The laboratory was extremely noisy, yet if one listened carefully, there was really only a single voice.
On the operating table, Hidan had been reduced to nothing but a mouth, and he was still praising his Evil God. Konome observed him with her Byakugan for nearly an hour and still could not figure out what exactly was keeping him alive.
There were no traces of chakra, no signs of ninjutsu, and no observable external force at work. Yet he remained alive all the same. Even with his brain nearly mashed into slurry, he could still think normally, as though everything happening to that body had nothing to do with him.
Bang.
One of the lab-coat clones gave Hidan a "light" slap.
Several tons of horrifying force smashed him flat like a hydraulic press, turning him directly into mush. Then came a nonstop barrage of blows, until he was flattened into a human pancake on the operating table.
Even so, the ever-careful Konome noticed that his cells were still functioning normally. Some of the cells that had burst open had even begun repairing themselves. It was bizarre beyond belief.
"His immortality probably doesn't belong to the chakra system," Yang Release Konome said slowly as she looked down at the meat paste.
Konome nodded in agreement. She had come to the same conclusion.
The supernatural power system of the ninja world was not limited to ninjutsu alone. Long before Kaguya Otsutsuki ever arrived, this planet had already possessed countless strange beings, such as the Three Great Sage Regions, shrine maidens, the Evil God, and the Shinigami.
The power they used was based on the planet's natural energy itself, vastly different from the chakra system brought by the Otsutsuki clan. The Byakugan was exceptionally sensitive to chakra, but it was useless against natural energy.
Hidan's inexplicable immortality likely came from the Evil God. And if the Evil God's power was entirely rooted in natural energy, with no chakra mixed into it at all, then naturally there was nothing for her to observe.
That meant there was nothing she could do for now.
She had not yet mastered Sage Mode, nor did she possess the ability to sense natural energy. Without guidance from a specialist, no matter how advanced her achievements in chakra and ninjutsu were, there was no way she could cross disciplines and unravel a natural-energy system that had developed in the ninja world for untold ages.
As for Earth Grudge Fear...
Konome turned her head and saw it extending eight tendrils like spider legs, scampering around the laboratory with a heart perched on top.
Her head instantly began to ache.
That thing was troublesome too.
The Yin and Yang Release techniques used on its body had only fused together different kinds of human tissue. Earth Grudge Fear's abilities to devour chakra, grow infinitely, steal hearts, and fly all came from the bloodline mutation of whatever poor bastard had been skinned alive and dismembered to create it.
To say it was completely useless would be unfair, but for the moment, she still had no idea how to make use of it.
"Lord Hiruzen piled a bunch of work on me. I'll leave these two to you."
"So quick to dump the work on me, Original Body."
Yang Release Konome pouted. She still did not know Konome had been appointed chief proctor of the Chunin Exams, so she assumed it was just another excuse.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from outside.
A moment later:
Knock, knock.
The knocking came twice and stopped. The person outside knew Konome disliked being disturbed during experiments, so even the way they knocked was cautious.
"Come in."
At Konome's command, the person opened the door and entered the lab.
He wore a black cloak, and on his face was a fiery red fox mask. It was Fire Fox, the Root operative she had ordered to monitor Danzo.
The moment he entered, he froze at the sight of Earth Grudge Fear scuttling around the floor. Then he looked at the multiple identical Konome figures in the room, clearly at a loss.
Konome spoke first.
"What is it?"
"My lady, Lord Ryoma asked us to invite you over..." Fire Fox said hurriedly once he recognized the original body. There was no concealing the tension and urgency in his voice.
Konome narrowed her eyes.
"What, Danzo's finally started making trouble?"
She waved a hand, signaling Yang Release Konome to continue her research, then stepped out of the lab. Fire Fox gave Earth Grudge Fear one more uncertain glance before hurrying after her.
"He hasn't made a move yet. Danzo has been very quiet these past few days. He's stayed inside his chamber the whole time."
"He hasn't come out at all?"
"No. Lord Ryoma thinks something is wrong, but he didn't dare force his way in. He was afraid of alerting the enemy and ruining your plan."
Inside the dark underground corridor, lit only by flickering shadows from wall lamps, the moving light and patterned stone walls intertwined strangely. From time to time, ghostlike Root operatives flashed by, bowing before disappearing again.
Konome, dressed in white, continued walking unhurriedly toward the deepest part of the base, completely out of place with Root's atmosphere. Fire Fox and the Nara brothers hidden inside the walls were both anxious, but neither dared rush her. They simply followed behind as her bodyguards.
