Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The colossal creature, a full hundred meters tall, plummeted from the sky with tremendous momentum. The air compressed around its body, emitting a low rumble like a beast’s roar.

*Boom.*

Its body smashed into the earth.

The sound was deafening, shaking the entire mountainous region. The ground fractured beneath its feet, fissures spreading in all directions like a spiderweb across the terrain. Crushed rocks bounced from the edges of the cracks, scattering into the air.

The earth quaked as countless stones were swept up and scattered by the fierce winds.

The debris varied in size—some large, some small, some the size of fists, others as big as human heads. They flew from the ground, whistling through the air. Some struck tree trunks, punching holes right through them. Others slammed into the cliff faces, leaving deep craters. Some collided with other rocks, shattering both into dust.

For a time, the deafening roar echoed endlessly.

Dust billowed from the ground, obscuring a massive area around the behemoth. The dust cloud acted like a thick wall, completely hiding whatever was inside.

Then, within the dust, the giant creature stirred.

Its head poked out of the cloud, followed by its neck, its shoulders, and finally its entire upper body.

It held its head high, puffing out its chest before standing completely upright.

It was incredibly tall, towering over the land like a mountain. Its thick, sturdy limbs supported its massive frame. Its long tail, featuring two sharp, nearly right-angle bends in the middle, swayed gently behind it, stirring up gusts of wind.

It raised its head and looked at Nagato high in the sky. Tilting its head, its dark, pitch-black eyes were filled with curiosity.

Then, it opened its mouth and let out a cry.

“Chiu!”

The sound was loud and crisp, echoing through the empty mountains.

Nagato was initially on guard. His body tensed slightly, muscles tightening as he prepared to weave hand signs at a moment’s notice. With his Byakugan activated, he stared at the giant yellow creature, its reflection mirrored in his pupils.

However, under the perception of the Mind’s Eye of the Kagura, he couldn’t sense even the slightest hint of malice.

The only emotion radiating from the yellow creature was pure curiosity.

It looked at Nagato with intrigue, then curiously observed its surroundings. Its eyes darted around, taking in everything, while its ears twitched, listening to the sounds of the world.

He could even sense faint fluctuations of its thoughts.

Those thought waves were weak and blurry, much like a newborn infant’s. It possessed no language and no logic, only basic, instinctual feelings.

Truthfully, the yellow creature’s thoughts were almost too unguarded.

Just like a newborn, it was full of wonder toward the outside world.

It was experiencing the world for the first time.

Nagato took a deep breath.

Then he moved, descending rapidly from the sky. The only sound was the wind howling in his ears. His clothes fluttered, and his hair whipped wildly in the gale.

In the blink of an eye, he landed right in front of the yellow creature.

He hovered in mid-air, less than a few dozen meters from its massive head. He looked straight into those large, dark eyes, seeing his own reflection within them.

The two locked eyes.

The yellow creature looked at him, its eyes brimming with curiosity.

Nagato looked back, his eyes filled with inquiry.

The yellow creature spoke again.

“Chiu!”

As it made the sound, it reached out one of its front limbs.

However, because its arms were rather short, the movement made it wobble slightly. It leaned forward, shifting its center of gravity, and its feet stamped two deep craters into the ground.

It had no choice but to take a few steps toward Nagato.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Every step was heavy, emitting a dull thud as it struck the earth, causing the ground beneath it to tremble.

Its arm stretched further and further, drawing closer to Nagato.

Nagato’s eyelids twitched.

He leaned back slightly but quickly returned to his original position, suppressing his instinct to dodge.

He remained suspended in the air, watching the massive arm reach toward him.

Just like that, the yellow creature’s hand arrived right in front of Nagato.

The limb was enormous, larger than Nagato’s entire body. It resembled a mouse’s paw, and the base of each claw was as thick as Nagato himself.

Nagato stared at the giant paw, remaining silent for a moment.

After a brief thought, he reached out his own hand.

His hand was tiny, looking like a mere ant compared to the colossal limb. He extended his finger, pointing it directly at the tip of the creature’s claw.

And then, they touched.

*Snap.* A crisp sound rang out.

A golden spark of electricity erupted between their fingertips.

The electric light was bright and blinding, flashing through the air like a bolt of lightning. It expanded from their fingertips, spreading outward and illuminating a massive area around them.

In that instant, Nagato’s expression grew dazed.

His eyes half-closed, his pupils losing focus. He hung motionless in the air, as if frozen in place by some unseen force.

