangekyō-level illusions would have no effect on him.
But Fuma's path of evolution was built upon chakra—more specifically, the theft of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's power.
The Nine Tailed Beasts were fragments of the Ten-Tails, and the Ten-Tails was inseparable from Kaguya. If he absorbed their chakra unfiltered, things could take a dangerous turn.
Fuma recalled how Uchiha Madara had been hijacked by Kaguya and shook his head.
"They say Black Zetsu simply grabbed his heart and ripped it out, but for someone who survived having half his body obliterated by Night Guy, losing a heart shouldn't have been an issue."
"The real problem was the infinite presence of Kaguya's will within the chakra of the Divine Tree—or rather, the Ten-Tails. Against his ancestor, Indra's descendant never stood a chance."
Thinking of his own circumstances, Fuma let out a dry laugh. "At this rate, my body is practically an Outer Path Golem in human form."
"If Black Zetsu found out about my situation, would he be overjoyed, or just completely numb to it?"
Black Zetsu had always been desperate to revive Kaguya, but even he had never considered a method as reckless as directly merging all nine Tailed Beasts into one vessel.
Even after millennia of scheming, Black Zetsu never attempted to forcefully seal all the Tailed Beasts inside a single person to reconstitute the Ten-Tails. The idea was simply too insane.
Yet with Fuma's increasing interest in devouring the Tailed Beasts, it was only a matter of time before Black Zetsu noticed his true intentions.
For now, his actions could still be passed off as unconventional means to kill a Tailed Beast. But once he openly began hunting them down, his goal would be obvious.
"By then, will Black Zetsu try everything to kill me? Or will he gamble it all and deliver the Tailed Beasts to my doorstep for one last desperate attempt?"
A sinister smile played at Fuma's lips. He could already picture Black Zetsu's panic when he realized that some of the Tailed Beasts had been permanently erased from existence.
"But before I sit down to a proper feast, I need to finish my preparations. Otherwise, I won't be able to enjoy my meal to the fullest."
Fuma's expression darkened as he sensed the lingering anomaly within his own flesh.
The frenzied cells of his body had devoured the Tailed Beast's chakra, crushing its will beneath their overwhelming dominance.
Yet, despite its utter defeat, the residual will of the Beast refused to be extinguished entirely, lurking in the depths of his being like a cornered rat.
For now, with Fuma's current mental strength, suppressing a single Tailed Beast's will was easy.
But he wouldn't stop at just one. His goal was all nine.
And if these fragmented consciousnesses, battered but undying, eventually fused together, could they manifest Kaguya's will inside his own body?
Fuma's gaze grew sharper.
In the original timeline, three individuals had been Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails—Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, Madara, and Obito.
Only Hagoromo had controlled the Ten-Tails without issue, yet he still chose to extract it, resulting in his near-death state.
If he had been able to perfectly tame the Ten-Tails, he could have guarded the world indefinitely instead of splitting it into nine separate Beasts—a choice that ultimately led to countless conflicts.
Shaking his head, Fuma's large hand traced the map of the Shinobi World spread out on the desk. His knuckles lightly tapped against the location of the Land of Water.
"First, I need to kill another Tailed Beast to accumulate enough chakra for my evolution."
"Then, I must find a supernatural power that specializes in suppressing mental interference."
"Only once that's done can I begin the real feast."
The matter of the Tailed Beasts was simple. The Third Mizukage carried the Three-Tails within him, making him a readily available meal.
For someone like Fūma, who sought to conquer Kirigakure, the man was already marked for death—an obstacle with no value beyond his demise.
But beings of extraordinary spiritual nature… those were exceedingly rare in the Shinobi World.
When it came to spiritual power, the highest form was undoubtedly the soul itself. However, entities capable of manipulating the soul were few and far between, and Fūma wasn't entirely sure if his chosen targets even fit the true definition of soul-based power.
For instance, the Shinigami summoned by the Uzumaki Clan's 'Reaper Death Seal' could cleave the Nine-Tails in two with a single strike. That kind of power rivaled—or perhaps even exceeded—that of Hashirama and Madara.
"The Shinigami is too powerful. The summoning conditions alone are complicated… and dangerous. If something goes wrong, it could be catastrophic."
Fūma shook his head. Challenging the Shinigami was far too risky with his current strength.
Even worse, its abilities were strange and unpredictable. Consuming such power would allow him to ascend in an instant, but the dangers far outweighed the rewards.
Summoning it required the life of a Kage-level shinobi as a sacrifice. And whether it was Minato or Kushina, Fūma had no intention of letting them take such a gamble.
"If not the Shinigami… then there's Katō Dan's 'Spirit Transformation Technique' and the so-called Evil God. That makes things clear."
