Fame
After the battle, Chi Yu found a wide, open space to rest.
Having activated the Mangekyō Sharingan in his left eye twice, Chi Yu now felt a deep, throbbing pain radiating from it—an unbearable soreness typical of overusing ocular powers.
The ocular ability of his left Mangekyō Sharingan, Wan Ju ("Infinite Rejection"), automatically repels all enemy ninjutsu—except for taijutsu and his own techniques. However, it comes with clear limitations. Much like Obito Uchiha's Kamui, it has a strict time constraint: it can only be maintained for three minutes at a time.
In contrast, Chi Yu's right Mangekyō Sharingan possessed an entirely different ability—Fuyue ("Unseen Peak"). This jutsu allows the eye to record Chi Yu's own techniques. Once a specific threshold is reached, it can then release all recorded techniques in a concentrated burst, similar in concept to the Dark Release kekkei genkai seen in some obscure shinobi bloodlines.
However, unlike Dark Release, Fuyue does not absorb enemy attacks. It simply "copies" and stores the user's own jutsu, akin to transcribing one's own words onto a scroll.
The real power lies in the synergy between his two eyes: Wan Ju rejects incoming ninjutsu, while Fuyue records Chi Yu's own techniques for future counterattacks. A perfect offense and defense—on paper.
Yet during the earlier ambush by 20 Cloud ninja, Chi Yu had refrained from using Fuyue. Their techniques, though numerous, lacked sufficient power to trigger the recording limit. Unless that threshold is reached, Fuyue cannot release stored energy. Thus, it remained dormant.
This was Chi Yu's first time deploying his Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities in live combat—and the thrill of ignoring enemy ninjutsu entirely left a deep impression.
The battle had posed no serious threat to him. After a night's rest, Chi Yu resumed his mission: hunting down Cloud ninja scattered across the region.
His relentless attacks instilled widespread fear among the Kumogakure forces.
Chi Yu's unpredictable movements made him a ghost. Encounters were rare—but potentially catastrophic. The fact that he had single-handedly defeated 20 Cloud shinobi, including 8 jōnin, sent shockwaves through their ranks.
The commanders couldn't dispatch large teams to suppress him; standard squads were simply no match.
Reluctantly, the senior officers of the Kumogakure force stationed in the Land of Hot Water issued an emergency directive:
> All Cloud ninja must learn Lightning Release: Lightning Rod. If they encounter Chi Yu, they are to immediately use this technique to delay him and then retreat without engaging.
The Iwagakure command in the Land of Grass had already given a similar standing order: immediate retreat upon visual confirmation of Chi Yu.
Now, both major villages had effectively placed Chi Yu on their blacklists.
And so, the nickname Blood-Eyed Shura began to circulate across battlefields.
Chi Yu's plan to build a fearsome reputation in the shinobi world was well underway.
After all, very few shinobi ever earn a moniker. There were legends like the White Fang of Konoha, the Three Sannin, Hanzō the Salamander, and in the years to come, names like Konoha's Azure Beast Might Guy and Copy Ninja Kakashi.
Having a title is a symbol of overwhelming strength.
But Chi Yu still lacked one thing to solidify his legend: the defeat of an elite jōnin in direct combat.
When Minato Namikaze gained the name Yellow Flash, it was only after his victories over Blue Lightning A and Killer Bee—both of whom were elite combatants of Kumogakure.
Chi Yu's current fame came not from such direct confrontations, but from the fact that two major villages had issued formal evacuation protocols when encountering him. Fear bred fame—but respect was forged in battle.
Still, one tactic from the Cloud shinobi caught his attention: Lightning Release: Lightning Rod.
This technique clearly aimed to counter his Lightning Breathing style. By using the attraction properties of lightning chakra, it interfered with the lightning circulating around his body—slightly reducing his movement speed.
Intrigued and looking for ways to improve, Chi Yu summoned his system interface and accessed the system store.
With 22,000 Witness Points accumulated, he browsed for upgrades that could give him a significant power boost.
Naturally, his first choice was Wood Release. But what he saw left him stunned.
> "System, I already have the Senju bloodline. Why does it cost 50,000 Witness Points to awaken Wood Release?!"
> [Wood Release is powered by the caster's chakra acting as a source of life. Hashirama Senju was able to use it because he possessed the Sage Body. The host's current chakra level is equivalent to Kakashi Hatake's, who can maintain Sharingan activation only twice. That level is insufficient to awaken Wood Release.]
Chi Yu furrowed his brow. "Then how can Yamato—ah, never mind. He uses a transplanted version of Hashirama's cells, and it's a heavily diluted form of Wood Release anyway. So these 50,000 points—are they meant to give me the Sage Body?"
> [Negative. The 50,000 Witness Points are split: 20,000 to unlock the Wood Release kekkei genkai; 30,000 to boost the host's chakra reserves to the minimum required threshold.]
Chi Yu exhaled sharply.
Thirty thousand points—just to reach the bare minimum chakra level?
That was outrageous.
His expression darkened. Then how much would it cost to actually obtain the Sage Body?
> "System, how many points does the Sage Body cost?"
> [The Sage Body requires 500,000 Witness Points.]
Chi Yu's vision blurred. "Half a million?! Is this a joke?"
> [Hashirama Senju possessed Asura Ōtsutsuki's chakra. The host does not. Because you lack the necessary heritage, the base cost of 100,000 Witness Points is multiplied by five.]
Chi Yu's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Even if he did have Asura's chakra, it would still cost 100,000 points. The Sage Body wasn't just rare—it was practically untouchable.
He shelved the idea of Wood Release for now and browsed for alternatives.
Unfortunately, the abilities he wanted were too expensive, and the ones he could afford weren't worth the cost.
The store's vast array of choices was starting to give him a headache.
Then it struck him—if he couldn't afford the Sage Body, what about Sage Mode?
He scrolled quickly.
As a contractor of Ryūchi Cave, he found that learning their senjutsu cost only 20,000 Witness Points—within reach.
But if he tried to learn Sage Mode from Mount Myōboku or Shikkotsu Forest—where he had no summoning contract—the price skyrocketed to 100,000 Witness Points due to the lack of compatibility.
Ryūchi Cave's Snake Sage Mode, known for its speed, strength, and sensory enhancements, was at least comparable to a standard Mangekyō Sharingan—and in some aspects, possibly even superior.
After all, Sage Chakra greatly enhances ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu across the board.
From where Chi Yu stood now, mastering Sage Mode was the most viable path to an overwhelming increase in power.
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