His mind seemed to be pulled into another realm—a void of nothingness.

There was no light, no matter, nothing at all. Only an endless darkness stretching from beneath his feet to the horizon, and from the horizon back down. There were no borders, no bottom.

Yet, his consciousness could sense a hazy cluster of awareness.

That cluster of awareness hovered just ahead of him, neither far nor near, flickering in the dark like a ball of light.

Within that awareness, several different thoughts fluctuated.

The thoughts were chaotic and blurry, like a tangled mess of yarn. There was curiosity, confusion, anticipation—all sorts of emotions interwoven together.

Then, one of those thoughts seemed to light up, unfolding right before Nagato’s eyes.

In an instant, he saw the figure of the yellow creature.

It stood in an open clearing, tilting its head as it looked at him.

Its eyes gleamed brightly, as if it were smiling.

Nagato’s heart jolted.

“What is this?”

His voice was incredibly faint, almost like he was muttering to himself.

The next moment, everything before his eyes vanished.

The empty void disappeared, the hazy cluster of awareness disappeared, and the image of the yellow creature faded away.

His mind returned, snapping back to reality.

His eyes refocused, landing on the yellow creature in front of him.

The creature still maintained its posture, its arm extended, their fingertips still touching.

It looked at Nagato, displaying a remarkably human-like smile.

Its mouth stretched wide, revealing two rows of pale yellow teeth. Its eyes curved into two crescent moons, holding a deep, warming warmth within them.

Then, it spoke again.

“Pika pika!”

Its voice was loud and crisp, carrying an uncontrollable joy.

Nagato’s mouth twitched.

He opened his mouth to speak but found no words.

His expression was complex, a mix of surprise and shock. In that moment, he finally realized exactly what kind of creature stood before him.

Nagato then glanced in another direction.

Uchiha Taiga had appeared there at some unknown point.

He was also floating in mid-air, arms crossed, sporting a wide grin. He looked incredibly pleased.

He looked at Nagato. “Well, how’s the surprise?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but anyone could hear the smugness in his tone.

Hearing this, Nagato’s face twitched.

He opened his mouth to speak, but once again, he didn’t know what to say.

Uchiha Taiga floated over to Nagato and the yellow creature. He looked at the massive beast, then back at Nagato.

“Let me introduce you. The being standing before you is a Tailed Beast split from the God Tree.”

“Its name is One-Tail Pikachu, and it was born with a mastery of a special Lightning Style!”

His grin widened, showing off his teeth.

“If you sense it carefully, you’ll realize it’s quite different from traditional Tailed Beasts.”

Nagato nodded.

He didn’t speak. He just stared at the yellow creature, remaining silent for a moment.

Then, he reached out his hand again, touching Pikachu’s arm.

As his finger met Pikachu’s claw, another tiny arc of electricity sparked, emitting a soft crackle.

Nagato closed his eyes and sensed it carefully.

His chakra flowed from his fingertips, traveling through Pikachu’s claw and into its body. He explored and analyzed it simultaneously.

Pikachu’s physical structure, its chakra flow, and its conscious fluctuations all presented themselves clearly within his perception.

Then, his brows furrowed, and his eyes snapped open.

Astonishment filled his gaze.

“This is…”

Uchiha Taiga looked at him, the corners of his mouth curling up.

“Well? Surprised?”

His tone was casual.

“This is no ordinary Tailed Beast. It is a child of the God Tree, possessing some of the God Tree’s traits.”

He looked into Pikachu’s eyes.

“It will grow, it will evolve, and it will become something beyond our imagination.”

His voice carried a sense of anticipation.

Nagato stared at Pikachu, remaining silent for a long time.

“It can absorb natural energy?”

Uchiha Taiga nodded.

“Of course. Not only that, but it can also produce natural energy. It is the continuation of the God Tree, and its evolution.”

His smile grew even wider.

“This is what I wanted to show you. Compared to all this, its destructive power is its least notable trait.”

Nagato looked at him, his expression complicated.

He opened his mouth to speak but ultimately said nothing.

He just looked at Pikachu—at those large, dark eyes, that wide, grinning mouth, and the tail swaying gently behind it.

Then, he smiled too. It was a faint smile, barely curving the corners of his mouth.

But he was definitely smiling.

Pikachu looked at the two of them and tilted its head.

“Pika pika!”

Sunlight beamed down from the sky, washing over its body and making its yellow fur gleam in the light.