The sheer volume of chakra Byakuya possessed now was a world apart from before. It was the kind of transformation that made you want to rub your eyes in disbelief—a true "three-day marvel."
First came a minor increase in chakra capacity, then a major increase from a timed mission, and most recently, a significant boost to his stamina, which in turn dragged his chakra capacity up another huge step.
"The body's base stats aren't isolated," he realized. "Raising one stat often pulls the others up along with it."
"The feeling of making steady, tangible progress is incredible. Getting stronger is addictive."
"However, right now I have the stats but zero combat experience. If I run into a ninja with the same power level but actual battle scars, I'm the one who'll end up dead."
"For this Root mission, I have to be exceptionally careful. The ninja world is full of scheming snakes. I need to use Shadow Clones to scout everything."
He circulated his Storm Style chakra to soothe his muscles. With the Water nature mixed in, the Lightning chakra lost its violent edge, providing the perfect internal massage.
Truth be told, Byakuya really wanted the Cloud Village's Lightning Style Chakra Mode—the Lightning Armor. Unfortunately, that was a closely guarded secret technique passed down through generations. The chances of getting his hands on it were basically zero.
He popped a soldier pill into his mouth to top off his stamina, then leaped from the tree branch to continue his journey.
The soldier pills he carried didn't restore chakra; they were just high-energy rations made from carrots, buckwheat, flour, and honey to replenish physical endurance.
After leaving the village, Byakuya had briefly entertained the idea of going rogue right then and there. But he killed the thought instantly.
For the foreseeable future, the Hidden Leaf was his umbrella. Even though he'd been screwed over by that snake Hiroya, Root still operated with some rules compared to the lawless, kill-or-be-killed chaos of the outside world.
---
When he arrived outside the Ninja Tool Research Substation that had been attacked, he didn't reveal himself. Instead, he hid in the shadows to observe.
It was a three-story building backed against a fan-shaped cliff face. The exterior was plain and offered no clues. In front of it was a precipice with a rushing river below; two large logs laid side-by-side spanned the gap, serving as a bridge.
Byakuya formed the seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
He sent the clone into the research station to gather intel while his main body stayed outside, alert for any movement.
The clone circled wide, away from the main body, approached the cliff from another angle, crossed the log bridge, and reached the station.
The double iron doors were ajar. A faint, lingering scent of blood drifted out.
The clone tensed, approached the doors cautiously, and, sensing no immediate ambush, slipped inside.
The first thing he saw were six bodies—researchers, by the looks of it—slumped behind the door as if they had been trying to flee. They were dead. The killer's methods were cruel; it looked like they had toyed with their prey, hacking them up before delivering the killing blow right as they were about to escape, crushing their hope along with their lives.
The blood on the floor had already dried into a dark, brownish-black crust.
The clone drew its ninja sword and carefully searched for intel.
Nothing unusual found. The killer's movements had been clean; there were no signs of a fierce struggle.
He found the entrance to the basement forge.
The door was closed.
The moment he pushed it open, a dozen kunai and shuriken flew straight at his face.
"Ha! The Leaf ninja finally showed up. Grab his corpse and let's move!"
"Payday, boys!"
The clone swung his sword. The minor boost to his Kenjutsu talent paid off; his strikes were precise, knocking down every single projectile.
The basement was pitch black, save for a dying candle in a sconce on the hallway wall leading down.
The enemy was in the dark; he was in the light.
The clone was a sitting duck, with no idea how many enemies were inside.
He immediately backed up, grabbed the candle from the sconce, and hurled it into the basement.
The flickering light illuminated a small area.
He caught a glimpse of two ferocious faces before the candle was snuffed out. Immediately, another volley of shuriken flew out.
The clone intentionally took a hit, clutching a "wound" on his leg and slumping against the hallway wall.
"Can't handle it? Intel was right. The Leaf sent all their heavy hitters to the front lines. The rear is empty."
"Go finish him. Slit his throat. Tsk, what kind of mask is that?"
"Shuten-doji. The legendary demon king."
Two men wielding swords stepped out of the darkness and approached the clone.
They raised their blades.
At that exact moment, the clone opened its mouth and spat a beam of bright blue lightning that flowed like water. It was a guided stream of energy that instantly pierced through both their bodies.
"Storm Style: Torrential Lightning!"
It was a technique developed based on Water Style: Wild Water Wave. The key was replacing the water chakra in his mouth with Storm Style chakra. It had excellent explosive power, short-range coverage, high piercing damage, and a paralyzing effect.
This was the advantage of a bloodline limit rooted in one's DNA—it was effortless to use.
The two men looked shocked. However, their bodies suddenly vanished into the stream of lightning.
Shadow Clones!
Before Byakuya's clone could recover from releasing the jutsu, shuriken, kunai, and a ninja sword flew from the basement, piercing his vital points.
"Heh. Nasty jutsu."
"Just a reckless kid. The evil Leaf Village really has no one left."
The clone looked up with difficulty. In the dim light of the hallway, he memorized their faces before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone too?!"
"Damn it! Damn it!! Leaf ninjas are all slippery bastards!"
---
Hidden outside, the real Byakuya processed the memories returned by the clone, staring intently at the research station against the cliff.
He couldn't gauge the exact strength of the two hiding in the basement, but the good news was their dialogue revealed they were agitated.
Putting himself in their shoes: they were deep behind enemy lines, having just destroyed a research station. Instead of fleeing immediately, they had boldly set an ambush. The longer they stayed, the more certain their death became. They had to be desperate to leave now.
Byakuya recalled their words—specifically "Grab his corpse and let's move" and the gleeful "Payday."
Are they bounty hunters from the Exchange? Byakuya wondered. Did another village put a bounty on sabotaging the Leaf's rear and assassinating its ninja?
If so, his clone had successfully flushed them out. Now the tables had turned: the enemy was exposed, and he was hidden.
From the perspective of the two inside, a Leaf ninja had found them with a clone. If they stayed, they would soon be surrounded by reinforcements.
Their best move was to run immediately—to escape the Leaf ninja's sight by any means necessary.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Without waiting to fully recover his chakra, Byakuya sent a clone to the cliff top behind the research station to cut off that escape route.
His main body remained hidden in the dense foliage of a tree overlooking the cliffside bridge.
But just as the clone was moving into position, two figures smashed through a window of the research station and sprinted up the cliff face, running vertically up the wall.
Byakuya's clone threw two kunai. One of the figures seemed too slow to dodge and took a hit to the back.
"Are you okay? I'll carry you!"
"Leave me! Run, or we both die!"
"No! We're partners! I never leave a partner behind!"
The uninjured one helped the "wounded" one onto the flat ground atop the cliff, then hoisted him onto his back, fleeing like a frightened dog. Byakuya's clone gave chase immediately.
Watching this touching scene from his hiding spot, the real Byakuya uttered a single word:
"Sloppy."
About six minutes later.
Two more figures darted out of the research station. They didn't go for the cliff. They sprinted straight for the log bridge.