Chapter 47: Dense Natural Energy
Ishiro didn't rush; he emptied his mind and slowly extended his senses, carefully observing the surroundings through his perception ninjutsu.
Ōnoki noticed Ishiro using sensory techniques but wasn't concerned—though he was mildly surprised. It seemed this boy's spiritual strength had grown considerably over the past few years.
After some time, as the natural energy within the sealing area accumulated, Ishiro finally noticed something distinct. He had previously sensed many types of chakra but never truly felt natural energy. This time, with focused sensing, he clearly felt the difference.
Within his perception, a tranquil and calming energy was slowly gathering inside the sealed area. Its sensation differed completely from other chakra types he knew. Though the energy was faint, Ishiro clearly sensed its powerful nature.
This power wasn't simply a matter of raw strength but rather one of higher quality.
Chakra had different levels. A shinobi's initial chakra was weak, resulting in ordinary jutsu effects. But through continuous training, strengthening of willpower, and physical improvement, the chakra became purer, resulting in greater power.
For instance, the chakra of a Jonin always felt stronger to Ishiro than his own. Mizunotsuki Kagami had detected Ishiro precisely because Kagami's chakra was higher in quality.
But now, the natural energy in the sealing area, despite being faint, felt far superior—far surpassing even Kekkei Genkai like Ice Release or the chakra of Jonin. It even felt stronger than Tsuchikage Ōnoki's chakra nearby.
Ōnoki also sensed the formidable natural energy. At his level, he could tell clearly that this energy might indeed be controllable. With his chakra quantity and quality, he believed that absorbing small amounts of natural energy was feasible, provided he could control and merge it properly.
But merely suppressing it wouldn't suffice; true fusion was the goal. Achieving fusion would mean becoming something akin to Jiraiya's later form—a Sage.
Thinking of "Toad Sage" Jiraiya, Ishiro had an idea, but he quickly set it aside. This wasn't the moment for such thoughts. For now, it was more important to thoroughly experience and understand natural energy.
Using his sensory ninjutsu, Ishiro felt as if he were immersed in the embrace of nature, experiencing a soothing sensation as if both mind and body were being purified. Without realizing it, a relaxed smile formed on his lips.
After a while longer, the natural energy density had significantly increased. Ishiro opened his eyes, finding he could sense it easily even without complete focus.
He glanced at the dozen shinobi maintaining the sealing formation, relieved to find none appeared uncomfortable. The first step had succeeded.
Next, they needed to ensure control of this sealing formation.
Ideally, three goals needed to be met: first, to control the rate of natural energy accumulation and, if possible, stop it freely once a certain density was reached; second, to allow the shinobi maintaining the seal to be rotated seamlessly as their chakra depleted; and third, eventually to make practical use of this natural energy.
The third goal was the ultimate aim but wasn't urgent. The first two were more crucial.
Understanding this clearly, Ōnoki instructed the sealing team, "Good work! Now, try to slow down the accumulation rate."
The sealing specialists complied, carefully reducing their chakra output, trying to maintain the formation while slowing the energy influx.
Immediately, Ishiro noticed the natural energy accumulation slowing down. "It worked!" Ishiro exclaimed excitedly.
Ōnoki smiled with satisfaction. Success meant natural energy could indeed be managed by sealing techniques, giving the village great hope.
Actually, reaching this stage already exceeded the initial expectations set three years ago. Even if they progressed no further, periodically gathering natural energy for experimentation would eventually yield results. The entire village's efforts couldn't possibly fall short compared to a single shinobi like Orochimaru, could they?
Under Ōnoki's direct supervision, the Barrier Division continued detailed experiments for several days, finally achieving complete control of the sealing formation.
After fine adjustments, they could now freely start and stop the sealing formation and rotate shinobi as needed. This rapid progress was the culmination of the Barrier Division's dedicated efforts over the past two years, obsessively researching these fragments.
Today, Ōnoki summoned the village's leadership and department heads to a meeting at the seal site. Ishiro, as the project's original advocate, received special permission to attend this high-level gathering.
The meeting's primary topic was utilizing the gathered natural energy. However, this was new territory for everyone, and no feasible plans emerged initially.
As an observer, Ishiro offered a suggestion, "Before we have shinobi capable of directly controlling natural energy, we could treat this area as a special environment. Perhaps letting ninja, children, or even ninja animals live here could create subtle effects over time."
He continued, "The creatures of the Three Great Sage Lands developed Sage Jutsu, likely due to prolonged exposure to environments rich in natural energy."
Everyone's eyes lit up at this thought. Artificially cultivating their own Sage Land suddenly seemed feasible.
The head of the medical division quickly suggested, "We could replicate this seal at the hospital. A natural energy-rich environment might help speed up patient recovery."
With this inspiration, others enthusiastically proposed various ideas.
Ōnoki decisively concluded, initially selecting some promising shinobi and beneficial ninja animals to live within the seal's perimeter. Children would wait until safety was verified. Regarding the hospital, they would start small by designating a special recovery zone.
Consequently, the village selected talented young shinobi and useful ninja beasts to reside in this sealed area.
Ishiro volunteered as the first resident, which nobody objected to, given his contributions and innate talent. He would have been chosen anyway.
Ishiro had anticipated Sage Jutsu for years; natural energy had practically become an obsession since three years ago.
In the following days, Ishiro rarely left the sealed area. Since the selected shinobi hadn't arrived yet, he was alone inside. He assumed the village wanted to observe him before committing further.
After several days, Ishiro felt no adverse effects. He constantly used sensory ninjutsu to sense natural energy. Gradually, Ishiro realized his understanding and affinity toward natural energy might have increased. It was merely intuition and possibly psychological, but he sincerely hoped it was real.
When he reported his observations to Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage promptly arrived with several advisors to question Ishiro personally. One advisor even asked for recommendations about which shinobi to choose for the area.
This prompted Ishiro's imagination, recalling novels from his past life. He proposed, "Lord Tsuchikage, honored advisors, we could prioritize selecting shinobi who are calm-natured, or those fond of nature—plants and wildlife."
The advisors exchanged looks, surprised by Ishiro's insightful suggestion, though another advisor lamented, "We have plenty who excel at killing, but calm, nature-loving ninja are rare."
Another idea struck Ishiro, who quickly added, "Then perhaps try the opposite—extremely violent individuals. Extremes may reverse; those furthest from nature might sense it even more profoundly."
Ōnoki and his advisors were puzzled but agreed it was worth exploring. Ōnoki promptly assigned an advisor to carry out these plans.
Lastly, Ōnoki asked Ishiro if living within the seal area had any negative effects. Upon hearing Ishiro's reassuring response, he ordered the selected shinobi to move in starting the next day.
Since perceiving natural energy wasn't something achievable overnight, Ishiro's temporary role as a guinea pig ended. Accordingly, the village reassigned him. Team Five was disbanded after all members became Chunin.
Tanaka and Ishiro were assigned to the Anbu, while Shouhara became the leader of a new three-member team. This arrangement was logical: Shouhara's taijutsu was outstanding after two years, suitable for leadership, and he had finally mastered his first C-rank ninjutsu.
Tanaka, despite good combat skills, had clear weaknesses—good at protecting herself, less capable of protecting teammates.
Regarding Ishiro, the village hoped Anbu service would provide further growth under senior shinobi before entrusting him with independent responsibilities. The village was reluctant to prematurely expose a genius like Ishiro, preferring he mature under experienced guidance first.
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