Chapter 348: Division Complete, Trust Increased
Should he just go ahead and refine Ōtsutsuki Kyōshiki as well?
That was the insane thought surfacing in Uchiha Dali's mind.
Watching Kyōshiki greedily devour the energy from Ōtsutsuki Àoshiki's replicated clones, his eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
"Don't do anything stupid."
Just as Uchiha Dali's blood was boiling, Kyōshiki coldly warned.
At the same time, nearly a hundred of his replicated clones gathered around.
"We agreed, didn't we? You and I would join forces against Àoshiki, split his energy, and if you want to fight me now, I'll be happy to go all the way—let's see who laughs last. Of course, in the end, Àoshiki would still swoop in and take everything from us both."
Kyōshiki reminded him again.
Those words dispelled Uchiha Dali's reckless impulse, cooling his emotions.
He only smiled faintly, as if nothing had happened. "No need to be so tense. Watching you devour everything without so much as a word of warning, of course I'd feel a bit displeased."
"Isn't that just part of competition? Only those who compete well can feast. Anyone who slacks off will fall behind."
Kyōshiki gave himself a lofty justification.
Uchiha Dali actually found himself agreeing with that reasoning.
The law of survival of the fittest—whether in the ninja world or in the cosmos, it remained an unchanging truth.
They stopped talking and focused on consuming and dividing up the energy from Àoshiki's replicated clones.
Before long, the two of them had absorbed every bit of energy contained in Àoshiki's duplicates.
Because Kyōshiki had secretly taken a share earlier, Uchiha Dali ended up with a slightly smaller portion.
Overall, Dali had received just over forty-nine percent of the total energy.
He didn't bother to argue over it. Instead, he looked at Kyōshiki. "What's next?"
As he spoke, his Observation Field instinctively expanded.
But to his surprise, the aura of Àoshiki—who had been rapidly approaching—was now fading into the distance.
"You sense that?"
He looked at Kyōshiki with surprise.
Kyōshiki nodded gravely. "That guy must have realized he can't beat the two of us together."
Dali shook his head after sensing again. "Not necessarily."
"What do you think?"
Kyōshiki eyed him curiously.
But Dali didn't answer right away. He continued probing with his advanced Observation Field, searching for traces of their target. Soon, far off in a distant galaxy, he caught a faint suspicious presence.
"It looks like he wants us to think he's left, but in reality, he's still nearby."
"A sneak attack!"
Dali made his judgment with certainty.
Hearing that, Kyōshiki looked doubtful.
How could this brat be so sure of something even he couldn't sense?
Suspicious, Kyōshiki extended his own perception to near-infinite range, carefully searching again.
But still—he found nothing.
Seeing the look on Kyōshiki's face, Uchiha Dali's mind stirred.
"Could it be his sensory ability isn't as strong as mine?"
At that moment, Kyōshiki spoke. "I admit, I'm a bit lacking in perception. But that doesn't change the fact that my overall strength is greater than yours. You don't disagree with that, do you?"
Dali couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "One of these days, I'm going to find a way to end that mind-reading trick of yours."
Kyōshiki didn't argue further and instead asked, "So, where is he?"
After a pause of two seconds, Dali shook his head. "Don't know."
"Didn't you just say you sensed him?"
"I said I felt him nearby. But his exact position—I can't lock it down. It's like he's merged himself completely into the cosmos…"
Dali shook his head again.
What he sensed was only a faint trace hidden in the void of the universe. Pinpointing it was impossible.
Otherwise, that would mean he could take on Àoshiki alone—why bother teaming with Kyōshiki at all?
"In that case, let's just wait and see."
Kyōshiki immediately sat down cross-legged in the void, looking quite strange suspended there.
He needed to refine the energy he had just absorbed.
The process didn't take long. After only about a minute, while Dali waited nearby, Kyōshiki completed it all.
He opened his eyes again, giving Dali a meaningful look. "You didn't take advantage of me while I was meditating. That raises the level of trust between us."
Dali didn't comment on that, only shrugged casually. Kyōshiki, however, glanced around. "That guy still hasn't shown up?"
He seemed almost impatient for another fight with Àoshiki—obviously tempted by the taste of devouring his energy.
Indeed, his aura was now noticeably stronger than before, an obvious improvement.
The effect was even more dramatic than when he had consumed the energy of a thousand planets.
Of course, as his partner in sharing, Uchiha Dali had also gained much.
The energy he absorbed raised his overall strength, though the improvement wasn't as obvious, given his already immense and unfathomable chakra reserves.
Now Dali fully understood why Kyōshiki was so eager to get rid of his elder brother.
This efficiency of growth was far beyond what devouring planetary energy could ever provide.
At the same time, Dali gained a deeper understanding of the path to evolution for higher-level beings.
"The higher your level, the greater the energy required for evolution—and the more important the quality of that energy… I wonder if my extraordinary perception can let me bypass this rule."
It wasn't a secret worth hiding.
As soon as the thought surfaced in his mind, Dali noticed Kyōshiki staring at him with an odd look.
Kyōshiki didn't ask, and Dali didn't explain.
They simply stared at each other for a while until Kyōshiki grew impatient. "Where the hell is that bastard Àoshiki? Is he coming or not?"
"If not, then let's go find him ourselves!"
With that, he prepared to activate that same superluminal movement technique he had used earlier.