After inspecting the laboratory, Ye Zi returned to his own room.
Under the harsh, glaring light, he took out a glass container holding the Rinnegan and placed it gently on the table. Then he stood there in silence, staring at the eyes.
Time flowed by.
One hour… two… three…
Ye Zi stood motionless, like a stone statue before the desk.
After a while longer, he suddenly reached out, picked up the glass container, stored it away, and headed for the door.
"It's time to replenish Go Tenjin's energy."
With that thought, he left his room for the training grounds and had Kotoe summon all the genjutsu specialists.
He could have used some of the genjutsu-capable reanimated shinobi to feed Tenjin, but there weren't many, mostly Uchiha, fewer than ten suitable. By contrast, among the Snake Squad, there were more than twenty-five who specialized in genjutsu.
Ye Zi's plan was to first draw energy from the Snake Squad members, then, once they were drained, return to his room and continue with the Edo Tensei shinobi.
Kotoe carried out his order swiftly. Soon, all the Snake Squad's genjutsu-users were gathered at the training ground. She then obediently stood aside, watching silently, not knowing what Ye Zi intended.
"Use genjutsu on me. Keep going until your chakra runs dry," Ye Zi said directly, meeting the gazes of his assembled subordinates.
The Snake Squad members, who had expected a mission, froze at his words. None moved to obey.
Even Shin wore a look of puzzlement, hesitating instead of casting an illusion.
Kotoe too blinked in surprise at the command.
Ye Zi's eyes shifted, transforming into Mangekyō Sharingan. "Just do it," he said flatly.
Shin, who had been about to question him, swallowed the words back down at once.
Glancing at one another, the squad no longer hesitated. One by one, they unleashed genjutsu upon him.
All twenty-six of them, including Jin, assailed him at once.
One minute… two… three…
Ye Zi stood firm, eyes sharp, expression utterly calm, showing no sign of being caught in any illusion.
The Snake Squad realized it too. Shocked, yet loyal, they continued to pour genjutsu at him relentlessly.
Invisible streams of energy flowed into his right eye, into Tenjin.
Perhaps because he had once released its fully charged energy all at once during the battle at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, this time the absorption process was clearer.
Though he could not literally "see" genjutsu energy, Ye Zi could now sense its flow vividly, almost as if it were visible.
The striking change, however, did not stir his composure. He calmly received the torrent of genjutsu energy.
"So defenseless, yet not a single illusion works on Lord Ye Zi…"
"As expected of Lord Ye Zi!"
"He's incredible!"
"Truly strong!"
Whispers of awe filled the squad members' thoughts. None of them questioned why his body was unaffected, they only admired him more.
Only Shin considered it deeply. As he wove illusions, he watched Ye Zi's Mangekyō and thought quietly: It must be those eyes…
Soon, chakra exhaustion began to claim them. One after another collapsed, gasping for breath.
Then another, and another, until most lay spent on the ground, only Shin still holding out with his reserves.
"Enough," Ye Zi ordered at last.
Shin lowered his hands, halting his next jutsu.
"That will do. Rest now."
With a nod to Shin and Kotoe, Ye Zi turned and left.
Kotoe made to follow, but he stopped her, instructing her to stay and look after the exhausted squad.
She had no choice but to comply.
"Anyone who can still walk, go back to your rooms," Shin said helplessly to the others.
Only three or four managed to stagger away. The rest lay limp, utterly drained.
"He really had us empty ourselves completely…" Shin sighed, then asked Kotoe to help him carry the others back to their quarters. She agreed.
Meanwhile, Ye Zi returned directly to his room.
The session had left him somewhat disappointed. So many genjutsu users bombarding him, yet they had filled less than a tenth of Tenjin's capacity. Once they had collapsed, he had called an end.
Seating himself, he formed hand seals and pressed his palm to the floor.
With a burst of dust, ten coffins rose from the ground. Their lids fell away, revealing the shinobi inside.
All ten Edo Tensei were Uchiha. None matched his standards in strength, but for this purpose, they were useful.
If the capacity could not be filled quickly, then he would do it gradually.
He commanded the mindless reanimations to bombard him with genjutsu. Their efficiency was poor compared to the living, but Edo Tensei had inexhaustible chakra, and they never tired.
Slow, but steady, and the only option.
Once Tenjin was fully recharged, the next step would be transplanting the Rinnegan into his left eye, and transferring his left Mangekyō along with the spare Rinnegan to Shin.
When that was done, and once the remaining medicine supplies were used up, it would be time to execute the Nine-Tails capture plan.
The final step. One that could not be allowed to fail.
And so, with the tireless efforts of the Edo Tensei, day and night without pause, after a week the Tenjin was finally filled with genjutsu energy once more.
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Currently on Chapter 611 - A Battle of Two Sages