Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 174 The Power of Shadow Clone

Barrier Section.

The dense black runes covered the entire space like ivy climbing a wall, and rows of metal pillars stood on the mottled ground, each topped with a silver disc covered with strange patterns.

The base of the metal pillar was connected to a red chakra membrane, which continuously emitted a blood-like, blinding light. Combined with the spells on the walls and ceiling, this made the entire room appear even more sinister and terrifying.

Didi!

A fair, delicate hand, strong enough to crush steel into mud, covered one of the silver discs.

A piercing sound filled the air as purple power slowly left its mark on a gray disc, forming a pattern representing yin and yang and the flow of water, which was gradually solidified.

hum!
As the final stroke of the design was completed, the purple light immediately dimmed.

Upon seeing the pattern take shape, Ryoma Aburame quickly formed hand seals, transferring the chakra diagram imprinted on the surface of the silver disc into the red barrier through the barrier hub. Hairi clearly felt a wisp of her chakra merging with that barrier.

Barrier - Simulated Concealment Gate Array.

A Rank B barrier technique used by all Root and Anbu bases. Its effect is to conceal the situation inside the barrier, simulate the external environment, and identify whether the chakra fluctuations of the person entering the barrier match the stored chakra by pre-inputting a chakra map.

Once a chakra match is achieved, you can pass through by inputting chakra. If the barrier is not formed, it will automatically lock and start alarming.

This can be described as a very versatile ninjutsu, and the barrier she created in her seclusion in the Forest of Death originated from it.

"Now we can pass through normally."

Aburame Ryoma quickly sealed the silver plate and politely invited Gray out of the barrier area by extending his arm.

This place is not usually open to the public. The Barrier Club only has three members: the club leader is Ryoma Aburame, and the other two are Cho and Fu Yamanaka.

no way.

Sensory ninjas are rare wherever they go. Although Root is a large and powerful organization, it only has a handful of ninjas with sensory abilities.

The Barrier Department also has another name: the Perception Barrier Class. If Hui Li hadn't joined the Experiment Department, this department would have been the most likely place she would have entered.

Having achieved her goal, Samehada on her shoulder, like a child who hadn't eaten dinner, was already throwing a tantrum. Kairi waved goodbye to Aburame Ryoma.

"Wait a moment."

Aburame Ryoma suddenly called out to Hairi, pointing with his finger to his right eye, which was covered by sunglasses:
"Be careful," he earnestly warned once again.

Knowing all along that Danzo's right eye was Kotoamatsukami, she instantly understood his meaning, nodded and accepted Ryoma Aburame's inexplicable kindness, then quickly headed straight for the Experimentation Department with Samehada in her hand.

Put aside the trivial matters between Ryoma and Danzo for now; dealing with important business is more important.

Da da da……

Hui Li quickened her pace, sweeping through the dimly lit corridor like a gust of wind. The petite figure carrying a door panel that looked like a giant sword on the wall disappeared in the blink of an eye.

She quickly arrived at the entrance of the experimental department, already very familiar with the layout.

Click!

The door to the experimental department slowly opened, and a familiar blast of cold air rushed out.

Because experiments inside the beehive require a lot of human samples, the temperature inside is lower than outside to prevent these precious living tissues from rotting and smelling bad.

Enter the experimental department.

The normally brightly lit beehive is now completely dark.

The experimental subject, locked to the bed, lay pale-faced. There was no other person in sight. Various sterilized scalpels and hemostatic forceps were neatly arranged in the instrument cabinet, which looked strangely terrifying and sinister.

She entered Konoha at dusk, just as the sun was about to set.

After discussions with the original body regarding the reversal of the Eight Gates and negotiations with Danzo, it was already night, and everyone in the Experiment Department had gone back to rest. At this moment, she was the only one here, which made it convenient for her to experiment with Samehada's abilities.

Arriving at the door to the hidden basement, Hui Li took a deep breath, placed her palm on the pale red barrier in front of her, and quickly poured chakra into it.

A chakra diagram quickly appeared on the surface of the barrier. The pattern that had just been branded on the barrier surface was quickly compared with the newly injected power. After confirming that the two were the same, the barrier absorbed Gray Glass's chakra and quickly disappeared.

Hui Li was not surprised to see that a significant amount of chakra had disappeared from her body.

Maintaining the barrier for a long time consumes a huge amount of chakra, far beyond what the two or three people in the barrier team can sustain. In fact, every time the barrier is opened and closed, it absorbs some of the injected chakra to sustain daily wear and tear.

Crunch!

The iron gate, seemingly rusted from years of neglect, emitted a piercing wail in the dimly lit and quiet experimental department. The dark staircase below was completely devoid of light, as if swallowed by darkness.

