Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 176 Progress
The days that followed fell into a period of calm.

During the day, she uses the resources of the Root to research methods for advancing the Sharingan. At night, she draws chakra from the Senju Tree to power the development of ninjutsu on her own body.

She had no clue how to advance her Sharingan because, without an Uchiha test subject, she had difficulty knowing the structure of the special chakra produced by the Uchiha brain. In the end, she could only try to force it by using a massive amount of life force.

The experiment naturally failed.

The boundless life force of the Thousand-Armed Tree is something the Sharingan simply cannot absorb.

The two are worlds apart.

Even with mutually restraining attributes, an ant can never eat an elephant.

Ordinary three-tomoe jades were simply unable to suppress that immense power, let alone absorb and evolve it. If she hadn't been quick-witted, the three-tomoe jades transplanted onto the flesh would have been destroyed by the reverse erosion of Hashirama's cells.

Only a monster like Naruto has a real chance of evolving a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan into the Mangekyou Sharingan.

But by the time Naruto trains it to the Mangekyou Sharingan level, he will most likely lose thirty years of his lifespan. He would be better off training in Sage Mode, which is much more cost-effective than the so-called Mangekyou Sharingan.

Danzo's dream of a kaleidoscope army was destined to fail.

Hui Li didn't care about this.

The investors' dreams went bankrupt, which had nothing to do with her, an employee. She had no intention of pursuing the path of evolving the Sharingan into the Mangekyou Sharingan or the Rinnegan.

The image of Obito Uchiha fleeing in a sorry state after his Kamui ability was suppressed is still vivid in my mind.

The more rigid a ninjutsu is, the easier it is to create openings.

Once the information is obtained, the so-called eerie eye technique appears particularly foolish and clumsy.

Rather than using those mysterious eye techniques, she actually wanted to figure out the knowledge behind them and try to reproduce them in her own way.

While studying the evolution of the Sharingan these days, she is also deconstructing the Kotoamatsukami power in her mind and trying to cast this eye technique with a regular three-tomoe Sharingan.

Theoretically, if Izanagi could succeed, Kotoamatsukami shouldn't be too much of a problem either, but the actual situation was much more complicated than imagined.

Kotoamatsukami's eye technique is extremely complex and unique. Even with the Byakugan's superb observation and analysis, she could only roughly understand Kotoamatsukami's trigger mechanism.

Let me start with the conclusion.

The effects of the Kotoamatsukami on the left and right eyes are not the same.

The left eye, capable of permanently altering will, was in Itachi Uchiha's hands, while Danzo's could only temporarily modify will. It could be undoed, and the cooldown time was very short, far from the abnormally long period of more than ten years.

However, this does not mean that Kotoamatsukami of Daizo is weaker than that of Itachi Uchiha.

The permanent Kotoamatsukami has an extremely long cooldown time, and can only be used a few times in a lifetime. Danzo's Kotoamatsukami has a short cooldown time, can repeatedly modify the subconscious, and can also modify commands in real time, making it free and flexible to use.

After a long period of analysis, Gray Glass has come to a fairly thorough understanding of the so-called mechanism of modifying will.

Kotoamatsukami is essentially a technique where the caster issues a clear command, and the eye power temporarily inserts this command into the recipient's subconscious.

During this process, the subject will not know what the specific instruction is, nor will they know that they have been subjected to a pupil technique. However, their subconscious has been altered, and all thoughts and actions based on this subconscious are conceived by themselves.

such as:

Itachi Uchiha used Kotoamatsukami to give Sasuke the command to 'protect Konoha'.

Sasuke wouldn't know he'd been given such an order, but he would naturally think of Naruto and Sakura, think of the good things about Konoha, and actively develop the idea of ​​'protecting Konoha'.

Even after Kotoamatsukami was deactivated, these thoughts remained in his mind.

