Kamihane gazed at Uchiha Hikari with a look tinged with resentment.
After being fervently embraced by Amaterasu, he was truly furious. If it weren't for the unique nature of his ocular jutsu, he would likely have been reduced to ashes by now.
The temperature of those flames was utterly terrifying; even now, his heart still raced with fear.
Although he could reverse time and space, the pain was undeniably real!
Madara waved his hand dismissively and said, "Kamihane, let her go."
"But, she might suddenly attack us again," Kamihane replied, still somewhat apprehensive.
"Don't worry, she can't," Madara's tone was calm, exuding the absolute confidence of a Kage-level powerhouse.
"Understood, Lord Madara."
Kamihane complied, moving aside to allow Uchiha Hikari to stand up.
Madara looked down at Uchiha Hikari, his voice soft but carrying an undeniable weight as it reached her ears.
"What Kamihane said earlier is all true, but there's one thing... whether the war has truly ended remains to be seen. For the ninja world, peace is only temporary. The distance to my envisioned ideal world is still vast."
"An ideal world..." Hikari murmured to herself.
"Freeing you means we acknowledge your strength. On this path toward our ideals, you can walk with us—as a comrade, not a weapon."
Madara then shifted his tone, "Of course, you are also free to leave and live the life you desire."
"Huh?" Kamihane was momentarily stunned, glancing at Madara with confusion.
"But face reality; until we succeed, this world remains a false one, still filled with countless dissatisfactions." With that, Madara turned and walked away without looking back.
Kamihane was left in disarray. He had nearly risked his life to release Hikari, only for Madara to seemingly disregard her.
Helpless, he hesitated for a moment, glancing at Uchiha Hikari, before ultimately following Madara, leaving her alone where she stood.
"Does Lord Madara truly not care about Uchiha Hikari? Or is he planning to win her over with his charisma?" Kamihane frowned, unable to suppress the thought in his mind.
Uchiha Hikari stood there in a daze. After some time, she snapped out of it, her eyes fixed on the two figures gradually fading into the distance. Suddenly, she took a step forward.
"She's really following us!" Kamihane whispered to Madara as he leaned closer.
"What should we do? Should we wait for her for a bit?"
"No need," Madara replied with his usual calm demeanor. "Once she chooses to follow, she will see it through. If she can't even manage that, then she is not truly an Uchiha."
"Maybe she just wants to catch up and ask for directions..." Kamihane secretly thought to himself.
The two of them dashed along a shaded forest path and soon arrived at a small town.
Kamihane spotted an izakaya and suggested, "Lord Madara, let's take a break here for now."
Madara nodded, and the two entered the izakaya, choosing a seat near the inner hall.
Kamihane took the menu from the waiter and boldly ordered a variety of dishes: ramen, sushi, braised sea bream, Chikuzenni, and a steaming pot of sukiyaki.
From last night until now, he hadn't eaten a single thing.
While waiting for the food, Kamihane hesitated for a moment before pulling out two scrolls from his robe and presenting them to Madara.
"Lord Madara, I picked these up yesterday in the Hokage's secret chamber. I'm not sure what they are, but the seals on them are quite tricky."
Madara took the scrolls, his fingertips glowing blue as he effortlessly dispelled the seals.
"Reanimation Jutsu?" Madara skimmed through the contents, then opened the other scroll, "And this... the Eight Gates?"
He glanced at Kamihane with a slightly scrutinizing look, "Both S-rank forbidden jutsu. You're quite the scavenger."
"Lord Madara, you know me," Kamihane straightened his back, speaking with righteous confidence. "Opportunities are too good to pass up."
Fortunately, Madara didn't press further and instead tossed the scrolls back to Kamihane.
"Since you've got them, there's no reason not to learn them."
"But... Lord Madara, aren't you going to train in them yourself?" Kamihane probed tentatively. He had thought Madara might be interested in these forbidden techniques.
"I don't need them," Madara said indifferently. "That Reanimation Jutsu could greatly enhance your spiritual power. You should study it. The strength of one's ocular jutsu is directly tied to spiritual power, and spiritual power is inextricably linked to Yin Release..."
Kamihane nodded, half-understanding. He was a brute by nature and had never received any formal guidance or training. All his combat skills were honed through instinct.
Even the ninjutsu he knew had been learned from comrades on the battlefield.
In his vague understanding, he knew that ocular power was the energy released through the user's eyes, closely related to Yin Release. For certain bloodline-based ocular jutsu, ocular power was the measure of a person's strength in that domain.
And the strength of Yin Release was directly proportional to one's spiritual power.
Seeing Kamihane's incomplete grasp, Madara pondered for a moment before asking, "Do you know the essence of chakra?"
"I can answer that," Kamihane replied. "Chakra is the perfect fusion of a person's spiritual energy and physical energy. Spiritual energy represents the 'Yin' attribute, while physical energy represents the 'Yang' attribute. Different ratios of Yin and Yang give rise to the seven nature transformations of chakra, which correspond to the way Yin and Yang combine to create all things in the universe."
"Correct," Madara nodded in satisfaction.
Kamihane smiled. These were lessons taught to him by a stoic yet kind-hearted elder on the battlefield. But that elder had later perished in a siege by the Senju clan. The memory darkened Kamihane's smile.
Madara seemed unaware of this and continued, "Among the nature transformations of chakra, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning are the five basic elements. Yin Release and Yang Release, however, are special."
Kamihane's thoughts were drawn back as he asked, "So... does that mean spiritual energy is Yin Release, and physical energy is Yang Release?"
"Beginners often fall into such misconceptions," Madara chuckled, sipping his warm tea, clearly in the mood to elaborate.
"Yin Release is special chakra refined by fusing a portion of the 'Yang' attribute with spiritual energy. Conversely, Yang Release works the same way. What makes them special is that the ratio of Yin and Yang is innate—unlike the five elemental natures, which can be learned later in life."
He gazed out the window, his voice drifting softly, "For someone born with Yin Release to acquire Yang Release, they would have to defy fate itself..."
Kamihane was deep in thought. Madara's words had opened his mind, as if clearing away the fog to reveal the clear sky.
The external manifestations of the five elemental natures were easy to distinguish, but techniques based on Yin and Yang Release were often... secret ninjutsu.
For example, medical ninjutsu, the Akimichi clan's Multi-Size Technique, and the Senju clan's super strength—most of these, related to the body, were external manifestations of Yang Release.
On the other hand, those related to the mind were mostly Yin Release, such as the Nara clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu, the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu, and the Byakugan and Sharingan—all were external manifestations of Yin Release.
It could be said that spiritual energy was a core component of Yin Release, and Yin Release was a direct marker of the strength of one's ocular power.
Kamihane's eyes lit up as the previously obscure concepts began to unravel.
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