After properly settling Kimimaro, entrusting him to Nono's care, and having a brief meeting with Jugo, Haku, and finally Kabuto, who had rushed back at the last moment, Takuno set foot on his own path once again.
Fleeting moments of warmth were admittedly precious, but they were far from the end of his path; a brief stopover was fine, but immersing himself within it was completely impossible.
The destination of this journey was precisely the Gelel Ore Vein, which harbored a massive amount of energy.
What he carried in his possession was the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai obtained from Kimimaro's body.
This would be the fourth part of power he would integrate into his bloodline using the Chimera Technique.
Traveling to the core region of the ore vein, Takuno's gaze swept over the container representing the power of the Shikotsumyaku, and an unnoticeable arc flitted across the corner of his mouth.
From beginning to end, Kimimaro seemed to have never perceived that his own Shikotsumyaku was already gone.
However, even if he learned the truth, Takuno was also certain that the other party would absolutely not have half a shred of regret.
Whether it was Kimimaro himself, or Haku and Jugo, what their special abilities brought to them was more of a curse of fate and suffering unimaginable to conventional people.
Losing these "shackles," to them, was afraid more like a kind of liberation.
Just like how Jugo was clearly already able to master the power brought by an incomplete Sage Body, yet still remained obsessed with sealing it away.
To them, that was not power, but the source of all suffering.
Shelving the thoughts regarding Kimimaro for the time being, Takuno refocused upon the scene in front of his eyes.
That massive Gelel Ore Vein was like an ocean of energy sleeping in the deep depths of the earth; even with his current level of strength, he could still clearly feel the sense of oppression brought by that majestic, matchless torrent of energy.
The scale of this energy was crowned with the terrifying title of being "sufficient to break the seal and destroy an entire continent."
Although Takuno believed this saying possessed somewhat of an exaggerated implication, its terrifying might contained within completely destroying a region upon pouring down was an unquestionable fact in his view.
Staring intently at the eerie light of the ore vein, another even more massive objective surfaced within his brain—the Ryumyaku!
The scale of energy contained within that legend was perhaps even above the Gelel Ore Vein.
Pity that the exact information regarding the Ryumyaku was still like a stone sinking into the vast sea up to now.
He had once explored the ruins of the ancient country of Rouran, but besides confirming the traces of its past existence, he had not discovered any clues regarding the existence of that key figure, "Anrokuzan."
He had even utilized the convenience of his position to check the mission records of Minato before he had assumed the position of Hokage, yet could not find a single trace related to Rouran either.
This could not help but plunge Takuno into deep thought: could it be that in this world, the Ryumyaku fundamentally did not exist?
Or was it that... because his own arrival triggered violent mutations in the future, it resulted in that Anrokuzan, who utilized the Lost Tower to traverse through time and space, failing to appear upon his proper historical trajectory?
These queries were like a dense fog, temporarily unable to be parted.
However, Takuno understood that tangling himself over this at this moment possessed no meaning.
His core task at present was to fuse the power of the Shikotsumyaku.
As for the mystery of the Ryumyaku, it could only be left until after all the dust had settled.
If there truly was no Ryumyaku existing there, then so be it;
But if there truly was that massive source of energy hidden deep within...
Perhaps the energy source needed for the growth of the Mini Ten-Tails could have one more addition.
Retracting his thoughts, Takuno began to delineate the technique formula.
His fingertips condensed pure chakra, outlining the complicated sealing technique formula required for the Chimera Technique on the ground.
The lines crisscrossed and intertwined, emitting a mysterious and dangerous energy fluctuation.
Regarding the research into this fusion forbidden technique, he had long since reached the absolute pinnacle, reaching the limit recorded in the original work, successfully pushing the number of fused individuals to five people.
Upon reaching this step, it was not that he had not attempted to touch that higher barrier—fusion beyond five people.
However, Takuno could feel that that wall of limitation and the road behind it were filled with unpredictable dense fog.
Breaking it? The time and energy needed to be invested would be a massive sea, and the end was far away without a set date.
Takuno's thoughts were clear and calm; the existing five fusion slots of the Chimera Technique had already provided him with a sufficiently powerful foundation of strength.
Although several special bloodlines also flitted through his brain—which might be able to bring a minute amount of gain like adding flowers onto brocade—they were absolutely unable to become the key factor of delivering charcoal in a snowstorm.
Weighing the pros and cons, rather than consuming a massive amount of time to gamble on an unknown breakthrough, it was far more practical to solidly take control of this power.
As the final stroke fell, the sealing technique formula abruptly lit up with a faint light, forming a perfect energy cycle.
