"In the next few years, I will help you master my power as quickly as possible. When all this is over, we will have nothing to do with each other."
Kurama's voice was calm, but its crimson eyes were unreadable—haunted, perhaps, by too many years of being shackled and misunderstood.
Naruto stared into that vast, beastly gaze. A long silence stretched between them, thick with feelings too tangled for words.
He said nothing. Just looked.
Then, slowly, his consciousness withdrew—pulled out of the sealed space like mist clearing from a battlefield.
—The Mindscape Fades. Reality Returns.
Naruto's eyes opened.
The dim room felt colder now, emptier. The presence that had warmed it—Kaito—was gone. Like a shadow at dawn, it vanished without sound or farewell.
"Have you... left?"
His whisper fell into the darkness, unanswered.
His body ached—not from injury, but from mental exhaustion. The confrontation, the revelations, the emotional storm that raged within him—it was too much for a child's heart, even one as stubborn as his.
With a soft exhale, he let sleep claim him once more.
Tonight, his dreams would not be kind.
Meanwhile... On a Ridge Overlooking Konoha's Ruins
Moonlight spilt over scorched earth.
Kaito stood silently, arms folded, the wind tugging at his cloak. Beneath his feet, the remains of Konoha stretched like a graveyard of forgotten ideals—smouldering wood, shattered monuments, and the ashes of old power.
The mountain air was sharp, scented with pine and distant fire.
His eyes were narrowed.
"Next time," he murmured coldly, "it won't end so easily..."
The wind carried his words into the dark valley.
In the next instant, his form flickered and vanished.
Somewhere Deeper: In a Mountain Cave
Kaito reappeared in a flicker of chakra distortion, the cave air still and silent, echoing faintly with dripping water.
He seated himself cross-legged on the cool stone floor, his breathing measured.
No distractions. No more eyes.
Now was the time for consolidation.
"Claim mission rewards," he ordered the system calmly.
A mechanical chime echoed in his mind.
[Mission 3: Lead the tribe to resist and demonstrate the true power of Uchiha - completed!][Initiating task reward settlement...][Congratulations to the host. Rewards received:— Perfect Sage Mode— Mystery Scroll x1]
As the last line faded, a thick black scroll materialised before him with a whisper of chakra-infused parchment.
At the same time, a torrent of esoteric knowledge surged into his mind.
His eyes snapped shut as he absorbed it, gritting his teeth slightly under the mental pressure. Symbols, diagrams, ancient breathing patterns—it felt as if sages themselves whispered in his ears.
When he finally opened his eyes again, they shimmered faintly with gold.
"Is this... the cultivation method for Perfect Sage Mode?" Kaito whispered, voice low with awe.
He laid the scroll aside with reverence and sat straighter, drawing in a slow, deliberate breath.
Let's see if the legends match the reality.
He began to channel chakra through his system, focusing on the flow of natural energy.
The technique wasn't like the ones practised by the Toads of Mount Myōboku, or the Snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
This was purer. Simpler. Devastating.
Thanks to the Mangekyō Sharingan's amplified perception and the system's precise guidance, he attuned himself to the natural energy almost instantly.
The air around him grew still. The subtle vibrations of life—the rustling moss, the underground water veins—seeped into his senses like a symphony of the world itself.
Then...
Fwoom.
A golden, faint aura flickered around his body, pulsing with immense latent power. His sclera darkened slightly, golden patterns branching faintly from his eyes like rays of sunlight.
"Sage Mode..."
Kaito rose to his feet. His limbs felt lighter, his senses sharper. It wasn't a surge—it was like becoming a living part of nature itself.
A predator in perfect harmony with its terrain.
Time to test it.
He vanished in a burst of movement—faster, smoother than before—and reappeared outside the cave in the blink of an eye.
Without hesitation, he formed seals at lightning speed.
"Sage Style: Inferno Celestial Fireball Jutsu!"
The air shuddered.
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth—ten meters wide, glowing with molten gold at the edges and black heat at the core.
It roared toward a jagged cliff face.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion lit up the mountainside like a second sun. Molten rock dripped like lava from the shattered stone. A crater more than ten meters deep smoked at the centre, steam rising into the night air.
Kaito stared at the destruction, eyes slightly wide.
"So this is... the Sage Chakra variant. The scale... and the heat… It's exponentially higher than before."
He inhaled the smoke-tainted air, letting the energy within him circulate.
"Impressive," he muttered, "but expected. This is, after all, a gift from the system—not from some beast's charity."
He could already feel the natural chakra gently replenishing within him, seeping in like rain into a thirsty sponge.
This Sage Mode was different. It didn't require still meditation to recharge. The energy replenished automatically, tethered to his core, limited only by the size of his chakra reserves.
If I can expand those reserves...
A smile crept across his lips.
Then I can maintain this form indefinitely.
With Shadow Clones for passive training and combat experience feedback, mastering this would be a matter of discipline.
"I'll make this Sage Mode mine... permanently."
Kaito exited the state with a silent thought, the golden aura dissipating like morning fog.
Back inside the cave, he approached the scroll he had set aside.
Its black parchment shimmered slightly under the glow of chakra. As he unfurled it, the system chimed again in his mind:
[Method of Sharingan Practice: Highest level attainable—Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.][After using this method, any Uchiha practitioner will be 100% loyal to the host.][All Sharingan abilities awakened by the practitioners will be automatically unlocked for the host.][Eligibility: Uchiha children may begin practice at age five.]
Kaito's eyes narrowed in interest as he skimmed the scroll.
[One year: unlock One Tomoe Sharingan.][Three years: Two Tomoe.][Six years: Three Tomoe.][Twelve years: Mangekyō → Eternal Mangekyō.]
Talented individuals may progress faster. All abilities granted will always be capped one level below the host's.]
He rolled the scroll slowly, mind already calculating.
With this... the entire Uchiha clan can be elevated—and bound to me completely.
This wasn't just a method. It was dominion.
Eyes that obeyed. Loyalty guaranteed. Powers reflected into his arsenal.
I don't need followers, Kaito thought grimly. I need weapons that obey.
He looked up, the faint golden shimmer of his Sage chakra still glowing faintly in his pupils.
"Now the real rebuilding begins."
Outside, the stars shone coldly over the ruined land.
And deep in the mountains, a new force was awakening.