Carefully savoring the concept of "Kekkei Shinra," Shinji's relaxed brow gradually furrowed.
According to the level of Kekkei Shinra, once Shinji attained it, he would truly be able to absorb a Chakra Fruit without any loss.
Indeed, even for the current Shinji, consuming a Chakra Fruit resulted in a significant amount of waste.
The chakra contained within a Chakra Fruit was refined by the God Tree from planetary energy. A large proportion of this chakra fell outside the scope of the seven attributes of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Therefore, even a Kekkei Mora, who could fuse these seven nature transformations, could not absorb that portion of chakra and turn it into their own.
Only when Shinji grew into a Kekkei Shinra could he truly absorb all the energy within a Chakra Fruit without wasting a drop.
But the more he realized this, the more Shinji frowned.
He discovered that in the process of gradually becoming a Kekkei Shinra, he seemed to be growing closer and closer to those Hegemons wandering the universe, feeding on worlds.
In other words, in Shinji's view, the path to charging toward Kekkei Shinra looked more and more like turning himself into a Hegemon.
"Is it true that to contend with a Hegemon, one must become a Hegemon oneself?"
Shinji sighed.
The power of a Hegemon was comprehensive. Because they absorbed the full power spectrum of every world they devoured, each Hegemon might have different focuses, but they essentially possessed no "weaknesses."
Perhaps this was why, back in the Sixth Ring World, the Plague Hegemon and the Reproduction Hegemon didn't go to war directly. Instead, the Plague Hegemon only struck decisively to drive the Reproduction Hegemon away after Shinji had sealed a part of its body, creating a vulnerability. Even if there were differences in strength between Hegemons, they would try to avoid conflict because the outcome was unpredictable.
Therefore, to fight a Hegemon with no weaknesses, perhaps the only way was to become a Hegemon oneself!
Shinji didn't dwell on the sentiment for long; he quickly gathered his thoughts.
Hegemons weren't hated because their power was too great; people hated them because they were cruel and domineering, devouring entire worlds at the drop of a hat. Power wasn't the mistake; the one using the power was!
Consuming two Chakra Fruits had merely made him realize that the realm of Kekkei Shinra existed above Kekkei Mora. It didn't mean he was close to that realm. by his current estimation, he would need to consume at least five, perhaps even more Chakra Fruits, to possibly attempt a breakthrough to Kekkei Shinra!
Unfortunately, right now, even if he had enough planetary energy, he didn't have enough Otsutsuki sacrifices to offer to the God Tree to nurture more fruits.
"I'll take it one step at a time."
Shaking his head, Shinji left World No. 2.
The Shinobi World.
Atop a mountain peak, Hiruko finished setting up the various formulas for the ritual. He turned to Orochimaru, who stood in the center of the formation, and asked, "Have you thought this through clearly? The specifications of this ritual are ten times higher than the one I used. You could very likely die directly during the process!"
Orochimaru grinned. "Rest assured."
Hiruko still wasn't reassured. He didn't care about Orochimaru's life or death; he was worried "A" would punish him for it. He glanced at Amado, who was setting up instruments and directing the team nearby.
Noticing Hiruko's gaze, Amado shook his head slightly.
Research involving Shinjutsu had gone beyond all conventional research methods. Every attempt the Research Institute made was madness, bordering on hysteria.
"A bunch of lunatics!"
Hiruko cursed under his breath.
He had always thought he was crazy enough, but compared to people like Orochimaru and Amado, he suddenly found himself to be the most rational one.
Curses aside, he didn't dare slack off on the necessary work.
Beside him, Ranmaru, who was assisting with the setup, whispered, "Do we really have to go to this extent? I don't understand it fully, but a fusion ritual of this intensity surpasses the cellular level, right? No human can survive this!"
Hiruko said coldly, "They have no choice! All theoretical research on Shinjutsu ultimately hits a wall at chakra intensity. If we cannot fuse chakra of sufficient intensity, all research is futile, nothing but empty talk on paper!"
He lowered his gaze, sweeping over the ritual site. "And even raising the ritual intensity to this level is theoretically only barely enough to fuse chakra capable of supporting Shinjutsu!"
Ranmaru couldn't help but ask, "Is it worth it?"
He truly didn't understand. "A" already dominated the era and could do whatever he wanted in the Shinobi World. Why was he so aggressively researching Shinjutsu, as if some great enemy were about to descend?
Hiruko didn't understand either, but he approved of "A's" research into Shinjutsu because it gave him value and kept him from being purged.
Before long, all preparations were complete.
Compared to this ritual, the one Hiruko used previously, and the one Ranmaru used later, seemed incredibly primitive. Although the preparation time for this one wasn't long, it was fully funded by the Research Institute, mobilizing almost all available manpower and resources in the Shinobi World. It was far beyond what the Akatsuki Organization could compare to during its dormant phase.
All personnel retreated, waiting for the celestial timing.
According to Hiruko's calculations, an aurora would appear tonight, and the ritual would officially begin then.
Compared to the nervousness of the surrounding researchers, Orochimaru, sitting in the center of the ritual, was remarkably relaxed. sitting cross-legged, he observed the six crosses erected around him.
The sacrifices for this ritual were different from before. They weren't Kekkei Genkai ninjas, but six test subjects who had survived the transplantation of Otsutsuki Shibai's cells and inherited his power.
These six subjects, possessing different chakra natures, were imprisoned on the six crosses corresponding to the ritual. Combined with Orochimaru's own chakra nature, they perfectly assembled the seven different chakra natures of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements.
Undoubtedly.
To aim for super-high-quality chakra capable of wielding Shinjutsu, ordinary Kekkei Genkai ninjas were far from qualified. Only test subjects who inherited Otsutsuki Shibai's power were worthy of being sacrifices for this ritual!
In the distance, Amado was still debugging the instruments.
He wasn't in charge of this ritual; he was here merely to collect data. As for Orochimaru, Amado could sense that his volunteering was driven by ulterior motives. However, this didn't hinder Amado's plans, as they truly needed someone of sufficient weight to challenge this ritual.