With her white eyes wide open, Hui Li gazed longingly at the vibrant green light in the darkness. She strode down the stairs, her figure carrying the giant sword gradually disappearing into the darkness.

hum!
The hidden crimson barrier covered the basement door again, ripples flashed, and everything returned to its original state.

The honeycomb-like experimental department fell silent immediately.

After a while.

squeak--

The massive iron door outside the experimental department was slowly pulled open, and a dark eye peered out from side to side through the crack in the door, finally fixing its gaze on the door on the other side of the operating room as if it had discovered something.

That was the secret passage leading to the basement.

……

Da da!

Descending the stairs to the bottom floor, the closed barrier blocked Baiyan's vision, and Huili could no longer see the outside world; all she could see was the towering tree encased in a huge glass pillar in front of her.

The lush, verdant foliage filled the sky like a green cloud, and the thick trunk was riddled with deep ravines, twisted into countless fearful human faces.

Beneath the tree roots, countless human bodies intertwined like molten wax to form a base. Pale limbs, indistinguishable as hands or feet, protruded from the tumor, and the exposed muscle fibers were a bluish-gray like corpse wax, covered with a moss-like biofilm that constantly secreted mucus.

The brownish-yellow solution, resembling aged rice wine, soaked the chunks of meat beneath the giant tree, bubbling and bubbling, filling the air with a sour and astringent smell.

Gum!

Unable to suppress his saliva, Hui Li, carrying Samehada, who was already rolling around excitedly due to sensing the enormous amount of chakra, quickly approached the giant tree.

A chakra core as large as a star was deeply buried in the flesh, and soaring green life force mixed with chakra more terrifying than that of a tailed beast evaporated and shone within the giant tree.

That is a wellspring of chakra, a vast and boundless ocean of life!

After hundreds of Senju clan members with Sage Bodies were implanted with Hashirama cells, the towering tree, built with the life force of the entire clan, was nourished by experimental subjects being continuously thrown into its roots for decades. The terrifying amount of chakra inside it far exceeded Hairi's understanding.

It is immeasurable and its end is unseen, leaving one only to sigh in despair.

The last thing that could bring her such a shock was Kurama inside Naruto.

It's sizzling!

Excited, Samehada stretched out its sharp spines, tearing apart the bandages covering its entire body. It opened its huge mouth, and its sharp teeth bloomed like sunflowers.

"Be careful, this thing is rather strange."

Hui Li forcibly suppressed the desire in her heart, gently patting the hard body of the sharkskin with her hand, unsure whether she was warning the other or herself.

After years of being sealed and restricted, the chakra of this giant tree has become very stable. In addition, due to its plant nature, it has no independent consciousness or aggression.

Beneath the massive fleshy base, the incantation for the Reverse Four Symbols Seal was also engraved.

Once an abnormal fluctuation in the giant tree's chakra is detected, the seal will be activated, destroying the giant tree along with the entire basement. This is why Danzo dared to entrust this thing to Hairi for research. However, even so, the corrosiveness of Hashirama cells should not be underestimated, especially for life forms like Samehada, which is extremely dangerous.

We still can't be careless.

"Woo!"

The shark roared excitedly, its body spikes flashing as it stretched out, clearly it was starving.

Stepping on the smooth glass pillars, Gray Glass quickly darted to the top of the giant tree.

Before her, the ever-growing green ocean surged and churned. She broke the seal on the top of the glass, revealing a small door that could be opened freely.

Experimental subjects are introduced from here, or the suppressant venom is replaced.

Click!

The glass door was pulled open by Hui Li. Before she could even touch the giant tree, a stuffy and strong sour smell mixed with the stench of decay hit her nose, as if a lump of rotten meat had been fermented in a sauerkraut jar. The smell made her dizzy and disoriented, and her shadow clone almost exploded.

Frowning and blocking the feedback from the nasal cavity, Gray Glass thrust its sharkskin, which had no nose and a long tongue, into the glass door, its broad and massive body completely blocking the glass door.

The stinging pain in my nasal cavity has finally subsided considerably.

Gum!

The moment Samehada touched the branches and leaves of the giant tree, it excitedly opened its huge mouth and bit down hard on the incredibly lush branches and leaves. Its plump body kept twisting and turning, and the barbs scratched the edge of the glass door, making a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

Hui Li pressed herself against the glass, anxiously watching Samehada's condition.

As soon as it showed any discomfort, she simply pulled Samehada out of the glass door.

Gum!

Gum!

Hui Li's worries were somewhat unnecessary.

