Bab 168: Chapter 168: Soul Imprisonment!
"Root, huh!"
"That's part of Konoha's Anbu, and their leader is said to be none other than Danzo, the second most powerful figure in Konoha!"
White Zetsu feigned surprise, "But this kind of behavior—hunting down comrades to steal their Kekkei Genkai—wouldn't be so bold without the Hokage's permission, right?"
"I've been observing for a while now, and you're not the only one being hunted."
"Quite a few Uchiha have died in battle, and their eyes have been secretly taken as well."
"If that's the case, your top priority should be rescuing your clansmen, don't you think?"
"But Root's power is immense, and you stand no chance against them."
Uchiha Yū's face turned ashen, and he barked, "Then take me to them right now!"
White Zetsu nodded eagerly, "Of course I can."
"But... you're marching to your death, you know!"
Yū resolutely replied, "I can't just stand by and watch my clansmen be killed and have their eyes taken."
"Then follow me!" White Zetsu grinned. "And don't resist."
As he spoke, White Zetsu retracted his spore clones, then placed a hand on Yū's shoulder, enveloping his entire body swiftly.
"What is this…?"
Yū was both shocked and wary. "What are you?"
White Zetsu chuckled softly, "Relax, I have no ill intentions toward you."
"I'm simply following my master's orders to help you!"
As White Zetsu spoke, Yū felt his body lift off the ground—or rather, White Zetsu was controlling him.
"Master?" Yū asked in shock. "Who is your master?"
White Zetsu smiled. "You'll find out soon enough."
A moment later, White Zetsu led Yū to the corpse of an Uchiha. The eye sockets were empty.
"Too late, unfortunately."
White Zetsu sighed.
"Damn it, has Root gone insane?" Yū seethed with fury, his Sharingan flashing red but showing no signs of further awakening.
White Zetsu, a bit disappointed, then guided Yū to more Uchiha corpses. They appeared to have been killed by Iwa-nin, but all of their eyes had been gouged out.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Suddenly, several figures appeared.
More than a dozen Root ninjas surrounded Yū.
"You're all Root shinobi. Who gave you the order?" Yū roared in anger.
"Looks like the intel's been compromised!"
"We must take him down!"
Without hesitation, the Root ninjas attacked.
But White Zetsu had already used Spore Technique, and one by one, White Zetsu clones emerged from the Root ninjas, sapping their chakra.
However, the elite Root operatives weren't pushovers, each employing various techniques to counter.
"Die!"
Yū roared, fighting desperately.
The sound of clashing metal, explosions, and agonized screams echoed through the rain-soaked battlefield.
Moments later, all the Root ninjas lay defeated, but Yū, injured, was down on one knee.
White Zetsu's clones disposed of the Root corpses and returned, injecting chakra into Yū's body to heal his wounds.
"Too bad, none of them had Sharingan. It seems there are more out there."
White Zetsu suggested, "You should leave this place quickly. You're no match for them."
Yū stood up, his expression cold. "Take me to your master!"
White Zetsu looked pleased. "So, you've made up your mind?"
Yū nodded coldly. "You're right. I can't fight Root alone."
"And Root can easily claim that my clansmen were killed by Iwa-nin, while they were merely retrieving the Sharingan."
"Danzo has always harbored hostility toward the Uchiha."
"So, I want to borrow your master's strength to fight against him."
White Zetsu nodded. "Then follow me."
He controlled Yū's body, leading him north, into the Land of Grass, through a cave, deep into the Tomb of the Mountains, where they finally met Uchiha Madara.
Yū hadn't expected White Zetsu's master to be such an elderly man. "You… sir…"
For a moment, Yū didn't know what to say. Could such an old man help him fight Danzo?
Madara lifted his gaze, noticing Yū's three-tomoe Sharingan, then glanced at White Zetsu.
White Zetsu shrugged helplessly, "I thought the situation was intense enough, but Yū still didn't awaken."
Madara, expressionless, stared at Yū. His eyes immediately transformed into the three-tomoe Sharingan. "I... am Uchiha Madara!"
Yū was stunned. "Uchiha... Madara?"
"That's impossible!"
"He... he died a long time ago!"
Yū couldn't believe it.
Madara remained calm, "Can't believe it?"
"No matter."
With that, he activated a genjutsu.
Caught off guard, Yū's mind was overwhelmed, and he was instantly controlled without any resistance.
"Leave him to you."
Madara turned to White Zetsu. "Keep an eye on the other one. That one should have more potential."
White Zetsu was skeptical. "Madara-sama, it's not that I doubt your judgment, but that guy looks pretty clueless."
