“Things did not work out.”

  Ryuu mumbled to himself, a bitter smile plastered on his face. He was sitting in his room, staring at the paper and string-covered wall in front of him with a lost expression.

  The Hyuga had completely refused and would actively hinder his progress in this matter no matter what. In fact, they were offended to an incredible degree when it came to comparing their clan to the Kaguya Clan.

  “Those old fools are obsessed with the dumbest things…”

  His plans had derailed due to the clan elders, so he was slightly resentful.

  For the last few years, he had been planning things slowly, piecing things one by one and noting the changes that were brought by his appearance and actions. This resulted in a largely inconvenient and nonsensical wall that reminded one of a detective’s research of a crime.

  He had written everything down in English, a language that was completely nonexistent in the Naruto world, making things easier for him to note.

  “My strength has increased considerably, and I should be able to deal with most Jonin, but S-rank and Kage-level shinobi are impossible for the current me. I’ve been pushing my training as hard as I can, but I feel like without a proper overpowered ability, I won’t be able to do anything if anything unexpected happens.”

  His Ice Release and Dead Bone Pulse were strong for sure, but they weren’t on the level of a powerful Dojutsu like the Sharingan that could evolve, nor were they able to compete with a Jinchuriki.

  Together, they were quite flexible in use, making him an effective combatant that could be versatile in all battlefields, but if he couldn’t deal with a Jinchuriki who had mastered their tailed beast form, then dealing with the Otsutsuki clan was straight up impossible, no matter how many years he trained.

  He was already 13 and yet he was weaker than the 14 year old Itachi, despite possessing two Kekkei Genkai. That was the massive difference the Mangekyo Sharingan brought in strength.

  Yes, the Mangekyo Sharingan had the drawback of causing loss of Visual prowess when used, but it was still far more potent than anything he could manage, even if he wrecked his body in the process.

  It was simply a “Cheat”.

  And even then, even with this stupidly overpowered Dojutsu, even evolving it to the Eternal Mangekyo, they were no match for a Shinobi at the level of Six Paths, what’s more, an Otsutsuki.

  No matter how Ryuu thought about it, he needed to acquire the Bloodline of those Planet Devouring monsters to compete with them.

  He needed something on the Level of a Rinnengan, or at least becoming the Jinchuriki of the ten tails.

  But that was impossible, since he wanted to completely avoid the war if he could, and eliminate the threat like Black Zetsu as soon as possible.

  Obito was a problem, especially since Madara’s Forbidden Individual Curse Tag was still in his heart. Madara was already dead, that was certain, but that didn’t mean the influence left on Obito had disappeared. The current Obito was an emotionally manipulated and controlled puppet, working towards Madara’s goal.

  If he wanted to deal with that threat, he needed a bullshit ability like Naruto’s talk-no-jutsu, or to become much more powerful to deal with both Obito and Nagato.

  Especially Nagato…

  Nagato was a threat that could wipe out the entirety of Konoha if he moved right now. Ryuu was certain that even with their current abilities, only Lord Fourth could put up enough of a fight, but even he would be pressed to do anything other than teleport his different bodies to a different place to save the village.

  Potentially even sacrificing himself in the process.

  That was not something Ryuu wished.

  Sighing, Ryuu grabbed a piece of paper and a fountain pen and began writing. Finished with his writing, he pinned the piece of paper on the wall, tying it in with the rest, while also crossing out some papers with an X.

  “This is getting too complicated… My research has surely advanced, and my knowledge has increased drastically, especially with the use of shadow clones…”

  He bit his lip in contemplation, his crimson eyes scanning the papers.

  “But this…”

  With a hint of irritation, he closed his eyes and ripped off a piece of paper from the board.

  “I don’t see a way out without compromising my ethics as a human.”

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  This was the line he was unwilling to cross.

  He didn’t wish to do experiments, especially ones that weren’t approved. He could have easily acquired Asami’s blood and completed his analysis, but he accepted that life wasn’t that simple.

  He had to respect others’ wishes. He had to accept that their line had been crossed by even asking the simplest thing.

  Anything more drastic would completely warp his moral compass to a degree that was unacceptable.

  “Honestly, when you came in here, I thought you were going to tell me that Konoha decided to execute me, but this seems kind of… fascinating?”

  Hiruko said, tilting his head and looking at the person in front of him with an intrigued gaze.

  Ryuu didn’t smile. He stood across the table, arms folded, his crimson eyes scanning Hiruko.

  “I’m not offering you freedom,” Ryuu said plainly. “You’re too dangerous for that.”

  “I’m flattered,” Hiruko said with a dry laugh. “So. You want my help building a Tailed Beast.”

  “An artificial Tailed Beast,”

  Ryuu corrected, his voice cold.

  “I’ve already informed Lord Fourth and the council. The project’s greenlit, under full oversight.”

  Hiruko blinked, the grin slipping.

  “You’re serious.”

  “I don’t waste time with things I’m not serious about.”

  The silence that followed was deafening.

  Hiruko leaned back in his chair. His long hair was tied back in a rough, practical knot—he’d been working in Konoha’s tech labs for over a year now.

  Once intended to become a living weapon, Hiruko had instead become a living asset.

