Night, Link's Home.
"Tangible chakra that hasn't dissipated even now—it's absolutely absurd."
Link stared at the Shukaku chakra cubes on his table, neatly cut into squares for easier storage.
His own chakra, for comparison, wasn't even visible, let alone tangible. If severed, it would immediately dissipate, and even if sealed in a scroll, it would quickly degrade and disappear.
But a Jinchūriki's manifested chakra? It could be seen, touched, severed, and preserved for long periods.
"According to Jiraiya in the manga, the Eight Trigrams Seal—which is formed by combining two Four Symbols Seals—can convert the Nine-Tails' chakra into Naruto's chakra. If I want to use this stuff, the safest way would be to release Minato from the Shinigami's stomach and have him give me an Eight Trigrams Seal too."
Of course, such a scenario was impossible.
Initially, he had considered using a sealing technique to absorb the tailed beast chakra for his own use. But it didn't take him long to realize: If absorbing tailed beast chakra via sealing were feasible, wouldn't someone else have already done it?
The shinobi world wasn't full of fools; if a sealing technique could solve this problem, it wouldn't have been left for him to discover.
So, he decided not to inform the Third Hokage about his acquisition of tailed beast chakra, choosing instead to keep it to himself. With Sasuke's help, he had cut the chakra into smaller pieces and stored it at home for research.
"If sealing won't work, does it mean I have to eat it?"
Looking at the sandy-colored cubes, Link shook his head. The Kumogakure had experimented with eating tailed beast chakra, but those attempts all ended in death, proving that normal humans couldn't absorb it.
Eating it was the absolute last resort, and even then, it was a gamble.
He wasn't a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths. Eating this chakra would almost certainly kill him.
How can I use this?
Link ran through the ninjutsu he knew, dismissing the basic Transformation and Clone techniques. Even his enhanced transformation into "Big Guy" wouldn't withstand tailed beast chakra.
Then, as he contemplated his altered ninjutsu, a new idea struck him.
He picked up one of the sandy-colored cubes and placed it under the lamp, casting a sharp shadow on the table.
"If Shadow Clones can share physical energy, can they also split off some of the tailed beast chakra? After all, this stuff technically counts as a biological entity, right?"
Link decided to test it. He refined his chakra, split it evenly, formed the hand seals, and cast the jutsu.
The shadow next to the sandy-colored cube bulged and materialized into a black cube. At the same time, the original sandy-colored cube shrank, as if being consumed.
"If this works… wait a minute—"
His thoughts raced as he retrieved another chakra cube from his cabinet.
This time, he refined his chakra into three parts, creating two shadow clones instead of one.
The process required careful precision. Multiple clones shared his physical energy, which diluted the power of each clone and increased his own consumption. Typically, he avoided this technique unless absolutely necessary.
But now, his focus wasn't on combat.
He directed the shadow clones to interact with the chakra cube. One clone consumed the blackened chakra cube entirely.
Seconds later, something unexpected happened.
"Connection lost."
The moment the shadow clone consumed the chakra, the link to it severed. The clone stopped drawing energy from him and dissolved on its own.
But the absorbed chakra didn't dissipate—it remained intact.
The shadow clone stood across from him, still connected to his awareness but no longer dependent on his chakra.
The original sandy-colored cube, now reduced by a third, vanished as well.
"I can't digest tailed beast chakra, but my shadow can?"
"Why does the shadow persist even after the technique ends?"
Link thought of the sentient Mountain Drake he'd created with Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole. Now, staring at the independent shadow before him, new questions flooded his mind.
"Is my technique capable of creating life?"
"No… not life in the traditional sense. The shadow doesn't think, reproduce, or have subjective consciousness—it merely obeys commands."
"But why?"
"Is it the technique? Or the tailed beast chakra?"
Link controlled the shadow, watching it perform tasks as usual—cleaning, transforming into a three-dimensional form, and even fighting.
The shadow functioned like any other clone, but there was one crucial difference: it no longer drained his energy. It operated independently, with its own finite stamina that could inexplicably replenish itself.
And yet… its total chakra capacity equaled a third of his own.
"Where does it get energy to recover stamina if it doesn't eat or drink?"
"Why doesn't it use the tailed beast chakra as its energy base?"
"Will the shadow develop independent thoughts? How does it store memories of combat and tasks?"
By the end of the night, Link wasn't thinking about how to use tailed beast chakra anymore. His head was swimming with even more questions.
…
The Next Morning, Hyūga Compound.
"You look like you didn't get any sleep," Kakashi observed casually.
"I ran into some… issues with my training last night," Link replied, dark circles under his eyes.
He glanced at the ground beneath him. In the dim sunlight, his shadow was unnaturally dark—black as ink.
Five permanent shadows overlapped beneath him, the result of an all-nighter spent experimenting.
"This way, please," a Hyūga clansman said, nodding as he led the two toward the compound's interior.
~~~
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