After careful consideration, Fūma decided that his next supernatural substance target would be the Evil God.
Katō Dan's technique, while capable of strengthening the soul, was ultimately just another variation of chakra-based power, still trapped within the Ōtsutsuki system. In the grand scheme of things, it was ultimately useless to him.
On the other hand, the power granted to Hidan by the Evil God had shown unique properties—mysterious and intriguing, yet far safer to obtain than the Shinigami's.
Moreover, the ritualistic methods imposed on its followers were laughably ineffective against Fūma.
Drawing blood in close combat? Sketching a ritual symbol? Self-inflicted injuries to inflict the same on the enemy?
"A technique like Hidan's… I have to say, this is getting exciting."
A smirk crept onto Fūma's face as he picked up a sheet of paper and began writing a letter to Orochimaru.
At the moment, Orochimaru was leading the Kaguya Clan and defected Kirigakure shinobi on a grand sea voyage, plundering the islands surrounding the Land of Water for treasure and talented warriors.
The entire operation felt less like Naruto and more like One Piece—all that was missing was a pirate flag flying high above their ship.
The treasures from the fallen Sky Country had been an incredible gift—not just the precious Gelel Stone, but floating fortresses and several aircraft carriers. It was an overwhelmingly powerful arsenal.
With a wisp of smoke, a small white snake slithered into Fūma's hand. The moment it sensed his terrifying presence—like an ancient, primordial beast—it recoiled, curling into itself in fear.
"Relax. Just take this letter to Orochimaru for me. Oh, and send my regards to the White Snake Sage. I'll visit him when I get the chance."
Fūma gently stroked the trembling snake, his touch as casual as petting a cat.
"Leaving again?" A voice called out from behind.
Tsunade emerged from the bedroom, her expression filled with discontent. "You just got back to Konoha a few days ago."
"Well, it can't be helped. The world won't quiet down just because I want to rest," Fūma said, though he still made sure to comfort her.
Tsunade rolled her eyes and smacked away his hand, which had wandered to a questionable location.
"Sure, sure. This is the first time I've seen a clan leader successfully take over a country."
She crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing. "And instead of coming home to tell his wife, he spent weeks running around with his teammates. Like some kind of bastard."
Her voice grew eerily deep, carrying an unmistakable hint of resentment.
Fūma could only offer an awkward smile. He had no excuse for this one.
Without another word, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace and burying his face into her chest.
"Mmmph…! This was for your own good, you know? I heard that training in Sage Mode requires extreme concentration."
Tsunade's reaction was beyond Fūma's expectations.
Despite the influence of Hashirama and Mito, she had completely aligned herself with Fūma and the Uchiha. Without hesitation, she had chosen to stand firmly by his side, proving herself to be the very definition of the Uchiha Clan's matriarch.
Judging by the triumphant glow on her face after her recent meeting with Mito, she had apparently won whatever battle of wits had taken place.
When Fūma had heard the details of their conversation, he could only sigh in admiration.
Tsunade had been exposed to his presence for so many years that she had unknowingly mastered the art of verbal combat—she had successfully out-talked one of the greatest kunoichi in history.
A truly modern woman.
The two of them lingered in each other's arms for a while, enjoying the warmth, until Tsunade suddenly lifted his hand and began studying it carefully.
"What's this about?" Fūma raised an eyebrow. "You should be 'very' familiar with it by now."
Tsunade's expression was serious, almost as if she were examining a foreign object for the first time.
"I've hit a bottleneck in my Sage Mode training," she admitted, her fingers slowly tracing over his palm.
"It's harder than I expected… I can't seem to gather and control a sufficient amount of natural chakra for combat."
Her face flushed slightly, and her gaze flickered away.
Fūma nodded in understanding. He had never placed too much hope in Tsunade mastering Sage Mode.
The reason he had initially pushed her to go to Shikkotsu Forest was simply to avoid any potential conflicts before he had fully secured her allegiance.
Even though Tsunade was a medical genius with unparalleled chakra control, that didn't guarantee she could master Sage Mode within a year.
But then…
He felt something strange from her emotions—frustration, yes, but also a flicker of 'excitement.'
Wait.
Why was she excited?
"…So, what I'm saying is," Tsunade murmured, her fingers tightening around his.
"Would you be willing to give me some of your cells? I think I can use them to master Sage Mode."
Fūma blinked.
Tsunade lowered her head and, before he could react, licked his palm in slow, deliberate strokes—like a cat tasting fresh water.
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"…Just a little?"
Fūma froze. His mind went blank.
What the hell?
'…Yandere?!'
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