Sasori and Hidan were smoothly moving forward in their scientific research work with Orochimaru, and Deidara had successfully arrived at the eastern coast of the Land of Fire with the supply team.
Soon after, Uchiha Hikaru received good news from the construction site: with Deidara's assistance, the efficiency of stone extraction had increased to three times the previous rate, and the overall progress of the project had accelerated by more than thirty percent!
Deidara's clay wasn't only usable for explosions. By summoning his clay giant bird and C2 dragon, he solved the issue of workers losing hours every day traveling by boat. Although it forced the young Deidara to take ration pills periodically to recover chakra, the encouragement of workers and the admiration of other shinobi only made him more determined.
Meanwhile, Biwa Juzo had successfully integrated into Terumi Mei's faction. He formed a team with Zabuza, Haku, and Ao, secretly working in the Land of Water to recruit those willing to join Mei's plan while avoiding the Mizukage's surveillance.
Even in the Land of Rain, Konan formally appeared in the name of Amegakure and brought Nagato and Kakuzu into the light. She began diplomacy with Sunagakure and initiated planning for a massive water-transfer project from north to south.
Because of this, Kakuzu and Chiyo were endlessly negotiating—Kakuzu trying to earn more, and Chiyo trying to give as little as possible.
Grandma Chiyo felt numb from dealing with him. This was the second time she had met such a stubborn opponent.
The first one had now become the famous Red Queen of the ninja world.
With affairs mostly stabilized, Uchiha Hikaru returned alone to the edge of the world to continue training in Sage Arts and Sage Chakra.
More than a month passed.
At noon, Uchiha Hikaru suddenly opened his eyes, interrupting his meditation. His brows pressed together.
"Why is it that now that I'm calm, my progress is slowing down? My improvement this month isn't even comparable to what I gained in one week before. What's going on…?"
Sitting cross-legged above the lake's surface, he recalled everything from his earliest training.
He first obtained the Dragon Vein, and its power nourished his Sharingan. It upgraded his eyes from Mangekyō to Eternal Mangekyō, and over time continued to strengthen his pupils until they evolved into the Rinnegan.
He already understood that when he arrived in this world, he gained pure soul power from Indra and Asura, eliminating bottlenecks for his Sharingan's evolution.
Looking down at his reflection in the water, he sensed a faint increase in pupil power since his last battle with Nagato. After that, it returned to painfully slow progress.
No wonder it took Madara decades to awaken the Rinnegan. This speed was agonizing.
Suddenly a thought struck him.
"Could natural chakra of different attributes accelerate the awakening of the Rinnegan…?"
But the moment the idea appeared, his mind froze.
What chakra attribute was the Dragon Vein?
Could it be time-space? Could natural chakra exist with such a characteristic? While time-space ninjutsu existed, its explanation in the shinobi world was vague.
Kishimoto mentioned only seven attributes: fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, yin, and yang.
Two attributes formed Kekkei Genkai.
Three formed Kekkei Tōta.
All seven formed the Bloodline Net.
Time-space ninjutsu was separate—an extremely rare and powerful category.
The most crucial factor was space perception, but space-type chakra had never been defined outright.
Then Hikaru suddenly recalled Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's unique eye technique—Amenominaka.
It could create five different dimensions—lava, ice, super-gravity, sand, and acid—and an empty spherical dimension. It combined all chakra attributes, an ability of the Rinnegan and the Bloodline Net.
But what is space?
For a long moment, Hikaru was overwhelmed. No matter how he pushed forward, his thoughts stalled.
"Don't overthink it. You never cared this much while training before."
A familiar voice echoed—Sword, his Mangekyō ability—resonating in his mind like a whisper.
"Didn't you say it yourself? It doesn't matter if there's no road ahead. If there isn't one… then make one."
The words made him blank out for a second, memories flashing through his mind—harsh lessons, battles, and the paths he had carved himself.
"You're right. I'm the one overthinking." Hikaru stood, his eyes firm again. "Whatever the reason—Kishimoto's settings or something else—so what?"
"This isn't an anime. It's reality. If there's a problem, I solve it."
Just wind and frost—nothing more.
Feeling clarity return, Hikaru stepped forward.
"Light-Weight Boulder Jutsu."
His body lifted from the ground, floating effortlessly above the lake.
"Let's start with the fire attribute."
Half a month later.
On a remote grassland in the northern Land of Fire, autumn had arrived. The grass was brown, and the herds had already migrated south. There was no one around.
Only a towering mountain remained, speckled with yellow and green near its base, its peak covered in snow and ice.
At its summit sat Uchiha Hikaru—above a dormant volcano.
Through his Sharingan and chakra perception, he confirmed that although the volcano was dead, massive amounts of natural fire-attribute chakra still remained deep inside.
He had been training here since his arrival.
Day and night alternated endlessly. Stars glittered each night, moonlight spilling across his face.
Suddenly streams of hot air rose from the ground beneath him, and Hikaru's eyes snapped open.
"Half a month… and I finally made it react!"
Over the days, he continuously absorbed fire-attribute natural chakra—but within two days its density decreased. So he began pouring his own chakra downward, stirring buried channels and magma layers.
Now, the mountain awakened—from dormant volcano to active.
He had formed a complete cycle with the natural chakra below, absorbing and releasing chakra continuously. The mountain fed it back into him, allowing him to refine his control with terrifying precision.
Now the volcano was about to erupt, unleashing a violent surge of fire-attribute chakra.
And this was the perfect moment—to nourish the Rinnegan and complete Demonic Flame Susanoo.
His eyes burned with fierce determination.
"Time to break through." (｀Д´*)ゞ
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Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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