"Hiss~"
Jugo opened his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing.
That hurt!
When had he passed out?
His memories slowly returned, and Jugo's eyes suddenly widened.
Right.
Someone had appeared out of nowhere, claiming they could stop him when he went berserk. Then he had released his physical restraints.
He only remembered rushing toward that person before receiving a palm strike to his body, after which he lost consciousness.
In other words, that person truly possessed the strength to defeat his rampaging self!!!
Realizing this, Jugo abruptly stood up, only to discover himself flying high in the air.
"Kid, don't move around recklessly."
A cold voice came from behind. Jugo turned his head— it was the same person who had defeated him earlier.
"Mirai-sama?"
Jugo whispered.
He remembered the person introducing himself as Mirai before he blacked out.
"We're heading toward Konoha right now."
"You'll be following these two from now on."
Mirai Uchiha pointed toward Orochimaru and Kimimaro.
After glancing at Orochimaru and Kimimaro, Jugo replied somewhat unwillingly, "Mirai-sama, can't I follow you instead?"
Before Mirai Uchiha could speak, Kimimaro couldn't help but softly snort, "It's better not to ask such things again."
"Why?" Jugo asked, puzzled.
Kimimaro replied indifferently, "Because if you understood Mirai-sama's reputation, you'd realize how impolite your request is."
"Mirai-sama's reputation?"
Seeing Jugo's confusion, Kimimaro began recounting everything he had heard from Orochimaru about Mirai Uchiha recently.
The more Jugo listened, the more stunned he became.
To him, the stories Kimimaro told sounded like something out of a fantasy tale.
Could humans really possess such incredible strength?
Still, glancing downward at the hundreds-of-meters-high Susanoo beneath them, Jugo felt those accounts might not be entirely impossible.
Throughout the journey, Jugo kept curiously asking Kimimaro questions regarding Mirai Uchiha, and Kimimaro answered without reservation.
Very soon, the two became quite familiar with each other.
Half a day later, Mirai Uchiha landed at Orochimaru's lab complex.
"Jugo, come with me."
Watching Mirai Uchiha walk away into the distance, Jugo quickly followed.
Orochimaru and Kimimaro remained quietly in place.
In a dense forest, Mirai Uchiha casually set up a protective barrier, ensuring whatever happened inside wouldn't be noticed by others.
Then Mirai Uchiha stepped forward, facing Jugo directly.
"Mirai da..."
Jugo's words were cut off before he could finish. His entire expression froze instantly.
The next second, Mirai Uchiha produced a bone blade and gave it a casual swing.
Slice! Jugo's neck was slashed open, blood spilling onto the ground.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master—you've obtained a reward: +1 Chakra!]
"No, not yet! Ame-No-Koyane-No-Kami!"
Under the power of Mirai Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan, Jugo, who had already lost all signs of life, regained vitality once more.
Immediately afterward, he fell again under Mirai's Genjutsu control.
Slice!
The same scene unfolded once again—Jugo's throat was sliced open.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master—you've obtained a reward: +1 Spiritual Power!]
"Not quite right yet..."
Unsatisfied with the rewards obtained, Mirai activated the power of "Ame-No-Koyane-No-Kami" once more.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master—you've obtained a reward: +1 Chakra!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master—you've obtained a reward: +1 Physique!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master—you've obtained a reward...]
[...]
[Ding! Congratulations, Master—you've obtained a reward: Natural Energy Affinity!]
Hearing the system notification echoing in his mind, Mirai exhaled in relief.
This round of luck wasn't particularly good—it took over twenty attempts before he finally got the desired reward.
Reviving Jugo repeatedly using Ame-No-Koyane-No-Kami without pause, even Mirai started feeling some soreness in his eyes.
Still, the final result turned out pretty well.
"Mirai-sama, what happened to me?"
When Jugo came to, he touched his neck in confusion.
He didn't understand why, but he kept feeling a chill on his neck.
Mirai's expression remained calm as he said, "Nothing serious. Let's go back first."
"Okay."
After returning with Jugo to Orochimaru's lab complex, Mirai patted Kimimaro's shoulder. "Jugo will be under your charge from now on."
Upon hearing that he once again had a purpose, Kimimaro felt excited. "Rest assured, I will never fail to meet your expectations."
Nodding, Mirai pulled out a Sealing Scroll from within his robe and handed it to Orochimaru. "Inside here are a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan eyes. Borrow them for research first."
Even Orochimaru couldn't help but barely conceal his excitement upon hearing Mirai's words.
These were Mangekyo Sharingan eyes!
Such rare and precious experimental material!
Undoubtedly, serving Mirai had been the best decision he'd ever made in his life.
No matter what demands Mirai might have, he would spare no effort to fulfill them!
Under the influence of Kotoamatsukami, Orochimaru remained completely unaware of any abnormalities in his thoughts and contentedly resolved to follow Mirai Uchiha's orders more diligently.
Seeing the fanatic look in Orochimaru's eyes, Mirai Uchiha silently took a few steps backward.
He hadn't forgotten for a moment that Orochimaru was currently inhabiting a female body.
"Orochimaru, remember your mission. I'll leave first."
With that command given, Mirai Uchiha disappeared in an instant.
The very next moment, he reappeared at the heart of the Forest of Death.
[Natural Energy Affinity...]
Mirai Uchiha closed his eyes and focused, immediately detecting something unusual.
He could clearly feel the natural energy in the air.
Moreover, without deliberate guidance, surrounding natural energy was being absorbed into his body.
Even in Konoha, where natural energy was scarce, it continued to accumulate steadily within him.
Needless to say, absorbing natural energy was an extremely difficult task for ordinary humans.
In the original story, Naruto Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze needed intense concentration when absorbing natural energy, yet the absorption speed was still very slow.
As for Jiraiya, he could only absorb natural energy and generate Sage Chakra with the aid of Fukasaku and Shima.
Later on, Kabuto Yakushi did have a decent absorption rate, but the White Snake Kabuto's body could no longer be considered fully human.
But now, he was absorbing natural energy effortlessly and constantly...
At this rate, refining Sage Chakra in the future was going to be incredibly easy—its efficiency would be off the charts!
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