Senju Tobirama looked around and said, "Next time, give me more chakra."
Uchiha Yoru agreed. "Yes, Second Hokage-sama."
Senju Tobirama pointed at Akira, whose five senses had been sealed and whose consciousness had fallen into stillness.
"There isn't much I can help you with right now, but when dealing with this fellow, I can teach you a few improvements that will make him naturally feel closer to you."
"It is like instinct or the subconscious. It influences the soul summoned by Edo Tensei and increases your chances of persuading him."
"That's perfect, Tobirama-sama. This is exactly what I need most."
Senju Tobirama was direct and decisive by nature. Since he had said he would teach, he immediately poured out everything he had promised.
Uchiha Yoru memorized every word without missing a single one. As he listened, he rapidly understood it thoroughly and transformed it into his own knowledge.
He even managed to infer other things from it, quickly extending the lesson into new knowledge points and questions, which he then asked Senju Tobirama about.
Uchiha Yoru often sighed that Uchiha Shisui's talent made him ashamed of himself. Results he had obtained through years of effort could be surpassed by Shisui in just a few hours.
But in truth, he himself was also a genius.
Through cultivation, his brain had been greatly developed. Combined with the knowledge systems of two worlds, his learning speed shocked Senju Tobirama.
Although the Second Hokage remained expressionless, the scope of his teaching unconsciously expanded again and again through Yoru's questions, far exceeding the range involved in Edo Tensei.
Many people believed finding a good teacher was very difficult.
But only truly good teachers knew that meeting a good student was the truly difficult thing.
Senju Tobirama had founded the Ninja Academy. Aside from the six disciples of his personal guard, he had taught countless students in his life.
Yet only after death did he meet a student who understood everything as soon as he taught it.
That feeling of someone understanding with a single hint, comprehending as soon as he spoke, turning around to ask questions precisely about the points Tobirama was most proud of, and deeply understanding how remarkable his thoughts were made Senju Tobirama unconsciously sink into it.
The two of them continuously expanded the content and scope of the teaching.
Water Release, Earth Release, Wood Release, sealing techniques—Senju Tobirama spoke quite a lot about all of them in one breath.
Only when he enthusiastically reached the ultimate skill he kept at the bottom of his chest and nearly taught it as well did he barely snap awake and end this still-unsatisfying lecture.
Senju Tobirama's mood was strange.
He felt very pleased, yet also very displeased. Vaguely, he felt as though he had been tricked somewhere, but he also felt that might just be his imagination.
Sensing the depletion of chakra and vitality inside his body, he reminded him again, "The next time you summon me, prepare a better body."
Uchiha Yoru nodded. "I'll remember, Tobirama-sama."
Senju Tobirama nodded coldly. Then his entire body suddenly cracked apart and turned into a pile of grave soil, revealing a dried-up meat chicken at the core that looked like firewood.
At this moment, Miwa Masayo walked in. She looked at her shovel officer in shock, and there was even some fear in her eyes.
"Yoru, you won't trick me the same way you tricked the Second Hokage, right?"
Uchiha Yoru picked up the tabby cat and placed her on his shoulder, comforting her.
"I won't. You and Senju Tobirama are different."
Then he began cleaning up, gathering the grave soil and the meat chicken. Afterward, he dug a pit in the courtyard, burned them, and finally buried the remains.
"I need to think of a way to deal with the garbage. I'll be using Edo Tensei more and more often in the future. I can't keep burying everything in my own courtyard."
Miwa Masayo suggested, "You can scatter it into the river, meow. The Naka River has such a large water flow. This bit of ash won't cause any problem, meow."
Uchiha Yoru agreed. "That makes sense. I don't have anything else on hand right now. After I settle the Ice Release ninja, let's follow the river and take a look."
"If we find a suitable courtyard, I'll buy it as an experimental base."
"Okay, meow."
"Yoru, is this the new house you mentioned specially for nighttime cultivation?"
"No, that one has to be bought separately. I've already picked one out. The house has a decent area, and it has three floors. It's the tallest building around. When you look at the moon, nothing will block your view."
"Meow, sounds pretty good, meow."
