Chapter 106: The Power of Cells
As soon as the Land of Whirlpools was established, a grand festival was held. The style of the festival was the Mask Festival, which Masahiko was familiar with.
Both ninjas and civilians were immersed in joy and harmony.
Masahiko walked on the brand-new streets, feeling a bit emotional. He felt that the Land of Whirlpools seemed even more prosperous than Konoha.
"With such a powerful Uzumaki clan, how were they wiped out in the original story?" Masahiko remembered that in the original story, the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed roughly during the Second Great Ninja War, with a small number of clansmen scattering abroad.
"Who fought whom in the Second War again?" Masahiko muttered, having completely no impression, only remembering that Konoha seemed to be fighting Amegakure.
"Who cares? With me here, plus Yiko and the others, if the Land of Whirlpools gets destroyed again, I'll stop calling myself Uzumaki Skirmish and change my name to Uzumaki Baboon..."
Meanwhile.
Underground, somewhere between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
More than five years had passed since the Battle of the Valley of the End. Relying on the power of the Rinnegan to survive, Uchiha Madara had finally mastered Yin-Yang Release with the help of Black Zetsu.
Madara looked deeply at Black Zetsu with his Rinnegan. "Who exactly are you? Yin-Yang Release isn't something a so-called manifestation of my will can master."
"Who I am isn't important," Black Zetsu also abandoned the claim of being a manifestation of Madara's will. "What matters is that you need me now, and I will need your help later."
"My help?" Madara's expression shifted as he looked at the massive Gedo Statue behind him.
"With this thing, my movements are completely restricted. This is an ability of the Sage of Six Paths' eyes; can you undo it?"
Black Zetsu shook his head. "The Rinnegan has more than just this one ability."
Madara paused, then immediately realized. "Rinne Tensei no Jutsu (Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique)?"
Black Zetsu nodded. "That's right. As long as we find someone to bear your Rinnegan, they can activate Rinne Tensei no Jutsu after you die."
Madara fell into deep thought.
"This guy knows too much. But he wants to use me..."
"There aren't many people who can bear my Rinnegan and use Rinne Tensei no Jutsu."
Black Zetsu nodded. "Indeed, such people are rare. Finding a host is easy; any Senju or Uzumaki clansman will do. But Rinne Tensei no Jutsu isn't something just anyone can cast."
"Senju, Uzumaki..." The figures of Hashirama and Masahiko appeared in Uchiha Madara's mind.
"Actually, there is one person who is most suitable," Black Zetsu continued.
Madara paused, and Black Zetsu continued speaking.
"Uzumaki Masahiko could definitely use this jutsu."
"That old man? Is he not dead yet? And can you control him to use such a jutsu?" Uchiha Madara looked grave.
Black Zetsu shook his head. "He's not dead. That man has a very long lifespan. He only showed some signs of aging after that battle a year ago. He might even live longer than you."
Uchiha Madara took a deep breath. "Damn old man. Is there a way to make him use Rinne Tensei on me?"
Black Zetsu shook his head. "If you had a better relationship with him back then, maybe there would be a way."
Madara's face darkened, and he extended his right hand. "Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push)!"
Black Zetsu was blasted away and hit the wall. It didn't speak again but instead took the opportunity to sink into the wall.
It traveled rapidly eastward, secretly shaking its head.
"I wasn't joking... That Uzumaki Masahiko looks like he can't be killed no matter what. Even if he uses Rinne Tensei, he might not necessarily die. That man is strange..."
Black Zetsu traveled all the way to a secret underground base it had created itself.
Inside the base, two rows of White Zetsu were sleeping, eight in each row, totaling sixteen.
One row had been injected with Hashirama's cells, while the other row had been injected with Masahiko's cells!
Black Zetsu awakened these sixteen White Zetsu. They had no intelligence and, under Black Zetsu's control, paired up to fight each other to the death.
The results of seven pairs were not unexpected; the White Zetsu injected with Hashirama's cells almost instantly killed the White Zetsu injected with Masahiko's cells.
However, in the last pair, the carrier of Masahiko's cells won.
Black Zetsu then controlled the remaining seven White Zetsu with Hashirama's cells to besiege this remaining one, but they were instantly killed by the White Zetsu with Masahiko's cells.
"It really is like this. My feeling wasn't wrong. This White Zetsu infused with Uzumaki Masahiko's cells suddenly became very strong nearly a year ago."
"What is the reason? Uzumaki Masahiko's secret should lie here..."
Black Zetsu pondered for a moment and remembered.
"A year ago, I sent this White Zetsu to scout for intelligence in the Land of Rivers. It should have witnessed that battle of Uzumaki Masahiko."
"Could seeing the original body fight make it stronger? There must be some restriction."
"If there are no restrictions, then this guy's cells are too powerful."
"Let's test it again. Unfortunately, Uzumaki Masahiko's cells are hard to obtain. His senses are sharp, and he generally doesn't fight with others."
"Even when he fought, he didn't shed a drop of blood in that situation in the Land of Rivers. The only bit of cells I have were collected during his fight with Madara fourteen years ago."
After another round of testing, Black Zetsu became increasingly pleasantly surprised.
"Whether it's physical strength or agility, it's much stronger than before. The effect is almost ten times that of Asura's cells."
"It seems Uzumaki Masahiko's secret is truly significant... I need to experiment more on how to strengthen the test subject."
Pausing, Black Zetsu whispered again, "If it can be strengthened indefinitely, it might become the greatest aid in unsealing Mother. Madara... is no longer trustworthy."
Black Zetsu extracted cells of Masahiko and Hashirama from several dead White Zetsu and sank underground.
Deep underground, silence slowly returned.
However, after Black Zetsu left, the sole remaining White Zetsu actually revealed an unusually sorrowful expression and murmured:
"Kaguya..."
At this time, in the Land of Whirlpools, the sky had darkened. The bustling festival of the day had ended. After the revelry, aside from civilians cleaning the streets, not a soul could be found outside.
Masahiko also returned to his new residence, a small house by the sea. As for the chilly sea breeze, it didn't affect Masahiko much.
"After so much time, the side effects of the Eight Inner Gates have finally been completely eliminated... The Land of Whirlpools has also been successfully established. The next period will be for training. From my position here, with my sensory ability always active, I should be able to intercept anyone coming from Kumogakure or Kirigakure. I hope they won't be too excessive..."
Masahiko glanced at his remaining Witness Points, frowning slightly.
"Since I saved Tobirama this time, a lot of the subsequent plot should be disrupted. There will be fewer ways to earn Witness Points..."
"I'd better train by myself first and not use Witness Points for upgrades unless it's a critical moment. I estimate that I might only reach SSS-rank when all seven natures are at Level 9. That would be considered a powerhouse even in the Fourth War..."
"But, when can I fill this gap of nearly 2800 Witness Points..."
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