Tailed Beasts.
Ultimate magical creatures passed down from ancient times.
Since ancient times, they have been symbols of natural disasters.
Possessing immense power beyond human reach.
Their names come from the different number of tails they possess, ranging from one to nine tails, making a total of nine Tailed Beasts. They are unique life forms created by the physical manifestation of enormous chakra.
They are immortal and indestructible.
They can only be sealed.
Shiraishi searched for various information about Tailed Beasts. All the ancient texts he found demonized these chakra creatures, calling them natural disasters.
To prevent the Tailed Beasts from wreaking havoc, someone needs to be a sacrifice, becoming a vessel to seal the Tailed Beast, also known as a Jinchuriki.
Currently, the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations each have a Jinchuriki weapon that seals a Tailed Beast.
Including Konoha, where Shiraishi is currently located, there is also a Tailed Beast, and it is the most powerful monster among them—the Nine-Tails.
The Nine-Tails is a giant nine-tailed fox demon that was once controlled by Uchiha Madara, a ninja of the Uchiha clan. After the First Hokage defeated Uchiha Madara, he deemed the power of the Nine-Tails too evil and formidable, so he took the opportunity to seal the Nine-Tails, suppressing it within Konoha.
The records after that suddenly cut off here.
However, knowing this was already enough for Shiraishi.
Tailed Beasts are life forms created by the physical manifestation of chakra.
They possess the power of a natural disaster.
Recalling the rampage of the One-Tailed Shukaku that day, just seeing it from afar instilled a sense of unmatchable fear.
Shiraishi felt that giving the Tailed Beasts the symbolic name of 'natural disaster' was not wrong at all.
Such power is indeed difficult for humans to control.
Most importantly, even if a Tailed Beast is killed, it will revive randomly somewhere in the ninja world after a period of time.
Therefore, only sealing jutsu can be used against Tailed Beasts.
Shiraishi looked at the sealed glass cylinder in the recess of the detection instrument next to him, where a mass of solid chakra emitting a faint purple light was condensed.
"It is indeed pure chakra, but it seems to have had Yin and Yang release nature transformation added to it…"
According to Shiraishi's knowledge and the data he obtained from practice, chakra has a volatile nature.
In other words, if chakra is materialized, it will naturally dissipate after a period of time.
However, Tailed Beasts maintain their form purely with materialized chakra, yet they do not continuously remain in a volatile chakra state.
At least from the known information, Tailed Beasts do not have this continuous volatile nature.
"Is it because of the addition of Yin and Yang release nature transformation? And there's also a mysterious unknown element. If I hadn't conducted experiments with natural energy beforehand, it would have been difficult to notice this."
Shiraishi then stared at this mass of Tailed Beast chakra, which exuded an eerie aura, with a puzzled look.
This mass of Tailed Beast chakra originated from Shukaku, the One-Tail of Sunagakure.
Shiraishi felt that this kind of chakra had very high research value, so when he escaped, he conveniently used an experimental bottle that could automatically absorb chakra to bring some back.
Shiraishi had pretty much completed the preliminary analysis of the Tailed Beast chakra.
However, for deeper insights, he still lacked an effective path to explore and decipher its secrets.
The most important thing was that while he was proficient in Yang release nature transformation, he was not very proficient in Yin release nature transformation.
And the Spirit Transformation Jutsu that Ruri had given him earlier also belonged to the type of ninjutsu involving Yin release chakra nature transformation, which could ignore any defense and enter the enemy's spiritual world to cause destruction and control.
Therefore, to explore the secrets of Tailed Beast chakra, the prerequisite was to be proficient in both Yin and Yang release nature transformation.
Just as Shiraishi was deep in thought, the laboratory door above opened, and footsteps approached from afar.
A small figure slowly descended the stairs of the passage.
"You're back? That took quite a while."
Seeing that it was Ruri, Shiraishi teased her.
"You were right."
Ruri said this.
Shiraishi was slightly taken aback, then cupped his chin with his hand, looking as if he was seriously contemplating.
"I see. The Hokage faction is preparing to exchange other benefits for the Uchiha not pursuing this matter. And the Uchiha high command rejected your proposal, acting as if this incident never happened, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a kunai flew towards his face.
Shiraishi easily caught the flying kunai with two fingers, hooking it by the ring on the handle and spinning it playfully on his finger.
He leaned slightly against the experimental table behind him, smiled, and said, "Your reaction is too cold. Didn't I already say? Although the Uchiha clan as a whole would benefit, the handling of the matter wouldn't satisfy you personally. Politics inherently requires compromise from both sides to maintain balance. When one side no longer accepts compromise, that's when blood needs to be shed."
And neither the Uchiha nor Konoha's higher-ups had any intention of doing such a thing.
"Your crow's mouth is really effective."
"After all, you are a staunch believer in power. Power brings authority, not relying on politics for gain. For you, as long as you have power, whether you seize things or fight for them, you cannot accept gaining through compromise. This is the biggest divergence between your two sides."
Ruri looked at Shiraishi with a hint of disgust.
She always felt as if he had stripped her bare and seen right through her.