"Even though he awakened with two-tomoe Sharingan, to be honest, he's far inferior to Uchiha Shisui, the genius of the Uchiha clan."
"Why not choose Uchiha Shisui?"
Madara didn't explain. "Just do it."
"Alright!"
White Zetsu sighed, then wrapped Yū, leaving only his eyes visible.
He donned a black hooded robe and a mask before setting out.
...
In Konoha Village, after completing his early morning training, Shūichi sent a clone to the experimental base and carried a batch of snacks, specially prepared by Asuka, to visit his teacher, Minato Namikaze.
"Shūichi!"
"I knew it was you!"
Opening the door was Kushina Uzumaki, smiling brightly. She gestured to his height, saying, "Minato mentioned it, but I didn't believe it. You're almost as tall as me now!"
"Hey, what kind of special food did you eat?"
Kushina pinched Shūichi's cheek, then poked his arm, squeezing his bones with curiosity.
Shūichi pondered seriously for a moment before responding, "It might be because... I ate tailed beast meat?"
Kushina froze for a moment, then asked seriously, "Really?"
Shūichi nodded, completely serious. "Of course."
"The horn of the Eight-Tails is crispy, and the tail of the Four-Tails has a nice texture."
Kushina snorted, "Yeah right, I don't believe your nonsense."
"Come on in!"
She pulled Shūichi inside, continuing, "Minato went out on a mission. He mentioned you'd be coming by today."
While talking, she took the snacks Shūichi brought and began to eat them, then brought out her own "Kushina-style" snacks for him.
"Just got back and already has a mission? Lord Third Hokage sure doesn't give him a break, does he?"
Shūichi grumbled.
Kushina gave a thumbs-up and then handed Shūichi a scroll that Minato had left for him. "Here, this is something Minato left for you. It's a technique related to souls, but it includes forbidden jutsu, so be careful when practicing."
"By the way, are you really confident about completing that technique you mentioned within three years?"
Kushina looked at Shūichi with some concern.
Shūichi patted his chest confidently. "Don't worry, Kushina-san! I'm a genius when it comes to developing jutsu!"
"My Fire Nether Chain may not be as strong as your Adamantine Sealing Chains, but it's not bad either!"
"I'm just one step away from completing it."
Kushina immediately encouraged him, "Keep it up! I'll help you too!"
Shūichi nodded and opened the scroll.
The first technique made his eyes widen.
Soul Imprisonment Technique!
"So it's this technique…"
Shūichi recalled that it was something the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had once used on Uchiha Sasuke.
"Soul Imprisonment… is this the precursor to the Impure World Reincarnation technique?"
Shūichi wondered as he unrolled the scroll completely.
Impure World Reincarnation!
Shūichi was shocked to see that even this jutsu had been included.
Kushina glanced at the technique and gasped in shock, "No wonder Minato told you to be cautious—it actually requires a living person as a sacrifice!"
Shūichi chuckled, "We're only studying the soul-related parts of it."
Kushina nodded in agreement, "That makes sense."
She then became eager, "Well, let's get started quickly then!"
Shūichi nodded, and the two immediately began researching the Soul Imprisonment Technique.
After a while, Shūichi rubbed his chin and said, "This technique doesn't seem that hard, actually."
Kushina looked puzzled, "Is that so?"
Why did it seem complicated to her?
Shūichi thought for a moment and reassured her, "It's probably because I've already practiced the Spiritual Transformation Technique. That jutsu allows the soul to carry chakra outside of the body."
Kushina believed him.
For the next few days, Shūichi was constantly moving between Minato's home, Konoha Hospital, and the experimental base.
However, one day, he suddenly received a message from Orochimaru, and his real body headed to Orochimaru's experimental base.
"Is this about continuing the soft body modification?"
Shūichi asked upon seeing Orochimaru.
Orochimaru shook his head, "The soft body modification isn't ready yet. This time, I wanted to share an exciting new result with you."
"A new result?"
Shūichi's curiosity was piqued. "I'd love to see it."
Orochimaru smiled, "I've found a way to balance the power of Hashirama's cells."
Shūichi was stunned, "Balance the power of Hashirama's cells?"
"What method?"
Orochimaru smiled slyly, "Thanks to your previous analysis, Shūichi-kun, I realized that the powerful Yang Release energy within Hashirama's cells can only be controlled by an equally strong mental energy."
"And in terms of mental power, nothing is more suitable than the Uchiha clan's Sharingan."
Sharingan!
As expected...
Shūichi sighed inwardly.
