Chapter 53

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Kakashi received his long-awaited Yukihime, while Obito, Rin, and Might Guy also received their surprises.

Kyomu gave Obito and Rin rare equipment, a pair of jadeite necklaces. Not only were their designs identical, but when the two necklaces were put together, they formed a perfect circle.

Very thoughtful.

Obito's was black, with the added rare attribute of 'Soul Nourishment' by Kyomu, which steadily nourished Obito's spirit, benefiting his Sharingan and also curbing the unique 'mental illness' attribute of the Uchiha clan.

This was very important for Obito, as it ensured that he would timely open his eyes to stimuli without getting caught up in unnecessary stress.

The jadeite necklace around Rin's neck was white, with the added low-level version of the 'Guardian Angel' rare attribute.

While this function might seem simple, it was an indispensable safeguard left by Kyomu.

Guy received a pair of gloves. Though lacking the fervent combat feeling of direct punches, they were enhanced with the attributes of 'Strength Amplification' and 'Physical Recovery,' enabling Guy to go further, whether in ordinary combat or when unleashing the Eight Gates, his combat capabilities would skyrocket.

As for Guy after opening the Eighth Gate...

That would be a long time from now, and naturally, Kyomu had already prepared life-saving equipment for Guy in advance. However, it was unreasonable to expect Guy to have two pieces of equipment now, considering others only had one each—Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, each with a single equipment attribute, while Guy's gloves would had two.

Kyomu naturally had to pay attention to details; he couldn't be careless. He would have to wait for the right opportunity to give the remaining equipment to Guy.

"That artisan, Master, is really amazing!" Obito touched the jadeite necklace around his neck. "After wearing it, my mind feels so clear, and my eyes are so comfortable."

Turning his head to look at Rin, whose face was still slightly flushed, Obito grinned happily. "Rin, what's the effect of your necklace?"

Upon hearing Obito's question, Rin shyly lowered her head, looking at her toes, unconsciously kicking the small stones on the ground, speaking hesitantly.

"Uh... there's... no special feeling, just... feel very relieved, as for other... I don't know."

Obito's expression was also quite subtle. He gestured discreetly to Kyomu, expressing his gratitude.

However, they couldn't let Rin continue to feel shy. Obito quickly turned to Kakashi. "What about you, Kakashi? Any new changes with Yukihime?"

"Yes!" Kakashi's eyes gleamed brightly. "Very bright and dazzling."

Drawing Yukihime from behind, Kakashi held it up.

Shoom!

Yukihime's blade suddenly extended significantly, rushing forward more than ten meters, directly piercing through a distant large tree.

Obito widened his eyes, his mouth slightly agape. He looked at Kakashi, then at Yukihime in his hand, and finally looked helplessly at Aragami Kyomu.

"Kyomu, you're too biased, you know?"

"What do you mean by biased? It's just different focus," Kyomu shook his head. "The necklace benefits your eyes and spirit the most, which is most suitable for you. What suits oneself is the best, not necessarily the stronger, understand?"

Obito nodded. He was just complaining, not really feeling unfair.

"What about you, Guy? What's the effect of your gloves?"

"After putting them on, I feel a warm sensation throughout my body... and my strength feels significantly increased."

After exchanging the characteristics of their respective equipment, the excitement lingered. Especially for Kakashi, his eyes showed a fighting spirit, and he couldn't help but look at Kyomu's waist.

But before he could ask, Kyomu had already turned away, discreetly stuffing a shuriken into his mouth.

Crunch, crunch.

With a good set of teeth, the shuriken in his mouth sparkled, turning into various-sized scraps of iron, which Kyomu easily swallowed.

"Hey, what are you sneakily eating?" Kakashi leaned over, patting Kyomu's shoulder.

"This? Want some?" Kyomu raised the shuriken in his hand. "It's crunchy and very nutritious for the body."

"Boring joke," Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Come spar with me, let's see if Yukihime is really as sharp as you say."

Casting a sidelong glance at Kakashi, Kyomu shook his head. "I think I'll pass. Yukihime may not withstand the full force of Yōei."