"However, I think the Uchiha high command's actions are actually a strategy. You know, the Uchiha clan is not a minor household; politics, economy, and military are inherently a trinity, indispensable. Politics is inherently a tangled mess…"
"Stop rambling. I didn't come here to listen to your lengthy discourse."
Faced with Ruri's firm attitude, Shiraishi said nothing, merely spread his hands innocently, indicating his helplessness.
"Alright, let's stop this topic here. Let's change the subject. I have some things I need your help with."
Shiraishi was already very skilled at asking Ruri for favors, showing no embarrassment on his face.
"What?"
"I want to collect information on Tailed Beasts. The Uchiha clan should have more data on this, right?"
"Yes, we do, but why do you want this…"
As Ruri spoke, she glanced at the glass cylinder in the detection instrument nearby, which sealed a mass of solid chakra emitting a faint purple light.
"Shukaku's chakra?"
Ruri understood Shiraishi's intention.
"Ah, yes. Don't you think the power that guy displayed that day was incredibly shocking? And I think Tailed Beasts and my research actually lead to the same destination; there might be some common elements. If I could get more Tailed Beast data, or chakra…"
Shiraishi spoke volubly here, not caring if it was to tell Ruri that Tailed Beast chakra had great research value.
As for whether it was related to his research, only he knew.
"I can find the data for you, but don't even think about Tailed Beast chakra. Jinchuriki are a core secret of each village; they won't allow unrelated people to come into contact."
"That's true."
Shiraishi wasn't disappointed; being able to get more Tailed Beast data was already satisfying enough.
However, what he said earlier was not a lie to Ruri.
Tailed Beast chakra and his experimental research indeed had many points of resonance.
Especially natural energy.
"Besides that, I also need detailed information on Yin release chakra nature transformation. I'll leave that to you as well."
After requesting the Tailed Beast data, Shiraishi continued with a second request.
Tailed Beast chakra contains Yin and Yang release chakra nature transformation. If he really wanted to understand the secrets of Tailed Beasts, learning Yin and Yang release chakra nature transformation first was a correct prerequisite.
Ruri suddenly felt a strong urge to stomp on his smiling face a few times.
What did he take her for? A human ATM?
"Oh, right."
Shiraishi suddenly remembered something and blurted it out.
Ruri couldn't help but frown.
"What else?"
"When you reported to Lord Orochimaru that day, did you mention anything about the Tailed Beast?"
Sunagakure secretly preparing to use a Tailed Beast weapon was no laughing matter.
"No need. If we hadn't known beforehand that Shukaku was sealed there, the Root ninja wouldn't have misled us to that location. The Konoha ninja on the front lines had already received this information. Moreover, whether Sunagakure would use Shukaku's power after seeing their pursuit of us fail is also an unknown."
Ruri pondered for a moment before answering Shiraishi's question.
"I see… No more questions."
"After an incident like this, the village will likely give us the cold shoulder for a long time. You have enough time to conduct your research; don't waste this free period."
"Of course, speaking of which, I really have to thank those people from the Root," Shiraishi said with a smile.
"I'll give them a super big gift later," he quietly added in his mind.
◎
As Ruri had said, the Sakumo Squad, with the exception of Captain Hatake Sakumo, who continued to perform missions as usual, all three of them received notices of vacation.
Due to the Anbu's incompetence, which led to an unexpected turn in the mission, and to help Shiraishi and the other two recover from the shock, they were granted a special two-month leave for rest.
This was an official notice from the Hokage's office, conveying roughly that meaning.
Shiraishi glanced at it and then paid no further attention to the matter.
This Just right gave him ample time to focus on his research.
He had too many research projects on his plate.
Yin-release chakra nature transformation training, Sage Mode, Spirit Transformation Technique, verifying whether the loss of chakra equals death, Tailed Beast Chakra… and so on.
With so many tasks at hand, Shiraishi felt that two months was still a bit too rushed.
However, many experiments could be conducted simultaneously, without interfering with each other.
For example, the Sage Mode experiment and the experiment to verify whether the loss of chakra causes death could all be carried out at the same time.
He could also practice Yin-release chakra nature transformation techniques while working on mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique as quickly as possible.
The cost was that, besides eating and sleeping, he would spend every day immersed in the lab, conducting research and training.
Mastering Yin-release chakra nature transformation was not difficult for Shiraishi.
He hadn't spent much time learning Yang-release chakra nature transformation, so mastering Yin-release chakra nature transformation to the same extent was naturally a piece of cake.
In less than a week, Shiraishi had mastered Yin-release chakra nature transformation.
After mastering it, Shiraishi specifically asked Ruri to teach him a simple basic genjutsu—the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.
This genjutsu allows the enemy to see their deepest fears.
It could be considered an entry-level genjutsu.
He wasn't learning this genjutsu for combat, but rather as a warm-up for the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Compared to basic genjutsu like the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, the Spirit Transformation Technique, which involves the soul, has an infinitely higher learning difficulty.
So Shiraishi never intended to achieve it in one go; in fact, he didn't have the talent to learn an S-rank ultimate ninjutsu just by looking at it.
Besides, it's impossible for such a person to exist in the world, someone who can learn an S-rank ultimate ninjutsu just by looking at it.