He had deliberately avoided information related to this topic before, but it seemed like it had come to him regardless.
No surprise—it was Bastard Snake Orochimaru, after all.
Even without his involvement, Orochimaru had still managed to figure out the connection between Hashirama's cells and the Sharingan, uncovering more secrets along the way.
But was this really about sharing a new discovery?
As Shūichi pondered further, he realized that Orochimaru likely had a deeper motive.
Was the revelation about obtaining a Sharingan for research a deliberate move?
But wouldn't that be giving away leverage?
Was this aimed at Danzo?
In an instant, Shūichi's mind raced through numerous possibilities, though none of his thoughts showed on his face.
Instead, he carefully considered and responded, "From what we know about how the Sharingan is awakened and advanced, it's clear that it's primarily driven by mental energy. The Sharingan's genjutsu abilities are also incredibly strong, which indicates that Yin Release must be very powerful."
"Just as the five basic elements counter each other, perhaps Yin and Yang also balance each other out."
"However, Hashirama's cells are immensely powerful. I doubt that an ordinary Sharingan could suppress them, wouldn't you agree, Orochimaru-sama?"
Orochimaru nodded. "You're right."
"It's not so much about suppression, but even maintaining balance would require a Sharingan with at least three tomoe."
"But you, Shūichi-kun, have a unique constitution, and your mental strength is strong enough to suppress a tailed beast. Your mastery of genjutsu is on par with Uchiha Shisui's, who possesses a three-tomoe Sharingan. Your affinity for Yin Release is likely better than mine."
"That's why I believe you're even more suitable than someone with a three-tomoe Sharingan."
"If it were you, I'm confident you could fully inherit the First Hokage's power!"
Although Shūichi had a lot of confidence in himself, he shook his head. "If I were to consider this, I would first seek Tsunade-sama's approval."
Orochimaru, knowing Tsunade well, smiled. "If it's you, she wouldn't object, not if it's for the village."
But Shūichi still shook his head. "I prefer to gain power through understanding its essence, rather than simply transplanting the First Hokage's cells."
"Besides, Lord Hashirama's body had its own limitations. If his Yang Release power were so overwhelming, he wouldn't have died so early."
Orochimaru paused, then nodded in agreement, though he couldn't hide his disappointment.
In his eyes, Shūichi was the perfect test subject.
During his experiments combining the Sharingan and Hashirama's cells, he had discovered some intriguing things, but he lacked a suitable host.
And Shūichi, Orochimaru believed, was the ideal vessel capable of harnessing both the power of Hashirama's cells and the Sharingan.
...
As Shūichi left Orochimaru's lab, he furrowed his brow in thought.
The combination of Sharingan and Hashirama's cells meant that Danzo's power would soon increase.
But that wasn't the real issue.
The problem lay in the position he was in now.
Shisui was his friend, the Fourth Hokage was his teacher, and to the Third Hokage, he was a loyal subordinate.
"Snake Bastard sure knows how to throw me into a dilemma…"
"Damn it, if I were an Uchiha, I'd rebel too!"
Shūichi cursed inwardly as he used the Body Flicker technique to appear at the Hokage Tower.
"Are you here to see Lord Third Hokage?"
A masked figure named Chihiro appeared.
Shūichi nodded and asked, "Has the captain gone on a mission?"
Chihiro nodded back. "Yes, he's gone to Iwagakure."
"Wait here, I'll inform the Hokage."
With that, Chihiro disappeared.
A moment later, Shūichi knocked and entered the Hokage's office, getting straight to the point. "Lord Third Hokage, Orochimaru-sama specifically informed me today that the Root division has been hunting down Uchiha clan members, seizing their Sharingan for experiments involving the First Hokage's cells."
Shūichi had principles—his character couldn't break!
"What?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was shocked and quickly asked, "Does anyone else know about this?"
Shūichi responded honestly, "Not that I know of for now, but I haven't told anyone else yet."
"However, this matter will inevitably come to light. The Sharingan can balance the power of the First Hokage's cells, and the Root is likely to weaponize this. It's only a matter of time before it's exposed."
"Moreover, this definitely involves more than just one Uchiha. This will cause distrust among other bloodline clans and even families that rely on secret jutsu."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath to calm himself.
He had already considered these things, which was why he had reacted so strongly.
"That damn Danzo…"
Sarutobi couldn't help but curse, yet he knew he had no choice but to clean up Danzo's mess.
This information absolutely couldn't get out. If it did, Konoha would be thrown into chaos.
Especially since the Uchiha were still fighting on the front lines!
(End of Chapter)
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Status Power Mingguan
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