111 The Slug Princess.

(3rd Person POV, Konoha)

Inside a cell, Tsunade Senju, the granddaughter of the God of Shinobi as well as the most powerful medical-nin, Tsunade Senju, was barely staying alive, hanging by her neck as she struggled to stay on the tip of her toes. The noose on her neck only left her this much leverage, as if torture her continuously.

Suddenly, as Tsunade struggled to stay alive, in a flash of Yellow, a figure suddenly appeared in the same cell she was in.

"Hm… that flash of Yellow is very disadvantageous in any real scenario, I see why the Fourth decided to get rid of it… though on the other hand, flashing bright in front of the enemy is tactically sound, blinding him for a moment and striking. Though any caliber of an enemy I'm going to fight from now on is unlikely to be bothered e by that… yeah, the flash of light needs to go."

As Kei pondered out loud, neither minding nor caring about Tsunade's interpretation of his blabbering in the dim cell, he took a few steps before stopping right in front of her.

What stared at him were eyes filled with terror, grievance, and helplessness… not that Kei would have any idea if it weren't for how many of his victims saw him the same way before he consumed them.

'Seriously… how do those protagonists tell what a gaze is filled with? I know because I consume them afterward… but by simply looking into their eyes. Hm… Cornea, the pupil, and the iris, no unusual protruding on the veins either… so how exactly can someone tell? It would be very useful in battle, but I doubt I'll get the answer here.'

Kei sighed as he once again looked at Tsunade hanging on the wall.

A smile bloomed on his face as his expression completely morphed into that of an amicable Hokage.

"I am really thankful for your voluntary participation in my test Tsunade. I learned quite a lot from our… interactions. I just have to commend you on your medical capabilities… how far you have taken your ability to enhance such a…" – Kei suddenly stopped as he looked at her body – "…subpar foundation. A feeble human body pushed well beyond its possible limits to ensure survival, though you did teach me that excess is not good even in weapons. You should be thankful, thanks to me, you took your Creation Rebirth to another level… though no one will know."

Tsunade merely stared in horror at the man… at the monster before her. Nobody knew, that she had already survived his execution once, though he dubbed it a test of her medical capabilities. Using that sword, that strength, and that speed of his, taken to the utmost limit, Kei Uchiha had decapitated her in a strike so fast she couldn't even feel it. She was certain if she had been moving she would have died, her head being left behind by her body… but here, chained to the wall, her technique had reattached her head back. It was a strike that would have the Samurai idolize his name for the next thousand years, even if he was but a monster.

As Tsunade staggered a little from fear, Kei merely smiled.

Reaching towards her, he cupped her face in his hands.

*SQUELCH*

…And immediately crushed her head.

Blood splashed on his face as it quickly was consumed together with the corpse of Tsunade.

'I see… it does not repair damaged cells, it rapidly increases the creation of new cells instead. Hm… I never thought of this because I just used my biomass reserves to repair damage… but if I were to utilize this technique, I am fully capable of being self-sufficient… and as long as I'm not taken out in one single hit…' – Kei thought as he suddenly activated Creation Rebirth within his body. He felt his body weight double in but a moment, halting the process immediately as he stored the excess biomass in key points along his body.

"I am effectively immortal… well… more immortal than before. I wonder where the line is drawn?"

A figure appeared beside Kei, though only he could see it as it was but a mental projection of one of his residents.

"That might be so, but the amount of energy required for that to happen is no walk in the park. Right now, chakra is the main fuel powering most of your abilities. If it suddenly gets cut off, which I have no doubt the Sage has already thought of, your destructive capacity will fall by about 20% and your versatility by more than 80%. Do not forget, that chakra isn't only powering your techniques, but also your speed. You just effectively doubled your weight but a moment ago. With no chakra, you'll sink like a stone in water unless you turn into something about the size of a tailed beast."

Tsunade's projections said as she observed the sudden change in their body. She was dressed in a lab coat and her earlier terror and fear were nowhere to be seen.

"Kukuku, while the Sage is certainly a danger, we have our own Fuinjutsu genius. He studies Kaguya's seal as we speak… though he is not very optimistic, given that the Sage was able to compress all that power in two simple marks. He'll keep at it though, may be able to come up with something of his own."

The figure of Orochimaru appeared while wearing a similar coat to Tsunade.

"And how goes your own progress?" – Kei asked as he turned to Orochimaru.

"Already completed, blacklight is effectively spread into every corner of the shinobi world. All that remains is for the war to begin and everything else to take its course."

Kei nodded as they both disappeared.

'The Summit will be announced in time, and so will the war. The disappearance of the cultivators requires caution on our side, so we will take our time to put everything into place, but the war is inevitable.'