Chapter 106 - The Power of Cells

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The Land of Whirlpools had just been established when a grand festival was held—the very same mask festival that Akio was so familiar with.

Both shinobi and civilians were immersed in joy and peace.

As Akio walked along the newly paved streets, a surge of emotion welled up inside him. Compared to Konoha, the Land of Whirlpools seemed even more prosperous.

"How did such a powerful Uzumaki clan get wiped out in the original series?" Akio still remembered that, according to the canon, the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed during the Second Great Ninja War, with only a few survivors scattered across the world.

"Second Great War... Who was even fighting whom back then?" Akio muttered to himself. He couldn't quite recall, though he vaguely remembered Konoha clashing with the Hidden Rain.

"Whatever. With me here, plus Izuko and the others, if the Land of Whirlpools gets destroyed again, I might as well rename myself Uzumaki Baboon instead of Uzumaki Akio..."

Meanwhile...

In an underground cave somewhere...

Over five years had passed since the battle at the Valley of the End. Surviving with the power of the Rinnegan, Uchiha Madara had finally mastered Yin-Yang Release with the help of Black Zetsu.

Madara gazed intently at Black Zetsu with his Rinnegan. "Just what are you? Yin-Yang Release isn't something a so-called manifestation of my will should be able to control."

"Who I am doesn't matter," Black Zetsu replied, dropping the pretense of being Madara's will. "What matters is that you need me now—and later, I'll need your help."

"My help?" Madara's eyes shifted to the massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path behind him.

"With that thing, my movements are completely restricted. That's the power of the Sage's eyes. You can undo it?"

Black Zetsu shook its head. "The Rinnegan has more than just that one ability."

Madara paused, then his expression changed. "The Rinne Rebirth?"

Black Zetsu nodded. "Exactly. All you need is someone to host your Rinnegan. After your death, they can activate the Rinne Rebirth."

Madara fell into deep thought.

"This guy knows too much... And yet, he wants to use me…"

"Someone capable of bearing my Rinnegan and using Rinne Rebirth… not many fit the bill."

Black Zetsu nodded as if reading his thoughts. "Such people are rare. Finding a host isn't the hard part—any Senju or Uzumaki could serve. But someone capable of casting Rinne Rebirth? That's another matter."

"Senju… Uzumaki…" Images of Hashirama and Akio flashed through Madara's mind.

"There's actually one person who's most suitable," Black Zetsu continued.

Madara raised an eyebrow. Black Zetsu pressed on.

"Uzumaki Akio—he can definitely perform the technique."

"That old relic? He's still alive? And you think you can make him use that jutsu for me?" Madara looked grim.

Black Zetsu shook its head. "He's not dead. His lifespan is absurdly long. Only after that battle last year did he start showing some signs of age. He might live longer than you."

Madara took a deep breath. "Damn that old man. Is there a way to make him use Rinne Rebirth on me?"

Black Zetsu shook its head again. "Maybe if you'd had a better relationship with him in the past."

Madara's face darkened. He raised his right hand. "Shinra Tensei!"

Black Zetsu was blasted into a wall and, without another word, slipped into it and vanished.

It slithered quickly eastward, muttering to itself.

"I wasn't kidding… That Uzumaki Akio really seems incapable of dying. Even if he used Rinne Rebirth, he might not die. That guy is… strange."

Eventually, Black Zetsu reached its hidden underground base.

Inside, two rows of White Zetsu were in stasis—eight in each row, sixteen in total.

One row had been infused with Hashirama's cells. The other, with Akio's.

Black Zetsu activated all sixteen. Lacking any independent thought, they were paired off and made to fight each other.

Seven of the battles went as expected: the ones with Hashirama's cells completely overwhelmed the ones with Akio's.

But the final match ended with the Akio-enhanced White Zetsu emerging victorious.

Curious, Black Zetsu had the remaining seven Hashirama-enhanced Zetsu gang up on the last Akio-enhanced one—only for all seven to be instantly annihilated.

"Just as I thought. My instincts weren't wrong. This one suddenly became much stronger about a year ago."

"Why? The secret behind Uzumaki Akio must lie here…"

Black Zetsu paused, then remembered something.

A year ago, I sent this one to gather intel in the Land of Rivers. It must've witnessed Akio fighting firsthand.

"Could witnessing the real Akio fight be a trigger? There must be some limitation..."

"If not, then his cells are far too powerful."

"I'll have to run more tests. Shame it's so hard to get samples from him—his sensory skills are sharp, and he rarely fights others."

"Even in that Land of Rivers battle, he didn't shed a single drop of blood. These cells I have were all gathered from his fight with Madara fourteen years ago."

After a few more experiments, Black Zetsu grew more and more excited.

"His physical and reflex improvements are off the charts. Almost ten times stronger than the Asura cells."

"Looks like Uzumaki Akio's secret is bigger than I imagined… I'll need to keep testing these enhancement methods."

Black Zetsu paused, then whispered, "If this enhancement has no limit, he might be the greatest asset in unsealing Mother. Madara... is no longer reliable."

Extracting more of Akio's and Hashirama's cells from the fallen White Zetsu, Black Zetsu sank deeper underground.

The chamber slowly returned to silence.

And the last remaining White Zetsu, left behind, unexpectedly revealed a strange, sorrowful expression.

It murmured softly, "Kaguya…"

Back in the Land of Whirlpools, night had fallen. The day's festivities were over. After the revelry, only a few civilians remained on the streets, cleaning up. No other soul was in sight.

Akio returned to his new home—a small coastal cabin. The cold sea breeze didn't bother him at all.

"It's been a while, but the backlash from using the Eight Gates has finally worn off... The Land of Whirlpools is stable now. Time to focus on training. With my sensory field constantly active, I should be able to intercept anyone from the Hidden Cloud or Mist if they try something. Hopefully, they won't go too far…"

He glanced at his remaining Witness Points, frowning slightly.

"Saving Tobirama must have disrupted a lot of plotlines. It's going to be harder to earn Witness Points now…"

"I should just train on my own for now. No need to use Witness Points unless it's critical. I probably need all seven chakra natures at Level 9 to even reach SSS rank. Only then will I stand among the true elites in the Fourth Great Ninja War…"

"But still... I'm short nearly 2,800 points. When will I ever make up that gap…"

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