Chapter 50: Researching the Arts of Yin and Yang遁

Inside Orochimaru's laboratory, various precision instruments and experimental petri dishes were neatly arranged, filling the space with a cold and mysterious atmosphere.

At the very center of the lab, on the operating table, a pale corpse lay quietly, serving as the focal point of the entire space.

Orochimaru was carefully placing a sliced piece of cell under a microscope for close observation.

His pupils contracted slightly, and his voice trembled with excitement: "Truly unbelievable... incredible... no organs, no blood, not even meridians or acupoints, yet it can carry chakra, and... this cellular activity... it is so similar to Hashirama's cells!"

"It's like... it's like..." Orochimaru wanted to find a single word to describe this creature, but perhaps because he was too agitated, he found himself momentarily unable to find the right adjective.

"A plant," Menma said indifferently, standing opposite the operating table.

"Yes!" Orochimaru felt a sudden moment of enlightenment, his trembling pupils flashing with the fanatic light of someone who had discovered a new continent. "It's like a plant!"

This novel thing he had never seen before ignited Orochimaru's research desire and curiosity to an extreme; he could not wait to conduct deeper research and explore its mysteries.

"So, what exactly is this?" Orochimaru set down his equipment and looked up, his golden serpentine pupils staring intently at Menma, attempting to extract more information from this mysterious "Shura."

He had lived for over forty years and traveled through most of the shinobi world, yet he had never seen, nor even heard of, such a non-human creature.

"Do you want to know?" A light hum came from behind Shura's mask.

Of course Orochimaru wanted to know!

"This is a White Zetsu, an ancient human whose chakra was sucked dry by the God Tree. They have completely become plant-like beings, possessing characteristics such as asexual reproduction, extreme compatibility, and all-attribute chakra. They make excellent experimental materials," Menma explained the origin of the White Zetsu briefly.

"The God Tree?" Orochimaru keenly sensed the keyword in Shura's words.

But Menma stopped there and did not continue the topic; telling Orochimaru the origin of the White Zetsu was merely to allow him to conduct experiments on them more effectively.

"Use them sparingly; these things aren't easy to catch," Menma warned.

Orochimaru fell into thought. "It seems I truly must accelerate the research and development of cloning technology..."

White Zetsu cells possessed high compatibility and all-attribute chakra; this was practically equivalent to having a Chunin as experimental equipment!

If he could clone a large number of White Zetsu as experimental subjects, many of Orochimaru's experiments would no longer be limited by a shortage of materials!

"In one year, I will come to collect ten pairs of Sharingan, as well as the research results of the White Zetsu and the Iburi clan," Menma left these words before turning to leave the laboratory.

Although this somewhat commanding tone made Orochimaru slightly displeased, the things provided by "Shura"—whether it was "future intelligence" or these highly compatible experimental materials—were nothing that that old man Danzo could compare to.

Though they called it a cooperation, Orochimaru had essentially become a laborer for "Shura."

Having fought the other party, Orochimaru knew clearly that Shura's strength likely approached that of the "God of Shinobi"; he simply had no right to refuse.

"By the way." As he reached the door, Menma suddenly stopped, his white three-eyed fox mask tilting slightly. "You had better distance yourself from Danzo."

Menma did not want the research results of the White Zetsu to be taken by Danzo, so he issued a warning.

After Menma left, Orochimaru fell into deep thought, pondering the information regarding "Shura" in his mind.

On the bounty posted by the Hidden Cloud Village at the exchange bureau, the name "Shura" used was "Danzo." It seemed that this rat in the gutter had provoked someone he shouldn't have.

"Does it involve you? The Fourth..." Orochimaru vaguely felt that Shura must have a complex connection to the Fourth Hokage, even suspecting at one point that it might be the Fourth himself, having faked his death to escape.

But looking at Minato Namikaze's entire life, there was no reason for him to do so.

The clues were too vague; ultimately, Orochimaru shook his head and returned to his research on the White Zetsu.

——————

Meanwhile, within Konoha Village.

One of Menma's clones was performing chakra fusion exercises in a training room.

He was tempering Yin-attribute chakra and Yang-attribute chakra in different proportions. Two currents of chakra, one dark and one bright, shimmered in his palm, gradually merging as Menma focused intently on controlling the amount and ratio of the injected chakra.

*Boom!*

With an explosion, the small sphere of fused Yin and Yang chakra suddenly dissipated.

The experiment had failed once again.

"The ratio is still not right..." Menma's small face frowned slightly. Recalling his recent steps, he walked to a nearby table, picked up a pen, and recorded the chakra ratio of this fusion.

The notebook was densely filled with data regarding various ratios and experimental times.

As a member of the Uzumaki clan, Menma was naturally born with Yang-attribute chakra and the five common attributes: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water.

Through his experiences in the "Limited Tsukuyomi World," he had gained Yin-attribute chakra, making him an all-attribute ninja.

Through the research and fusion of Yin and Yang chakra, Menma had developed "Dark Chakra" and the "Spiral Rinnegan."

However, knowing the ultimate secrets of the entire Naruto world, Menma knew he had only just grasped the threshold of "Yin-Yang Unification" and had only just gained the qualification to touch upon Yin-Yang Release and the power of All Creation.

Yin-Yang Release is an advanced ability that combines Yin and Yang Release, creating form from nothingness and injecting life force into that form.

For example, after obtaining the power of the Sage of Six Paths, Naruto used Yin-Yang Release to save Guy's life and to create an eye for Kakashi.

As for the power of All Creation, it is the manifestation of the mutual generation and overcoming of the Yin-Yang Five Elements.

For instance, Nagato's black rods belong to Yin-Yang Release.

Six Paths Madara's Truth-Seeking Balls belong to the power of All Creation.

And above the power of All Creation lies the Kekkei Mora possessed by Kaguya Otsutsuki.

"Although I used the Dark Nine-Tails' chakra and Yin-Yang chakra to create the 'Nine-Faced Fox,' it is ultimately not an orthodox Yin-Yang Release," Menma began to contemplate.

When the Ten-Tails was divided by the Sage of Six Paths, he must have also used Yin-Yang Release to create the nine Tailed Beasts.

One portion of chakra for the One-Tails, two portions for the Two-Tails, three portions for the Three-Tails... for the Nine-Tails, forget it, I'll just give it all the remaining amount.

When he used the Dark Nine-Tails' chakra to create the "Nine-Faced Fox," it had been too smooth, to the point where his understanding of Yin-Yang Release was not deep enough to fully master it.

Although the Nine-Faced Fox possessed the strength of an elite Jonin, it could not speak and lacked independent consciousness; it could only fight according to Menma's instructions, acting more like a puppet.

If he wanted to turn the Nine-Faced Fox into a lifeform that could speak and think independently, he would inevitably need a profound mastery of Yin-Yang Release.

At that time, the Nine-Faced Fox's combat effectiveness would also increase significantly, and it could even leave Menma's side to act independently, becoming an even more powerful asset.