The Root base had many strengths: secrecy, spacious grounds, and abundant facilities.
It had only one weakness.
It was too fragile.
Her steps fell lightly, but the soles of her shoes ground stone dust from the floor. Konome silently circulated chakra to reinforce the base beneath her feet, and her desire for Ohnoki's arrival only grew stronger.
Though she moved slowly, the experimental wing and Danzo's sealed chamber were not far apart. Within moments, she had arrived at the second underground level.
As she climbed the steps, Konome looked up and saw Danzo's chamber.
It was a plain, unremarkable room in the right side of the corridor. The door was pitch black, with nothing unusual on it except for the large character "Forbidden."
The door, the frame, and the surrounding walls were all inscribed with the formulas of the barrier technique Hidden Recognition Gate Formation. The red barrier shimmered faintly, refusing even her Byakugan.
Outside in the corridor, flames embedded in the stone walls cast orange light across rows of figures.
Ryoma Aburame stood there with a crowd of subordinates, filling the narrow corridor as they waited anxiously. When they saw Konome arrive, the Root shinobi parted at once, pressing themselves flat against the walls to open a path for her.
"My lady."
"Stay calm. What happened?"
Konome looked directly at Ryoma Aburame's face, as expressionless as ever, but from the unusual emotional lights above his head, she could clearly see the intense turmoil beneath that masklike calm.
There were not many people who could stir the Root captain's emotions like this. To see him this close to losing his composure meant Danzo's influence over him was still too great.
Danzo had to go.
"I'm sorry. I was careless."
Seeing Konome's calm expression, Ryoma's frayed nerves finally settled, and regret welled up inside him.
To root out Danzo's hidden supporters within ANBU and prevent the Root base and the Senju tree from being destroyed by Reverse Four Symbols Sealing, Konome had specifically ordered Ryoma and Fire Fox to monitor Danzo. The moment he tried to leave the base, they were to report it so her true body could kill him at once.
The surveillance had never stopped.
But aside from telling Ryoma to contact a few ANBU members, Danzo had remained in his chamber and never stepped out.
Only after a full week did Ryoma suddenly realize something was wrong.
"Danzo has never had me contact those people before. He must have more secret channels. Having me do it so suddenly was very likely a test.
"I sent people to monitor those ANBU members. If they noticed... then the fact that Root has changed hands may already have been exposed."
Ryoma's face looked terrible.
Danzo's trust in him had once been absolute. He had even been willing to leave Root in Ryoma's hands, and that was how Ryoma had managed to work with Konome and seize the organization from within.
And for the same reason, after following Danzo for thirty years, Ryoma had never once imagined that Danzo would doubt his loyalty.
So when Danzo asked him to deliver messages, Ryoma had assumed that the pressure from Konome had become too great and Danzo had no choice but to entrust the matter to his most loyal subordinate.
Both of them had made the exact same mistake.
Konome's face turned cold as ice.
For an elite jōnin-level Root captain specializing in intelligence and reconnaissance to be tested by such a simple trick was absurd.
She actually did know about the surveillance on those ANBU members.
Earlier, while she had been in Root carrying out bloodline fusion experiments, the intelligence section had already reported the matter. But the operative had only said they had discovered Danzo making contact with ANBU members. He had not said how it was discovered.
So Danzo had handed Ryoma a straight hook and Ryoma had taken the bait.
"You can report to Iwaguma for punishment later."
Konome showed no concern for preserving Ryoma's dignity. In front of everyone, she directly gave the order.
"Yes."
Ryoma bowed deeply, not daring to show even the slightest objection. He clearly regretted it bitterly.
The Root members watching felt a chill in their hearts.
Iwaguma, the training division's instructor, was infamous for his brutal punishments. Some of the "fortunate" souls who had experienced them firsthand found themselves trembling at the memory.
At the beginning, they had submitted to Konome mostly because of her overwhelming strength and their hatred of Danzo. After she took over Root, her leadership style was far gentler than Danzo's, and while that won her their affection, it also meant they did not truly fear her.
Now, seeing that she would punish even Ryoma Aburame without the slightest hesitation, whatever little private thoughts they still harbored vanished instantly.
Even their backs straightened.
White robes swaying, Konome walked along the path the crowd had made for her. Her Byakugan swept over the emotional lights above the heads of the surrounding Root members. Other than fear, she detected no suspicious negativity, so she turned her attention back to the sealed chamber door.
