Chapter 264: Thunder Rises, Clouds Part (Part 1)
"Hah! He grew this tall?"
Yoshitoki stared at Yotsuki Dana inside the tank with surprise. Although Yotsuki men were generally tall, the Dana before him seemed to have significantly surpassed the Third Raikage.
"Master Yoshitoki, it's not just a matter of height. He's growing too fast. Dana-sama has been growing almost a centimeter a day. He's already reached 220cm (approx. 7'2"). We have to change the nutrient solution twice a day. We feel this is extremely abnormal."
Yoshitoki extended a finger. The knuckle opened automatically, and several black tendrils extended, entering the tank from above.
The researchers nearby were slightly surprised but not overly panicked. They knew about the Earth Grudge Fear jutsu and had actively wanted to learn it, but the village had slowed down its promotion, so they had put it aside for now.
The black tendrils circled Dana's body for a moment, seeming to check something, then lightly pierced half an inch into his ribs. Outside the tank, Yoshitoki closed his eyes to sense.
After a long while, the tendrils retracted. Yoshitoki said, "Prepare a set of clean clothes. Dana is about to wake up."
The researchers' eyes nearly popped out. "Master Yoshitoki, what did you do?"
Is the gap in skill that big? Dozens of us have been busy for almost a month with zero progress.
"I didn't do anything. His time has simply come. The natural energy absorbed by his spine has reached saturation."
"Master, you can detect natural energy?"
In the village, only Yotsuki Dana had mastered Sage Mode. Others, and even existing equipment, couldn't detect natural energy; they only knew of its existence.
Yoshitoki rubbed his nose. "This trip out... I gained some insights."
As they spoke, the extraordinarily tall and muscular Dana inside the tank indeed showed changes. Lightning began to crackle around his spine. In the special liquid, the arcs were even more conspicuous than in air, emerging one by one like silver threads.
They grew denser and denser, gradually enveloping the suspended Dana until he looked like a giant cocoon of light.
A female researcher adjusted her glasses. "So beautiful..."
Finally, the lightning became too intense. The tank couldn't withstand the load, and cracks appeared on the reinforced glass.
Inside the tank, Yotsuki Dana slowly opened his eyes.
All he saw was pale green liquid. He seemed to be submerged in water. This confused Dana, whose last memory was fighting Madara.
"I remember... I was hit by Chibaku Tensei?"
Then he felt the anomaly in his spine and saw the Cloud researchers outside, and he understood somewhat.
The lightning didn't diminish. Instead, with Dana's awakening, it grew brighter, as if the thunder was celebrating the return of its master.
Dana sensed his internal condition, understanding the changes in his spine clearly.
The spine was the foundation of his Bloodline Limit, just like the eyes for the Uchiha.
anatomically, the human spine is divided into three parts: lumbar, thoracic, and cervical.
From birth, his entire spine had been purple. As a child with thin skin and little meat, the purple color showed through, looking quite eerie and unhealthy. As his body grew, the color was no longer visible through his skin and muscles.
The first time he accepted natural energy in the Shikkotsu Forest, the change occurred in the lowest part of his spine—the lumbar vertebrae—turning them gold. Now, after years of cultivation and continuous development of natural energy and Sage Mode, the thoracic vertebrae had also changed.
The Shikkotsu Forest event allowed him to master his unique Sage Mode and set him on the path of cultivating natural energy, like the Katsuyu Sage and Toad Sage. What changes would the transformation of the thoracic vertebrae bring?
In the future, if the cervical vertebrae also changed? That was the part connected to the brain.
As the creator of the Takemikazuchi bloodline, even he didn't know.
Finally, when the lightning reached its peak, the thoracic section of his back, just like in the Shikkotsu Forest, seemed to shatter some shackle. A faint cracking sound was heard, and the thoracic vertebrae turned completely gold, identical to the lumbar section.
Simultaneously, the three-meter-tall tank could no longer hold on. The reinforced glass shattered layer by layer, and massive amounts of liquid poured out.
Dana simply flipped out through the hole.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
After being weightless in the liquid for so long, Dana wasn't used to gravity. Removing the breathing mask, he gasped for air.
Standing up straight, Dana compared his height with Yoshitoki and was surprised. "I grew taller again??"
Yoshitoki smiled. "Indeed, you grew a lot. You might be the tallest Yotsuki in history now."
As Dana stood up, the female researcher's face turned bright red. She covered her mouth to stifle a scream.
Although she saw Dana-sama's perfect body every day, seeing it in a tank was one thing; having it dangle in front of her eyes was another.
Especially with that monstrous height difference.
Dana realized the awkwardness and quickly turned around. Fortunately, the person fetching clothes returned.
"Dana-sama, this is the largest size we have."
Dana put on the clothes, feeling relieved.
Just then, the Third Raikage, having received the news, rushed over frantically.
Seeing the spirited Dana, the Third Raikage was overjoyed. He hadn't dared to come to the lab before; seeing his son pickled in a jar like a specimen hurt every time.
A thousand words converged into one sentence.
"Why are you taller than me?"
Dana greeted his old man and asked, "How long was I out?"
"Twenty-three days. Your mother and Arashi were worried sick."
Dana helplessly smoothed back his still-damp hair.
"I really didn't expect that guy to have such a powerful trump card. I guess I experienced what it feels like to be sealed... Old Man, there were still some loose ends in the capital. Nothing happened after I left, right?"
Madara and Black Zetsu undoubtedly wanted to create chaos to weaken the Land of Lightning and, by extension, the Cloud.
