215 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Like all other Tailed Beasts, the Ten-Tails is fundamentally a creature of chakra.

Its flesh and blood are formed entirely from chakra.

However, the quality of the Ten-Tails' chakra far surpasses that of the other Tailed Beasts. The same amount of chakra from the Ten-Tails produces far more flesh and blood than the equivalent chakra from any other Tailed Beast.

This is why, despite Tsunade and the others consuming a significant amount of the Ten-Tails' flesh over the past few days, they haven't gained much of its power.

To truly attain even a fraction of Six Paths power, they need to consume much more of the Ten-Tails' flesh.

While Six Paths power is formidable, without sufficient quantity, it remains ineffective.

Right now, they're still far from achieving their goal.

"Now do you understand?" Tsunade sighed, gesturing at the massive heap of flesh with a troubled expression.

The Ten-Tails' power was immense, abundant, and of the highest quality. Correspondingly, its body was enormous.

For the three of them to acquire any measurable Six Paths power from the Ten-Tails, they'd have to eat its flesh for a long time.

Seeing their gloomy faces, Akira couldn't help but smirk in pity.

The Ten-Tails' flesh... it truly wasn't something meant for human consumption.

Tsunade swallowed another chunk of the flesh, as though a thought had struck her. She turned to Akira and asked, "By the way, how is Hyūga Kaori now?"

Akira was momentarily confused. "It's only just begun. The Tenseigan is still a long way from awakening."

"According to your theory, the Hyūga clan, our Senju clan, and your Uchiha clan all share the same ancestor. So…" Tsunade's expression turned mischievous.

"Tsunade-sama, are you suggesting she join you in sharing this 'delicacy'?" Akira finally understood her intent.

Raising an eyebrow, Tsunade replied matter-of-factly, "Of course. Good things are meant to be shared. Why should we hog it all to ourselves, Fifth Hokage?"

She glanced at the mountain of flesh that showed no signs of diminishing, her lips twitching slightly.

"Look at that. We've barely made a dent in it, and it's growing faster than we can eat!"

Even as mere flesh, the Ten-Tails' body continued to absorb natural energy, growing and regenerating.

Of course, this process had its limits, just like when cultivating Tailed Beast chakra. It couldn't grow indefinitely.

Still, for now, the regeneration speed far outpaced the consumption rate of Tsunade and the others.

In Sage Mode, they could feel the area around them transform into a massive vortex, with natural energy surging in like a flood.

"Who knows? Maybe the Ten-Tails' power could accelerate the Tenseigan's awakening," Tsunade speculated.

Akira shook his head, smirking faintly at her. "Tsunade-sama, you just want someone else to share your pain, don't you?"

"Who says that?! Am I that kind of person?" Tsunade's expression turned serious. "My grandfather was the First Hokage. As his granddaughter, it's my duty to make the village stronger!"

"Fine, fine. Whatever you say." Akira shrugged.

While he doubted the Ten-Tails' power would hasten the Tenseigan's awakening, he had no doubt it could enhance overall strength.

The Tenseigan and Rinnegan were fundamentally different. The Rinnegan leaned toward the Ten-Tails, while the Tenseigan was an evolution of the Byakugan, more aligned with the Ōtsutsuki clan.

After transplanting Ōtsutsuki Toneri's cells, Hyūga Kaori should be capable of withstanding some of the Ten-Tails' power.

After all, Toneri's lineage was purer than that of Indra or Asura.

As a vessel for the Ten-Tails' power, his lineage was unparalleled. No one else could compare.

At Akira's summons, Hyūga Kaori soon arrived in the enormous chamber.

Upon entering, she froze at the sight of the severed tail of the Ten-Tails, along with its dismembered hand and piles of flesh. For a long moment, she was speechless.

However, when she saw Akira and the others, her hesitation vanished, replaced by excitement.

She understood. This was her official entry into Konoha's core.

Such terrifying things were only accessible to the true core of the village.

"Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama, Minister Fugaku, Shisui-senpai…" Kaori greeted them one by one.

Tsunade and the others smiled in response, taking the opportunity to assess her carefully.

Fugaku, in particular, scrutinized her before nodding almost imperceptibly.

Kaori noticed the subtle gesture, her curiosity piqued.

Akira pointed to a tray on the wooden table.

"This will be your new task—consume the flesh on that tray."

Kaori glanced at the pale yellow flesh on the tray, then at the mountain of flesh nearby, a suspicion forming in her mind.

"I understand, Hokage-sama." She nodded and approached the table.

"The flesh comes from the Ten-Tails. The details are recorded in the scroll on the table," Akira explained briefly. "Read through it first."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kaori gave a solemn nod.

After skimming through the scroll, her expression grew complex, and she murmured, "So the world is already on the brink of destruction... Just when I thought I'd finally become a free bird…"

Without hesitation, she picked up a piece of flesh and chewed.

Her beautiful face immediately twisted in agony as if enduring immense suffering.

"This is… horrible…" she managed to choke out after a while.

Tsunade chuckled. "Kaori, do you see that mountain of flesh? Hokage-sama tasked us with eating all of it."

"All of it…" Kaori stared at the flesh mountain, her face turning paler by the second.

"Don't worry, Kaori. We're here with you!" Tsunade grinned brightly.

Crack!

Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed.

All five of them turned toward its source.

Akira moved instantly, appearing at the location of the noise.

The sound had come from the severed tail, where it connected to the rest of the Ten-Tails' body.

There, a massive tree sprouted from the wound.

Before their eyes, the tree writhed and grew.

In mere moments, it reached a height of over a thousand meters, towering above them.

The tree was bare except for some massive leaves near its crown, where purple buds could faintly be seen.