Chapter 364: Strengthen the Beasts, Seduce the Mom?

"Heh, that son of a bitch Six Paths… what the hell is he even thinking?"

Funan reclined in his chair, casually toying with a bird perched on his fingers.

Kaguya's expression immediately darkened.

She may have hated Hagoromo—may have tried more than once to kill him—but none of that changed the fact:

She, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, was his mother.

And here this man was—openly calling her son a 'son of a bitch' right to her face.

Was he seriously insulting me through him? What's next—calling himself my man?

"Cut the crap. When are you going to help me get stronger?"

Kaguya's voice was full of irritation.

She'd had enough of Funan.

The two of them currently lived far from Konoha.

They lived alone.

Why?

Funan didn't trust her.

Who in their right mind would let a woman who could explode at any second live inside Konoha?

Kaguya didn't mind.

With her space-time ninjutsu, she wasn't worried about Funan's traps.

She just had to stay alert.

Besides, she genuinely wanted Funan to help her grow stronger.

The only thing that irritated her was the constant stream of women showing up to visit Funan.

And then—without fail—sounds from inside the house would drive her up the wall.

Every single day, it was someone new. It had been going on for days, and not a single repeat.

Not like she was some clueless little girl. She'd already given birth to two sons—and mentally birthed a third. A mother of three, technically.

And all she could think was:

Doesn't he ever get tired?

She'd never met anyone like him.

Sure, back in her day, plenty of daimyō had harems full of women.

But that was more about politics and circumstance.

If Funan knew what she was thinking, he'd definitely puff out his chest and say proudly:

That's just how strong I am!

Every time he consumed a fruit, the power boost was different. Sometimes it was eye power, sometimes Sage Mode…

But one thing always improved:

His physique.

Each fruit enhanced his body.

Not by a huge amount—but it added up.

Stronger and stronger, every time.

By now—

Forget him collapsing from exhaustion. If he didn't wear out the women first, that was him being considerate.

"I'm already working on it," Funan said in a low voice, looking at Kaguya. "One of the sources of your power is the Nine Tailed Beasts—or rather, the Ten-Tails. So what you need is the essence of the Tailed Beasts, correct?"

"Correct."

Kaguya narrowed her eyes and stared at Funan. "You've got half of the Nine-Tails' essence sealed inside you. What—do you want me to devour it?"

"ROAR!!"

Even sealed within his body, the Nine-Tails' furious roar rang out loud and clear.

To be seen as mere food—how could the Tailed Beasts not be enraged?

If it weren't trapped inside Funan's body, it would have burst out to fight Kaguya on the spot.

The Nine-Tails didn't know the meaning of fear.

Of course, it also didn't have a choice—it couldn't escape.

"Don't even think about the one in me," Funan said with a cheerful smile. "Kaguya, have you ever considered that the essence of the Nine Tailed Beasts can actually be strengthened?"

"What do you mean?"

Kaguya perked up immediately.

Talk about power boosts and she was all ears.

Funan paused, then offered an example: "Compared to before, how does your power measure up?"

Kaguya replied in a low, somewhat bitter tone, "Much weaker."

Funan froze, then laughed helplessly.

Well, of course it was weaker!

Back then, she was the Ten-Tails.

If she wasn't weaker, that would be unnatural.

"Alright, I get what you're saying."

Seeing Funan's helpless expression, Kaguya spoke coolly: "You mean the Tailed Beasts themselves have grown stronger—their core essence has increased."

"Exactly. You can absorb a bit now and then, let them keep growing stronger, and keep absorbing more."

"Too slow."

Kaguya didn't hesitate. "I don't have time to wait."

"I know that."

Funan nodded. "If the process wasn't so slow and the gains so small in the short term, the Sage of Six Paths would've already made his move."

That was the only reason Funan could think of.

Otherwise, how could he explain why the Six Paths hadn't shown up all this time?

"Then you—?"

"I have a way to accelerate their growth."

"What?"

This time, Kaguya was genuinely shocked.

"There's no need to doubt me," Funan said with a grin. "Split off a portion of one Tailed Beast and I'll show you right now."

Kaguya hesitated for a moment, then separated a portion of the One-Tail from herself.

And just a small portion.

It was the weakest of the Tailed Beasts—so if even its power could be increased, then the rest would definitely benefit as well.

Besides, because it was weak, the results would be easier to measure.

Most importantly, separating the One-Tail affected her the least.

If Funan tried anything funny, Kaguya was confident she could handle it.

After all, it was just a fragment of the One-Tail—and a broken one at that. That much power was acceptable.

But—

If Funan's method of boosting the Tailed Beasts turned out to be real...

Then the temptation was far too great to resist.

"H-Hokage-sama!"

The One-Tail was dazed after being separated.

That feeling—

Just a second ago it had been inside Gaara, and now it was suddenly in a strange place—and right in front of the Hokage and a mysterious woman.

And that woman's presence… felt weird.

"Hmph." Kaguya snorted softly, her expression filled with disdain.

As expected from the weakest Tailed Beast—completely clueless about what just happened.