"Hehe, most importantly, the people living around it are all Sarutobi clan ninja. They're especially cautious and never argue with others. You can open your throat and howl at the moon all night."
"…"
Miwa Masayo irritably rubbed her triangular ears and complained, "Yoru, I'm not smart, but I'm not stupid either!"
"The Sarutobi clan is the Third Hokage's clan, right, meow? Can they really have such a good temper, meow?"
"Not exactly. For example, the house I'm interested in originally belonged to someone who was pressured by the Sarutobi clan into selling it cheaply. That's how I was able to interfere."
"You're deliberately trying to cause trouble, meow?"
"Not really. The Sarutobi clan's arrogance depends on who they're dealing with. Toward ordinary civilian ninja, they're overbearing and unreasonable, but toward other ninja clans, they retreat completely."
"I really want to see what attitude they'll have toward a ninja of the Uchiha clan."
"Do whatever you want, meow."
After that, Uchiha Yoru did not spend much time before easily persuading Akira, making him his first exclusive ninjutsu researcher.
Uchiha Yoru happily announced, "The Sleepless Ninjutsu Research Institute is officially established!"
The Ice Release ninja Akira remained expressionless. The cold and beautiful ice mountain said irritably, "I hope you keep your promise. Otherwise, I will do everything in my power to retaliate against you."
"Don't worry. I guarantee I will preserve the Yuki clan's inheritance, including the Yuki bloodline and kekkei genkai. They will not be cut off from the ninja world."
After swearing this solemnly, Uchiha Yoru added, "However, I cannot guarantee they will continue living in Kirigakure. That place may become very dangerous in the future."
Akira nodded. "Where they live does not matter. As long as they can survive."
Uchiha Yoru asked curiously, "You actually have no attachment to Kirigakure?"
Akira asked strangely, "If the Uchiha clan were in Kirigakure, would you have feelings for that place?"
"Hmm, I wouldn't have much feeling either. After all, it's a place where its own people kill one another. I might have defected long ago."
"I am the same. But my clan is in Kirigakure. My relatives are there. My wife and children are there too. That is why I had no choice but to be loyal to Kirigakure."
"I understand. Because the Blood Mist policy has completely lost control, you have become hopeless about the Yuki clan's future in Kirigakure."
"Yes."
Akira continued, "But I still cannot believe that Karatachi Yagura would be controlled by someone. Kirigakure…"
Uchiha Yoru raised his hand to stop Akira.
He knew Akira was trying to probe for information in a roundabout way, so he said, "I absolutely won't tell you the specific intelligence, but I have another way to make you believe me."
"I have decided to give you freedom. A full month of freedom. You can go to Kirigakure yourself, see with your own eyes, and hear with your own ears."
Akira's pitch-black eyes suddenly flashed, but in the next moment, he calmed down.
He patted his own body and said, "If you make me go to Kirigakure in this body, I might not even reach Kirigakure."
Uchiha Yoru smiled. "Don't worry. Later, I'll release this summoning, then summon you again outside Konoha. Next time, the sacrifice I use will be of very good quality. It will be enough for you to move around for one month."
"Even fighting won't be a problem."
Akira stared closely at Uchiha Yoru, but he could not see anything from his face. In the end, he could only say softly, "Thank you. If I confirm that what you said is true, I will fulfill my promise."
Uchiha Yoru laughed. "Haha, I knew you smart people all have your own trump cards."
"For some Kage, Edo Tensei is an unsolvable control technique. But for you exceptionally intelligent fellows, it can only restrain you temporarily."
"If I can't convince you sincerely, you will definitely kill me."
"After all, all of you are already dead. I don't have the ability to kill dead people a second time."
A sacrifice capable of battle truly could not be treated carelessly.
But for Uchiha Yoru, this was only a question of whether he was willing to pay the price.
Thanks to Orochi Kabuto's efforts, he knew that White Zetsu combined with Hashirama cells, as long as it did not collapse on the spot, was the best sacrifice, enough to let a Kage-level ninja display their full combat power.
That night, Uchiha Yoru used Edo Tensei at the Valley of the End and summoned Ice Release Akira again.
