Chapter 83

In the dimly lit room, the bright yellow light was on.

This was a rather rudimentary laboratory, not as well-equipped as the underground laboratory in Konoha. The equipment and materials available here were not as abundant.

However, this place was originally intended as a supply point, so it was natural for the standards to be lower.

This laboratory was located at a secret base somewhere in the Land of Tea. After securing sufficient funds, Shiroishi had his subordinates build such supply points in many countries.

However, most of the bases were set up in smaller countries, with only a few located within the territories of the Five Great Nations. The personnel guarding the bases would communicate using special codes.

Inside a large glass column, the Clay General was placed, surrounded by a green solution rich in natural energy and some restorative agents to help it recover.

Although the Clay General had a certain degree of 'immortality,' it was not truly immortal.

After such a devastating explosion, no matter how strong its life force, it was already feeling exhausted.

Most of the 'clay' had already integrated into its body, but a few pieces still floated in the solution, slowly recovering.

Soon, the laboratory door opened.

The Insect Man walked in.

"Broken to this extent, can it really recover?"

He walked up to Shiroishi, looking at the Clay General in the glass column with great interest, amazed by the artificial life form's resilience.

"The core of this thing is powered by natural energy. At the moment of the explosion, it absorbed a lot of energy from the sea, offsetting most of the explosive force."

"So, as long as the natural energy doesn't dissipate, it won't die?"

The Insect Man had never heard of such a thing before.

Shiroishi smiled and said, "Theoretically, yes, but it's only a theory. There is a limit to what it can endure. However, if I can integrate more powerful sage chakra in the future, it will be the perfect artificial being I envision."

The Insect Man didn't understand these details, but he knew that the creatures Shiroishi created had already surpassed the limits of what chakra could achieve.

If it were to reach its complete form, it would become a terrifying entity, the outcome of which was unpredictable.

But such concerns were a bit like worrying over nothing. As the creator, Shiroishi wouldn't leave it without a way to control it.

As a creation, how could it betray its creator?

There would certainly be comprehensive means of restriction and control.

The Clay General, with its eyes emitting a faint golden glow like a black hole, looked around in the green solution, seemingly pondering something. It then began to swim and play, the resentment in its eyes gradually dissipating.

"Is everything fine in Konoha? You've been away for quite a while."

"No problem. It's a weekend, and the Ninja Academy is on holiday. In about an hour, the Clay General will be fully recovered. I'll have it return to Konoha and summon me back. The total time won't exceed ten hours."

Even if something unexpected happens, Ruri will help me cover it up.

Moreover, as a transparent figure, the only connection I have with the Hokage faction is Tsunade, one of the Sannin.

As for Shomatsu, he represents the civilian class and, strictly speaking, cannot be fully considered part of the Hokage faction.

"Have you read the letter I sent you last time?"

Recalling something, Shiroishi looked at the Insect Man.

"Yes. The Akatsuki will not make contact again, and the Land of Rain will be treated as a restricted area. All the bases there will be withdrawn."

The Insect Man answered.

Although he didn't know what had prompted Shiroishi to make this decision, as a subordinate, he only needed to follow orders.

"What about the arrangements for the Uzumaki survivors?"

"Yesterday, I sent people to escort them back to the Land of Ghosts. Here are their blood and hair samples."

The Insect Man took out two transparent medical bags, one containing fresh red hair, the other with several vials of blood.

Shiroishi took them, trusting the Insect Man's capabilities.

Cautious, meticulous, decisive, and commanding, the Insect Man had a great demeanor.

Even for important missions, Shiroishi would entrust them to him, and the results were always satisfactory.

"Did they reveal the whereabouts of the other Uzumaki survivors?"

Shiroishi believed that the Uzumaki survivors might be in secret contact with each other. He hoped to find other survivors through this group.

Whether to teach them sealing techniques or transform them into combatants, they would be much stronger than ordinary people.

Their naturally strong life force and chakra made them well-suited for natural energy cultivation.

"No, but I believe it's only a matter of time."

"Good to know."

Shiroishi didn't ask how to take care of the Uzumaki survivors, but he trusted that the Insect Man understood his intentions. The specifics could be left to him.

The organization had already gathered many useful talents.

For example, well-known blacksmiths, engineers, and doctors. As long as they had genuine skills and were in dire straits, Shiroishi would have the Insect Man recruit them.

Then, these people would be concentrated at the headquarters in the Land of Ghosts to work for the organization.

