Chapter 105: Goal: Eternal Existence!
Uchiha Taiga carefully examined the object in his hand.
It was a seed the size of a fingernail. Though called a seed, it lacked the typical form of one.
It had no seed coat, no sprout, and no cotyledon. Instead, it possessed a glass-like texture—translucent and dark red, resembling coagulated blood polished into a smooth, round shape.
It slowly rotated in his palm, a faint luster flowing across its surface as if something were breathing inside.
He channeled a sliver of chakra into it, and the "seed" faintly bloomed with light. The dark red shifted to a bright crimson, as if ignited.
The light flickered a few times before gradually retracting, until the entire "seed" took on a rustic appearance. The surface luster dimmed, as if veiled by a thin mist. It stopped rotating, lying quietly in his palm like an ordinary stone.
Uchiha Taiga shook his head and sighed softly.
"What a pity. There's still a significant gap between this and the true God Tree seed I envisioned."
The God Tree seed in his hand was, at best, a bargain-bin knockoff of the authentic Otsutsuki God Tree seed.
He had developed this thing based on his own speculations about the genuine God Tree seed. Having never seen the real thing, he could only rely on educated guesses.
He figured the authentic seed should roughly contain all five chakra natures—Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth—along with Yin Style, Yang Style, and Yin-Yang Style, plus Tailed Beast chakra and natural energy. It was a product forged from all these elements combined.
The technology involved was unfathomably advanced; calling it the culmination of the Otsutsuki clan's essence would not be an exaggeration.
After all, the Otsutsuki clan was a race capable of conquering the stars and grazing across the universe.
The ninja world's chakra originated from the Otsutsuki. Hagoromo Otsutsuki's mother was an Otsutsuki, and the Tailed Beasts were essentially Otsutsuki pets. No matter how you looked at it, the Otsutsuki clan's prestige was undeniably high.
The technology within the God Tree, which this clan used to harvest a planet's natural energy, could hardly be considered primitive.
Meanwhile, the seed in Uchiha Taiga's hand was merely a combination of the five chakra natures, Yin Style, Yang Style, a dash of Yin-Yang Style, natural energy, and the Two-Tails' chakra.
Furthermore, the fusion of these energies wasn't particularly refined. The balance between the various chakras was only barely maintained. Managing to create this thing merely proved that his theory was correct and that his chakra control wasn't half bad.
But compared to the real God Tree seed, the gap was vast. It was like comparing a mound of dirt to a towering mountain peak—while fundamentally similar, the difference in sheer scale meant they existed in entirely different dimensions.
He casually tossed the object into his mouth and chewed.
*Crunch, crunch, crunch.*
The sound was crisp, like eating a jellybean. He nodded, a hint of surprise appearing on his face.
"Not bad. The taste is unique, even a little sweet."
As soon as it entered his stomach, the object dissolved into pure energy and spread throughout his body.
To him, this item was nothing more than a piece of candy that slightly increased his chakra.
Uchiha Taiga focused inward. His chakra reserves had indeed grown to a certain extent, but the increase was so minuscule it was almost negligible.
After all, his current chakra reserves were already massive to an unimaginable degree. This tiny boost was like pouring a cup of water into the ocean—it couldn't stir up a single ripple.
However, if an ordinary person were to eat it, the effects would be entirely different.
While the chakra contained within that "seed" was insignificant to him, it would be an unfathomably massive surge of energy for a normal person.
Upon consumption, an ordinary person would immediately gain an affinity for all chakra natures... Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Earth, all complete, along with latent Yin and Yang Styles.
Moreover, that chakra would reconstruct their body, altering their constitution to make it suitable for ninja training, and perhaps even directly awakening some kind of Kekkei Genkai.
It seemed quite impressive, but it still couldn't compare to the genuine God Tree seed.
After all, the authentic God Tree seed could bear a Chakra Fruit. Eating that would allow one to instantly ascend to godhood, gaining power and a lifespan far beyond that of mortals.