"Yōei besides looking cooler and more domineering, it doesn't seem much different from Yukihime. I don't believe it's as you described."

Hum!

Yōei at his waist trembled, with a golden color mixed with bright orange flowing within the scabbard. It wanted to unsheath and strike Kakashi, also splitting Yukihime in half.

Pressing his hand on the hilt, Kyomu calmed down the angry Yōei. When it quieted down, he waved his hand.

"Let's go do some genin missions first. Once we've completed today's quota, we can talk about sparring. I want to get rid of the genin status as soon as possible."

Upon Aragami Kyomu's mention, Kakashi's attention was diverted. "Indeed, being a genin is too boring..."

---

Crunch, crunch~

Kyomu was chewing on a shuriken again. Occasionally, as he passed by shrubs or large trees, he would casually pluck some leaves or branches and stuff them into his mouth.

All of this was done stealthily, without Kakashi noticing, but Kyomu was harboring some unspeakable grievances.

Just this morning, a new passive skill had been refreshed.

[Passive Skill: Gluttony]

[Skill Description: During the skill's duration, maximum tooth strength, maximum digestive function, absorption, and conversion efficiency are all maximized.

Note: The above skill attributes can only be triggered during eating and digestion. At the same time, you will lose the feeling of satiety and will always remain in a state of hunger.]

[Skill Duration: 30 days]

[Message: Since you are what you eat, just grab anything, eat it, then try to evolve.]

It was a formidable passive skill, but also the most tormenting one.

The hunger pangs, needless to say, could drive someone insane, especially when constantly feeling hungry.

Apart from this single, highly critique-worthy aspect, Kyomu wouldn't utter a single bad word.

Even when eating mineral-based items, his powerful digestive system could extract their essence, and their unique energy could be fully absorbed by Kyomu's body, enhancing him.

Every shuriken or kunai eaten would incrementally increase Kyomu's physical resilience and strength.

And no matter how much he ate, Kyomu never felt full, his stomach seemed like a bottomless pit, allowing him to keep eating.

Eating minerals to his heart's content for a month...

The effect was very tempting, but food from the plant kingdom, under the effect of the Glutton passive skill, also brought significant enhancements to Kyomu.

After digestion, they would boost his vitality and mental strength!

While external physical attributes were important, internal attributes were equally crucial.

Is the menu limited to just these two categories?

Absolutely not, that would be a grave mistake.

Animal-based food, or meat, when consumed, the energy extracted by the Glutton skill would lead to even more detailed enhancements.

Sucking marrow from bones naturally strengthened tendons and bones. Lean meat naturally increased chakra and muscle strength, and even focused on a specific area, eating it would strengthen that particular ability.

Damn, that's awesome!

But following closely behind was torment, endless torment.

Kyomu had thought more than once about catching members of the Hyuga or Uchiha clan, plucking out their eyes, and eating them like candy.

But with the experiences from his two lives combined, although Kyomu had higher emotional intelligence and knew how to interact with people better, he didn't want to become a cannibal nor lose his humanity.

However, driven by endless hunger, all living and non-living things before him, as long as they were useful to him, Kyomu wanted to taste them.

Just so hungry... it's hard to control!

"What's with that look?" Kakashi turned to look at Kyomu. "Did I offend you? Your eyes seem like you want to eat me."

Kyomu quickly lowered his gaze, trying not to be bothered. "I'm just hungry, Kakashi!"

"You haven't stopped eating along the way..." Kakashi was puzzled. "Did you have some health issues last month? Should I take you to the hospital for a check-up?"

"My health is fine now, I'm just hungry, do you understand!" Kyomu suddenly found himself losing control of his temper, hunger pangs were truly torturous.

"Um, Kakashi."

"Don't even think about it, I've been doing your tasks for a month now. It's not my fault, but this month you can't slack off, remember, we're a team."

Kyomu fell silent, watching Kakashi walk ahead. He couldn't help but take out a shuriken, chewing it up and swallowing it reluctantly.

Damn, almost tasted like meat!

But after digestion, Kyomu's body strength increased by another notch.

Endure it, a month will pass quickly...

[End of Chapter]