During the initial accumulation phase, the help these people provided might not be significant, but once that phase was complete, it would be the time for the organization to truly flourish.

Talents from all walks of life needed to be cultivated, as their development was more challenging than that of combatants.

The reason was that natural energy could be quickly mastered, but knowledge and experience could only be accumulated over time.

The prosperity of the organization depended on these ordinary yet extraordinary talents.

"By the way, this is a letter from the Miko of the Land of Ghosts, Miler, to you, the leader."

The Insect Man took a letter from his pocket and placed it in Shiroishi's hand.

After doing this, he left, as he had many important tasks to attend to as a senior member of the organization.

Shiroishi held the letter from the Miko of the Land of Ghosts, his expression showing surprise.

On the letter, he sensed something familiar—

Natural energy.

The Miko of the Land of Ghosts, Miler... also knew how to use natural energy?

Shiroishi found this intriguing.

He knew that many in the ninja world were unaware of the existence of natural energy. Even those who knew about sage techniques were few.

But compared to the total population, the number of ninjas was very small.

And even among ninjas, only a very small number knew about natural energy.

Shiroishi didn't think natural energy was his exclusive domain; such a thought would be arrogant.

Before him, some summoning beasts had already learned to use natural energy, combining it with chakra to form the sage technique system.

But this time, it was the second entity he had seen, apart from his own, that possessed natural energy.

"The Miko of the Land of Ghosts..."

It was said that the Miko who held power in the Land of Ghosts had the mysterious ability to see the future.

She also possessed unknown sealing techniques, capable of sealing various ancient demons and monsters.

"It seems the path of natural energy is not lonely at all..."

Shiroishi smiled, removing the natural energy from the letter and taking out the paper inside.

Shiroishi picked up the paper, which contained only one line—

"Be careful of Mount Myōboku."

That was it.

Only five words.

Shiroishi frowned.

"Be careful of Mount Myōboku..."

What did that mean?

Why be careful of Mount Myōboku?

He and Mount Myōboku should have no connection.

Why be wary of the toads?

Shiroishi recalled the incident a few years ago when the number of toads suddenly increased in the underground waterways of Konoha, causing his eyes to narrow, the light in them flickering.

"The Miko? Such an interesting existence..."

He didn't fully trust the content of the Miko's letter, but the sudden increase in toads in Konoha a few years ago had already raised the alarm of Ruri's ninja cat.

It was suspected to be the work of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin.

Now, Shiroishi was even more convinced that the probability of Jiraiya being involved was higher.

Although he wanted to go to the Land of Ghosts and talk to the Miko in person, he had too many things to deal with and couldn't leave.

Wait, maybe there was a way.

Shiroishi looked at the Clay General, who was playing in the large glass column. As a communication tool, there was no better choice.

Seeing its carefree and relaxed state, it was clear that it had plenty of free time to use.

He needed to give it something to do to keep it active and prevent it from rusting.

◎

Returning to Konoha took over nine hours, by which time it was almost dawn the next day.

It was Sunday, and the Ninja Academy was still on holiday, allowing Shiroishi to move freely at home.

If he were an ordinary ninja, the meager income would hardly be enough to sustain a living, let alone rent a place.

After all, he wasn't a full-time teacher; his monthly salary was enough to support himself with some left over.

But as the foster husband of a Uchiha prodigy, Shiroishi felt that his role as an assistant teacher at the Ninja Academy was just a way to experience life.

Money was not a concern; what mattered was a positive and optimistic attitude towards life.

Hyuga Kaza, who was lying unconscious on the operating table, had also been transported back by the Clay General.

Before being summoned back, Shiroishi had already slept for a few hours to ensure he had the energy to continue his research upon return.

Shiroishi didn't intend to waste time. Although he had plenty of time, he needed to focus on infiltrating the Byakugan and the Caged Bird Seal.

Once that was done, he would have more confidence in his future plans.

Not only would it enhance his own, Ruri's, and Ayame's abilities, but it would also significantly boost the capabilities of core members.

After injecting a special sedative into Kaza and securing him with strong restraints, he disrupted the flow of chakra in his body to prevent him from using the Byakugan and Gentle Fist to resist when he woke up, which could interfere with Shiroishi's research.

"Ruri is probably still asleep at this hour..."

Shiroishi thought for a moment and decided not to disturb Ruri, leaving the Clay General to watch over his body.

Shiroishi walked over to Kaza, formed hand seals, and his ethereal spirit separated from his body, entering Kaza's body while he was unconscious, connecting with his spiritual world to uncover the secrets of the Byakugan.