Furthermore, since these ideas were his own, and they perfectly align with his inner thoughts and logic, there is still a certain chance that he will be persuaded by these ideas and thus achieve the action of 'protecting Konoha'.

This eye technique involves the soul, conscious mind, and subconscious mind. Not only is the process complex, but many important parts are beyond the scope of conventional ninjutsu, making it difficult to understand. Existing knowledge of Yin Release cannot explain the operating logic of these processes.

If it can be thoroughly studied in the future, Haili can name these laws and knowledge after himself and make them an important theoretical basis for the study of soul and mind ninjutsu. Its level of advancement is no less than Orochimaru's theory of yin arising from yang.

The development of Kotoamatsukami is currently limited to this level. There is still a long way to go before it can be used with the three-tomoe technique, let alone directly relying on chakra to release it.

Its difficulty is not much easier than reversing the Eight Gates.

Compared to the research during the day, the process of extracting chakra at night is nothing special. It's simply that Samehada continuously devours and digests, and she is responsible for acting as the hub for transmission and transformation, delivering chakra to the main body and checking the development status of the Reverse Eight Gates in real time.

According to the original author, the development process was ideal and extremely fast. Due to overwork, he was too lazy to explain the difficulties of the experiment to her, and only told her to continue transmitting chakra normally every day without interruption.

This excited Hui Li, and she would often go to the basement to have Samehada extract her chakra.

During this period, Samehada had no time to rest. Every day, it would eat its fill, digest its food, and then transfer its chakra to Kairi before continuing to devour other creatures.

Because the Wood Release chakra is too stable, Samehada takes a very long time to absorb it each time, like eating a bellyful of sawdust. If it weren't for the fact that Hashirama's chakra tastes pretty good, it would have given up long ago.

This is not Samehada's fault.

Samehada is best at devouring pure chakra.

For example, it loves chakra directly generated from the human body's chakra core and the evil chakra of tailed beasts.

As for the chakra attribute of Hui Li, it is a fusion of three. One part of her own chakra is like a refreshing vegetarian dish to prevent the taste from being too greasy. One part of the Three-Tails' chakra is like a familiar hometown meat dish. In addition, there is the Nine-Tails' top-level feast that she has never eaten before. For Samehada, this is already a full-course banquet.

During this time together, Samehada's tastes have become quite discerning thanks to Hairi. Even if her former master, the Three-Tails, were in front of her, it wouldn't be as appealing to Samehada as the chakra in just one of Hairi's fingers.

To put it bluntly, it has already taken on the shape of gray glass, making it very difficult for it to rebel again in the future.

Besides pure chakra, Samehada can also absorb chakra that has undergone nature transformation, but it is slower to digest and the body may not be able to withstand it.

Water Release and Wind Release chakra are its strongest types, followed by Yin and Yang Release, while Fire Release, Lightning Release, and Earth Release are its weakest.

Water Release goes without saying; having grown up alongside the Three-Tails, absorbing Water Release has become its instinct. As for Wind Release, its nature transformation is relatively loose, making it easy to digest, and its body is very tough, so it is not afraid of the cutting ability of Wind Release.

Both Yin and Yang types can easily devour and digest sharks, but the shark's defenses are ineffective against these two types, so direct devouring should be avoided as much as possible.

Lightning and fire attributes are the two types of chakra it hates the most because it cannot defend against them.

Finally, there's Earth Release, which is extremely stable in nature. Samehada finds it the most difficult to digest, only slightly better than when it devours Wood Release, and the texture isn't its preferred type either.

In its own words, "It's very dry...and tastes awful."

When Hairi teamed up with Orochimaru to attack Kisame Hoshigaki, her high-pressure water gun attack was a combination of feng shui and escape techniques, which was exactly what Samehada wanted. It was swallowed whole without even making a ripple.

However, it was precisely because of this that Samehada tasted the deliciousness of Kairi's chakra and quickly decided to betray Kisame Hoshigaki. Whether she was lucky or unlucky is unknown; if she had used lightning, fire, or earth-based jutsu, Samehada might have had a different perspective.

