Ch.262 Fragments of Will

Drip...

Drip...

The rhythmic sound of water droplets echoed faintly within the cavern.

The sound mirrored Uchiha Shinji's state of mind, gradually shifting from restlessness to calmness amidst his steady and controlled breathing.

"It's time."

After murmuring to himself, he opened his eyes.

The crimson Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes radiated an eerie brilliance, and the Susanoo enveloping him let out a low, rumbling roar!

Roar!

With this roar, the fusion began.

In an instant, a tremendous resistance fed back from the 'Susanoo Tomoshibi,' transmitting directly into Shinji's mind.

He frowned slightly, his expression growing serious.

Before starting the fusion, he had already anticipated that this attempt would not be easy. In fact, it was likely to be more challenging than any previous fusion.

However, the sheer magnitude of the resistance at the very beginning still caught him off guard.

But there was no turning back now. Without hesitation, he pushed forward, channeling his ocular power to forcibly drive the 'Susanoo Tomoshibi' fusion. At the same time, he activated 'Wazunagi,' beginning to extract chakra from Karin, Haku, Neji, and Yūgao Uzuki.

The reason he started extracting chakra so early was that converting the chakra extracted through 'Wazunagi' into ocular power required time.

If he waited until his own chakra was nearly depleted before using 'Wazunagi' to extract chakra from others, it might be too late to convert it into ocular power in time.

Hidden Leaf Village.

Karin silently endured the extraction through 'Wazunagi,' appearing as if nothing was happening.

If not for the fact that her chakra was being continuously drained, there would be no outward sign of anything unusual.

Meanwhile, in his apartment, Haku's expression turned serious.

Although he was rarely targeted by the leader for chakra extraction, he showed no signs of panic. Instead, he understood that if the leader needed his chakra, it must mean something critical was happening. He began refining his chakra more intensely, preparing for the extraction.

Hyūga Clan Compound.

When 'Wazunagi' locked onto him, Neji's body trembled slightly.

Despite being warned beforehand, the sensation of having his chakra extracted through the void still filled him with unease, even fear.

However, trusting in the leader, he suppressed his anxiety and calmed himself, silently enduring the extraction.

In the main residence of the Yakumo Clan.

Kurama, targeted by 'Wazunagi,' looked terrified. "What... what is this?!"

Equally frightened was 'Ido,' who resided within Kurama's mental world. She screamed like a startled beast, "Stop it! Stop it!"

Ido's cries snapped Kurama out of her panic. "Is this what the leader warned me about? How is this even possible? Does the Uchiha Clan possess such a terrifying dojutsu?"

Ido shouted, "Kurama, stop this, or we'll both die!"

Compared to Kurama, Ido, a being reliant on chakra, was far more sensitive to its loss.

While Kurama only felt her chakra draining rapidly, Ido felt as though she herself was disintegrating along with the chakra.

Kurama initially considered resisting the extraction, heeding Ido's pleas.

But then she remembered the promises exchanged between her and the leader. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Ido, let's hold on a little longer."

Ido screamed hysterically, "If this continues, I'll die!"

"Then die," Kurama sighed softly. "Don't worry, I'll go with you."

Ido was stunned into silence.

The moment Shinji activated 'Wazunagi,' Karin, Haku, Neji, and Kurama in the Hidden Leaf were all simultaneously targeted. Their chakra flowed through the 'Jikibi' channel, traversing the void and pouring into Shinji's body.

Soon, Shinji felt his chakra reserves replenishing.

Karin's Yang Release chakra was of exceptionally high quality, a combination of the Uzumaki Clan's Sage Body, the Senju Clan's Sage Body, and the properties of the Divine Tree. It was the closest in the shinobi world to the First Hokage's chakra.

Haku's Ice Release chakra, Neji's Byakugan chakra, and Kurama's Yin Release chakra were also of high quality, stable and easy to convert.

This was why Shinji had not extracted chakra from the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii.

Tailed Beast chakra was too volatile. While it was fine for performing jutsu, converting it into Sharingan ocular power would be too time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Without the Rinnegan and All Creation Power, using Tailed Beast chakra to convert into Sharingan ocular power was not a viable option.

With a substantial amount of chakra now at his disposal, Shinji felt more confident.

He further unleashed his ocular power, causing the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes to glow even more vividly. As his ocular power surged, the second and third pairs of eyes on the Susanoo began to overlap.

Woo...

Just as the two pairs of eyes were about to merge, Shinji's ears caught the sound of ghostly wails.

With his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan pushed to its limits, he had gained a slight ability to perceive spiritual entities. Concentrating, he scanned his surroundings and noticed several faint, ghostly apparitions.

"As expected, they've all emerged..."

These ghostly apparitions were the fragmented spiritual remnants within the chakra of the super Ketsuryūgan and the enhanced Hogan.

Although the Ketsuryūgan and Hogan were not known as "mirrors of the heart," as dojutsu kekkei genkai that condensed Yin Release chakra, they were naturally the best vessels for carrying will or spiritual entities.

However, both the super Ketsuryūgan and the enhanced Hogan had been forcibly fused by Shinji using the 'Susanoo Tomoshibi.' Their original owners, at most jonin-level in strength, did not possess the ability to maintain spiritual entities for long.

Thus, what remained were not so much fragmented spirits but rather incomplete fragments of will.

Only someone like Shinji, with his exceptional perception and insight, could detect these remnants. Most shinobi, even if they transplanted these eyes, would likely remain completely unaware of them.

"Owwoo..."

The ghostly apparitions let out eerie wails, swirling around Shinji. Since their chakra source was tied to the super Ketsuryūgan and enhanced Hogan controlled by the Susanoo, even the Susanoo could not block them.

At their closest, the fangs and claws of these apparitions came within centimeters of Shinji's face.

Yet Shinji simply watched indifferently, his emotions completely unmoved...