207 Naruto: Snatching the Mangekyō

Inside the massive, open laboratory of the ShinTen Biotech, four figures who had hurried over from the Hokage's office gathered.

ShinTen Biotech had long since expanded, now over ten times larger than before. This particular lab was a massive chamber that Uchiha Akira had specifically ordered to be built.

The walls shimmered faintly with a purple barrier, an evolution of the Four Violet Flames Formation. Unlike its predecessor, this barrier didn't require constant human maintenance. Instead, it functioned more like a scientific ninja tool, powered by chakra.

Now, every critical location in Konoha—whether it was used for research or the safekeeping of important assets—was protected by these barriers.

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu's infiltration abilities were notorious, but these barriers effectively thwarted their attempts.

"This place is massive, Fifth Hokage!"

Tsunade crossed her arms, her tone half in awe and half in exasperation as she looked around the colossal chamber.

Indeed, the room was enormous, nearly a kilometer in length, width, and height. It was essentially a giant underground void. If it had been built above ground, it would've been far too conspicuous.

"Tsunade-sama, you'll soon understand why I had to make it this big," Akira said with a slight smile.

He then turned to the group, his tone turning serious.

"Pay attention. I'm about to release the flesh of the Ten-Tails."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, muttering as she stepped several meters away from Akira.

"Go ahead then. It's just some Ten-Tails flesh. What's the big deal?"

Seeing her reaction, Fugaku and Shisui followed her lead, distancing themselves as well.

Akira shook his head at their caution. He activated Kamui, and space warped with a vortex-like ripple. A massive, liquefied form began to emerge.

Within moments, a towering mass of flesh, several dozen meters tall, appeared. Covered in black sealing chains, it was far larger than any ordinary tailed beast.

Tsunade's eyes widened to the size of saucers, her expression twitching uncontrollably. Then, as if a dreadful thought struck her, her previously flushed cheeks turned pale.

She wasn't the only one. Both Fugaku and Shisui's faces grew visibly pale as they stared at the mountain of flesh before them.

"Fifth Hokage... is there something wrong with this plan?" Tsunade stammered, pointing a trembling finger at the Ten-Tails' flesh. "You're not seriously telling us that the four of us are supposed to eat all of this, are you? Even if we ate until we died, we couldn't finish it!"

The idea of spending the rest of her days gnawing on raw Ten-Tails flesh filled Tsunade with dread. Her whole body stiffened at the thought of living a primitive, blood-soaked existence.

Fugaku and Shisui didn't fare much better. Shisui, in particular, was overwhelmed. At seventeen years old, he imagined his entire future engulfed by this nightmare of endless consumption.

"This isn't for a lifetime," Akira said, his voice steady. "You need to finish it all within one or two years. Time is of the essence."

"One or two years!?" Tsunade gasped, swallowing hard.

Akira nodded. "The more you consume, the more of the Ten-Tails' power you'll gain. Your strength will grow proportionally."

Tsunade shook her head vehemently. "This thing is the size of a mountain! We're not gluttonous beasts, we'll never manage it!"

Akira began to explain. "Remember, tailed beasts are fundamentally chakra entities. Their flesh is essentially solidified chakra. The Ten-Tails is no different, except it's far more advanced, with a host of superior abilities."

He paused before continuing. "If your bodies can endure the Ten-Tails' power, you'll be able to keep consuming it. As you grow accustomed to its energy, your capacity will expand, and your consumption rate will increase. It's entirely possible to finish it in one or two years."

Instead of reassured, the three looked more horrified. The thought of spending their days devouring this grotesque substance filled them with newfound resentment toward Nagato.

Seeing their reactions, Akira chuckled.

"If the others in the village with the Sage of Six Paths bloodline weren't so weak, I'd have invited them to join this banquet."

"Banquet? You're calling this a banquet?" Tsunade glared at him, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Just looking at the dark yellow flesh, she could tell it wasn't something one could stomach easily.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Tsunade-sama," Akira said with a grin. "Who knows? Maybe the Ten-Tails' flesh is surprisingly delicious."

Tsunade snorted. "If this thing tastes good, I'll eat it upside down for the rest of my life!"

Akira smiled knowingly. "You might want to hope it's not that bad because this isn't all of it."

"What?!" Tsunade recoiled, alarmed. "There's more?"

"Of course."

With that, another vortex swirled open. Moments later, an enormous severed hand, larger than most tailed beasts, appeared beside the mountain of flesh. It was also bound with black sealing chains.

Tsunade, Fugaku, and Shisui stared at the massive hand, their mouths opening and closing as no words came out.

"This hand is also part of the package," Akira said casually. "If you eat quickly, you can tackle it too."

"No thanks!" Tsunade retorted, her voice sharp. "That mountain is more than enough. You can keep the hand for yourself. After all, you should enjoy the fruits of your labor, right?"

Fugaku and Shisui nodded in quick agreement.

Akira laughed. "Don't worry. I've prepared something even bigger for myself."

The three froze.

"You mean… there's more!?" Tsunade exclaimed, half in disbelief and half in exasperation.

"Well, I've had some success against the Ten-Tails, but it wasn't easy," Akira said with a wry smile.

As he spoke, another vortex appeared, and streams of dark yellow liquid poured out, solidifying into six enormous tails, each a thousand meters long.

Tsunade, Fugaku, and Shisui were utterly stunned, their eyes fixed on the six colossal tails now lying in front of Akira.