An imperceptible playful curve flickered across the corner of Takuno's mouth.
He could almost imagine the scene: when Obito hid in the Kamui Dimension he thought was absolutely safe, only to unexpectedly run into another figure, that expression of shock... it would surely be magnificent.
Of course, this thought was merely a flash of mischievousness in his mind.
At this moment, there was no need for him to take the initiative to provoke that guy.
Even seeking out the current Kakashi would be futile.
Kakashi's understanding of the Mangekyo Sharingan was too shallow; he currently only treated that transplanted Sharingan as an eye for copying and observation.
Even though Shisui had previously revealed the existence of Susanoo, one of the ultimate powers contained within the Mangekyo.
However, a single Mangekyo Sharingan was simply not enough to support Susanoo.
If Kakashi could somehow stumble upon and master the power of Kamui while groping his way toward Susanoo, he would truly be considered a natural genius.
Unfortunately, Takuno didn't hold much hope for Kakashi.
In his view, for Kakashi to truly discover the power of Kamui, the opportunity would likely have to wait until after Itachi awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan within the Anbu.
Only when Itachi displayed those newly born Mangekyo ocular techniques before him, revealing that the Mangekyo hid exclusive abilities like Amaterasu in addition to Susanoo...
Only then would the seed of Kamui, deep within Kakashi's dormant Sharingan, perhaps be spurred by such strong external stimulation.
After all, Kakashi and Shisui were not close, and Shisui would never take the initiative to remind him of core secrets like the unique abilities hidden within the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Unless... Minato told Kakashi about it, but Takuno didn't think Minato would do that.
He should have learned about the side effects of the Mangekyo from Shisui, and he also wouldn't want Kakashi to rely too heavily on that one eye.
Takuno shook his head slightly, dispelling the thought.
His figure silently faded from this void, leaving not a single ripple.
In the next second, he appeared deep within the Vein of Gelel, landing exactly on the ground where the Space-Time Hole technique formula was inscribed.
Without the slightest hesitation, Takuno exerted a bit of force under his feet, and a burst of pure power instantly erupted.
With a crisp 'crack!', the hard rock layer carrying the ancient technique formula shattered, turning into fine dust.
Broken stones flew, accompanied by small flickers of faint blue light escaping as the technique's energy dissipated, which were then immediately annihilated by an invisible force.
At this point, aside from the rubbing backup in Takuno's hands, no one else in the world could locate and activate the passage to the Space-Time Hole through the traces left here.
This was a necessary precaution.
Although the chance of someone accidentally discovering and using this technique formula to break into the Space-Time Hole was minuscule, as long as a sliver of possibility existed, it meant a potential risk.
Takuno had always pursued being foolproof.
Having done all this, Takuno didn't think about killing Temujin and his clansmen.
Extermination? He had no such intention.
To wipe out a family that hadn't offended him just for a near-zero 'possibility' would indeed be a bit much.
Furthermore, taking their lives would not provide the slightest boost to his own strength.
Of course, if destruction could truly bring irreplaceable gains, let alone just Temujin's family, even if it meant overturning the entire Shinobi World... he would calmly weigh whether it was worth it.
...
In a remote Village surrounded by mountains.
In such a backwater place, the appearance of any outsider was enough to become a topic of conversation for the villagers for several days after tea and meals.
At this moment, a figure was walking unhurriedly along the Village path, immediately drawing countless curious gazes.
The newcomer had a tall and straight posture. Although his clothing didn't seem intentionally luxurious, the sheen of the fabric and the composed aura surrounding him were completely out of place in this coarse environment.
However, what made the villagers leaning against their doors mutter to themselves was that even though the person was walking slowly in broad daylight, his face seemed to be shrouded behind a layer of flowing mist.
No matter how they craned their necks to look, that face remained blurry, leaving only a mysterious silhouette.
This eeriness was intimidating; whispers were passed under the eaves, but in the end, no one dared to step forward to strike up a conversation.
Perhaps he was just an eccentric passerby?
Takuno turned a deaf ear to everything around him.