The difference between the two was like night and day.
Fortunately, Uchiha Taiga wasn't surprised. This was just a standard experiment. Achieving this result proved he was on the right path; he just needed to keep walking it.
Uchiha Taiga was never one to rush things. He had plenty of time and patience.
Taking it one step at a time, he would eventually reach that height.
His goal was very clear: he wanted to create an existence that could rival, or even surpass, the God Tree.
He didn't want the kind of power that fell from the sky or relied on the charity of others. He wanted power that truly belonged to him, power that would grant him eternal existence and absolute freedom.
Uchiha Taiga had reached his current level of immense strength entirely through his own relentless training, plus a tiny bit of help from his cheat. That was all.
After all, having been reincarnated into a world that possessed a miraculous energy like chakra, it would be a complete waste not to utilize it.
Uchiha Taiga felt that although he was a bit of a slacker, he still had dreams. Especially since he possessed a cheat, there was no reason not to give it a try.
He swallowed the "jellybean" and licked his lips.
"Hmm, next time I should see if I can make it in other flavors."
Retracting his thoughts, Uchiha Taiga looked up at the distant mountains.
The sun was setting, dyeing the horizon a vibrant tangerine, with the edges of the clouds lined in gold. The wind blew past, carrying the unique, refreshing scent of the mountains, rustling his hair and clothes.
It was incredibly comfortable.
He wasn't in a hurry. Now that the path was clear, he just needed to keep moving forward.
He had all the time in the world anyway. The next steps were simple: continue experimenting, continue optimizing, and continue perfecting it.
But before that, he needed more materials.
More Tailed Beast chakra.
He already had some from the Two-Tails, Matatabi.
He was still a bit short on the Eight-Tails, Gyuki. The severed tail he had sealed back in the Land of Hot Water contained some of Gyuki's chakra, but not much.
As for the other Tailed Beasts—the One-Tail, Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails—he hadn't come into contact with them yet.
Uchiha Taiga felt he didn't need the lives of the Tailed Beasts or their Jinchuriki; he just needed some of their chakra.
Just a little bit would suffice, not too much. Surely, that wasn't an unreasonable request, right?
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"Looks like I'll have to find time to visit the other villages."
Uchiha Taiga turned around and walked toward Kumogakure.
His pace was neither fast nor slow, no different from a casual stroll.
The setting sun cast a long shadow behind him, stretching across the rocks and dirt, growing longer and fainter.
Yugito Nii stood at the village entrance, watching him approach from afar.
She held a bento box in her hand, containing dinner: grilled fish, miso soup, pickles, and white rice.
Every day at this time, she would come here to wait for him to finish his training so they could return together.
Uchiha Taiga walked up to her, glanced at the bento box, and then at her face.
"What's for dinner today?"
"Grilled fish."
"Grilled fish again?"
"Didn't you say you liked eating grilled fish?"
"Did I say that?"
"No, you didn't."
"If I didn't, then have you ever seen an angler who actually likes eating fish?"
"Oh. So, are you going to eat it?"
"I'll eat it."
Uchiha Taiga took the bento box, opened the lid, picked up the chopsticks, and placed a piece of fish in his mouth. He chewed and nodded.
"Hmm, the taste isn't bad."
The corners of Yugito Nii's mouth twitched upward slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.
Uchiha Taiga simply sat down on the ground right there and began to eat. Yugito Nii waited quietly by his side without rushing him.
"Oh, right."
As if suddenly remembering something, Uchiha Taiga said casually, "Tell A to have Killer Bee come see me in the next couple of days."
"What for?" Yugito Nii asked.
"I want some of the Eight-Tails Gyuki's chakra."
Yugito Nii's expression changed slightly. As if realizing something, she opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately just gave a soft reply.
"Alright, I will pass the message to Lord Raikage."
"Good."
Uchiha Taiga continued eating his meal, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. He was very satisfied with Yugito Nii's reaction.