Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for only $7 to get early access to upcoming chapters!
> > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations <<
----------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 10 — Chimera Technique
Alex darted through dense branches in the forest, carrying two paper bowls behind him.
One bowl held clear water; the other was filled with wild fruit.
By dusk the sunlight could barely pierce the canopy, and the woods lay dim.
It had been over two hours since he and Konan fled Amegakure.
Alex didn't know exactly where they were now—only that they had crossed the rain-border; the visible line of rainfall behind them proved they were out of the Land of Rain.
After the fierce battle and narrow escape, both he and Konan needed rest—to replenish stamina and chakra.
"I hope Konan can come to terms with things..." Alex carried a nervous flutter and flew toward a hidden cave.
Konan sat at the cavern mouth with her knees hugged to her chest, staring blankly toward the direction of the Rain Country, her face heavy with sorrow.
She didn't react to his arrival or speak a word.
Alex exhaled in relief. At least she hadn't lunged for him the moment he appeared. That was a good start.
He was sure his decision to flee had been right, but he also knew it had violated Konan's will. Some things—like grief and loyalty—couldn't be judged purely by right and wrong.
He still remembered her wrenching sobs and how she would rather die than let her comrades' bodies be desecrated.
Alex hovered carefully before her with the bowls.
[Eat something first.]
Konan's eyes flickered, then she snatched Alex and pinched him hard.
"Ah—my life is over!" Alex panicked inwardly.
"She can't forgive me after all!" "It's over, I'm dead..." he braced himself.
But nothing shredded him to pieces. Instead, the pressure loosened and a warm, familiar current flowed into him.
It felt so familiar and so desired—he greedily absorbed it. It was Konan's chakra.
So he had misread the situation—Konan hadn't intended to harm him; she was transferring chakra.
Alex opened his eyes and met Konan's cool face; the sorrow had been tucked away and her expression returned to the usual calm.
"Looks like you came around."
Relief flooded Alex. His chakra had been nearly exhausted from the fight; the influx lifted his mood with each pulse.
Half, ten percent, twenty percent—until it rose to fifty percent before she stopped.
Konan released him and said in a chill tone, "My chakra has recovered. I'll give you fifty percent now. Later I'll supply spare chakra as an energy reserve."
She rose and took the fruit and water. From the cave's depths came a barely audible whisper: "I do not blame you. Thank you."
Even though Konan had once wanted to tear Alex apart in fury, when rationality returned she understood the escape had been the most pragmatic choice. Yahiko and Nagato would not have wanted her to die pointlessly.
She wouldn't hold Alex accountable; indeed, she trusted him more for having saved her several times. Her hatred for "Madara" deepened, but not toward Alex.
Konan didn't know how to repay him, so she simply gave him more chakra—the sort he liked. It cheered him, and in emergencies she could quickly refill him as needed.
Alex was elated. The fifty percent of chakra from Konan not only increased his sense of security but let him use more powerful paper techniques. Unbeknownst to him, Konan's gesture only cemented his role as a literal chakra power bank.
"People who know right from wrong and speak reasonably are more attractive..." Alex mused as he floated into the cave. Fortunately this world had no lewd martial arts, and Konan was no fairy—he needn't worry.
Inside, the cave was quiet; the crackle of burning wood sounded clear and comforting. The dancing flames painted Konan and Alex in warm light, lending a lazy, cozy feel.
After a period of recovery, Konan's chakra had fully replenished. The black script on Alex's paper faded gradually. He explained, in detail, the relationships between bloodline limits and the Ōtsutsuki clan.
"So there are tiers beyond the Shadow level—Chū-in, Six Paths, and Kekkei Mōra?" Konan's face grew complex as she digested the hidden knowledge. She'd always thought the Shadow-tier was the pinnacle; even Nagato had seemed merely exceptional due to the Rinnegan. If Nagato was only Chū-in, then Six Paths and Kekkei Mōra must be unimaginable.
"That's right. Nagato, despite the Rinnegan, only reached the Chū-in level." Alex confirmed confidently.
Konan was silent. She had witnessed the Rinnegan's might—understanding the gap between herself and Nagato only deepened her sense of insufficiency. She had tried many times but could not catch up; her only practical route was to mass more explosive tags to amplify killing power.
"So the reason I can't break through is bloodline…" Konan whispered. "Ōtsutsuki descendants… Uchiha, Senju, Uzumaki, Kaguya, Hyūga, Hagoromo…" She lifted her gaze and looked at Alex intently.
"To break through, I must obtain an Ōtsutsuki-related kekkei genkai?" she asked.
"Yes." Alex nodded in a humanlike way. In the Naruto world, lineage shackled advancement—Shadow was a limit for ordinary shinobi. Beyond that, one needed Ōtsutsuki blood to reach Six Paths or Kekkei Mōra. Even sage techniques at best raised a Shadow to Chū-in. To reach the true pinnacle required Ōtsutsuki lineage combined with sage arts.
Konan didn't despair. She pressed on, "You said you can make me strong quickly—can you get me those bloodlines?"
"Yes—there's a jutsu." Alex answered.
"Could it be the Chimera Technique?" Konan blurted out.
"You know it?" Alex asked, surprised.
Konan nodded. "Hiruko was once on Akatsuki's invitation list but his whereabouts were always uncertain. By the time we located him to invite him, Konoha ninja had already killed him. I gathered intelligence on him—his Chimera Technique could supposedly fuse five bloodlines and grant near-immortality."
Konan's voice faltered as she considered: if Hiruko knew about Ōtsutsuki matters, perhaps he wouldn't have chosen mediocre bloodlines. Maybe he truly could become effectively immortal.
Alex didn't know whether true immortality was achievable, and he felt troubled—Hiruko had already died in this timeline. Where could they find the Chimera Technique now? Without it, Konan couldn't rapidly grow stronger. Without Konan's growth, his chance to search for a way back to human form would shrink.
Yet the Chimera Technique seemed indispensable.
"We must find the Chimera Technique. It's the key to your rapid growth." Alex said. "We should go to Konoha first. Maybe they recovered something."
He was still thinking where to start when Konan showed no impatience. She opened a storage scroll from her ninja pouch with a soft thump.
A dozen scrolls appeared on the ground.
"You don't need to go to Konoha—the Chimera Technique is already in my hands."