His perception was precisely locked onto that Sealing Jutsu mark he had quietly planted several years ago.
The faint fluctuations from the mark guided him in an absolutely clear direction.
Finally, in the shadow of an abandoned granary, he stopped; the target was right before his eyes.
It was a tall elderly man, a worn, large hood covering his head full of gray-white long hair.
He wore coarse cloth robes completely different from those of Konoha villagers, the style old and peculiar, carrying the flavor of some frontier region or hidden clan.
His name was... Shinnō.
Takuno's memory instantly flashed back to the Konoha of many years ago.
At that time, this uninvited guest named Shinnō had infiltrated the Village under the cover of border trade.
On the surface, he was well-behaved, but in reality, he harbored malicious intent, his target being certain unknown secret treasures in the Village.
And at that time, as the head of the Sealing Squad, Takuno was very clear about every strand of chakra that penetrated the Konoha Grand barrier.
The name 'Shinnō', which had left traces in the original story, instantly caught his attention.
Takuno didn't alert the enemy; he simply quietly planted an extremely hidden sealing formula, a long-term tracking mark, within the opponent's body before he left.
To ensure everything was foolproof, at the moment the formula was completed, the scarlet Sharingan's illusory light swirled, completely sealing the existence of 'Takuno' and related memories from Shinnō's mind.
Therefore, Shinnō, standing there now, would not have the slightest warning sign from his memory regarding the gaze of this 'old acquaintance' behind him.
Shinnō stood by a simple house, focusing his perception on something, and then a figure abruptly appeared before him without him sensing it at all.
Instantly, his pupils sharpened, and the muscles all over his body tensed under his clothes.
"Who are you?!" Shinnō's voice was low and full of vigilance.
In the dark, a strong sense of unease seized him.
Takuno's figure stood silently a few steps away.
He gazed at Shinnō, his voice flat.
"Leader of the Land of the Sky, Shinnō, long time no see."
This brief title and greeting exploded like thunder in Shinnō's ears!
His pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints, his heart pounded wildly, and all the chakra in his body boiled in response, raising his defensive instinct to the limit!
However, all defenses appeared pale and powerless in the face of absolute strength.
He didn't even have time to make any gesture of resistance before his vision plunged into an absolute void without any warning.
In the final instant before his consciousness completely sank, he only managed to catch a glimpse of that fleeting azure light, like a god looking down on all living beings from high above.
"Teacher!"
A crisp and anxious call broke the brief dead silence.
A little girl with healthy dark skin and eye-catching red hair like fire, Amaru, ran hurriedly out of the nearby small house.
However, the courtyard was empty; where was the figure of her teacher, Shinnō?
There was only a man whose face was shrouded in a hazy mist, difficult to discern, standing there quietly.
"You must be Amaru, right?" Takuno's gaze turned to the girl who had entered his field of vision, his tone flat and emotionless.
Amaru looked at this mysterious and heart-stopping man before her, then glanced around the empty surroundings. A huge sense of unease made her subconsciously take half a step back, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.
"I am Amaru... you are...?"
Takuno did not answer her question.
His body didn't move; he just naturally raised his right hand and precisely tapped Amaru's smooth forehead.
"Ugh..." Amaru didn't even have time to react, only feeling an irresistible coolness instantly sweep through her mind. Her eyes immediately became hollow and blank, and her body froze in place.
As Takuno's fingertip pulled the power, strands of black alien chakra, emitting cold and ominous fluctuations, slowly seeped out from between Amaru's brows.
Ultimately, they condensed into a black seed with shimmering dark light, falling silently into Takuno's open palm, which he instantly put away.
This was not the end; Takuno's finger did not leave.
A faint light flashed from his fingertip, and sealing power quietly penetrated.
Everything about the person "Shinnō"—the dependent and admiring teachings, the intimate memories of him as a father figure—was completely sealed.
Unlike the tragic backgrounds of Haku and the others, Amaru's experience was relatively peaceful.
This wasn't because Shinnō had a benevolent heart, but simply because the residents of this Village were the breeding ground tools he used to collect and refine "Dark chakra."
