The Bloodline Ninja Tools were an unprecedented innovation. When Pakura first saw them, she immediately grasped their value.
They allowed ordinary shinobi to wield the power of kekkei genkai without even needing hand seals. A high-grade Bloodline Tool was equivalent to having an elite jōnin assisting you at all times—completely under your control.
Because of this, both Pakura and others gave the project unprecedented support. Pakura was even willing to send ANBU across the shinobi world to collect various kekkei genkai.
Hyuga Mirai agreed without hesitation. As for the Federation's allocated budget, he didn't care for it—after all, 95% of Federation funds were his own money. There was no point moving it from one pocket to another. For those close to him, he would provide enhanced versions of Bloodline Tools with added Ark energy bars; for everyone else, only stripped-down versions.
Even so, the simplified version was reserved only for elite jōnin. The cost alone was nearly twenty million ryō, and the materials were extremely rare. With Mirai's resources, at most two hundred could be produced.
Production of nanomaterials was troublesome, and chakra metal remained firmly under the control of the great nations' shinobi villages. Even the smallest amount leaking into the black market sold at astronomical prices.
In Sunagakure, the number of Bloodline Tools would be strictly controlled. Aside from Pakura and those close to Hyuga Mirai, others could only apply after passing rigorous assessments.
Mirai also suggested that the top graduate of each Ninja Academy class should be rewarded with a Bloodline Tool. Pakura agreed. After all, the Tools were Mirai's creation, and only he could make them. Moreover, Academy top graduates were already destined for special training, and under the reformed curriculum, securing first place marked them as true geniuses of the Federation.
Once the project was settled, Pakura instructed Maki to provide Mirai with a research building not far from the Academy, tacitly permitting him to skip work at the Academy whenever needed to study the Tools.
A few days later, Uchiha Mikoto, after consulting Kushina in advance, brought Sasuke to visit Hyuga Mirai.
"Sasuke, behave well later. Try to leave a good impression on Mirai-kun." Before entering, Mikoto carefully adjusted his appearance and reminded him.
She rang the bell, but it was Naruto Uzumaki who opened the door.
Naruto grinned broadly. "Yo, Sasuke, I knew you'd come today." Of all who had come from Konoha to the Sand Federation, only he and Sasuke were of the same age and class. Naturally, they were closer. Though Sasuke often claimed to dislike him, Naruto was the only one in the Federation who could truly talk to him.
"Hmph." Sasuke turned his head aside with a cold snort.
Mikoto smiled warmly. "Naruto, is Mirai-kun inside?"
"Uncle Mirai's in there. Please come in, Aunt Mikoto." Thanks to Kushina's iron-fist education, Naruto had learned his manners—if not by memory, then by reflex after so many blows.
Inside, Kushina and Mirai sat by a round table, waving them over. Canned tea sat on the table. Mikoto had Sasuke sit first, then excused herself: "I'll make some real tea." She headed to the kitchen.
Seeing Mikoto's grace, Mirai glanced at Kushina, sighed softly, and shook his head—just short of saying outright that Kushina lacked womanly charm.
Kushina caught his expression and fumed. She immediately stood and followed Mikoto into the kitchen. "I'll help prepare some snacks."
Mirai gestured to a seat for Sasuke. "Sit down. About the Bloodline Tool you want—I've considered two possibilities. One is the Kurama clan's sensory manipulation from Konoha, the other is the Blood Dragon Eye of the Chibachi clan from the Land of Lightning. Both greatly enhance genjutsu. Paired with your Sharingan, even a Chūnin would struggle to escape your illusions."
Sasuke's eyes lit up with interest, but Mirai quickly added, "Unfortunately, I don't have either of them."
The light in Sasuke's eyes dimmed instantly. Naruto burst out laughing, earning a glare from Sasuke. Undeterred, Naruto fiddled with his Heaven's Lock tool right in front of him.
'He's picking up Kushina's bad habits,' Mirai thought. The Naruto he knew was never this good at taunting.
"Don't worry," Mirai continued. "The Federation has already sent out funding to gather kekkei genkai. Before long, a suitable Bloodline Tool for you will be made."
Mikoto, carrying tea, overheard these words. Grateful, she poured a cup for Mirai with elegant precision and handed it to him. "Thank you very much, Mirai-kun."
"Thank you, Uncle Mirai," Sasuke added politely. He envied Naruto's Tool deeply, and after hearing about sensory manipulation, he longed for one himself. Combined with the Sharingan, it could make him much stronger—and able to help his mother restore their family's honor.
"If you want to thank me," Mirai said with a faint smile, "why not shake Naruto's hand right now?"
"Never!" both shouted in unison.
But their mothers were ready. Kushina smacked Naruto's head with a punch and raised a fist threateningly, her red hair flaring. Mikoto, smiling sweetly, pressed Sasuke's hand forward. "It's just a handshake, Sasuke. No harm."
With their help, Mirai's little experiment became easier. He wanted to test whether physical contact between Naruto and Sasuke might reveal the chakra of their reincarnations.
Spirit Clone Technique.
Mirai placed his hands on their shoulders, blue light flaring from his palms. In the next instant, two soul clones split off, entering Sasuke and Naruto's bodies. Both boys froze immediately.
"What is this…?"
Mikoto grew worried, but Kushina gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Trust him. Let's step aside." She erected a barrier just in case.
Inside their consciousness, Mirai's soul clones found something new. Deep within Naruto's Nine-Tails seal, another passage had appeared—one Mirai hadn't seen before. Sasuke's space held a similar depth. Both soul clones rushed inward.
At the next level, they merged into one.
"This is Sasuke and Naruto… and behind them, Indra and Ashura."
An endless, still surface of water stretched out. Sasuke and Naruto lay on the surface, while beneath each was a shadowy reflection—Indra and Ashura.
Even without seeing them before, Mirai knew these were the chakra reincarnations.
"To think a handshake between them would reveal this. Next, I'll try to separate them."
His soul, empowered by his body's chakra, manifested Yin-Yang Release even here. His eyes turned a piercing blue, and nine Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared behind him. Four transformed into chains, plunging into the water beneath Sasuke and Naruto, binding Indra and Ashura's chakra, preparing to tear them away.
Though deeply tied, their chakra wasn't inseparable. Mirai's strength was now close to the Six Paths' level. With his control over Yin-Yang Release, even if Sasuke and Naruto died, he could pull them back from the underworld.
Outside, Mikoto and Kushina suddenly saw the boys grimace in pain as a strange, powerful chakra erupted, shaking Kushina's barrier to its limits. She hurriedly reinforced it—otherwise, the blast might have destroyed several houses.
Moments later, they watched as Mirai drew two massive chakra streams from Naruto and Sasuke, sealing them instantly in the black spheres behind him.
"Such powerful chakra… so that was the reincarnation inside Naruto?" Kushina whispered, cold sweat on her back. The chakra felt bright and warm, yet utterly alien—nothing like Naruto's own.
"Release the barrier, Kushina."
Sweat lined Mirai's face as well. Chakra reincarnations were not playthings for the weak. Indra and Ashura's power rivaled his own, likely half a step into, or already at, Six Paths level. Worse, they weren't mindless—they retained fragments of will. Without Truth-Seeking Orbs, he would never have pulled them free.
For now, he could only seal their chakra and study it later.
(End of Chapter)