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You can now get early access up to Chapter 151 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my Patreon.
Up to Chapter 10 of Marvel: Star Wars System is also available on my Patreon. Each chapter averages 5,000 words.
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The first 5 chapters of Marvel: Star Wars System are now available, completely free on my Patreon!
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"Apparently, Yomi used the life energy extracted from the city's inhabitants to synthesize a fluid with high energy density, which he injected into the dark snakes as a means of transport and containment," Sakura explained, leafing through the reports.
"These snakes were biologically modified and served as living catalysts. By connecting them directly to the bodies of the members of the Gang of Four, the fluid channeled medically altered Chakra through their circulatory systems, optimizing their physiological functions."
Sakura frowned, reading a note in more detail.
"In simple terms, Yomi artificially amplified the physical abilities of his subjects through a combination of bioengineering, Chakra control, and parasitic tissue fusion. The process is unstable but extremely effective in the short term."
Sakura left the papers on the rusty laboratory table, with an expression mixing amazement and disgust.
"I can't believe all of this was working for years without anyone noticing…" she murmured, moving aside a tube filled with purplish liquid, her fingers trembling slightly. "The level of anatomical knowledge and cellular manipulation Yomi had is terrifying. Even by current medical standards."
Naruto approached from behind, observing the contents of one of the tanks.
"Can you replicate it?"
Sakura shook her head slowly.
"I could… but I wouldn't. This isn't medicine; it's life abuse. Manipulating Chakra through an intermediate organism — in this case, snakes — is not only unstable, it's parasitic. The stolen life energy doesn't nourish the patient, it consumes them from the inside."
Reika crossed her arms, leaning against a reinforced wall.
"And the Banda de los Cuatro? Didn't they survive long with those modifications?"
"Yes, but at a high cost," Sakura replied. "The tissues eventually degrade due to the constant Chakra overload. That's why they needed a constant source of life energy. It was like running an engine at full throttle, but with the wrong fuel…"
Hinata, who had been silent beside Shion and Shūen, asked softly.
"What if we destroy the tanks… could we reverse the flow and return the energy to the people?"
"Impossible. The life energy would simply evaporate into the air, nourishing only the closest living beings, among them us and, hopefully, some plants and trees around the palace…" Sakura answered in a professional tone, not looking away from the documents before her, crossing her legs.
She turned another page.
"The extraction and channeling system Yomi devised is unidirectional. It wasn't designed to restore, only to consume. If we destroy the tanks without proper preparation, the energy will dissipate."
Shūen frowned.
"So there's no way to give it back to the people… or at least to me?"
Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head slowly.
"Not directly. But if we manage to manipulate Yomi's Fūinjutsu… we could reconfigure the energy flow and redirect it to its original owners."
Naruto nodded slowly, starting to see where this was going.
"The problem," Sakura continued, "is that there's no one here with us expert enough in Fūinjutsu to do that without risking everything collapsing… or worse, it being released all at once."
Naruto knew what would happen if all that life energy was suddenly released.
There were two possibilities: everyone would end up as babies… or the entire city would be wiped out by an uncontrolled energy shockwave, disappearing from the map in the process.
However, before focusing on that and looking for a solution, something else caught his attention.
His gaze turned toward Sakura.
"You… since when are you so smart? I didn't know you had a talent for this…"
Sakura smiled, surprised by what seemed a genuine compliment from Naruto.
But before she could thank him, Naruto continued speaking…
"I didn't know you had a talent for this… or for anything, really."
Sakura blinked. Her smile died instantly.
"You know what? I hope everything blows up."
Naruto burst out laughing while the others tried to hide their smiles.
"Come on, Sakura, admit it. That was a good joke."
Sakura said nothing. She crossed her arms firmly, still sitting cross-legged, and looked away with a silent huff. She closed her eyes disdainfully, making it clear she wasn't going to pay any more attention.
"Besides, they're wrong about something. Among us, there is someone who's an expert in Fūinjutsu," Naruto added, crossing his arms with a small smile.
All eyes immediately turned to Shūen.
Naruto frowned, exasperated. "I'm not talking about this old dwarf, you bunch of idiots!" he snapped, pointing at himself with his thumb. "I'm talking about me!"
They all looked at him dubiously. Even Shūen raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
Naruto simply ignored them all and began manipulating Yomi's Fūinjutsu.
Although it seemed a masterpiece—after all, it could forcibly extract life energy from a large number of people over a wide area—to Naruto it was nothing more than a rudimentary technique.
It was as if Yomi were a caveman who had just discovered fire.
...
"Our bodies should return to normal in a few hours. As for Shūen… he'll take a bit longer but will go back to being a fifty-year-old man, not ninety," Naruto said.
He had spent a couple of hours manipulating Yomi's Fūinjutsu.
From the chat group, Mito had several complaints about how he had handled it, claiming he could have done better if he had followed her advice, but Naruto simply ignored her.
With the problem finally solved, all that remained was to wait for their bodies to return to normal.
Sakura remained focused on Yomi's documents and research, completely absorbed among diagrams, scribbled notes, and anatomical drawings.
Shion, meanwhile, slept deeply in a chair, feet resting on the nearest table. She could be a priestess and princess, but seeing her like that, mouth half-open and one leg twitching in dreams, she looked nothing like it.
Shūen sat nearby, legs dangling like a child's, holding his cane between his knees. His eyes were closed, with a satisfied smile as he playfully twirled a single red hair that had sprouted in the center of his head.
It was the first tangible sign that the Fūinjutsu was reversing, returning life energy to its rightful owners.
And although it was just one hair, Shūen celebrated it like it was the crown of an emperor.
At the other end of the laboratory, Hinata and Reika watched him closely.
Hinata made a subtle gesture with her fingers, signaling him to come closer, while Reika looked at him sideways with a half-smile, letting her cloak fall softly to the floor. She leaned her sword against the wall, calmly crouching slowly, trying to tempt him.
They shared a silent, knowing look before entering, without a word, a small side room.
Naruto froze for a few seconds, blinking, not fully understanding.
He swallowed audibly.
They still had that mature look, strong and seductive women in their thirties...
Without thinking twice, he took his cloak and threw it over Shion like a blanket. Then he left his sword and belt on a nearby table and walked straight to the door where Hinata and Reika were waiting.
Sakura, who had watched the entire scene from the side, sighed tiredly without even looking up from the papers.
"Perverts…" she murmured to herself, hiding her face among the sheets, a faint blush on her cheeks.