The Six-Tails Saiken thrashed its massive body wildly, trying desperately to throw Yuto off.
By now, Saiken deeply regretted coming out in the first place. It couldn't help but curse Isobu in its mind: Didn't that guy say the First Mizukage was sealed away by Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama together?
Then what the hell is this?!
No matter how violently Saiken flailed about, Yuto clung to its head like he'd been nailed there—completely immovable.
"It's about time to wrap this up."
Yuto looked up at the darkening sky and murmured to himself.
With that, he pressed his palm onto Saiken's head—and in the next instant, Black Sovereign's terrifying suction force erupted.
Saiken's giant body stiffened mid-struggle and mid-flight as it felt the torrent of chakra inside it drain away at a terrifying speed.
No matter what it did, Saiken couldn't stop the chakra loss. Worse still, the longer it went on, the faster the chakra drained!
At that moment, Saiken finally felt the same fear Isobu once did.
This power was the natural nemesis of any Tailed Beast. Facing it was like staring into a bottomless abyss—Saiken couldn't help but shiver at the thought of being completely devoured.
A proud Tailed Beast, it would rather remain sealed inside Utakata as a Jinchūriki than be helplessly absorbed like this.
As Yuto continued drawing chakra, Saiken even started letting out pitiful whimpers of surrender. But Yuto's expression remained unmoved—until he'd absorbed nearly a third of Saiken's chakra.
It wasn't that he didn't want more—it was that if he drained any further, Utakata's life would be in danger. After all, a Jinchūriki's life was tied directly to their Tailed Beast.
If the Tailed Beast's chakra was reduced too much, the Jinchūriki's physical endurance might not hold. Utakata could very well die on the spot—which wasn't part of Yuto's plan.
Sensing the devouring finally stop, Saiken let out a deep sigh of relief—only for a cold voice to echo in its mind.
"You have two choices now: obediently go back into Utakata's body, or—"
Before Yuto could even finish, Saiken's chakra instantly retreated into Utakata's body. The giant beast's form shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye, the battered and unconscious Utakata reappeared before Yuto.
Yuto raised an eyebrow. Heh—looks like Saiken's sense of self-preservation is better than I expected.
"There's still time before dawn. Since I'm not in a rush, I might as well use this massive amount of Tailed Beast chakra to test an idea."
Yuto's eyes gleamed as he spoke to himself.
With that, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began circulating the Sage Mode chakra within him.
As the Sage chakra flowed through his entire body, a small black circular mark appeared on Yuto's forehead.
The night deepened. A cool breeze drifted by, carrying with it the chill of the night sky.
He didn't even move, yet with Sage Mode enhancing him, his perception expanded rapidly.
Only after a while did Yuto fully grasp the flow of Sage energy. With a light exhale, he combined it with the massive Tailed Beast chakra he'd just absorbed.
Soon, the black mark on his forehead glowed faintly, stabilizing into place.
Ordinary ninja might think Sage Mode is optional, Yuto mused, but once you reach the late stage of the shinobi world—if you don't have a proper Sage Art, you won't even be able to crack certain defenses.
Attacks formed from Truth-Seeking Orbs, for instance, were completely impervious to normal ninjutsu. Physical taijutsu might work, but hitting them with pure brute strength was just asking to be obliterated.
Black Sovereign's power was at an "Alpha" level, while Six Paths-level beings had likely reached the "Omega" class. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, in Yuto's eyes, was probably the pinnacle of "Omega"—someone who could bend rules themselves. Without comparable means, it was pointless to even try.
No matter what, Yuto thought, mastering Sage Mode is fundamental.
And why bother going to places like Mount Myōboku to learn it, when Black Sovereign's cheating abilities made it so much easier?
With that, Yuto adjusted his breathing. He guided the Tailed Beast chakra he'd absorbed, converting it bit by bit into Sage chakra.
Time ticked by. The moon rose high, then slowly began to sink.
By the time dawn's first light touched the eastern horizon, Yuto's eyes finally opened.
"My Sage chakra reserves are more than enough now. The conversion rate is ridiculously low, but hey—this shortcut works. As long as I have enough chakra, I don't even need to gather natural energy the normal way."
Feeling the power coursing through him, Yuto couldn't help but murmur with satisfaction.
Next!
His eyes sharpened. He let the Sage Mode fade—and instead, a cold, sinister aura spread from his body.
The power of the Cursed Seal!
As this new power surged, the black circular mark on his forehead warped into a black rhombus shape.
Yuto closed his eyes once more, guiding the Tailed Beast chakra into this transformation—this time converting it into raw Cursed Seal energy.
The cool night air began to recede as dawn broke fully. The sky gradually brightened.
"It's morning already." Yuto opened his eyes, voice calm.
He extended his arm and let the Cursed Seal power flow into it. The normal-sized arm instantly bulked up, bristling with backward-curving barbs.
With a thought, the arm shrank back to normal—then reshaped itself into a wide, curved blade. The blade's edge gleamed with a cold, deadly sheen.
Yuto's eyes lit up with interest. He channeled the Cursed Seal's power to his back.
Whoosh!
A pair of wings sprouted behind him. With a shift of his thoughts, the wings transformed—bat-like at first, then bird-like, then insectoid—cycling through seven or eight variations in moments.
He found he could freely alter them however he imagined—even some shapes that defied biology were possible.
"This Cursed Seal power is fascinating. It's not all that useful for me personally… but for my subordinates?"
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Compared to Orochimaru's unstable, failure-prone Cursed Seals, mine—converted through Black Sovereign—have an incredibly low failure rate and don't lose any power. This is the perfect tool to mass-produce elite soldiers."
Yuto's eyes gleamed with excitement.
What an unexpected harvest!
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