No matter what, if such a person truly existed, it would be too exaggerated.
Even the Sharingan's copying ability couldn't achieve that.
A few more days passed, and Shiraishi finally touched upon a tiny threshold of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Even though he only touched a tiny threshold, Shiraishi felt he had benefited greatly.
The Spirit Transformation Technique not only allows one to use their spirit body to mentally control enemies, but also has the ability to invade and damage another person's mental world.
Because it can lock onto targets from a long distance, it also possesses a wide-range perception ability and excellent targeting capabilities.
Shiraishi now only needed to form hand seals and release his will to sense everything within a twenty-meter radius around him.
This ninjutsu, which felt like he had activated a God's Eye view for himself, gave Shiraishi even more confidence in his future Tailed Beast research.
Shiraishi's goal was very clear: whether it was the basic genjutsu, the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, or the Spirit Transformation Technique, their purpose was to further explore Yin-release chakra nature transformation and serve his research.
As Shiraishi was using his consciousness to perceive the outside world unhindered, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, with constant warning signals, prompting him to quickly cut off his chakra and abandon further perception of the outside world.
"Hoo… only eleven seconds? As expected of an S-rank ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals; with my current ability, I can't even use it freely in its initial stage."
Shiraishi could only achieve preliminary perception of the outside world; he couldn't even lock onto targets from a long distance, let alone use his spirit body to attack the mental world of a locked target, or perform more complex manipulations of the enemy's mental world.
This achievement was far from something to boast about, considering the completed Spirit Transformation Technique.
Moreover, the Spirit Transformation Technique carried a huge risk: during perception and spirit body attacks, the user's main body would fall into an immobile and defenseless state.
Therefore, this ninjutsu could only be successfully performed when there were safe and reliable teammates around.
At the same time, the longer the spirit body remained separated from the body and the farther it traveled, the more chakra it required.
Although its ability was strong, its application was quite troublesome.
For the user, it was a powerful double-edged sword with both strength and risk.
Fortunately, Shiraishi was primarily learning this ninjutsu to further understand Yin-release chakra nature transformation and to serve his research.
Even if the Spirit Transformation Technique proved to be useless in actual combat, as long as its research value was extremely high, for Shiraishi, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.
Just then, the voice of one of the test subjects came from over there:
"Lord Shiraishi, the experimental data has been updated."
These five test subjects were already able to follow Shiraishi's ideas well and work under him.
Although it seemed incredible, their physical condition now far surpassed that of ordinary people; they could defeat a normal genin with just some punches and kicks.
Therefore, these five people were now not only Shiraishi's valuable test subjects but also his safe and reliable lab assistants.
While Shiraishi was researching the Spirit Transformation Technique, they would conduct the experiments according to the steps Shiraishi had written down beforehand.
Shiraishi composed himself, walked over to look, and saw the computer screen displaying multiple fusion data for Sage Mode, with a striking 37% success rate.
Although he had collected Ruri's previous body data from using Sage Mode, including the negative and positive effects of Sage Mode chakra on the human body, this success rate still left Shiraishi somewhat dissatisfied.
Compared to before, there had indeed been great progress, but this probability, and the risk involved, was not enough for Shiraishi to immediately begin training in Sage Mode.
Ruri's previous attempt at Sage Mode could be considered both a success and a failure; a success in that she managed to release the Sage Mode, and a failure in that the Sage Mode chakra later went rampant within her body.
It had some reference value, but it could not be considered entirely correct.
"Lord Shiraishi, this is the highest fusion value so far."
Seeing the dissatisfaction on Shiraishi's face, one of the test subjects said softly.
"I'm not blaming you; after all, I arranged the steps. It seems I need to try a different approach for the derivation. Never mind, what's the result of Experiment No. 2?"
Experiment No. 2 referred to the experiment verifying whether the loss of chakra results in death.
Hearing Shiraishi's question, another assistant responsible for Experiment No. 2 said, "Almost all the mice used in the experiment died, but one mouse was very strange…"
"Strange?"
Shiraishi walked over and saw a small white mouse convulsing violently in a glass enclosure; even after its chakra was extracted, it didn't die immediately.
Shiraishi observed with interest.
Although the mouse looked like it was on its last breath, it was also true that it didn't die immediately after its chakra was extracted.
"What happened?"
The test subject scratched his head awkwardly and said, "It's all my fault. I accidentally grabbed the wrong syringe earlier and injected this mouse with a different agent…"
As soon as he finished speaking, the mouse in the glass enclosure stopped convulsing and died motionless.
Shiraishi picked up the wrongly injected syringe; there were still traces of the agent inside.
Shiraishi stared at the syringe for a moment and muttered, "Vitality Potion, huh…"
The main component of this vitality potion was specially treated natural energy that could be absorbed by living organisms.
Shiraishi's expression turned strange.
He had thought about using natural energy to replace chakra as an energy source for experimental mice before.
But the result was that all hundreds of mice died without exception after their chakra was extracted.
After that, he stopped using natural energy to replace chakra in experiments and instead focused on the connection between chakra and the human body.
So what was going on now?
(PS: This book will be available next Friday…)