Chapter 153: Chakra Sealing

Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Chakra Sealing

After returning to the village, Hyuga Kagami immediately made his way to his laboratory.

Now that the Dragon Vein had been extracted from his body and sealed inside the gourd artifact he carried with him, he no longer had to worry about the Dragon Vein going berserk whenever he used Soul Descent.

At this moment, his gaze shifted toward the Third Kazekage human puppet standing silently at his side, and he fell into thought.

"There can’t be even the slightest lapse in the laboratory’s defenses!"

Nearly all of Hyuga Kagami’s secrets were hidden within this laboratory, so he had to ensure its absolute security.

That meant he needed to keep the Third Kazekage human puppet in an activated state at all times.

However, once he used Soul Descent and transferred his soul from his original body into a clone, he would no longer be able to continuously supply the Tenseigan chakra required to keep the Third Kazekage human puppet active for extended periods.

After pondering the problem for a while, Hyuga Kagami decided to try something.

He intended to use a sealing technique to store a large quantity of Tenseigan chakra inside the Third Kazekage human puppet in advance, allowing the puppet to draw upon that reserve and remain active for a long period of time.

Such a method was by no means uncommon in the shinobi world.

Before their deaths, the Fourth Hokage and his wife had sealed what remained of their chakra inside Naruto using sealing techniques, allowing it to help him overcome a crisis when the need arose.

Orochimaru had also used a similar method, storing his chakra within other people as a contingency for his own resurrection.

Hyuga Kagami was a man of action through and through. Once he had an idea, he would immediately put it to the test.

Walking up to the Third Kazekage human puppet, he pressed his right hand against its chest.

An enormous amount of Tenseigan chakra flowed through his right hand and poured into the Third Kazekage human puppet.

In an instant, a faint azure glow began radiating from the puppet’s body.

"Four Symbols Seal—Seal!"

Feeling that he had infused roughly enough chakra, Hyuga Kagami immediately activated the sealing technique.

As the sealing technique was completed, lines of ink-black sealing formulas appeared across the Third Kazekage human puppet’s chest. They rapidly contracted inward, eventually converging into a palm-sized seal at the center of its chest.

Hyuga Kagami casually asked, "How does it feel?"

The Third Kazekage human puppet sensed its condition for a moment before replying, "Master, if I don’t engage in combat, this chakra will allow me to remain active for three months."

Hyuga Kagami nodded.

Three months of standby time wasn’t particularly long, but for Hyuga Kagami’s purposes, it was more than enough.

As for how long the Third Kazekage human puppet could remain active once it entered combat, there was currently no way for anyone to estimate it. After all, battles of different intensities naturally consumed vastly different amounts of chakra.

With these lingering concerns taken care of, Hyuga Kagami immediately used the Tenseigan’s Soul Descent Technique, transferring his soul into the Type-A clone.

After getting dressed, he hung the gourd artifact and Kusanagimaru at his waist before leisurely leaving the laboratory.

At present, this Type-A clone was still far from the perfect Water Release clone Hyuga Kagami required.

First and foremost, Hyuga Kagami needed this clone, which contained cellular tissue from Haku, to completely adapt to his soul, allowing its body and his soul to achieve perfect compatibility.

This step was absolutely crucial.

If Hyuga Kagami couldn’t accomplish this, then what he was attempting would fundamentally be no different from Hiruko’s Chimera Technique.

Secondly, Hyuga Kagami still needed to further develop this Water Release clone, strengthening it until its physical capabilities approached—or even reached—the level of his Yin Release original body.

The reason for doing this was to ensure that when he eventually performed the Chimera Technique, all seven bodies—including his Yin Release original body—and their seven different chakra natures would be able to achieve a perfect balance.

Only then would he have even the slightest possibility of glimpsing the realm of Kekkei Mōra!

Walking at an unhurried pace, Hyuga Kagami arrived at the underground residence where Haku was temporarily staying.

Holding a small rabbit in his arms, Haku hurried over to greet him.

"Lord Kagami, you’re here!"

Hyuga Kagami gave a slight nod.

"Are you getting used to living here?"

The little rabbit in Haku’s arms was something Hyuga Kagami had bought for him at the village market.

He was mainly worried that Haku would get lonely and bored staying by himself in the underground residence, so he had bought the little rabbit to keep him company.

Haku gently stroked the rabbit in his arms as he repeatedly nodded.

"Put the rabbit down and come with me."

After giving the instruction, Hyuga Kagami turned and left the underground residence.

Once he had settled the little rabbit down, Haku hurriedly followed after him and asked, "Lord Kagami, are we going to practice ninjutsu?"

The corner of Hyuga Kagami’s mouth curled upward.

"Mm."

Several hours later, Hyuga Kagami and Haku arrived beside a lake downstream of the Naka River.

This place was already quite far from the village and lay outside the patrol routes of Konoha’s patrol squads. As such, practicing ninjutsu in this area was relatively safe and secluded.

Arriving at the lakeside, Hyuga Kagami gazed at the shimmering surface of the water and asked, "Haku, you should’ve learned quite a few Water Style technique while you were with Orochimaru, right?"

Haku nodded somewhat innocently.

Hyuga Kagami pointed toward the lake.

"We’re right beside a water source. Show me every Water Style technique you know!"

Haku was somewhat puzzled.

In the past, Hyuga Kagami had always asked him to demonstrate his Ice Style techniques. He couldn’t understand why Kagami had suddenly asked him to demonstrate his Water Style techniques today.

However, Haku didn’t dare refuse Hyuga Kagami’s request. He immediately focused his mind, began forming hand seals, and started performing his Water Release ninjutsu.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Technique!"

In an instant, several water spheres, each about the size of a washbasin, gathered above the surface of the lake before shooting rapidly into the distance.

"A C-rank Water Release ninjutsu, huh..."

Hyuga Kagami nodded before continuing, "Keep going!"

Hearing this, Haku once again formed hand seals and performed another Water Style technique.

"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"

"Water Style: Water Barrage Technique!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Water Style: Water Wall Technique!"

After consecutively performing five Water Style ninjutsu, even with the lake providing him with an abundant water source, Haku was left panting heavily from exhaustion.

Hyuga Kagami glanced at him and asked, "Do you know any other Water Release ninjutsu?"

Still breathing heavily, Haku replied, "I... I also know the Water Flow Wave Technique, but I don’t have enough chakra left right now."

"Water Flow Wave!?"

Hyuga Kagami was slightly taken aback before saying, "That technique is a simplified version of the S-rank ninjutsu Water Severing Wave, developed by the Second Hokage. You’ve already learned it at such a young age?"

Haku lowered his head and replied, "When I was with Lord Orochimaru, if I couldn’t learn a ninjutsu, I wasn’t allowed to eat dinner."

Hyuga Kagami smiled but said nothing more.

Given Orochimaru’s personality, being denied dinner was actually an extremely mild punishment.

Yet even such a minor punishment had been enough to push Haku into mastering a Water Release ninjutsu on the level of Water Flow Wave within such a short period of time. It was clear that Haku’s talent for ninjutsu was truly exceptional.

"Even while wandering around with a failure like Zabuza, Haku still managed to reach the level of a jōnin. If he continues training under Orochimaru instead, just how far he’ll go in the future really is something worth looking forward to!"