Expressionlessly, Takuno placed the "Shikotsumyaku" at the center of the technique formula.
He sat cross-legged quietly by the side of the array, adjusting his breathing, his mind and spirit sinking into a state where ancient wells had no waves.
Lifting his hands, he formed seals.
"Shinobi Art: Chimera Technique!"
In a flash, the massive technique formula beneath him erupted with a piercing yet not burning light!
That light tightly enveloped the Shikotsumyaku in the center.
Under the effect of the forbidden technique's grand might, the Shikotsumyaku was actually transformed into a pool of viscous energy body gleaming with a forest-white luster!
This energy body was as if it possessed life; without needing guidance, it swiftly followed the light trajectory of the technique formula, surging violently toward Takuno's body and fusing inside it without a single obstruction.
The entire process was as fast as lightning and flint sparks, without half a shred of rejection, without a single trace of pain, flowing smoothly like a stream entering the sea.
The light gradually gathered back and dissipated.
When Takuno slowly opened his eyes, his pitch-black pupils were calm and without waves.
He did not even go out of his way to intentionally feel the changes inside his body, as if the fusion just now was, to him, nothing more than a trivial, ordinary little matter.
After all, this was already a result he had tested countless times; reaching his level, it was already impossible for a mistake to happen.
Takuno lowered his eyes to stare intently at his palm, his five fingers closing slightly.
Right at the moment when his mind shifted slightly, the skin of his palm cracked open without any warning; immediately following, a section of forest-white, sharp bone spur gleaming with cold, hard luster instantly pierced through the flesh and skin, exposing itself to the air, its tip chilling, permeating with the aura of death.
This was nothing more than the most basic manifestation of capability after the fusion of the Shikotsumyaku bloodline.
At this moment, he could even feel the pulsation and correspondence of every single bone within his body; as long as he was willing, that entire spine supporting his trunk could be easily drawn out, transforming into a terrifying white-bone long whip or giant blade.
However, to Takuno, this was not necessary.
The Shikotsumyaku was nothing more than another strand of bloodline flowing within his body that originated from Otsutsuki Kaguya.
What he truly valued was the unique defensive characteristic bestowed by this bloodline that was near-immune to physical strikes.
As for attacking? He naturally possessed means far transcending this.
But at this moment, an indescribable, complicated expression flitted across Takuno's face—that was a strange expression mixing recollection with self-deprecation.
He was almost carrying a sliver of obstinacy, violently reaching his hand toward his own back, precisely gripping the top of his spine, that hardest section connected with his neck bone.
In the next split second, his gaze abruptly condensed, revealing a decisive, stern color.
The muscles of his arm buckled, violently applying force toward the back.
"Shua-la!"
An soul-grabbing forest-white cold light abruptly flashed into view!
One could see a long sword completely transformed from his own spine was shockingly drawn away from his body alive by him!
The entire process carried a primitive yet cruel aesthetic; the bone joints rubbed together emitting a chilling, light creaking sound, the sword body slender and straight, gleaming with a jade-like genial luster, yet containing a sharp sense capable of breaking through anything.
The minute blood mist brought up upon drawing it out had not yet dissipated before it had already fused into the air.
Even though this bone sword brought no gain to his actual combat, and even appeared somewhat redundant, but...
Takuno's gaze fell upon the sword body, his fingertips brushing across that ice-cold, smooth bone texture.
Its entire body was crystal clear and translucent, as if carefully carved and polished from the highest grade of mutton-fat white jade, the interior as if having a faint light flowing, its texture genial yet incomparably rigid.
This was exactly the result after going through the deep tempering and strengthening of his unique 'Takuno Cells'; its hardness and toughness had long since far transcended the limit capable of being reached by Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku in the original work.
A strand of a seemingly non-existent smile was fleeting by the corner of his mouth.
He stared intently at this bone sword transformed from his own spine, and a scene from his adolescent years in his past life vividly surfaced within his brain.
That figure named Kimimaro—the picture of him drawing out his spinal sword on the television had once caused him, who was similarly at a hot-blooded middle-school-syndrome age, to feel fascinated, imagining countless times that he could also be this cool.
Never expected that the fantasy of the past would actually become reality in this form today, under a intensity of his own that far transcended the original version.
A moment later, Takuno's arm shook lightly.
With a light hum of a slashing sound, that jade-like bone sword followed the trajectory of drawing out, instantly shrinking back into his body.
The ruptured skin healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning back to its original state in the turn of a split second.
He lightly shook his hand, his expression restoring to indifference.
Enough; playing cool, satisfying a craving, and fulfilling a dream—it was sufficient.
After finishing playing cool.
