Ch.261 Fusion Begins

At almost the same moment—

Neji, who was in the Hyuga Clan's territory, also received a message from Uchiha Shinji through 'Jikibi.'

Upon hearing Shinji's voice, he immediately stood up, his face showing joy.

Ever since the 'anchor point' incident, Shinji had not contacted him in the capacity of Akatsuki, which had made him anxious.

Because he had traveled to the Moon with Shinji and learned from Otsutsuki Hamura about the Otsutsuki Branch Clan's plan to destroy the world.

He was well aware that with his personal strength alone, he had no way of opposing the Otsutsuki Branch Clan on the Moon.

Even if the entire Hyuga Clan, or even the entire Hidden Leaf Village, were included, they would likely still be no match for the Otsutsuki Branch Clan, who possessed the Giant Tenseigan.

Thus, he wanted to join Akatsuki!

After assuring Shinji that he would adjust his condition in three days and contribute his chakra to the organization, Neji seized the opportunity to ask, "My lord, may I formally become one of your members?"

Shinji chuckled. "Oh? You're eager to join us?"

Neji replied solemnly, "Yes, only you can stop the destruction of the shinobi world. That's why I want to serve under you and contribute my strength against the Otsutsuki Branch Clan!"

"It's not the right time yet."

Neji quickly asked, "Why?"

Shinji said bluntly, "Because you're too weak!"

Currently, Neji was under the protective surveillance of the Hyuga Clan, who possessed the Byakugan, which allowed them to see through objects. Any surgery Shinji performed on Neji could be discovered by the Hyuga Clan.

For this reason, Shinji had no intention of bringing Neji into the fold just yet.

After hearing Shinji's words, Neji fell silent before finally saying, "I will become stronger. Please wait and see!"

—

At the Kurama Clan's main house—

Kurama Yakumo had already lain down early, waiting for the Yang Release chakra to arrive.

For the past few days, except for the time Shinji had spent in the Land of Hot Water, he had infused Yakumo's body with Karin's Yang Release chakra every night at a specific time using 'Wazunagi.'

As a result, Yakumo looked forward to this moment every day.

The infusion of Yang Release chakra could not cure her congenital deficiency; it could only nourish her body and temporarily restore her vitality.

If the infusion stopped for just a day or two, her body would immediately revert to its weakened state.

During the days Shinji had been in the Land of Hot Water, the distance had been too great, exceeding 'Jikibi's' sensing range. Because of this, Yakumo had not received the nourishment of Yang Release chakra for those days, and her originally improving condition had quickly deteriorated again.

The experience had been terrible for her. So when the Yang Release chakra was infused again last night, she had even shed tears of joy!

As Yakumo anxiously awaited the arrival of the Yang Release chakra, Shinji's voice sounded in her ears.

In an instant, Yakumo sat up in bed, listening intently to the message Shinji was transmitting through 'Jikibi.'

"Yes, I will be ready!"

She did not hesitate for even a moment and immediately nodded in agreement.

The previous few days without contact with the organization had plunged her into unprecedented fear. So upon hearing Shinji's orders now, it felt like divine music to her ears. Even if the command was to extract her chakra, she had not the slightest hesitation.

—

On Shinji's side—

He slowly opened his eyes, releasing the connection of 'Jikibi.'

To ensure a smooth fusion three days later, he had contacted Karin, Haku, Neji, and Yakumo through 'Jikibi.'

These four had all been marked by him using 'Jikibi' and were within the village, always inside its sensing range.

The reason he notified them was to be fully prepared.

The compatibility between the Super Ketsuryūgan and the Enhanced Hogan was different from the compatibility between his Mangekyo Sharingan and his grandmother's Mangekyo Sharingan.

The latter had bloodline compatibility.

In the fusion process, bloodline acted as a softening agent, reducing resistance to the fusion. That's why merging two Mangekyo Sharingan from the same bloodline had very little difficulty and almost no uncertainties.

The former, however, only had complementary chakra nature, with the potential for fusion and enhancement. But in terms of bloodline, the Super Ketsuryūgan and the Enhanced Hogan had no connection.

Without bloodline as a softening agent, the difficulty of their fusion was self-evident.

Even when using 'Susanoo Tomoshibi' to forcibly merge two ordinary Ketsuryūgan, Shinji had felt enormous resistance. There was no doubt that the resistance in merging the Super Ketsuryūgan with the Enhanced Hogan would be unprecedented.

For this reason, Shinji had informed Karin, Haku, Neji, and Yakumo.

While chakra was not equal to dojutsu power, abundant chakra could be converted into dojutsu power through the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

At the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke, in preparation for his battle with Naruto, had controlled the Tailed Beasts using his Rinnegan, absorbing their vast chakra to convert into dojutsu power for a peak-level showdown with Naruto.

Shinji's idea was similar.

Karin, Haku, Neji, and Yakumo were his 'batteries.' If the fusion process did not go smoothly, he could absorb large amounts of chakra from the four of them and convert it into dojutsu power. With an overwhelming amount of dojutsu power, he could forcibly push 'Susanoo Tomoshibi' to complete the fusion.

—

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

As night fell, Shinji's emotions surged.

By midnight, with all preparations complete, he was ready to act.

Since activating 'Susanoo' was required for the fusion, he obviously couldn't perform it inside his apartment—or even within the village.

Thus, he raised his hands, preparing to leave a blood clone in his apartment.

However, he quickly reconsidered. Wasting a significant amount of chakra just for deception at such a crucial moment was inefficient.

After all, the upcoming fusion required every bit of strength he could muster. Wasting half of his chakra on a blood clone was foolish.

So, he bit his finger and performed the Summoning Jutsu.

Poof!

Coalball emerged from the white smoke, looking confused.

Shinji said, "I have something important to do. Transform into my appearance and stay in the apartment!"

Coalball raised a paw. "Do I get compensation?"

"You do!"

Shinji answered irritably before his figure flickered and vanished from the apartment.

After leaving the village, he did not stop, continuing for dozens of miles. Using the Enhanced Hogan's perception ability, he found an extremely secluded cave.

After repeatedly confirming that there were no pursuers and no threats around, he sat cross-legged, activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and unleashed 'Susanoo.'

Then, he activated 'Jikibi' and established connections with Karin, Haku, Neji, and Yakumo.

Once the connection was complete, it meant he could extract chakra from them through 'Wazunagi' at any time.

With everything ready, the fusion began!