It was precisely this usable value that allowed the villagers, including Amaru, to preserve their lives within the cracks of the conspiracy.
Therefore, Takuno didn't need to take Amaru to the orphanage in the Hidden Snow Village.
The purpose of this trip was merely to erase the traces of her connection with Shinnō.
Everything was completed swiftly and silently.
Takuno withdrew his finger and took another look at the blank-eyed Amaru.
In the next second, his figure disappeared from this remote Village, as if he had never been there.
The evening breeze brushed through the courtyard, bringing a hint of coolness.
Amaru's long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and her hollow eyes gradually regained their clarity.
She blinked in confusion, looking blankly at the familiar scenery around her, her small brows furrowing slightly.
"Eh? Why... am I standing here alone?"
She murmured to herself, feeling as if a piece of something was missing from her mind, yet she couldn't say what it was, as if she had just had a brief, blurry dream.
Shaking her head to cast aside this inexplicable sense of discord, Amaru thought no more of it and set off, stepping onto the familiar stone path toward her home.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched her shadow very long; everything seemed no different from any other day.
...
Inside the Space-Time Hole, Takuno's consciousness sank into the river of Shinnō's memories, precisely extracting all the technique memories regarding "Dark chakra."
The core design goal of this technique system was originally to serve the nurturing and control of the "Zero-Tail."
In fact, the basic framework of this technique was also hidden within the vast technique library of Konoha.
The opponent had infiltrated Konoha back then specifically to steal this technique.
Knowing this at the time, Takuno had deliberately turned a blind eye to let him successfully steal the technique.
Because Takuno himself had no intention of deeply studying these Dark chakra techniques.
Konoha's forbidden techniques were very numerous; not to mention distant ones, Orochimaru's bizarre and unpredictable "Eight Branches Technique" alone was complex enough.
Even with the convenience brought by the Shadow Clone Technique, if he wanted to crack all the forbidden techniques one by one, the mental effort and time required would be astronomical.
Moreover, many of Konoha's forbidden techniques often only provided a preliminary concept or incomplete scrolls; to truly transform them into combat capabilities, subsequent huge energy would need to be invested for completion, verification, and optimization.
Therefore, if Takuno knew through the original story that something would eventually bear fruit, and he only needed to wait for the timing to ripen to easily pluck the fruits of victory...
He would naturally choose this efficient and labor-saving path without hesitation.
Reaping the benefits while others did the work.
Furthermore, Takuno's choice to appear now to collect the results was also very precisely timed.
On one hand, other urgent matters he had on hand had come to an end, giving him the leisure time to act.
On the other hand, and more crucially, he was certain that Shinnō's research on "Dark chakra" had already achieved decisive success, and the *Cultiv* plan for the Zero-Tails was already complete.
Because it was known from the original story that Shinnō had already deeply planted the "seed" of the Zero-Tails into Amaru's body during her childhood, completing the transformation of the Dark chakra host.
In the long years since then, Shinnō's research focus had already shifted to using Dark chakra to develop "Body Activation" technology.
This Body Activation technology indeed showed amazing effects; it could even bypass regular strict conditions to forcibly open the Gate of Death of the Eight Gates;
It could even control cells to undergo reverse division, achieving a brief "rejuvenation";
It could even transform damaged body tissue into stronger regenerative power during the repair process.
However, to Takuno, these seemingly powerful effects were like chicken ribs to him now.
Moreover, the true source of power for the Eight Gates was only related to the user's own physical strength and the final burst of chakra.
Relying solely on heterodox methods to forcibly open the Eight Gates, without the corresponding foundation, simply couldn't exert much world-destroying power.
As for the rejuvenation and damage-strengthening abilities, he, who possessed 'Takuno Cells' comparable to Hashirama cells, naturally had even less need for them.
Because of this, Takuno believed there was absolutely no need to waste more time waiting for Shinnō to also completely perfect the "Body Activation" technology.
What he wanted was merely the results of the Dark chakra techniques, and those techniques were already complete.
So for him, now was the best moment to seize this.