"We're enemies. What makes you think I'd hand over the Chakra Fruit?"
After saying that, Uchiha Ren glanced down at the fruit in his palm and let out a quiet sigh.
"So this… is the final form of an Ōtsutsuki?"
"A life condensed into something like this…"
Even for him, it was a first.
Strange. Fascinating.
And a little unsettling.
"You…!"
Urashiki felt his blood surge.
He pointed at Ren, lips trembling—but no words came out.
He had wandered across countless worlds, seen countless battles—
yet he had never met someone this unreasonable.
This suffocating.
What made it worse was the truth he knew but couldn't change—
only members of the Ōtsutsuki main family could safely consume a Chakra Fruit.
Anyone else would suffer severe backlash.
At best, it would be useless.
At worst, it would destroy them.
And yet—
Ren didn't look like someone who cared about that at all.
"Did the Fifth Hokage just kill one of them?"
"Incredible… Lord Uchiha Ren is terrifying…"
"That man turned into a fruit… how is that even possible?!"
From afar, Queen Loran, Princess Sara, and the ministers stared through their telescopes, their voices filled with awe.
They didn't fully understand what the Ōtsutsuki were.
But one thing was clear—
whoever those invaders were, they were supposed to be powerful.
And yet, in front of the Fifth Hokage…
they had been completely crushed.
"Lord Fifth Hokage is amazing…"
Sara clenched her hands tightly, eyes shining.
"Someday… I'll become strong like him too."
Roar—!
A sudden, earth-shaking howl tore through the air.
Everyone froze.
The Gedo Statue—after absorbing the Dragon Vein—finally began to move.
Not just move—
change.
Crack… crack…
Its massive frame twisted, its ten tails lashing violently as its form shifted.
In mere moments, it completed its transformation.
A colossal beast—
Ten tails.
One eye.
Crouched low against the ground.
The Ten-Tails had taken shape.
But—
"Still can't stand… not enough energy."
Ren frowned slightly, analyzing the result.
"This state… it's similar to when the Ten-Tails only had partial tailed beast chakra."
"Not complete."
He turned his gaze back to the Chakra Fruit in his hand.
The strange mark etched into it pulsed faintly.
A Karma seal.
It was obvious what it meant—
Go on. Try to consume me.
Ren clicked his tongue softly.
"Troublesome…"
He knew exactly what that mark was.
Karma.
An ability unique to the Ōtsutsuki.
In simple terms—
they could compress their entire being into data and implant it into another host.
That black diamond-shaped mark?
That was the vessel of their rebirth.
The fruit wasn't just power.
It was a trap.
Absorb it recklessly, and you wouldn't gain strength—
you'd become their next body.
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly.
So that was the catch.
"Hahaha!"
Urashiki suddenly burst into laughter, his eyes gleaming as he noticed the mark.
"So you've seen it, haven't you?"
"With Karma embedded in it, Uchiha Ren… you'd better hand that fruit over."
Ren didn't even bother looking at him.
"I'd rather destroy it than give it to you."
"Impudent!"
Urashiki snapped, fury leaking through his voice.
"…"
Ren just shrugged.
At this point, he had completely figured Urashiki out.
Big talk.
No action.
If he really had the guts, he would've stepped in when Kinshiki was dying.
Instead, he stood there and watched.
Classic bully behavior—only bold when it's safe.
If Urashiki could hear Ren's thoughts, he'd probably spit blood on the spot.
But the truth was simple—
after seeing Ren's strength, he didn't dare act recklessly.
Not without certainty.
"Ding!"
The system's mechanical voice suddenly rang out.
"Host, you can use the Dragon Vein Converter to process the Chakra Fruit's energy."
Ren's eyes lit up instantly.
"…So that works too?"
Perfect timing.
He had just been thinking about how to remove the Karma imprint safely—
and now the solution was handed to him.
If the converter could refine the fruit's energy…
Then the problem was solved.
Filter it.
Strip away the risk.
Feed it to the incomplete Ten-Tails.
Simple.
Clean.
Efficient.
Ren looked at the half-formed Ten-Tails, then back at the fruit in his hand.
A faint smile appeared.
"Good."
"Then let's finish this properly."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios