All things possess spirit—let alone the Dragon Vein, which gathers the very essence of heaven and earth.
A true Dragon Vein stretches across the entire galaxy, linking planet after planet, with blazing stars and life-bearing worlds forming its brightest jewels.
Stars continuously provide energy, while life planets recycle matter in endless cycles. Together, they give birth to vibrant, diverse life.
Naturally, these two—stars and life planets—are the most spiritually resonant parts of the Dragon Vein.
If either of them is destroyed, the Dragon Vein will retaliate violently, resulting in the creation of "Star," a substance that runs completely counter to natural energy.
This is the very evidence of the ancient wars witnessed by the shinobi world in the distant past.
...
Uchiha Kirin found it strange, though his focus lay elsewhere.
According to the Slug Sage, the Dragon Vein isn't distributed across individual celestial bodies. Instead, the stars themselves are positioned on top of the Dragon Vein.
If that's the case, doesn't that mean one could travel along the Dragon Vein to reach other planets?
The Slug Sage nodded.
"In theory, yes. But in practice, exposed Dragon Veins like those found by shinobi are rare. Most of the time, Dragon Veins remain hidden."
Only on planets overflowing with vitality do Dragon Veins become visible.
Hidden Dragon Veins exist in a chaotic state. Not only are they extremely difficult to locate, but they are also nearly impossible to communicate with or harness.
If it were that easy, then powerful races like the Ōtsutsuki would have long since used the Dragon Vein to unify the entire universe!
"Or maybe... they already ruled it once?"
Having learned from the system that this world was reformed and reshaped by a god of the transcendent Ōtsutsuki clan, Uchiha Kirin couldn't help but speculate silently.
Even under such immense pressure, he would never give up. On the contrary, he was determined to go all out and carve his own path toward transcendence.
He wouldn't miss even the tiniest opportunity to grow stronger—especially not the Star Power contained within the "Star," a force capable of annihilating and releasing massive energy that rivaled natural chakra.
...
First, he left the shinobi world and roamed the solar system's outer space in search of "Stars."
Sure enough, in a chaotic belt of asteroids near the edge of the system, he found two or three shattered fragments of the "Star."
Then, in several massive gas giants, he discovered more pieces that had fallen into their depths.
He gathered all of them and stuffed them into his growing miniature world.
As soon as they entered the inner world, the "Stars" condensed into pitch-black orbs and plunged into the swirling vortex formed by the divine art 〖Heaven-Reversing Devour〗, a technique born from the [Rule Devouring] ability, becoming the true core.
His former Giant Tenseigan, spiritual relics, and a whole pile of unusable prototype Divine Tools were all pushed to the periphery, orbiting the new core.
Now that the Star had become the core, it began to emit endless power, spreading throughout the miniature world like a lubricant—enhancing the flow of its laws and rules.
His world... was evolving.
...
A subtle thread of World Power seeped into Uchiha Kirin's body. Though the change was small, it further heightened his ability to perceive and comprehend the underlying rules of reality.
"Hisss~"
Feeling the evolution taking place, he couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. The Stars he'd collected from space so far—combined—still amounted to less than one-tenth the size of the one within the shinobi world.
And yet, even these fragments could release enough energy to help his world self-optimize.
If he were to get his hands on the Star in the shinobi world...
Wouldn't that make his world self-sustaining?
...
With that goal in mind, Uchiha Kirin teleported straight into Hoshigakure and reached out to seize the massive star core.
"Wait..."
A gentle voice stopped him. The Slug Sage spoke with mild displeasure, reminding him that as one of the most powerful beings on this planet, he shouldn't interfere so crudely in the natural flow of the shinobi world.
In simpler terms—his method was too unsightly. And worse, it might disrupt the layout the sages had been arranging across the shinobi world for centuries.
"Fine."
Although Uchiha Kirin was strong, he wasn't yet strong enough to flip the entire board. For now, rules were still rules.
"In that case, I'll scheme a little first... then take it later."
...
He searched his memory and found that both Naruto and Sasuke had strong ties to this place.
That made things easier—he could fabricate a development that fit within shinobi logic.
After maneuvering behind the scenes for a while, he finally secured the Star for himself.
It was all part of the game that the various sages had been playing for the past thousand years—treating the shinobi world as their chessboard.
...
Thus, Uchiha Kirin's true body remained in Hoshigakure. He ceased the Breathing Art of the Sage Path's connection to natural energy and sealed all ambient energy into his Dragon Horns.
Then, he began refining the 〖Mysterious Peacock Method〗.
Drawing upon his experience with Sage Arts and the Breathing Method, along with his personal strength, he continuously improved and refined the technique.
At the same time, he explored the possibility of running the 〖Mysterious Peacock Method〗 and Breathing Art simultaneously—aiming to completely assimilate this new power for himself.
...
Elsewhere, he awakened a clone disguised as White Zetsu.
The White Zetsu clone emerged from the base of a large tree in Konohagakure. It casually changed its appearance to blend in with the crowd and then merged into a wooden plank in a quiet corner.
Just like that, one of his eyes now silently monitored every piece of intelligence and confidential activity in Konoha—without anyone noticing.
Eventually, after staking out the area for some time, the White Zetsu clone obtained a critical piece of information:
Sasuke and Naruto had accepted a mission related to protecting Hoshigakure.
The cause?
The current Hoshikage had gone insane while cultivating the 〖Mysterious Peacock Method〗, his mind broken by the very technique he sought to master. He had developed a delusional dream of conquering the entire shinobi world.
After accepting the mission, Naruto and Sasuke set off for Hoshigakure, where they met Sumaru—a genius young shinobi from the village.
Through battle and conversation, the two learned of the power of the 〖Mysterious Peacock Method〗—and the steep cost that came with it.
Hoshigakure was now in chaos. Many who practiced the art had suffered changes in personality from its side effects, and driven by their desires, they began to kill one another in pursuit of control over the Star.
The strongest of them—the Hoshikage—was the most obsessed, fully convinced he could rule the world.
But even if the 〖Mysterious Peacock Method〗 were perfected to match the level of the Three Great Sage Arts, Hoshigakure lacked the depth and discipline. Without decades of preparation, no mortal could hope to dominate the shinobi world!
Such ambition would only lead to the village's ruin. Already, numerous shinobi who had damaged their minds were locked in deadly conflict over the Star.
Sumaru, the only one still sane, and a rising genius of the village, was left with no choice but to seek help from outside.
Though Konoha had its own blemishes—like the rumors surrounding the Third Hokage and the so-called "Darkness of the Shinobi World"—its strength remained formidable. Especially now that it had allied with Sunagakure, Konoha was still the most powerful village.
That was why Sumaru chose to issue the mission to them.
...
At that time, Hoshigakure had descended into madness. Only the area around the Star remained peaceful, thanks to the Hoshikage's watchful protection. The rest of the village was drenched in blood from internal strife.
Standing atop the Star, Uchiha Kirin overlooked the chaos below while sipping on a drink.
Through relentless effort, he had successfully patched the flaws in the 〖Mysterious Peacock Method〗 and merged it with the Breathing Art. Given time, he was confident he could elevate the technique to the same level as the Ryūchi Cave Sage Arts!
Just then, several large, glossy-scaled pangolins emerged from underground. Well-shaped and radiating health, they quietly buried chakra-infused metal statues—previously forged in advance—beneath the earth.
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