Main family ninjas knew more about the Byakugan and the Caged Bird Seal.

Kaza's status in the Hyuga clan was not low.

Unlike the blank spiritual world of the white creature he had entered before, Kaza's spiritual world contained many elements.

Shiroishi wandered through this unknown world. In front of him were stone pillars tied with white ropes, blocking his path.

"Of course, there are defensive techniques. I knew it wouldn't be that simple. This must be some powerful sealing technique."

Shiroishi's expression became serious.

The terrifying experience in the white creature's spiritual world was still fresh in his mind.

Although the pressure from these stone pillars was not as overwhelming as that from the Sharingan, the technique was still very powerful, and its structure was different from ordinary sealing techniques.

"This is quite a challenging task."

Having understood the power of the technique, Shiroishi began to search for its specific structure, looking for weak points to break through.

He placed his palm on the stone pillar tied with white ropes to sense it.

The Spirit Body Technique was a very convenient S-rank secret jutsu with special and comprehensive functions, especially in terms of soul and spirit.

Since the technique in Kaza's mind was rooted in the spiritual world, Shiroishi could use the Spirit Body Technique to find weak points and entry points.

"Weak point here."

Shiroishi, following the sequence, quickly untied the white ropes on three stone pillars.

At the same moment, the stone pillars blocking his path immediately shattered and fell to the sides.

"Then—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a large number of stone pillars tied with white ropes fell from above, forming a cage around him, trapping him inside.

Cold sweat appeared on Shiroishi's forehead.

"Multiple techniques exist? This is a bit tricky..."

Shiroishi had to continue searching for the entry point of the technique.

However, when he tried to touch the stone pillars to sense them, he found that no matter how he moved, he couldn't touch them.

He was moving, but the distance to the stone pillars remained infinite.

Shiroishi stopped, knowing that continuing would only exhaust his spiritual energy.

The second technique was clearly more complex than the first.

Shiroishi calmed down and carefully examined the surrounding stone pillars, trying to find something.

After a while, he noticed that the arrangement of the stone pillars was familiar.

"This formation is... the Eight Trigrams?"

Shiroishi muttered to himself.

"Infinite and formless, encompassing all... It will take a lot of time to break through..."

Shiroishi had to gather his strength and slowly search for an exit.

Time passed slowly.

When his ethereal spirit returned to his body, Shiroishi saw that it was already 9 PM, and he felt hungry due to the lack of food.

"Did it take that long?"

He felt that he hadn't spent much time in Kaza's spiritual world, but an entire day had passed.

On the operating table, Kaza's eyes were white, but when he opened them, visible blood vessels appeared in the pure white eyes, and saliva dripped from his mouth, showing signs of intense struggle.

On the adjacent table, there was cold food, probably brought by Ruri.

After a quick meal, Shiroishi had the Clay General take the dishes away.

He had gained a lot from Kaza's spiritual world. After breaking through the second complex technique, the path was smooth, and he obtained various memories from Kaza, including the secrets of the Caged Bird Seal and the Byakugan.

Through the perception of Kaza's body, Shiroishi understood the differences between the Main Family and Branch Family Byakugan.

The defects in the Branch Family Byakugan were not present in the Main Family Byakugan.

These defects were related to the Caged Bird Seal.

Thanks to this, Shiroishi found the 'line' connecting the Branch Family Byakugan to the Caged Bird Seal.

It was similar to defusing a bomb.

If the wrong line was cut, it would explode.

"Take him to the Land of Ghosts. He's no longer useful here. Also, deliver this letter to the Miko of the Land of Ghosts."

Shiroishi took a sealed letter and had the Clay General carry it, wrapping Kaza's body and taking him to the Land of Ghosts.

"Next, I need to break the Caged Bird Seal..."

He had a subject ready.

On another operating table lay another Hyuga clan ninja, Hyuga Shinji.

Initially captured by Shiroishi's subordinates, his role was to test the path for Ayame.

Shiroishi walked to the table and began to prepare the solution.

His initial method was also a solution, and he already had a complete and feasible plan.

The purpose of exploring Kaza's spiritual world was to confirm this and to understand the differences between the Branch Family and Main Family Byakugan.

According to Ayame, the Branch Family Byakugan had a blind spot, while the Main Family Byakugan had no such defect.

The difference between the Main Family and Branch Family Byakugan lay in the Caged Bird Seal.

The defects in the Branch Family By