Some of the Limbo Clones had returned to the Dragon Vein beneath the Water Curtain Cave.
But it wasn't to cultivate or strengthen themselves—this time, the purpose was to begin deciphering the monument once owned by the Ninja Cat Clan, as well as the Ring stolen from the White Ape Sage.
Uchiha Kirin had always been particularly intrigued by the strange runes etched on these objects.
He kept pondering: how could a seemingly ordinary metal ring, once engraved with those runes, possess enough power to instantly bind a Six Paths-level opponent?
It was obvious that this had something to do with Sealing Techniques.
But in the past, he'd been too focused on gaining strength—constantly chasing ways to become more powerful, by any means necessary.
If sacrificing himself was what it took, he'd have done it without hesitation.
In short, he was either absorbing power, or seeking more efficient methods of obtaining it.
He never stopped.
Now, with his position as the strongest in the shinobi world firmly established, he could finally afford to spend his spare time researching those kinds of secret techniques—knowledge that demanded both effort and dedicated focus to master.
Of course, he wouldn't abandon his new goals either.
Having once communicated directly with the system, Uchiha Kirin was well aware of the vast depth of this universe—so vast that even the system found it troublesome.
Though part of that was due to the system itself, the only way forward now was for him to keep getting stronger—strong enough to ultimately transcend the very universe.
So, for his main body, that remained the top priority: grow stronger.
Even with Kaguya's legacy in his hands, he decided to begin by once again refining the Breathing Art.
His full-power battle with the Sage of Six Paths had sparked several new ideas for improving the Breathing Art.
He resolved to fuse several things into it: the recently acquired Rule of Metal, the Indestructible Body, Magnet Release, Shikotsumyaku, and the ability to compress and smelt metal into his own body.
This series of physical enhancements, all synchronized with his Kekkei Genkai, would now be integrated and transformed through the Breathing Art.
In the end, deep within the core of the sun, Uchiha Kirin created a brand-new cultivation method—one capable of absorbing radiation and energy from stars and storing it in the body, even fusing it into the flesh and soul itself.
Even Susanoo was incorporated into this as a Chakra Mode tied to his Sharingan.
As this new cultivation method and energy became part of the Breathing Art, Uchiha Kirin's limits once again expanded.
You could say that even if he just lay within the sun without moving, he'd continue recharging—his power gradually increasing all on its own until it hit its peak.
But even that wasn't enough to satisfy him.
With the goal of transcending the universe, he decided to absorb the power of Kaguya—his rightful loot—as a new energy source to rapidly push his physical strength to the limits of the Breathing Art.
At the same time, he aimed to absorb the Ōtsutsuki bloodline—and the remnants of the Divine Tree's power still lingering within it, yet to be digested.
Using the sun's blazing heat, he turned this place into a natural furnace.
He took out the sealed Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei that held Kaguya and didn't undo the seal. Instead, he used his overwhelming Ocular Power to pierce through it.
With the sun's help, he began carefully evaporating the bloodline power from within.
At the same time, he cautiously used Sealing Techniques to collect the Divine Tree's fruit power that had contaminated the bloodline.
A fragmented, red fruit gradually took shape inside the seal, while Kaguya's Ōtsutsuki bloodline was cleanly extracted and separated by Uchiha Kirin.
This was the most powerful bloodline force he could obtain right now!
Due to the transformation of the Breathing Art, he had already committed to a path where all great power returned to a single vessel—himself. So he no longer cared about how the fusion of multiple bloodlines might bind or burden him.
He began extracting that power with all his might.
With the burning essence of the sun all around him replenishing his energy, Uchiha Kirin absorbed the bloodline power at astonishing speed. And any energy gaps caused by that bloodline growth were instantly filled as the Breathing Art consumed the stellar power.
There was no period of weakness at all.
After absorbing Kaguya, the three mixed forces within his body stabilized once again, and his strength soared to even greater heights.
At this point, he didn't even need to stack the Eight Gates.
Just the augmentation from the Battle Saint Scripture alone was enough for him to utterly crush the Sage of Six Paths—someone who'd previously posed a serious challenge.
Even so, the difference in life level between the two remained vast.
Uchiha Kirin had only been able to defeat him thanks to the Battle Saint Scripture multiplying his power a thousandfold.
After all, the Sage of Six Paths had trained for over a thousand years longer than he had. The sheer number of souls he'd absorbed from fallen shinobi throughout countless wars was immeasurable.
Now, the Sage of Six Paths was fully hidden in the Pure Land, concentrating on digesting the fruit containing Indra's and Asura's powers.
Once he regained his physical body, he would only become stronger.
Fortunately, Uchiha Kirin had more tools at his disposal.
The bloodline power was just an appetizer.
The true highlights were: the Ocular Power of the Nine Tomoe Rinnegan, the damaged Dimension, and the leftover fragment of the Divine Tree's fruit extracted from Kaguya's body.
Among them, the Divine Tree's fruit—even what little remained—held the power accumulated over countless eras of the shinobi world. Consuming it would undoubtedly erase the life-level gap between him and the Sage of Six Paths.
And with that, he could finally crush him with no weaknesses left uncovered.
Uchiha Kirin circulated the Breathing Art, parting the endless flames of the sun to one side.
He took out the Nine Tomoe Rinnegan Sharingan from his storage, while also activating his own pair of Six Tomoe Sharingan.
Absorption—began.
This was a contest of Ocular Power.
The Rinnegan Sharingan, as the most vital and potent crystallization of power born from the Divine Tree, was never going to be easily subdued.
Despite trying everything—Ocular Power clashes, physical fusion, even burning it in solar fire—none of it worked. He couldn't break it down and make it his own.
Now, Uchiha Kirin had only three options left:
① Refine it into a pill and then consume it.
② Swallow it whole and try to extract its power blindly, without knowing the risks.
③ Drill a hole in his skull and directly transplant it.
Of these three, the first seemed like the best—except he didn't know how to make pills. Neither did Black Zetsu.
To find a method of pill refinement, he'd have to wait for a core Ōtsutsuki like Momoshiki to descend and interrogate him for it.
Or maybe he could snatch Urashiki's Gourd—that artifact could refine pills automatically.
As for Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, though he might also belong to the main family line, he was an utterly devious schemer, sly and uncooperative. There was no way he'd give a straight answer.
So while that method had its merits, the downside was it required a long wait...
The other two methods, while more immediate, each came with serious drawbacks.
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