  “And you think I can help you do this.”

  He said, gesturing lazily.

  “Newsflash: I never finished the Chimera Technique. I got caught before it was perfected, remember? I haven’t grafted a single bloodline. The best I’ve done is reverse-engineer a few jutsu.”

  “I don’t want your Chimera project.”

  “Then what do you want?”

  “I want to fuse raw chakra with spiritual matter. I want to anchor an unstable sentient entity to a regenerative energy source and seal it inside a human without causing collapse or corruption.”

  Hiruko blinked once. Twice. Then laughed—a short, derisive bark that echoed off the cold concrete walls of his containment cell.

  “You want to fuse a spiritual entity made from wild Chakra, purify it, and then seal it inside yourself?” he repeated, tone dripping with disbelief. “And here I thought I was the unhinged one.”

  Ryuu didn’t flinch.

  “It’s more calculated than it sounds.”

  “Oh, it always is.”

  Hiruko replied, leaning forward now, eyes gleaming with a manic interest that hadn’t surfaced in years.

  “Tell me, boy, have you ever felt what a spiritual entity does when you try to bind it to something physical? No? Because it’s like trying to graft fire to bone. Even I wouldn’t attempt that sober.”

  “That’s why I’m not asking you to graft anything, I want you to help design the seal. That’s it.”

  Hiruko’s eyes gleamed, his sharp grin stretching as the weight of Ryuu’s plan fully settled over him.

  “You really are a madman.”

  Hiruko muttered, almost admiringly.

  “An artificial Tailed Beast… purified, bound, and symbiotic? You’re not chasing power—you’re trying to rewrite the rules of what a Jinchūriki is.”

  Ryuu didn’t answer and simply stared.

  But Hiruko didn’t need an answer.

  “You’ve already thought this through, haven’t you? You already know about a powerful chakra source. About a way to create an artificial beast.”

  Ryuu kept his mouth shut, only nodding slightly.

  Hiruko drummed his fingers on the cold metal table between them. His head tilted slightly, considering.

  “You said the council approved this?”

  Ryuu gave a single nod again.

  “And Lord Fourth is backing you personally?”

  “Under strict conditions. I’m under constant surveillance. If you try anything, you’ll be eliminated before you can even think about it.”

  Hiruko snorted.

  “Please. I’ve had a death wish for years. I’m not interested in screwing this up. I want to see if it can work.”

  “Then don’t test me.”

  Ryuu’s voice was steel.

  “You’ll be given access to restricted fuinjutsu archives. You’ll work under my terms. You’ll help design the seal, and that’s about it.”

  Hiruko leaned back, his grin returning, slower, more dangerous this time.

  “And if it fails? If the monster consumes you from the inside?”

  Ryuu didn’t hesitate.

  “Then I die. But you never know till you try.”

  Hiruko's laughter filled the small room, a sound both manic and genuinely impressed.

  "You really are a piece of work, Yuki Ryuu. Most shinobi spend their lives afraid of those beasts, but you’re willing to make one just so you can acquire its power."

  He stood, pacing the small confines of the room, his mind clearly racing.

  "To even attempt this… you’ll need a source of immense, raw chakra. Unfiltered. More than any one person can produce."

  Ryuu remained silent. His silence was a strategic tool, forcing Hiruko to fill the void, to display his own knowledge, to reveal the depths of the research he had access to even while imprisoned.

  "And a spiritual vessel."

  Hiruko continued, more to himself now, tapping a finger against his temple.

  "You need a 'soul' to anchor the chakra to. Something like a living creature, preferably one that is as close to a tailed beast as possible, and also has little to no sentience."

  Hiruko suddenly stopped pacing, his back half-turned to Ryuu as a thought clicked into place.

  “You’ve already found it, haven’t you?”

  Ryuu’s silence was answer enough.

  “A raw chakra source, something close to a tailed beast but… not sentient.” Hiruko’s grin widened, bordering on gleeful madness. “Let me guess—one of the residual chakra pools left behind after the Second Great War? Maybe something like the residue from a tailed beast’s shedding?”

  “No.”

  Ryuu finally said, his voice low.

  “I found something better.”

  Hiruko’s interest sharpened, his eyes glimmering like a predator sensing prey.

  “Better?”

  “Like I’m going to tell you.”

  Ryuu said simply, a cold smile blossoming on his face.

  Hiruko barked a laugh, sharp and hoarse.

  “Ahh, you really are cruel.”

  He mused, settling back into his chair. His grin never quite faded, but it became less mocking and more intrigued, like a craftsman handed an impossible puzzle.

  “Fine, fine. Keep your little secrets. Just don’t expect me to bail you out when it blows up in your face.”

  “I never expected you to.”

  Ryuu replied flatly, already turning to leave.

  As he reached the steel door, Hiruko called out one last time.

  “You know, the difference between us isn’t that I crossed the line and you haven’t. It’s that I stopped pretending there was a line in the first place.”

  Ryuu paused, one hand resting on the doorframe.

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” he said without looking back.

  “The line is what keeps me human.”

  The door slid shut behind him with a soft metallic thud, leaving Hiruko alone with his manic grin.