As the quality of the sacrifice increased, even Akira's aura became extraordinary. The moment he appeared, white ribbons emerged around him, circling him while emitting clear and pleasant sounds.
Uchiha Yoru asked curiously, "What Ice Release secret technique is this?"
Akira was also rather surprised. He answered honestly, "This is a secret technique I developed for a very long time, but because my strength was insufficient, I could never put it into practice. I haven't named it yet."
"It's truly hard to imagine what kind of sacrifice you used this time. It actually forced my strength up by an entire level."
Uchiha Yoru did not pay much attention to Akira's feelings. He was still clicking his tongue in wonder at the ice crystal ribbons.
"Tsk, tsk. This looks extraordinary. When you come back, you must demonstrate it for me."
Akira paused when he heard that. Then he understood that Yoru was telling him to hurry and set off. He nodded in agreement, then used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.
…
After sending off the dead man who was most likely to be fooled into joining his side, Uchiha Yoru felt completely relaxed.
For some reason, his mood was very high today.
Since he could not sleep anyway, he simply carried away Miwa Masayo, who was howling at the moon, and took her for a stroll along the Naka River to see where a suitable third house might be.
Uchiha Yoru's sudden willfulness made Miwa Masayo very unhappy.
Not only had she grown used to howling at the moon every night, she was also teaching Yae-chan.
Being carried away by her shovel officer like this made the tabby cat lose a great deal of face in front of her younger sister.
To appease the angry little cat, Uchiha Yoru said many nice things and paid many prices before finally making Miwa Masayo happy again.
Tonight was a bright full-moon night.
The pure moonlight illuminated Konoha's roads clearly. Even without using the Sharingan, Uchiha Yoru could see everything clearly.
As for Miwa Masayo, there was no need to mention her. To her, this situation was no different from daytime.
Uchiha Yoru and Miwa Masayo walked one ahead and one behind, draped in moonlight. They left the densely built village center and arrived at the Naka River near the Forest of Death.
They followed the riverside downstream.
At first, there was still a road. Gradually, it became a dirt path. In the end, even the path disappeared.
Miwa Masayo jumped back onto Uchiha Yoru's shoulder and let her shovel officer carry her forward at an even pace through grass that reached his waist.
Around their ears were the gurgling sound of water and all kinds of insect chirps.
From time to time, hares, wild boars, raccoon dogs, foxes, and other nocturnal animals would be startled by Uchiha Yoru's footsteps. They would panic, dart out of the grass, and quickly dive into thicker grass farther away.
This was the animals' final moment of revelry.
They either competed and reproduced while the last warmth remained, or they took advantage of the abundance of food to desperately accumulate fat or nest reserves.
The animals active in the flourishing grass were actually all working desperately.
Everything was for the approaching bitter winter.
A sudden flash of inspiration appeared in Uchiha Yoru's heart.
For some reason, he thought of a specific time point.
Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice was an auspicious day. After the Winter Solstice, the days grew longer day by day. Although the temperature would continue to fall, the sun's gradual return foretold the nurturing of life.
As the ancient saying went: "At the Winter Solstice, yang energy rises, and the way of the ruler grows. Therefore, it is celebrated."
Uchiha Yoru understood.
The day of this year's Winter Solstice would be the day he resolved his hidden danger and broke free from his cocoon.
At the same time, it would also be the greatest moment of crisis in his life.
His Heart-Blood Premonition had never been so clear and accurate before. It also made Uchiha Yoru think deeply.
Was his continuous metamorphosis making his spirituality sharper?
Or had there been a change in the underlying power of the ninja world?
He did not know.
He was like an ignorant explorer, launching a lonely adventure toward a world that ninja paid no attention to.
Uchiha Yoru took a deep breath and reached out to stroke Miwa Masayo's soft long fur, using it to dispel that chilling sense of loneliness.
To have confirmed his Dao companion before stepping onto this immortal path was truly an incomparably fortunate thing.
Loneliness had nothing to do with the five heart forms.
Even if the five heart forms joined forces, they could not dispel loneliness. Instead, they would suffer the most terrifying erosion and produce strange, horrible mutations.
Once truly captured by loneliness, it would be like a steed falling into an asphalt swamp. Without outside help, there would be only death.
