Chapter 18: Devour The Living

Although Sato had made up his mind to have a full meal, he didn't rush into action immediately. Instead, he wandered the streets with Hinata, secretly using his perception to locate the whereabouts of the other ninjas, gradually drawing closer with Hinata by his side.

Soon enough, Sato spotted the nearest ninja, who happened to be the doorman of a casino. Sato's Sharingan, concealed beneath his sunglasses, activated its Three Tomoe form as he discreetly assessed the doorman's chakra levels. The doorman possessed a chakra volume larger than their fellow classmates from the academy, indicating that he was at the level of a Chūnin.

Notably, the doorman didn't wear a forehead protector, suggesting he was a wandering ninja rather than an officially hired one. Sato felt a slight disappointment, as it would have been more interesting if he had encountered a ninja from another village. Devouring a ninja from a different village would have allowed Sato to acquire their unique ninjutsu.

However, it made sense that there wouldn't be ninjas from other major villages within the territory of the Land of Fire. Understanding this, Sato observed the doorman for a while before moving on with Hinata to observe other ninjas in different locations.

They discovered that the other ninjas they encountered were either guards of the gambling houses or members of gangs working as thugs and bodyguards. These wandering ninjas potentially harbored traitorous tendencies.

After exploring, Sato identified a total of six targets, ranging from Chūnin-level chakra strength at the highest to even weaker than sixth-grade students at the ninja academy. Nonetheless, regardless of their strength, Sato saw them as potential sources to replenish his own power.

Sato intended to devour them all at the right time. He decided to create the perfect opportunity for himself. After shopping and enjoying dinner with Hinata, Sato escorted her back to the hotel and then discreetly followed his perception to locate Yuhi Kurenai.

To his surprise, he found Kurenai already drinking soju and enjoying wasabi octopus, her cheeks flushed and showing signs of drunkenness. Sato took this as his cue to proceed.

He entered an alley and used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as an ordinary middle-aged man, complete with his toad sunglasses. Walking towards the casino, he bypassed the wandering ninja guarding the gate. Instead, he activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan from a distance, using the Hypnosis illusion to control the wandering ninja.

Sato was intrigued by the fact that he could induce hallucinations without making direct eye contact through his Sharingan. While avoiding eye contact with the Sharingan could provide some defense against its control, it didn't apply to Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, master illusionists. Their illusions could affect targets even without looking at them directly.

With the Hypnosis illusion from his Sharingan, Sato first made the wandering ninja appear dull and then return to normal. The doorman, acting under the influence of the illusion, abandoned his post without authorization and started walking outside the town.

Rather than following him, Sato continued his search for the next target, using the Sharingan's illusion to hypnotize them one by one. In front of the Three Tomoe Sharingan, even an ordinary Jōnin would be powerless to resist, let alone these wandering or treacherous ninjas.

Sato took the opportunity to hypnotize one particular ninja who served as a bodyguard for a gang boss. After hypnotizing the bodyguard, Sato instructed him to hand over all his wealth. Sato's current financial state left him with no choice but to resort to robbing the wealthy.

However, to his surprise, even after obtaining the gang boss's wealth, he realized how impoverished the ninja world could be. Despite possessing the power to dominate everything, ninjas often found themselves struggling financially. Elite Jōnin like Zabuza had to work for others, and even Kage-level powerhouses like Haruno Sakura had to deal with mortgage repayments in Boruto.

This stark contrast between the strength and financial status of ninjas intrigued Sato. While he couldn't fathom their dedication to their principles, he acknowledged that his lack of principles absolved him of any guilt.

With newfound wealth after robbing the gang boss, Sato chose to spare his life. However, to avoid any potential issues, Sato hypnotized the gang boss, instructing him to leave the town immediately. The gang boss's fate would be determined by chance once the Yin Chakra that invaded his mind dissipated.

Once the wandering ninjas influenced by his Hypnosis had left the town, Sato didn't rush to devour them. Instead, he deposited all the gang boss's wealth in the local bank. He also realized the value of the land deeds he acquired.

Using the Transformation Technique to avoid leaving any traces, Sato left only a small amount of cash and deposited the rest in the bank. Finally, he departed from the town to indulge in the delights of food elsewhere.

"It's my first time devouring a living person. I wonder how it differs from devouring a deceased one?" Sato mused to himself while standing in front of the entranced ninja.

With curiosity piqued, Sato reached out and grabbed the ninja's neck. Black mist emanated from his hand, quickly enveloping his palm in an inky blackness. Simultaneously, the ninja's body was covered in the same black mist.

Sato's palm seemed to form a black hole, generating an irresistible gravitational force that effortlessly pulled the ninja into it. The scene was reminiscent of Uchiha Obito entering the Kamui dimension, with the ninja's body contorting and abstractly flying into the black hole within Sato's palm.

Through the black hole's created dimensional space, the ninja's body was drawn into the mysterious bead. Immediately, an overwhelming force of rules decomposed the ninja, refining both their body and chakra into pure energy. This process enhanced Sato's physical and mental energy while also editing the ninja's memories into a cinematic format, awaiting Sato's viewing.

Unlike when devouring Uchiha Shisui's corpse, devouring a living individual provided an additional effect. The mysterious bead didn't just refine their body but also their soul. As a result, the bead emitted blue energy halos, enhancing the strength of Sato's soul.

Realizing this revelation, Sato couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. It became clear why devouring a living individual granted the entirety of their strength. Every aspect, including the body, chakra, and soul, was refined into pure energy and soul power, fortifying Sato in all dimensions without any adverse effects.

The process was overwhelming, but Sato relished it!

Subsequently, Sato devoured the remaining ninjas. Once the mysterious bead had refined them all, Sato knew that extracting their chakra would be like turning on a faucet once again. Unfortunately, the boost obtained from devouring these few ninjas would pale in comparison to devouring the corpse of Uchiha Shisui, a Kage-level powerhouse.

Nevertheless, this time Sato achieved a substantial harvest. In the future, if given the opportunity to spare a target's life during the devouring process, Sato would attempt to let them survive.