As the greatest contributor to the battle of Raigūzan, Hui Li did not want to mistreat Samehada.

To prevent Samehada from developing anorexia, each time it finishes consuming and digesting Wood Release chakra, Gray rewards it with a little of his own chakra. With this reward, it still works quite hard when consuming Wood Release chakra.

Time passed peacefully. In the blink of an eye, two weeks had gone by.

During this period, she only returned to the Hatake clan's territory once, to see that Akai and Kakashi were still on missions outside, and then took some changes of clothes and stayed at the Root.

The experiment to reverse the Eight Gates was at a critical stage, and she applied for an even longer leave from the Ninja Academy and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The reason given was that he was researching a crucial ninjutsu and was bursting with inspiration, so he shouldn't be disturbed.

Needless to say, Iruka was very accommodating to her at the Ninja Academy, even reminding her not to overwork herself while developing ninjutsu and to take care of her health. In the end, she left gracefully amidst the envious gazes of Naruto, Shikamaru, and others.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was happy when he first saw her, but when he heard that she would continue to develop ninjutsu, he became a little upset. However, he didn't say anything and just waved his hand, letting her decide for herself.

Hui Li understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's concerns. Given Orochimaru's example, he was afraid that she would go astray.

In fact, his concerns were not unfounded.

Orochimaru's Reanimation Jutsu involves constantly occupying physical bodies to maintain the immortality of his soul, while Orochimaru's Reverse Eight Gates involves devouring life and using it for his own purposes, thus making his physical body eternal.

The two paths belong to Yin and Yang respectively, yet both are equally self-serving and harmful to others, which does not conform to Hiruzen Sarutobi's outdated thinking.

But there's nothing that can be done if it doesn't fit. Reversing the Eight Gates is a path to heaven that Hui Li has opened up for herself, and no one can stop her, not even her own mentor.

The more time she spent with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the more she understood why Orochimaru had disagreements with her, and even why Danzo, whom she had known for many years, had parted ways with her.

She is truly devoted to Konoha, and she is also truly inflexible and stubborn.

Konoha has so many powerful ninjutsu, yet he sealed them all in scrolls and kept them hidden away.

Instead of wasting time researching Hashirama's cells, why not directly summon the real Hashirama Senju?

If the Second Hokage could be summoned using the Impure World Reincarnation technique, he wouldn't need to fight at all. Just provide him with a research site to develop ninjutsu, and the number of forbidden jutsu scrolls in Konoha over the years would be at least two more layers thick.

I don't know if they can't let go of the power they hold, or if they really can't think of these ways to use it.

Confused about Hiruzen Sarutobi's situation, Kairi took leave and returned directly to the Root base.

She continued to absorb chakra every day, practically living in the basement, while Tsubaki came to the basement even more often than she did, appearing precisely on time every night.

Sometimes it talks to itself in front of the giant tree, and sometimes it simply leans against the glass and falls into a deep sleep, not leaving until dawn.

The two do not disturb each other, and have even developed a unique tacit understanding in their regular lives, and will chat when they are bored.

Unable to sleep, Tsubaki told Hairi some stories about the Senju clan.

A conversation can't be just one person talking, and since things from their past lives can't be discussed too much, Hui Li could only recount some stories about the bamboo catching.

Extermination, counterattack, escape...

Hui Li omitted the part about the white eyes, making the story of this experience even more exciting.

Upon hearing about the destruction of the Bamboo Clan, Tsubaki's eyes dimmed with sorrow, as if she were thinking of her own past. The dangerous experience of Hairi fighting back against the Hidden Mist Anbu made her, who had never fought before and only knew medical ninjutsu, extremely nervous, her fists clenched tightly.

He only lowered his fist after hearing that the person had successfully entered Konoha.

The two gradually became more and more familiar with each other.