The moment it had been absorbed into her body, this guy had been in a complete daze.

"Don't be nervous, Shukaku."

Funan grinned as he leapt onto the One-Tail's back. "Take your time to feel it. Just don't get too excited."

As soon as he said that—

Funan performed the Shadow Clone Technique, splitting into four identical clones positioned at the four corners.

Four Violet Flames Formation!

A barrier.

Naturally, it was meant to conceal what was happening, to prevent anyone from spying.

If the Six Paths found out they had a way to enhance the Tailed Beasts' power, he'd probably explode on the spot.

Kaguya didn't say anything as she watched.

A simple barrier like that? She could tear it apart with a flick of her wrist.

So, it wasn't worth paying attention to.

"Nervous? I… huh, this… what is this…?"

Shukaku blinked in surprise, trying to speak—but then its eyes widened in shock.

In that instant, a strange power surged through its body.

It could feel it.

It was growing stronger!

"This… this…"

The One-Tail looked at Funan, both excited and a little greedy.

What had just happened?

Its power… had actually increased.

"Shh."

Funan made a hush gesture toward Shukaku, then turned toward Kaguya.

"Well, Kaguya-sama? Do you believe me now?"

"You…"

Kaguya was stunned.

He had actually done it?

Kaguya stared at Funan, her expression now solemn.

"You can make them stronger? Strengthen their essence so I can absorb it?"

"Yes. But first, you'll need to release all of the Tailed Beasts."

Kaguya frowned slightly, hesitating.

Funan smiled.

"Isn't sustainable development better than a one-time transaction?"

Kaguya didn't answer directly.

"Let's leave it at that for now. Once I've absorbed enough power to defeat Hagoromo… I'll consider setting them free."

Funan smiled and said, "Deal. But without the Tailed Beasts, there's no way I can help them increase their strength. You still need to release them."

Kaguya replied, "I can release them one by one."

"Let's go with that for now."

Funan nodded in agreement.

Just like that, the fate of the Tailed Beasts was decided in a casual conversation between two top-tier powerhouses.

As for the Tailed Beasts' opinions… What, you think you get a say just because we're letting you live?

And then—

Under Shukaku's dazed gaze, he was once again absorbed into Kaguya's body.

Kaguya closed her eyes, silently feeling the surge of power.

Stronger than before.

The boost in Shukaku's power wasn't just her imagination—it was real, tangible.

A satisfied smile appeared on Kaguya's flawless face.

As he watched Kaguya, completely defenseless, Funan couldn't help but stretch out his wicked hand.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Black Zetsu suddenly shouted.

[Whoosh!]

Kaguya's eyes snapped open, staring coldly at Funan.

Funan, visibly annoyed, said, "We're partners now. Can't we at least have a little trust?"

"..." Black Zetsu immediately responded, "You…"

"What me?" Funan cut him off. "I didn't even use chakra just now. Or did you sense any killing intent from me? Do you really think I'd harm your mother?"

"Speak. Did you or didn't you?!"

Faced with Funan's sharp rebuke, Black Zetsu was dumbfounded. "Th-then what were you trying to do just now?"

"Do I need to report my every move to you?" Funan sneered. "Who the hell do you think you are? What—does our 'partnership' mean I'm supposed to take orders from you?"

Right now, as long as I don't feel guilty, there's no problem.

Hold the line!

I must hold the line!

Absolutely no signs of guilt allowed.

Meet everything with dominance—logic or not, I'll make it sound like it is.

Funan's face turned serious. He said coldly, "Kaguya-hime, I want an explanation. Is this partnership between us supposed to be equal, or am I beneath you two?"

Kaguya's voice was calm and chilly. "What we're asking is, what exactly were you trying to do just now?"

"Hah!" Funan snorted and said with disdain, "Kaguya-hime, I didn't think you'd resort to deflecting the topic too. What? Afraid to answer the question?"

Kaguya was stunned.

She was never someone skilled in communication to begin with.

And she had been sealed away for thousands of years.

Now, facing Uchiha Funan—infamous in all kinds of ways—she found herself speechless.

"Hmph!" Funan snorted again. "I hope this is the last time. If it happens again, then we'll settle it with a fight."

With that, Funan patted his backside and walked off.

"Mother, there's definitely something wrong! No doubt about it!" Black Zetsu wailed. That look in Funan's eyes just now—there's no way he misunderstood it.

That bastard is totally lusting after my mother!

No way!

Absolutely not!

Just thinking about having to call Funan his father made Black Zetsu want to pull his hair out, even though he doesn't have any hair.

"Hmph." Kaguya let out a cold snort and said indifferently, "Of course I know something's wrong. But right now, we need his help."

At this moment, Kaguya was even weaker than she had been in the original timeline.

If she had to face Funan, Naruto, and Sasuke together—

She wouldn't stand a chance!

Even just dealing with the unpredictable Funan gave her a headache.

That's why she needed more power.

As long as Funan could help her grow stronger, she could endure anything else.

If Funan had heard what Kaguya was thinking, he definitely would've shouted:

I'm charging extra for that!

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