Samehada opened its blood-red maw and happily bit into the branch, swallowing it. Rich green chakra gathered along the veins of the leaf and eventually poured into its body, without any apparent discomfort.

Whoosh!

Samehada absorbed chakra at an incredible speed, creating a huge hole in the center of the green sea that filled the treetops. The viscous, liquid-like chakra swirled and poured into the hole, even creating a slight breeze inside the glass pillar.

The leaves trembled, and the branches swayed in the wind as if dancing.

Strands of chakra flowed along the meridians in Hui Li's right hand, eventually gathering in the purple chakra core. A familiar feeling of power expanding rapidly spread throughout her body.

Clench your left fist and pound your heart.

The double-spiral chakra chains in the void were instantly illuminated, and the infinitely surging purple power flowed along the spirals, frantically transmitting to a greater distance.

Two seconds later.

"It helped a lot."

The original's weary voice entered her mind through the link.

Opening the Eight Gates consumes life force, the shadow clones relieve the fatigue of the transfer, and the main body is also exploring the feasibility of reversing the Eight Gates. With these three buffs stacked, even an iron man would find it hard to withstand.

This is why the ash bones were sealed away.

Otherwise, the feeling of fatigue will be compounded.

"Don't die in the cave," Yang Dun Hui Li said with some worry. "If reversing the Eight Gates doesn't work, we can always think of another way. There's no need to risk your life like this."

"It's because there's hope that I work so hard!"

The voice of the main body was weary yet filled with intense excitement, even bordering on mania.

"Progress so quickly!?"

Upon understanding the hidden meaning in the words of the main body, Yang Dun Hui Li was genuinely surprised. Less than three hours had passed since she left the cave, and the Eight Gates Reversal had made progress so quickly.

"Sixty-six clones cultivating simultaneously—it's hard to imagine how fast that is unless you experience it firsthand. Although you were only gone for three hours, I've been researching non-stop for nine days!"

If converted to an eight-hour workday from my previous life, that would be a full 25 days.

"Hiss! Can your body handle this?"

"His body is still okay, but his brain is starting to sluggish. Naruto is ruthless!"

"Don't compare yourself to cheaters. I've already secured a six-month trial of the Thousand Hands Tree. We have plenty of time, so there's no need to rush."

"Don't worry, I know what's going on."

Chakra communication was quickly interrupted. Yang Release: Gray Smile suppressed his inner worries and continued to stuff Samehada, whose body had swelled up like a fleshy shaft, into the glass pillar.

He gripped the hilt of Samehada and continuously drew chakra, sending it into the distance.

That's all she can do now.

Squeak, squeak, squeak!!!
The ear-piercing scratching sound on the glass suddenly became extremely loud, and the shark's flesh, which was biting the branch, writhed wildly.

"what happened?"

Startled by Samehada's strange transformation, Hairi hurriedly pulled the aggrieved Samehada out of the glass door, only to find that Samehada, which had swelled to its limit, was stuck inside the glass door, its swollen and open spikes wedged tightly into the door crack, making it impossible to move forward or backward.

It's sizzling!

Hui Li opened his mouth and spewed out a gust of wind, instantly widening the narrow entrance with a sharp wind blast.

Squeak!
The trembling spikes left white marks on the glass, and Gray Glass yanked Samehada, who had inexplicably gone berserk, out of the glass door!

boom!
He jumped down carrying the wildly writhing sharkskin.

The solid ground, reinforced by countless layers of seals, was instantly dented by the gray glass, and the shockwave sent a layer of dust flying outwards.

She disregarded everything else, placing the excruciatingly painful Samehada on the ground, a thick, purple blade already gathering in her palm.

Ordinary wind-style techniques are no longer effective when performing surgery on a creature like Samehada, which has extremely high defensive capabilities.

Medical Ninjutsu: Chakra Scalpel.

The Yang Release Cutting Technique is a powerful medical ninjutsu that targets living organisms. It simulates life force to ignore physical defenses and directly cuts through the body's tiny, weak points.

Thump thump thump!

Like a monstrous fish washed ashore by the waves, Samehada writhed in agony, its steel sword hilt slamming against the ground repeatedly, producing terrifying tremors.

Byakugan power gathered, and a giant tumor swelled up on Samehada's abdomen in the eyes of Gray Glass. The tumor was filled with dark green chakra, which was clearly the culprit that caused its suffering.

The thin purple blade slowly pressed against the spherical abdomen of the shark's skin.

Just as she was about to cut!

Click!

The basement door suddenly opened.

The sudden sound startled Hui Li, who quickly turned around and saw a figure dressed entirely in black standing in the middle of the doorway, with cold and wooden eyes.

(End of this chapter)