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Chapter 186: The Three Ninja Beast Clans
"Brother, I feel like I'm running on empty. Can I get a break?" Tobirama whined, collapsing onto the ground.
"You haven't even mastered the Sticky Substitution Jutsu yet and you want to rest? Get over here!" Sasuke responded, popping a honey pill into his mouth. This was an evolution of the energy bar, infused with precious ingredients like summoning beast meat and deer antler. After taking it, the little guy was instantly filled with energy.
"Tobirama, watch out!" Kin shouted from atop a giant hawk, launching another barrage of kunai.
"Kin, you bastard, another sneak attack!" Tobirama dodged, but a shuriken pierced his back. With a crack, a layer of sticky candy peeled away, and the shuriken, caught in it, fell off. "Good thing it wasn't a kunai, or I'd be bleeding again," he said, relieved.
"Master, I hit him. Where's my reward?" Kin asked, landing in front of Sasuke.
"I've got plenty of Soul-Feeding Pills. Keep up the good work," Sasuke said, tossing him a blood-black pill.
"Xiaohong, I'll work hard so you can grow as big as Shirotaka," Kin told his red hawk, one of the beasts the Teku clan had bought from Konoha's logistics department. The clan, now allied with the Umino and Inuzuka, had decided to train giant hawks as their inherited summoning beast. Only a beast of that size could carry their bulky physique. In exchange for Sasuke's help with training, they had offered him a 30% stake in their swordsmithing business.
Sasuke's Soul-Feeding Pills, an animal energy pill infused with his Yang Style chakra, greatly accelerated the growth of the beasts, changing their size almost daily. Seeing this, the Inuzuka clan also came to ask for some, even offering to share the secret formula for their dog food. As an ally, Sasuke didn't refuse.
Thanks to these pills, the beasts of the Umino, Teku, and Inuzuka clans have flourished, now boasting the power of Konoha's three "ninja beast" clans.
"Woof, woof!" Seeing Xiaohong consume the pill, Tsume's ninja dog, Kuromaru, wagged his tail.
Sasuke gave him one and tasked him with continuing to help Tsume cultivate her bestial instincts. He had higher expectations for her than for Ryo. Her talent was not just for her clan's techniques, but she also possessed a deep instinct for "bestiality," a state of pure, instinctive combat similar to the Drunken Fist. It was an ability he had also witnessed in Shun when he used his kunai throw, and he suspected that Itachi and Minato also possessed it.
As his own strength increased, he found that he was also developing this ability; his actions often surpassed his thought speed. This was particularly evident during his last ambush on Hanzo. In that critical moment, Hanzo had used his own battle instinct to attack, almost destroying all the clones. If not for Hanzo having lost Ibuse and being enraged, the last clone would never have been able to place the Multiplicative Detonating Talisman on his foot. And even then, Hanzo had relied on his instinct to amputate his leg and escape certain death.