Chapter 33 — Power of the Six Paths
"Do you even understand what you're saying?"
Danzō's voice turned sharp. "Root is the greatest organization in Konoha. Do you have any idea what you're throwing away?"
"If there's nothing else," Namikaze Yami replied calmly, "I'll be taking my leave."
His tone was neither servile nor defiant—just indifferent, as though the matter barely concerned him.
"Chūnin Namikaze," Danzō said deliberately, placing heavy emphasis on the word chūnin.
"I know your condition inside and out. Even Tsunade can't repair your chakra pathways. This is as far as you'll ever go in life. One day, you'll come back and beg me."
Yami left the Root base with practiced ease. Once outside, he let out a quiet breath and cursed inwardly:
What's so great about your rotten organization? Following you would be the real dead end.
Free of Root's interference, he soon returned to his small house. After months of absence, a thin layer of dust covered everything.
Rolling up his sleeves, he began cleaning. With a bit of Wind Release, it took less than an hour to restore the place to spotless order.
Sitting down in his living room, Yami summoned the system interface and began examining it carefully.
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[Multiversal Rare Pawnshop]
Host: Namikaze Yami (Gold Card)
Universal Credit: Current limit — 1000
Redeem: Pawned items may be redeemed (Fee: 5 per transaction)
Exchangeable Items: (Repeated entries collapsed)
Boil Release Bloodline — Cost: 600 points
Six Paths Power · Kokuō (Five-Tails) (1/9) — Cost: 1000 points
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"Exchange for Six Paths Power."
[Current Pawn Points: 3575]
A vast, surging energy flooded his body in an instant—its intensity rivaling the reaction from when he had exchanged for the Uzumaki Sage Body. Yami felt strengthened across every dimension.
"Holy—!"
Even though he had expected something special from Six Paths Power, the actual effect far exceeded his imagination.
His chakra reserves nearly doubled. His physical strength and mental fortitude were dramatically enhanced as well—it felt as though his entire bodily system had been forcibly upgraded to a new version.
If exchanging bloodlines or blood limits was merely a balance patch, then obtaining the Six Paths Power was a full-scale expansion.
A fundamental leap in the very essence of life itself.
Yami stroked his chin, thinking to himself.
"So… collecting the Tailed Beasts might actually be the real endgame route? And this kind of enhancement doesn't come with the drawbacks of becoming a jinchūriki at all."
The greatest flaw of being a jinchūriki was simple and fatal: once the Tailed Beast was extracted, death was inevitable—like gaining a pointless new Achilles' heel.
Even a Ten-Tails jinchūriki would suffer catastrophic damage if the beast were removed.
But the power he had gained by pawning the Five-Tails showed him a completely new path—one utterly different, yet capable of steadily increasing strength without hidden risks.
He didn't even dare imagine how absurd the foundational boost would be if all the Tailed Beasts were collected.
He had originally planned to exchange for Rapid Physical Restoration to fix his chakra pathways, but now that seemed unnecessary.
With his newly enhanced Uzumaki Sage physique, full recovery of his chakra network was only a matter of time.
The only thing that truly concerned him was the system's notice of "pawn failure."
It seemed the rules of the ninja world did not allow a Tailed Beast to be erased completely—the Five-Tails' soul would eventually be reborn somewhere in the world.
That thought inevitably led him to the Sage of Six Paths, watching everything from the Pure Land. Perhaps only when the ninja world faced true annihilation would that old man step in personally.
Setting those thoughts aside—and having just strengthened himself again right under Danzō's nose—Yami felt refreshed in both body and mind.
He even found himself wishing another Five-Tails would appear, just so he could test his current strength properly.
By the time he started planning his next move, dusk had already settled outside.
"Yami-nii, time to head out."
Minato's bright voice came from outside the house. Their homes weren't far apart, and since Nawaki was treating everyone, Yami had made sure to notify Minato—who happened to be on break today. No way he'd shortchange his own little brother.
"Coming."
When he opened the door, Minato's face was lit with rare excitement.
"Why are you this happy?" Yami asked, puzzled. In his experience, Minato was never particularly driven by food.
"That's one of the Three Sannin—Lady Tsunade!"
"…Ah. Right."
Yami froze for a moment before realizing that months of frequent contact had dulled his sense of just how lofty Tsunade's status was in the eyes of ordinary ninja.
For academy students like Minato, admiration for powerful figures—especially the legendary Three Sannin at the height of their fame in the Second Shinobi War—was only natural.
"When I get the chance, I'll introduce you to the other two as well," Yami said shamelessly.
"I'm sure they'll recognize your talent too."
He said it with complete confidence. After all, Minato would eventually become Jiraiya's student anyway—there was nothing to worry about.
At this point, Jiraiya was probably still in the Land of Rain, teaching the future "problem student" who would one day create the infamous 'one bag of rice, how many floors?' scene.
Come to think of it, Jiraiya's line of disciples always seemed to share a strange fate—some inexplicable tendency toward "betraying their teacher and lineage."
The two headed toward Yakiniku Q together, and along the way they ran into Uzumaki Kushina. As Minato's "almost-girlfriend," she was naturally invited along with a casual wave of Yami's hand.
At the restaurant entrance, they found Nawaki and Aburame Shibi already waiting, bouquets in hand.
"Congratulations on getting discharged, Yami-nii!"
"Thanks."
Yami accepted the flowers and followed them inside. Yakiniku Q was as lively as ever.
At their reserved table, Tsunade was already seated, smiling as she watched the younger ones laugh and mess around.
Minato and Kushina immediately greeted her respectfully.
"Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade waved them off, signaling that formalities weren't needed—after all, today's protagonist was Yami.
Once everyone was seated, Nawaki raised his glass first.
"Congratulations again on your recovery, Yami-nii—and thank you for saving our lives on the battlefield!"
Everyone lifted their glasses together, the atmosphere blazing with warmth. It was only then that Minato and Kushina truly learned of Yami's astonishing feats during the battle, their eyes filled with admiration.
Even Tsunade clinked glasses with him repeatedly. She said little, but everything that mattered was already understood.
By the end of the gathering, everyone was thoroughly satisfied. In the lively atmosphere, even Tsunade—rarely—showed signs of drunkenness.
Nawaki and Minato were already arguing about who would become Hokage someday, turning Yakiniku Q into their personal battleground. Tsunade, slightly unsteady, stood up and decided to leave early. Yami followed, worried.
"Brat—don't underestimate adults. I'm fine."
Tsunade muttered with the scent of alcohol on her breath. Perhaps she really was in a good mood—she hadn't even used chakra to sober up, and nearly stumbled.
Yami hurried to support her, agreeing with everything she said.
When they reached the outskirts of the Senju compound, he naturally pushed open the door to her house, preparing to help her inside. Then he heard her murmur softly:
"Arigatō… Nawaki, he…"
Before she could finish, Yami—almost as if possessed—summoned his courage and kissed her.
For a moment, both of them froze.
The night breeze passed.
Tsunade snapped back to clarity, stepping back half a pace, her cheeks flushed red and her eyes filled with disbelief.