"AAAAAHHHH—IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO MUCH!"
In just three seconds, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki could no longer bother begging for mercy.
He screamed.
A miserable scream straight out of hell.
One after another.
Yet the screaming only lasted three to five seconds before disappearing completely.
The pitch-black vortex above Urashiki's head swallowed every last sound.
The body that had only just recovered its fullness and strength began visibly shriveling once more.
His skin lost its luster.
His muscles started withering.
Even his bones began releasing groans as though they could no longer bear the strain.
More terrifying still—
Several seconds later, the golden Rinnegan in the center of his forehead, which had only just recovered, began dimming again.
This was the bloodline.
The source power.
The very foundation of the noble Ōtsutsuki clan being forcibly extracted.
Urashiki wanted to scream.
Wanted to shout.
Wanted to curse.
But his throat could no longer produce sound.
He could only howl inside his mind.
Inside his soul.
"No... no... no... my eyes... my bloodline... my origin..."
"Please stop! Stop! Stop!"
"You monster! Are you a demon?!"
It was the desperate cry of someone pushed beyond the limits of despair.
Unfortunately—
Nobody could hear it.
Uchiha Kai could only see Urashiki's body convulsing violently in complete silence.
Like a fish hauled out of the water by an angler and tossed onto the shore.
Pointlessly struggling.
And this refinement process was far more thorough than the first.
Far more ruthless.
The first time, Kai had still been unfamiliar with the process.
Everything had been driven by instinct.
But this time—
Not only was he extracting Urashiki's chakra and life force—
He was also forcibly drawing out the very core of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline and dōjutsu power.
Those were the truly valuable ingredients for pill refinement.
Whoosh—
The wind blew past.
The outskirts of the Forest of Death became eerily silent.
No human voices.
No birdsong.
Even the normally obnoxious cicadas had gone completely quiet.
As though they were afraid that one extra chirp would result in them being squeezed dry next.
As time passed—
The person at the center was finally drained completely.
Urashiki's complexion.
His hair.
His skin.
His three eyes.
All became gray and lifeless once again.
Only the slight rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive.
Meanwhile, above Kai's palm floated a pill that was even more dazzling than before.
Its aura was even more terrifying.
It spun continuously in the air.
Kai pinched it between his fingers and examined it twice.
The pill was pitch-black.
Yet within it, countless lights exploded like suns, moons, stars, and entire cities being born and destroyed.
Ding! Congratulations, Host! Pill refinement successful!
Random reward obtained: Legendary-Grade Pill — Chakra Essence Pill (Gold)!
Effect: Temporarily increases chakra reserves by 100% and permanently increases certain attributes (Life / Spirit / Speed).
"Hm?"
Listening to the system notification, Kai couldn't help examining the pill again.
"The effect doesn't seem very different. Only the grade increased..."
"So what's the point of this Chakra Essence Pill?"
"Is it just a higher grade that sounds cooler?"
That was his first thought.
But he quickly rejected it.
Based on his understanding of the system, a higher grade probably meant—
Higher quality.
Or perhaps—
Greater probability.
At this thought, a rare look of sincerity appeared on his baby-fat face.
"This time..."
"There should finally be Life Essence, right?"
He murmured softly.
Then he raised his right hand.
A faint golden pill rapidly condensed between his fingers.
The overwhelming aura surrounding him gradually weakened.
Slowly.
Steadily.
Until it finally settled at roughly the level of an ordinary Kage.
At his fingertips spun a golden pill roughly the size of a pigeon egg.
The Alchemist Trait.
Not only could it refine others—
It could refine the user as well.
This pill had been formed from half of Kai's own chakra.
It might not have many uses.
But one thing was certain—
It could restore chakra.
After putting the golden pill away, Kai finally tossed the black pill into his mouth.
Gulp!
Another pill entered his stomach!
My fate is mine to control—not Heaven's!
RUMBLE!!!
BOOM!!!
The instant the black pill entered his body, Kai's aura exploded upward again.
An even more violent and majestic force surged through every corner of his body.
Whoosh—
Kai tilted his head back and took a deep breath.
He could clearly feel every cell in his body cheering.
Every meridian greedily devouring the incoming energy.
The golden patterns beneath his skin emerged once more.
More solid.
More brilliant than before.
At this moment, he felt as though he had shed an old body and been reborn.
As though some invisible shackles binding him had finally broken.
The comfort spreading from within made him involuntarily narrow his eyes.
Refreshing.
Incredibly refreshing.
Ding! Consumed Chakra Essence Pill (Gold)!
Temporary Chakra Increase: +100%!
Current Chakra: 8,000,000+
Permanent Attribute Increase: Life Essence Limit Increased!
Estimated Lifespan Increased by 100 Years!
"Hm?"
"Life Essence Limit?"
"It worked?!"
Kai's eyes snapped open.
His pale-white pupils burst with unprecedented light.
He clenched his fists tightly.
Feeling the endless vitality flowing through his body, the corners of his mouth slowly stretched upward once more.
A wide grin.
A thoroughly satisfied grin.
His lifespan had increased!
For the Ōtsutsuki clan, who measured their lives in millennia—
One hundred years was little more than the blink of an eye.
But—
For Uchiha Kai, who had come from a world where the average lifespan was seventy, and who now lived in a world where many shinobi died before forty—
An additional hundred years was already a magnificent gift.
And besides—
The Alchemist Trait wasn't a one-time ability!
Starting today—
His path toward immortality had officially begun.
Perhaps refining ordinary people wouldn't produce such results.
But that didn't matter.
After all—
He had living Ōtsutsuki specimens available.
Thinking of this, Kai lowered his head with a cheerful grin and looked at the black-clothed young man before him.
The excitement in his eyes became even brighter.
"Heh... heh..."
Noticing Kai's gaze, Urashiki's face immediately darkened.
Half-dead as he was, he somehow managed to force his body to roll over.
From lying face-down—
To lying on his back.
And slightly farther away from Kai.
He was genuinely afraid now.
Afraid of this boy whose height barely reached his waist.
Afraid of this human he had always looked down upon.
For the first time in his life—
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki realized that a person's smile could resemble a demon so closely.
He couldn't understand it.
Nor did he want to.
Right now, he only wanted one thing.
Distance.
Distance from this boy.
Even if he died on the way.
He wanted to die far away from him.
Unfortunately—
He soon stopped wriggling.
He had no strength left.
The dying Urashiki had exhausted his final ounce of energy.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Kai approached.
Then watch helplessly as Kai—
Squatted down beside the man wearing a headscarf.
Hm?
The man with the headscarf?
A thought suddenly struck Urashiki.
With great effort, he forced one eyelid open and looked over.
Not far away—
The drained Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B, was curled up pitifully on the ground.
Like a giant shrimp.
Bent over and hugging himself.
Although only his chakra had been drained, someone accustomed to relying on the Eight-Tails' chakra still found the sensation incredibly uncomfortable.
Then—
Kai held up the shining golden pill in his hand.
Smiling brightly.
And looked directly at Killer B...
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