"This battle may be won, but that doesn't mean my strength surpasses Nagato's."
After the council meeting ended, Uchiha Fugaku returned to the Hokage's office.
He did not allow victory to cloud his judgment. Defeating Nagato once did not mean Konoha was now safe forever.
Nor did he entertain reckless thoughts of marching straight to Amegakure, destroying the Akatsuki's base, and wiping out Nagato along with the entire organization.
He knew all too well: during this fight, Nagato had only used his Paths—not his true body. At least two of Nagato's trump cards had not been revealed.
The first was Chibaku Tensei—the Heavenly Star Seal. Though only a simplified version of the technique once used to seal Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, it still held terrifying sealing power.
The second was the Gedo Statue—the husk of the Ten Tails itself, a being of extraordinary might.
If Nagato had unleashed either of these, his power would have been far greater. To declare himself stronger than Nagato now would be premature.
"Besides… this battle exposed my own weakness," Fugaku thought grimly.
During the fight, he had carefully rationed his chakra, holding back until the end before unleashing his Complete Susanoo.
Even so, by the time the battle ended, he had nearly exhausted his reserves.
Had the Deva Path not overextended itself with Shinra Tensei—leaving a window of weakness Fugaku could exploit—and instead chosen to press the fight relentlessly, the one to collapse first might well have been him.
Though his chakra reserves were roughly triple that of a typical Kage-level shinobi, compared to Nagato, he was still lacking.
Nagato, after all, was of the Uzumaki clan—renowned for vast chakra reserves—and even among them, Nagato was exceptional. That was precisely why Uchiha Madara had chosen him as the bearer of the Rinnegan.
"Though I've begun training in the Yin Seal, it requires three years of uninterrupted daily chakra infusion. That's far too long," Fugaku frowned. He could not guarantee Nagato would remain idle for three years.
"There is… another way to compensate for this weakness."
His brow eased as the thought formed.
Through corpse refinement, one could absorb the innate talents of a body—including bloodline limits and chakra potential.
If he obtained the remains of someone with exceptional chakra capacity and refined them, he could acquire that same gift, thereby expanding his own reserves.
"The tailless tailed beast…"
His mind turned to Kisame Hoshigaki.
Though not an Uzumaki, Kisame's chakra was so immense it rivaled or surpassed theirs, raising suspicions he carried Uzumaki blood.
Why Kisame, and not a Jinchūriki? Because a Jinchūriki's chakra was not their own; even if their body was refined, it would not yield chakra capacity. If it did, Fugaku would have already absorbed the Five-Tails' former host, Han.
Kisame's chakra, however, came from innate talent—something corpse refinement could extract.
"I wonder if he has already deserted Kirigakure and joined Akatsuki…"
Fugaku turned to the doorway. "Bring me all intelligence reports on Kisame Hoshigaki."
"Yes, sir."
Moments later, a masked kunoichi with purple hair entered, handed him a file, and withdrew silently.
Fugaku flipped through the dossier, then set it down.
"He's already defected from the Mist. His current whereabouts are unknown… but most likely, he's joined Akatsuki."
He came to his conclusion.
"If I'm right, Kisame is already one of them. Have the intelligence division track his movements closely. The moment he's sighted, I want to know."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," came the reply from outside the door.
"Still, increasing chakra alone won't be enough. If I want to match Nagato next time—or even defeat him—I must strengthen my overall power."
He considered this carefully.
His strength was already at the "super-Kage" level. Pushing further would not be easy.
"One option is to develop true super-Kage-level Shikotsumyaku techniques."
The Dead Bone Pulse bloodline he had gained held immense potential, but without jutsu to match, its full power could not be realized.
If he could create techniques worthy of that level, his combat ability would rise accordingly.
"It seems I must accelerate their development."
For the past year since obtaining Shikotsumyaku, Fugaku had been researching, but progress was slow—barely 60% complete. With greater focus, he could shorten the time.
"Another path… is Sage Mode."
From his research, Fugaku knew Sage Mode was a unique art—one that amplified all techniques, even super-Kage-level jutsu.
If he could master it, his existing arsenal would grow far deadlier.
"Unfortunately… I may not have the talent."
He sighed inwardly.
From Indra onward, no Uchiha had ever shown affinity for Sage Arts. Their very lineage seemed unsuited for it.
"Unless… I refine a body with natural Sage aptitude."
Here, corpse refinement again gave him hope. By absorbing such a body, he could break this ancestral limitation and become the first Uchiha capable of true Sage Mode.
But such bodies were rare.
Naruto Uzumaki had it—but squandering such a future Six Paths powerhouse for refinement would be unthinkable.
Jiraiya's Sage aptitude was only middling, relying on the aid of the Great Toads. Unworthy.
As for Jūgo, his affinity was even weaker, his inability to control natural energy leading to mutations and a fractured psyche.
No, the strongest Sage talent had belonged to Hashirama Senju.
But Hashirama had been dead for decades. Even if his corpse were dug up, only bones would remain—useless for refinement.
"Wait… Hashirama may be long dead, but his cells still exist. Some have even fused perfectly with living hosts."
The realization struck.
"If I refine those who've merged with Hashirama's cells, I could recreate his Sage talent."
His mind went immediately to the White Zetsu clones.
They were, after all, lifeforms born from Hashirama's cells.
Though each clone held only a trace of Sage potential, absorbing them in great numbers might recreate Hashirama's gift.
"If I can locate their base and wipe them out, refining every last one… I would gain both Wood Release on par with Hashirama, and Sage Mode as well."
His resolve hardened. "Finding the White Zetsu base must become a top priority."
Still, there were other avenues.
"Beyond new jutsu and Sage Mode, there's also evolving my bloodline."
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was not the pinnacle. Above it stood the Rinnegan.
If he could achieve that transformation, his power would not just rise—it would leap to the Six Paths level.
"The Sage of Six Paths claimed the Rinnegan was born from Indra and Asura's chakra uniting. But I doubt it's so simple."
"To me, Indra's 'chakra' means the purest form of his bloodline. Likewise, Asura's refers to the strongest strain of his. The Rinnegan, like any bloodline limit, emerges when the lineage reaches its extreme."
As proof, he considered his own eyes. Without fusing with a relative's Mangekyō, he had still awakened the Eternal Mangekyō—a feat once thought impossible.
"I already possess Indra's ultimate bloodline, proven by my Eternal Mangekyō. What I lack is Asura's ultimate bloodline."
"To gain it, I must again seek the White Zetsu base. By refining hosts infused with Hashirama's cells, I can claim that power."
"So, whether to unlock Sage Mode or to awaken the Rinnegan… it all comes down to finding the White Zetsu."
With that realization, Fugaku's path forward grew clear. He now knew exactly how he must advance his strength.