People living in the mortal world could not understand this danger.
Every day, they interacted with all kinds of people. Forget conversations and transactions—even arguments and fights could effectively dispel loneliness.
Aside from the unlucky souls suffering from depression, ordinary people did not need to worry about the dangers of loneliness.
But cultivators like Uchiha Yoru had souls that were too powerful. Their interactions with ordinary people remained on the surface and could hardly touch their immensely strong hearts.
Instead, they were more likely to become prey to loneliness.
Fortunately, he had a Dao companion.
Fortunately, he had Miwa Masayo's companionship.
Suddenly, Miwa Masayo wrapped her paws around Uchiha Yoru's wrist and asked, "Yoru, can I bite you, meow?"
Uchiha Yoru: "Huh?"
"Why?"
Miwa Masayo also seemed very confused. She shook her head and tried hard to suppress the urge to bite down.
"I don't know, meow. I just suddenly feel like biting. I really want your blood, meow."
Uchiha Yoru did not dare be careless. He quickly picked up the tabby cat and carefully observed her. Chakra and natural energy flowed out at full strength as he powerfully examined everything inside her body.
As her Dao companion, Uchiha Yoru had grasped every detail of Miwa Masayo's body.
He could even clearly point out where each of the tabby cat's blood vessels was, and he even remembered on which day each blood vessel had grown.
Therefore, the examination quickly produced a conclusion.
There was nothing wrong with Miwa Masayo's body. Only her vitality was slowly rising abnormally.
Actually, it could not really be called a problem.
It was just that the source of the vitality increase was not Miwa Masayo herself. Strangely, the tabby cat did not show weakness or mania either. She had only inexplicably developed a need for her shovel officer's blood.
Could the full moon turn Miwa Masayo into a vampire cat?
Full moon?
Full moon!
Uchiha Yoru suddenly raised his head and looked at the moon in the sky. He quickly calculated in his heart and soon reached a conclusion.
Tonight was the night with the brightest moonlight of the year.
It was even the brightest moonlit night in thirteen years.
Could it be a spiritual tide raised by the brightest moonlight?
Was this the reason he had clearly sensed the date of his transformation, and also the reason Miwa Masayo had been stimulated into abnormality?
Uchiha Yoru suddenly made up his mind and placed his wrist near Miwa Masayo's mouth.
"Rika-chan, my intuition tells me that you wanting to drink my blood may not be a bad thing."
"Come. Try it."
"Really, meow?"
"Mm. Haven't we walked this path by constantly trying things? Try it."
"Meow, okay, meow. I really can't hold back much longer either, meow. Then I won't be polite, meow."
The tabby cat bit down on Uchiha Yoru's wrist with an "awoo."
Her sharp teeth pressed against his skin. It felt cool and moist, but it did not hurt at all.
This made Uchiha Yoru feel very strange. He raised his wrist, wanting to see what was going on.
He saw Miwa Masayo's eyes brimming with tears as she whimpered to her shovel officer, "Yoru, I can't bite through, meow…"
It turned out that Uchiha Yoru's ongoing transformation had already greatly strengthened his defense. It had reached the level of immunity against ordinary ninja tools.
Miwa Masayo's growth was currently concentrated on natural energy, chakra strength, and spirituality. In terms of physical strength, she had indeed fallen behind Uchiha Yoru.
Although the tabby cat's ninjutsu and senjutsu could definitely break his defense, the little cat could bring herself to bite him, but she absolutely refused to attack him with senjutsu.
So she could only look at her shovel officer pitifully, hoping to receive help.
In the end, Uchiha Yoru held back his laughter and transformed Wind Release chakra into a sharp surgical blade. Only then did he cut open a wound on his wrist.
What shocked both him and Miwa Masayo was that from the two-centimeter-long cut, only a single drop of blood flowed out before the wound healed.
Just as he worried whether he needed to make a few more cuts, Miwa Masayo had already stuck out her tongue and quickly licked up that drop of blood.
With only one drop of blood, Miwa Masayo's inflated vitality was filled and made solid.
Then, in the next instant, the surging, leaping vitality ignited her bloodline.
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