"This is going to be a crucial trump card."
Umino Yoru carefully stored the box of three-colored pills, paying special attention to the yellow curry-flavored one.
The side effects were brutal—even with the Gluttony Technique's insane recovery, taking it would leave him wrecked. But the tenfold amplification of his chakra? Absolutely worth it.
At his current reserves (a measly 0.4 "Kakashi units"), a tenfold boost would rocket him to 4x Kakashi's chakra—enough to spam Big Ball Rasengans like candy.
"The Rasengan's basically done, but the Maltose Binding Rope… progress is sluggish."
The contrast was painful.
Originally, he'd been proud of the C-rank secret technique's development pace—a few more months, and it'd be complete.
But after reverse-engineering the A-rank Rasengan in under a day? This felt unacceptable.
A New Approach
"How to speed this up…?"
Then it hit him—the same method he'd used for the Rasengan and Sonic Radar Jutsu:
Skip to the result. Reverse-engineer the principles.
"Maltose Prison first, Binding Rope later."
The Maltose Prison consumed more chakra, but that meant more room for experimentation.
The Experiment
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
A shadow clone conjured a small, solid water prison (about the size of a washbasin). Under chakra propulsion, it began spinning rapidly.
He poured in a bowl of maltose syrup.
The syrup merged seamlessly with the water—thickening it into a viscous, sticky mass that slowed rotation to a crawl.
"All hands on deck."
Eight shadow clones placed their hands on the prison, channeling chakra in unison.
"Rotate!"
Ten minutes later—the syrup began reverting to water, its color lightening.
But Umino Yoru 's focus wasn't on the reversal.
A tiny bubble had formed at the prison's core.
Discovery: The Gas
"Does reversing maltose produce gas?"
He collected the bubble's contents and tested it:
Extinguished burning cotton instantly. Not carbon monoxide. Reacted with syrup like soda bubbles.
"Chemical analysis time."
A quick Earth-Style: Underground Lab later, he confirmed:
CO₂.
Reverse maltose conversion released carbon dioxide.
The Second Test
This time, he converted water to maltose (with great difficulty).
Another gas emerged.
Cotton test: Violent combustion.
"Oxygen."
Thus, the reactions were:
Water → Maltose:Consumes CO₂, releases O₂. Maltose → Water:Releases CO₂, consumes O₂.
"Just like photosynthesis… but with chakra."
The chemical equation crystallized in his mind:
12CO₂ + 11H₂O + Chakra → C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ (maltose) + 12O₂
Unexpected Insight: Gluttony Technique Upgrade
"Wait… this is exactly what my Gluttony Technique does!"
The technique:
Breaks down food into glucose. Burns it with oxygen to produce chakra, water, and CO₂.
"I just reverse-engineered metabolism."
The implications were staggering—this could refine Gluttony 2.0's efficiency.
"Hidden treasures are buried in every jutsu…"
Umino Yoru grinned. The path to power wasn't just about training—it was about understanding.