Takuno's gaze slowly dropped down, inspecting his body at this moment.
Originally, every single time he utilized the Chimera Technique to forcefully blend other bloodlines, it had once like a brand carved un-erasable, foul black spots upon his skin.
However, since completely completing the assimilation of the 'Hashirama cells', his body had also undergone a bizarre transformation.
Those ugly patches that once stubbornly entrenched themselves had now quietly faded and hidden.
Taking their place were several deep and smooth black lines.
They were not horizontal scars; on the contrary, they outlined themselves just right between the texture lines of his muscles, presenting a kind of naturally formed rhythm.
These lines not only failed to possess half a shred of destroying the body's natural aesthetic and proportion, but instead added an indescribable layer of deepness and mystery to it, as if some kind of ancient power was quietly crouching beneath this shell.
To Takuno, this was undoubtedly an extra gift.
He had always not cared about the beauty or ugliness of the skin pouch; the essence of power was the eternal pursuit.
But when the skin pouch could become better, who would refuse it? The current him also no longer needed to use those gauzes to wrap up the black spots to avoid exposure.
It was just a pity that there were still lines, looking a bit like tattoos.
After all, possessing the thoughts of a person from his motherland deep within his bones, he was also an existence who didn't much like tattoos.
Although among people with tattoos there were also good people, but...
To say something unpleasant to hear, gold might still possibly be inside feces, yet people couldn't possibly go into feces to pan for gold, right?
In addition, there was another category of people who wanted to use tattoos to cover up because their bodies were injured.
But the problem lay in that its result might not be all that good, because you didn't want people to look at you differently because of a scar, yet a tattoo itself also possessed this effect of being looked at differently by people.
Even to the point where a tattoo was far harder to explain compared to a scar...
In addition, Takuno also agreed with a sentence: if one didn't look at tattooed people differently, then... wasn't this tattoo done in vain?
Takuno thought slightly for a bit and then no longer expanded his thoughts; the lines upon his body were things naturally generated by the Chimera Technique, it wasn't that he himself wanted to engrave them.
Thereafter, Takuno utilized his Mangekyou to return inside that laboratory.
Takuno sat upright behind the large office desk, his deep gaze penetrating through empty space—it wasn't focusing upon any matter in front of his eyes, but was instead immersed within the precise deduction of future steps.
At this moment, the power flowing inside his body had long since been different from the past.
At present, regarding his exploration into those Kekkei Genkai, it was also basically all completed, fusing to become a part of his own strength.
However, the "Chimera Technique" was still short of the most key link from its final perfect form.
That pre-reserved final bloodline fusion slot was still hanging empty at this moment.
That bloodline within his anticipation was still far out in the horizon at this moment.
Toneri was precisely the indispensable final puzzle piece within his plan.
Although Toneri was a descendant of Hamura, his bloodline had undergone a reversion to his ancestors.
The Otsutsuki bloodline contained within his body was pure and majestic, far from being what conventional descendants could compare to.
Thinking up to this point, a trace of a playful light flitted across the depths of Takuno's eyes.
It seemed that in this era, the miracles of bloodline awakening were especially frequent.
Was Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan not also like this?
Within the heritage where his clansmen had long since cut off the inheritance of the Shikotsumyaku, only he miraculously revived this terrifying power originating from the deep depths of the bloodline.
These individuals who reverted to their ancestors were like treasures specially arranged by fate.
Takuno's eyes flashed; once he integrated this most pure Otsutsuki bloodline into his own self, he would no longer have a short board on the position-level of life's essence, sufficient to look down proudly upon any existence in this world.
Even, a powerful confidence had already risen within his heart: after assimilating and absorbing the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama, his own bloodline level had long since leaped to an unimaginable situation, sufficient to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with that "God of Shinobi."
"The bloodline of Hashirama—compared to a true Otsutsuki, just how much worse is it in the end?" This thought flashed by, and was immediately thrown to the back of his mind by him.
This answer itself was already of no consequence. Even if a gap existed, so what?
As long as he thoroughly fused the bloodline of Toneri, all gaps would be instantly flattened.
At that time, his bloodline would attain an unprecedented perfection.
The only thing needing a slight consideration was the obstacle that might exist above the moon—was Toneri's father still around?
The corner of Takuno's mouth curled up into a grim arc.
Even if that member of the Otsutsuki Main House still survived in the world, he completely failed to construct a substantial threat.
He was certain that the other party's strength was completely without the possibility of touching that legendary realm of the "Six Paths."
And as long as one had not set foot into that domain, in front of him, Takuno, they were absolutely not an invincible enemy.
Therefore, it was time.
It was time to go and pluck that final fruit hanging above the moon.