Naruto: Eating Kaido's Azure Dragon Devil Fruit-Chapter 357: Yin Release Clone
Sora walked to the supply storage area of the laboratory and took out the sealed scroll containing the previously recorded location information for the Sea Dragon Jade.
’The deep-sea trench off the coast of the old Land of Whirlpools site... That’s where I found it last time.’
That area should have a considerable reserve of Sea Dragon Jade; it was just that he had been limited on time then and hadn’t searched thoroughly.
Sora put away the scroll marking the Sea Dragon Jade’s location and quickly formed hand seals.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Bang!
A puff of white smoke dispersed in the laboratory as Kōjinja, dressed in a white kimono and exuding a gentle temperament, appeared before Sora.
She bowed slightly, revealing an elegant smile.
"Master, you called for me?"
"Yeah, I have a task for you."
Sora handed her the scroll. "Go to this location and collect as much Sea Dragon Jade as possible."
Kōjinja took the scroll, carefully examined the coordinates on it, and nodded.
"Sea Dragon Jade? I understand."
Having said that, she bowed again and vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Tagitsuhime, who was nearby, pouted and spoke up.
"Master, I could have done it too, why didn’t you let me go~?"
Sora glanced at her and said flatly.
"You want to run the errand? You two can switch."
Tagitsuhime was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said.
"No, no, no, compared to running errands, I’d much rather stay by Master’s side and serve you~" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Sora ignored Tagitsuhime and turned to walk towards the adjacent cultivation room.
Inside the room, dozens of cylindrical cultivation tanks were neatly arranged. Most were empty, but only the three tanks at the very back were filled with pale green nutrient solution.
Floating within one of the tanks was a body that bore some resemblance to Sora.
It was the Yin Release clone, cultivated using Uchiha Shisui’s cells and Sora’s own cells.
"Sora-san."
Kabuto looked up from behind an experimental table nearby and pushed up his glasses. "You’re here."
"Yeah, just checking on the progress."
Sora walked up to the cultivation tank and pressed his hand against the cold glass wall.
He could sense the Yin Release chakra contained within the body in the tank. Although it was still very faint, its essence was extremely pure.
"Development is currently good; cell activity is stable."
Kabuto walked over and pulled up the monitoring data beside it. "At the current rate, it should be fully mature in about another month, reaching the standard for a soul to inhabit it."
Sora nodded.
"A bit faster than anticipated."
"Yes, the activity of Uchiha Shisui’s cells exceeded expectations, and Ryūchi Cave has also done research on this, which accelerated the cultivation process."
Kabuto paused for a moment, then asked.
"Has Sora-san already decided to use this clone to fuse with the Eternal Mangekyō?"
Sora withdrew his hand and said calmly.
"Yeah, the risk of fusing with the main body is too great. Although having the power reside entirely in oneself is ideal, the conflict between the Uzumaki bloodline and Uchiha Yin Release cannot be ignored."
He thought back to how, in the original story, after Sasuke transplanted Itachi’s eyes, he obtained the Eternal Mangekyō, but that was largely due to the blood resonance between the brothers.
His situation was completely different.
His main body possessed the Uzumaki clan’s bloodline, plus the Azure Dragon Fruit, making the energy system within his body already quite complex.
Carelessly adding the extreme Yin Release power of the Mangekyō was something no one knew the outcome of.
If a rejection reaction occurred, damaging his foundation, the loss would outweigh the gain.
On the other hand, using a clone for the fusion, although it would add an extra layer of difficulty when fusing Kekkei Mōra in the future, was at least safe.
Moreover—
Sora glanced at the clone in the cultivation tank.
This body, based on Uchiha Shisui’s cells, was naturally suited to bearing the power of the Sharingan.
"A prudent choice."
Kabuto nodded in agreement. "Then once this clone matures, I will begin the eye transplantation surgery."
"Mm."
Sora turned and walked towards the life support device, asking casually.
"How’s your mastery of the Impure World Reincarnation technique?"
Mentioning this, a glint of confidence flashed in Kabuto’s eyes.
"I’ve basically mastered it. Recently, I conducted experiments with several jōnin; the reincarnation process is stable, and the summoned individuals can retain about seventy percent of their living strength."
"However..."
He hesitated. "To perfectly revive Min-san, even more precise operation is needed. I suggest waiting another half month until I’m completely familiar with all the details of this technique before performing the formal reincarnation."
Sora lay down in the device and said calmly.
"Do as you suggest. Regarding Min, we must ensure absolute success."
"I understand."
Kabuto nodded solemnly.
Sora said no more and closed his eyes.
The sensation of his soul leaving his body came again.
This time, Sora deliberately observed his own soul’s state—it was indeed a trace more ethereal than the last time. Although imperceptible, if it accumulated, it would definitely become a...
’The side effects of the Living Corpse Reincarnation are more troublesome than I imagined.’
Sora thought to himself.
That Orochimaru guy would be weakened for a good while after each reincarnation, and the soul damage was irreparable.
Although he hadn’t reached Orochimaru’s level yet, the twelve-year time span was too long.
He had to find a solution quickly.
Fortunately, he wasn’t alone now. This problem was being studied by Kabuto, Nonō, several others, and even Ryūchi Cave were helping.
While thinking, Sora controlled his soul as it departed.
...
Land of Water.
The White Tiger opened its eyes and sat up from the ground.
"Master."
Tenji, who had been standing guard nearby, straightened up.
"Good work. You can return now."
Sora flexed his wrist, feeling the coordination between he and his soul—it had improved a bit more, reaching about sixty percent.
"Yes!"
Tenji dispelled the summoning, vanishing in a puff of white smoke.
Sora stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes.
His current location was a remote mountain forest in the Land of Water, with a Bounty Exchange not far away.
’Time to head to Amegakure.’
Sora calculated in his mind.
The White Tiger had joined the Akatsuki for a while now, but hadn’t really participated much in the organization’s activities.
Partly it was due to earlier focusing on gathering resources, and partly it was intentional to keep a distance and avoid exposing too much ability prematurely.
But the situation was different now.
The name Azure Dragon had already resounded throughout the ninja world, and the death of the Third Raikage had put the Five Great Nations on high alert regarding his main body.
At a time like this, Akatsuki would surely be reassessing the White Tiger’s value as well.
’That Obito guy is probably already scheming about how to use me.’
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of Sora’s mouth as he sped off towards the Land of Rain.
...
Three days later, Amegakure.
Sora’s figure flickered in and out of visibility within the rain, like a phantom.
Inside the central tower of Amegakure, a pair of purple Rinnegan slowly opened.
"He’s here..."
Tendo Pain stood by the window, expressionlessly watching the rain outside.
Konan emerged from the shadows and asked softly.
"Who?"
"White Tiger."
Tendo Pain uttered two words. "He released a chakra, he wants us to notice him on purpose."
Konan frowned slightly.
"He disappeared for so long, and now he suddenly returns. What does he want to do?"
"I don’t know."
Tendo Pain turned around, his Rinnegan utterly placid.
"But we will know soon enough."
"Notify the others. Prepare for a meeting."
"Understood."
Konan dissolved into paper butterflies and vanished into the air.
Tendo Pain looked back out the window, murmuring to himself.
"White Tiger... Azure Dragon..."
"Which side, exactly, are you on?"