Black Zetsu had been marked and could no longer appear within Kayo's sensory range. Madara had been killed by Dana. Next, as long as they took precautions against White Zetsu, this dragging chaos should end.
Probably...
The only accident was getting hot-headed and choosing to 1v1 Madara instead of ganging up on him... Lesson learned. Will do it again next time.
Because it felt really good. He shattered a Susanoo. The Cloud style in his bones was addictive.
Through this battle, Dana roughly understood his position in the history of the ninja world's power hierarchy.
How should he put it... still need to work hard. He wondered what changes the golden thoracic vertebrae would bring.
The Third Raikage smiled. "The capital is fine. You should rest well; you've been in a coma for so long."
Looking at his father, Dana suddenly felt an indescribable sensation.
"Old Man... say that again?"
"Didn't you hear me? I said the capital is fine. You should rest well."
Dana rubbed his chin, uncertain. "Such a strange feeling... A peculiar perception."
"What perception?"
"I can sense... that you're lying, Old Man..."
Third Raikage: "..."
Several Hours Ago.
A bizarre fire in the capital precisely burned to death the only two surviving children of the previous Daimyo.
Since the previous Daimyo fell into a coma, these two had believed they had no chance of inheriting the throne. They never participated in any disputes and publicly stated their lack of interest in various settings, managing to survive until now.
Yet, somehow, they fell into a conspiracy and were burned to death.
The Cloud ninja in the capital lost face. Last night, someone clearly took advantage of the Cloud's focus on the banquet to commit arson and murder.
Just when the princes of various countries thought the Thunder Daimyo would turtle up after this incident, Raihara Yukihiro held another banquet the next day.
Still bustling with noise, still full of noble pomp, with hundreds of servants and guards. Very lively.
Some dull princes truly didn't sense anything wrong, treating the fire as an accident. The smarter ones didn't care about the Land of Lightning's life or death, only about completing their fathers' missions.
Yukihiro looked even more excited than the previous night.
He hugged the nobles he had become "good friends" with the night before, singing and dancing. Clear liquor was poured into his mouth cup after cup, and soon his face was flushed red.
"Give wine to all the ninja too! Let everyone be happy! Hahaha!"
The ninja from the Great Villages basically ignored him, but some mercenary ninja brought by the small nation princes couldn't resist the atmosphere and started drinking.
Yukihiro hugged the Prince of the Land of Rivers, reeking of alcohol. "Those Cloud guys... bullies! Too much!"
The River Prince echoed, "Exactly. Those ninja are excessive. Daring to offend a Daimyo."
Yukihiro threw his cup. "That's why! To preserve the dignity of the Daimyo's Court, the Cloud must be destroyed! Hic..."
The River Prince, retaining some sobriety, quietly pushed the swaying Yukihiro away. "Daimyo-dono, surely you jest."
Yukihiro didn't care. Red-faced, he said, "I'm not joking. Just verbal support is useless. Once you leave, the Cloud will control Asuka Castle and put me under house arrest again... Hic... But if you guys have another accident in Asuka Castle... the Cloud, who effectively controls the capital, will definitely become the enemy of the entire ninja world! The Daimyo Courts of all nations won't sit idly by! Plus, the Raihara family has no one left but me. The Cloud guys won't dare touch me. Then they'll have to give up soft-locking me! Hahahaha!"
The River Prince felt a chill down his spine. "Daimyo-dono, don't scare me. There are Cloud people everywhere, plus so many guards from various countries. How could there be chaos?"
Yukihiro suddenly smiled wickedly. "I still have some people who listen to me. Besides... aren't you guys here?"
"How could we help you do such a crazy thing? Daimyo-sama, I'll take my leave."
However, before the River Prince could slip away, a scream erupted in the banquet hall.
The Prince of the Land of Birds suddenly smashed his wine cup and stabbed the jagged edge into the throat of the Prince of the Land of Bears.
"You bastard! Don't look down on people!"
The Bear Prince clutched his throat futilely as blood sprayed like a fountain.
The banquet hall fell into a weird silence for a second.
In the next moment, as if stimulated by the blood, everyone in the hall went mad.
Countless nobles, eyes red, began attacking each other. Candlesticks, broken glass—anything became a weapon. Some even flipped tables to smash people. The noble dignity they maintained turned into beastly aggression and lust for destruction.
Even some mercenary ninja started looking around with red eyes.
Servants and dancers fled frantically, while others were dragged into the brawl.
The sudden change naturally attracted the attention of the guard ninja and the Cloud. The ninja from the Great Villages who hadn't drunk immediately tried to protect their employers. However, the perpetrators were the nobles themselves. How could they be easily separated? Soon, even mercenary ninja joined the fight, and the entire hall spiraled out of control.
Someone knocked over a candlestick. Flames quickly climbed the curtains...
Minato Namikaze immediately used Body Flicker to reach Prince Shohei. Shohei's eyes were red, but he retained some rationality, struggling to stand up.
Minato touched Shohei, tentatively trying to dispel Genjutsu, but it had no effect.
"Not Genjutsu... Poison? ...But all food and drink went through two rounds of inspections. The Cloud and the guards from every nation should have checked..."
Finally unable to hold back, Prince Shohei turned and lunged at Minato.
Minato flickered behind him and struck the back of his head. Shohei stumbled but didn't pass out.
Tsume Inuzuka rushed forward, trying to tie him up.
In just these few minutes, countless people were injured in the hall, and many lay on the ground, silent forever.