As Tsubaki recounted the story of the Senju clan in greater depth and detail, it seemed as if she were releasing all the pent-up frustration she had accumulated over the years.

For example, the Senju clan fell into decline after the deaths of the First and Second Hokage. Another example is the outbreak of war, where Senju ninjas fought bravely but suffered heavy casualties, and their attempt to seize the First Hokage's power resulted in a grave mistake.

In the end, in order to maintain dignity, the clan leader followed Hashirama's instructions to conceal the name of the Senju and completely integrate into the common people. She even heard some incredibly shocking news.

"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was also a member of the Senju clan!?"

Hai Ri, who was squatting on the glass pillar using Samehada to extract chakra, suddenly widened her eyes, once again shocked by Tsubaki's astonishing words.

"I'd say half of him! I have a decent relationship with his mother; I even held him when he was little."

With a face that looked only in her thirties, Tsubaki uttered startling words, yet her expression remained remarkably calm, as if it were all perfectly natural.

Hui Li subconsciously wanted to ask the other person's age, but when she thought of the extraordinary vitality of Senju and Uzumaki, she swallowed her question.

The other person is probably no younger than Tsunade, so there's no need to say anything annoying.

"But I heard he's a genius from humble beginnings."

With her preconceived notions from the manga, she still couldn't quite believe Tsubaki's words. If even Minato Namikaze was a bloodline ninja, then this world was too hopeless.

Tsubaki looked up at Hui Li, her expression strangely unsettling.
"Without sufficient chakra, one cannot reach the realm of 'Shadow'."

They either develop Yin-Yang Secret Techniques to enhance chakra or create their own bloodline limit to modify chakra seeds; everyone else inherits their life force from their parents.

The first two methods require a significant time investment in learning and research. Minato already possessed Jonin-level strength before even graduating from the Ninja Academy; how could he possibly be a commoner genius?

Hui Li scratched his head and realized that it was indeed the case.

The more she studied Yin-Yang Release, the more she understood the insurmountable gap between ninjas.

Possessing the bloodlines of both the Hyuga and Taketori, her chakra far surpasses that of her peers, yet she remains at a mid-to-high level Chunin. If she hadn't absorbed the chakra of the Tailed Beasts, her growth trajectory would likely have been similar to, or even worse than, that of Minato Namikaze, which is already quite unusual.

Guy's chakra comes from burning his life force through the Eight Gates, Orochimaru's chakra comes from developing ninjutsu and modifying the human body, and Jiraiya himself had good chakra and later had connections with Mount Myōboku, one of the three great sacred sites.

Minato Namikaze had neither bloodline limit nor secret techniques to increase chakra, so how could he use the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique as a basic attack?
I used to think the other person was just exceptionally talented, but now it seems there are definitely serious problems.

However, if Minato Namikaze himself possessed the bloodline of the Senju clan, then all the above questions could be explained.

The excellent chakra brought by the incomplete Sage Body, Jiraiya's teammate taking her as a disciple, the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique which she could freely practice and use, Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, her childhood friend, and the ability to instantly activate and deactivate Sage Mode at Mount Myōboku.

And then there's Naruto Uzumaki, who inherited the power of both the Uzumaki and Senju clans, and whose chakra is as terrifying as an abyss.

Many things can be explained immediately.

"Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze were vying for the Fourth Hokage position..." Hui Li suddenly thought of many questions she had previously overlooked.

"There are political factors involved, but it's not as dark as you think."

Chunji knew at a glance what Huili was thinking. After spending these days together, she no longer regarded Huili as a child.
"The birth of a bloodline limit requires luck, and the research of Yin-Yang secret arts inevitably involves human experimentation. All secret arts families are born in this way."

Orochimaru needs to remain ruthless to become stronger, but the genius Minato Namikaze can be loved by people simply by showing gentleness and kindness.

That was the root of his failure.

(End of this chapter)