Uchiha Shin gently lifted Rika Hoshigaki's chin, his sharp gaze locking onto her watery eyes.
"Are you willing to give everything for this?"
Rika, once fearful, now trembled with something else—something like reverence.
"I admire your resolve," Shin continued, his voice deep and magnetic. "If you're truly willing, I will train you myself. I will restore your body to its prime."
The words washed over Rika like a sacred decree. The fear that had gripped her chest dissipated, replaced by something dangerously close to worship.
It was as if she had been chosen by a god.
Her lips parted, and in a hushed murmur, she breathed, "I do, Master Uchiha Shin."
A slow, knowing smile stretched across his lips. "Good, Rika. Very good. You deserve a reward."
Shin's fingers ghosted over her cheek—featherlight, but the chakra running through them sent a shiver down her spine. The touch was warm, intoxicating, and then—
Power.
His chakra flooded her body, coursing through her veins like liquid fire. Rika gasped, her eyes widening as she felt the pain in her limbs vanish. Her fatigue, her weakness—gone. Replaced with something else.
Satisfaction. Fullness.
The warmth coiled deep in her core before pooling at her lower abdomen, and as the chakra settled, a mark formed—a dark, intricate symbol merging peacock-like patterns with a twisted, hypnotic design.
The Sage Curse Seal.
A mark of Uchiha Shin's will. His brand.
The seals he had placed on Mikoto, Kushina, and the others had long since evolved into new forms, each one unique. The traditional magatama design was too common, too mundane. This—this was his true artistry.
Only he could see it, and only he could activate it.
It would glow at his command, and during... certain moments, it would heighten sensations to an exquisite degree.
His voice dropped to a possessive whisper. "Remember this, Rika—you are mine. From now on."
A shudder ran through her. There was no resistance. Only acceptance.
"When I return to the Land of Fire," Shin continued, stepping back, "you will come with me."
Rika barely heard him. She was still reeling from the overwhelming rush of vitality coursing through her veins. Had she truly been this frail before? Her past self seemed almost pathetic compared to the surging power she felt now.
She clenched her fists experimentally. Yes. This was real.
Swallowing, she nodded. "Understood, Master Uchiha Shin."
The remnants of her self-awareness surfaced briefly, a faint heat rising to her cheeks as she realized how easily she had succumbed. But no matter how much she tried to rationalize it, the truth remained: she had never felt more alive.
With newfound energy, Rika led Shin forward, arriving at the entrance of the shrine. The moment she released her chakra, the seals concealing the ancient structure dissolved, revealing the sacred chamber within.
Uchiha Shin stepped inside without hesitation.
And there it was—the Star of Hoshigakure.
A meteorite pulsating with an eerie violet glow, its core thrumming with something beyond mere chakra. A fragment of something ancient, something primal.
Ten-Tails Chakra.
Even with the power of the One-Tail and Nine-Tails already coursing through him, Shin could feel the raw difference in magnitude. The Ten-Tails' energy was not merely strong—it was fundamental.
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun to life, and with a flicker of intent, the black flames of Amaterasu roared forth.
The meteorite cracked, then shattered, disintegrating into ash within the unrelenting flames. But the chakra—the core essence of the meteor—remained untouched.
It pulsed once before latching onto him.
Shin exhaled sharply as the energy merged with his own. The sensation was intoxicating, an overwhelming surge of transformation tearing through his cells.
"Uchiha Shin... Master!?"
Rika stumbled back, watching in horror as Shin's form began to shift.
His skin darkened into a shade of gold, intricate scales forming along his arms. Dragon whiskers trailed from his face, his physique expanding rapidly. His limbs stretched, his muscles thickening, his fingers elongating into wickedly sharp talons.
A bestial roar shook the shrine.
Then—the walls collapsed.
With a single sweep of his newly-formed tail, Shin obliterated what remained of the sacred site, sending debris flying in all directions. The sheer force of his transformation had torn apart the earth beneath them, leaving a massive crater in its wake.
He felt... monstrous.
No, he felt divine.
The Ten-Tails' power had fused into him, pushing his body to the brink of something new. Something greater.
His hands flexed, claws digging into the stone beneath him. His eyes burned with revelation.
His body was evolving.
Cells that had already been steeped in immortality were now regenerating at a terrifying rate. Wounds would heal before they could even properly form. Even if his head were to be severed, he was certain he could survive—so long as it was reattached quickly enough.
His chakra absorption rate had skyrocketed. Natural energy flocked to him like moths to a flame. His reserves, already monstrous, had doubled in strength.
But something was missing.
He narrowed his eyes, scanning his monstrous form. Though he had grown, though his power had surged beyond anything he had imagined—his transformation had halted halfway.
His dragon form stood over forty meters in length, but his horns had yet to fully develop. His claws, though formidable, still bore only four talons. And worst of all—
"My eye..."
His right eye burned beneath his palm.
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had reached its peak. No matter how much he trained, no matter how much chakra he accumulated, his pupil power would no longer advance on its own.
Except now.
Now, he felt it shifting.
It wasn't just evolving—it was preparing to ascend.
If left to time, it would take another fifty years for his eyes to reach the pinnacle.
But now?
Twenty.
And if he had the right catalyst?
A slow, predatory grin spread across his face.
"It's time to claim Madara's Rinnegan."
Rika, still reeling from what she had just witnessed, could only stare as Shin's form began to shrink, the golden scales retracting as he returned to human form.
His smirk remained.
This trip had proven far more valuable than he had ever anticipated.
And it had been far too easy.
Glancing at his arm, Shin watched as the chakra embedded in his cells continued to shift. If it was only about raw chakra reserves—
Then yes.
He had already reached the level of the Six Paths.
But chakra quantity was one thing.
Chakra essence was another entirely.
"Not yet," Shin murmured to himself. "Not yet... but soon."
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Bonus Chapter - 100 Power Stones