Betrayed by the loyal Ryoma, stripped of the Root authority he had spent years building, Danzo was still hiding in his chamber and pretending not to know anything.
That was not his style at all.
He had to be plotting something major.
Crack.
The sole of Konome's shoe scraped against the reinforced bricks hard enough to throw sparks, and she stopped abruptly.
A familiar pale red barrier manifested in empty space with a low hum, blocking her way.
Barrier Technique: Hidden Recognition Gate Formation.
Everyone present immediately recognized it.
A versatile B-rank barrier that combined defense, identification, concealment, and automatic repair. It was placed throughout all important Root and ANBU facilities. Legend held that it came from the now-extinct Uzumaki clan and had once been the village barrier of Uzushiogakure.
That layer of crimson chakra was incredibly hard. Even an elite jōnin would struggle to break it quickly.
And even if one did break it, the barrier could absorb chakra and repair itself. Combined with the Uzumaki clan's terrifying chakra reserves, it had once been regarded as an impregnable fortress.
Of course, the Uzumaki clan was now gone, so the boast of being "unbreakable" had died with them. Still, that did not change its superior defensive performance.
What kind of jutsu would Lady Konome use?
A trace of expectation rose in their hearts, and not a single pair of eyes looked away from the graceful figure ahead.
Konome rarely made a move. In the few times she had led teams outside on missions, no one had ever clearly seen her real combat style or what kind of jutsu she used.
According to those who had accompanied her:
Once battle began, the air would suddenly fill with fog so thick they could barely see their own hands. Then came a fear so intense it made the soul tremble.
Next, red catkin-like things would appear floating in the mist, giving off a choking stench of blood.
And when the fog finally vanished, the enemy was already dead, with only their heads left scattered on the ground.
No one had seen the battle clearly. There had not even been time for screams.
The people who went on those missions with her only had to identify the heads, seal them, and bring them back to the village so Yamanaka Fū could search their memories.
If those enemies had all been genin or chunin-level weaklings, that would have been one thing.
But anyone honored by having Konome personally take the field against them had been, at minimum, jōnin class.
For enemies of that level to be killed without even managing a sound was beyond comprehension.
Some of the new Root members who had joined after Konome took control had not undergone the same extinction-of-humanity style training as the old guard, and their curiosity got the better of them. They tried asking Yamanaka Fū about it from the side.
The only answer they got was one that left them numb.
"Sorry. I searched through their minds, and I couldn't find any memory of fighting Lady Konome. They never even saw how they died."
Shocked, they engraved Konome's mysterious strength deep into their hearts. That was why, when Danzo's conduct finally enraged them, they had chosen to support her as Root's new leader without hesitation.
And now, the mysterious nature of that new leader's power was finally about to be revealed.
Their anticipation only grew.
Sensing the burning stares behind her, Konome frowned, unable to understand what exactly they were all so excited about.
Facing the barrier she knew as well as her own hand, she raised her right hand.
Her pale forefinger bent slightly. Then her thumb pressed against the fingertip.
What kind of hand sign was that?
Everyone's hearts filled with confusion. Then the scene before them made their eyes fly wide open.
Twng.
Like the vibration of a plucked bowstring, Konome flicked one finger gently at the barrier ahead.
Hum. Crack.
The pale red barrier shuddered madly, flickering without stop. Countless ice-like fractures spread outward from the exact point where her fingertip touched it. In less than two seconds, the so-called impregnable barrier shattered completely and vanished.
It... broke?
The Root shinobi who had been eagerly waiting to witness Konome's jutsu all froze.
That was an Uzumaki barrier technique. And she had shattered it with nothing but a light flick of one finger?
Even Ryoma Aburame's face went rigid in shock, his throat bobbing.
As the man in charge of the barrier division, no one knew better than he did how durable that barrier really was. That single flick had hit harder than many A-rank jutsu.
Crack crack crack.
With the barrier outside the chamber collapsing, the walls and door covered in seals also began splitting apart.
Though shocked, the people present had not forgotten the real reason they were here. They tightened their grips on their kunai and stared at the chamber door as it continued to crack open, every muscle in their bodies tense.
As the barrier disappeared, Konome's Byakugan shone brilliantly.
A terrifying chakra glow surged inside the chamber.
Their pupils constricted.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
An aged voice rang out, heavy with killing intent, as a cannon-shell-like blast of compressed air smashed the door apart and shot straight at Konome's face.
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