Naruto evolution system

Chapter 143: The Invitation

The next day, morning arrived.

Inside his guest room, Baishi sat cross-legged, his breath fluctuating as dark red chakra enveloped his body. The energy churned violently, attempting to break free from his skin, but an invisible barrier held it firmly in check.

---

Inside the Sealed Space

Facing the visibly frustrated Nine-Tails, Baishi smiled casually.

"Kurama, don't bother struggling—it's useless."

"Curse you! What trick are you playing this time?" the Nine-Tails growled, his rage barely contained.

Baishi shook his head with a calm expression.

"You saw it with your own eyes, didn't you? I just absorbed it, plain and simple."

"Impossible! You must have done something else!" the Nine-Tails retorted, its disbelief evident. "If you could've done this before, you wouldn't have only absorbed the chakra that leaked out!"

Baishi chuckled softly but didn't respond. He had no intention of explaining the difference between Absorbing Skin and Energy Absorption to the beast.

After confirming that the seal remained intact, Baishi ignored the Nine-Tails' protests, withdrawing his consciousness from the sealed space.

---

Outside, in the Real World

As Baishi refined his adjustments, his body's chaotic chakra gradually settled. Except for his skin being slightly flushed, there were no visible signs of anything unusual.

However, this was merely surface-level.

If someone used the Byakugan to examine him, they would immediately notice dramatic changes occurring within his body.

Nine-Tails' chakra continuously surged outward, but before it could escape his body, it was absorbed and transformed into Baishi's own chakra. This newly converted chakra then flowed into his chakra network.

At the same time, a mysterious force drew chakra from his network, converting it into a special energy source.

This energy circulated throughout Baishi's body, nurturing his organs and the billions of cells within them.

Once depleted, the system extracted new chakra and repeated the transformation process, maintaining a delicate equilibrium.

Even though Energy Absorption was only at Level I, its efficiency at absorbing, converting, and utilizing Nine-Tails' chakra far surpassed that of the Level X Absorbing Skin.

Thanks to this, Baishi's physical refinement, or training, could now continue passively and uninterrupted.

Not only did this method not reduce his growth rate in base attributes—it even increased it. In short, the sheer volume of his chakra now facilitated a qualitative leap in progress.

This system wasn't limited to base attributes; it could theoretically enhance all his abilities.

This newfound efficiency was also one of the reasons Baishi had chosen to leave his secluded island. Since he was no longer tethered to specific environmental requirements and possessed sufficient power for self-preservation, he could freely explore the shinobi world while continuing his evolution.

But first, he needed to fine-tune the balance between his various abilities. He had just identified the most efficient balance for increasing his base attributes, but there was still much experimentation to be done for other skills.

---

Three Days Later

It was mid-afternoon.

Baishi sat in his room, fine-tuning the balance required to optimize his progress with Dust Release, when he suddenly sensed a powerful chakra signature outside the town.

Opening his eyes, Baishi focused his gaze on a specific location beyond the city limits.

A formidable chakra presence loomed there, unmasked and seemingly drawing attention.

"Wait a minute..." Baishi muttered, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Are they... waiting for me?"

Emboldened by his abilities, Baishi didn't hesitate. He jumped out of the window, his Wind Wings spreading as he flew toward the source of the chakra.

---

Outside the City

"Konan?!"

Baishi was stunned to see the figure waiting for him.

There, hovering in the air, was none other than Konan, one of Jiraiya's former students.

"You know my name?" Konan asked, her calm demeanor betraying a hint of surprise.

Few had ever seen her face, let alone learned her name.

Baishi chuckled awkwardly, sidestepping the question.

"You're here for me?"

Sensing his evasion, Konan tucked away her curiosity and nodded.

"Yes. I'd like to invite you to join the Akatsuki."

"The Akatsuki?" Baishi repeated, momentarily taken aback.

Misinterpreting his reaction, Konan began to explain.

"You can think of the Akatsuki as a refuge for those who have betrayed their villages."

Hearing this, Baishi couldn't help but laugh.

He wasn't confused about what the Akatsuki was. Rather, he was baffled as to why they would invite him.

After all, his relationship with Black Zetsu could only be described as hostile. Knowing this, how could the Akatsuki even consider bringing him into their fold?

Unless...

"Black Zetsu isn't part of the Akatsuki in this timeline? Or maybe he doesn't know about this invitation?" Baishi speculated silently.

Testing his theory, Baishi asked bluntly, "Do you have someone named Zetsu in your organization?"

He saw no harm in asking directly. With the timeline already skewed, he wasn't particularly concerned about Konan's reaction.

Konan furrowed her brow slightly at the question. Memories of past encounters with Zetsu surfaced, clouding her usually calm expression with sorrow.

"Years ago, I met someone by that name," she replied after a moment.

"So he isn't part of the Akatsuki?"

Konan shook her head. "No."

Her eyes lingered on Baishi, scrutinizing him.

Baishi's familiarity with the Akatsuki surprised her. It became clear that he knew far more than he let on.

Sensing this, Konan momentarily set aside her recruitment pitch. Instead, she asked, "How much do you know about us?"

Her words carried a deeper meaning, probing whether Baishi was aware of the Akatsuki's true purpose.

(End of Chapter)

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