Chapter 45: Withstood It—Danzo Excited
By now, Li Yao had mostly figured it out.
In Konoha, chakra with a quality higher than even the Mangekyō Sharingan was rare—only one type fit that description: Wood Release chakra.
It possessed terrifying chakra-devouring properties along with overwhelming vitality.
Aside from Wood Release, Li Yao couldn't think of any other chakra that had these traits.
Danzo had injected Hashirama's cell solution into his body!
Phew… Thank goodness.
Considering how fearsome Hashirama's cells were, Li Yao was profoundly grateful he had developed Acupoint Chakra.
If he had relied solely on the Eight Trigrams Seal chakra's suppressive effects, it likely wouldn't have been enough to bind the Wood Release chakra.
Only Acupoint Chakra, with its intense chakra-binding properties, could reliably seal and restrain the Wood Release chakra and keep Li Yao from being drained dry.
"Hehe…"
After the relief came a pleased chuckle.
Li Yao didn't know Danzo's exact intentions for injecting him with Hashirama's cells, but the emergence of Wood Release chakra meant he had successfully copied and replicated it.
That meant the problem of his physical aging could now be resolved—Wood Release chakra's vitality would replenish him. He no longer had to worry about dying of old age within a year or two.
He now had time to take revenge on the Third… and on Konoha.
More importantly, the emergence of Wood Release chakra signaled that Li Yao now had the foundation to say, "To hell with it all"—he was building the strength to topple everything.
All he needed was time.
Four or five years—no more—and he would stand at the peak of the shinobi world.
By then, he would have plenty of time to make the Third and all of Konoha suffer.
For now, survival was the priority.
Just a little longer—once he completed the Adamantine Sealing Chains…
Even if he didn't have Wood Release techniques yet, just a few simple jutsu using Wood Release chakra would be enough to ensure he had a chance to survive unexpected dangers.
A bit more time, and he'd have the strength to escape this place.
For now, what he needed was time.
That's why, after forming the Wood Release chakra, he didn't act.
It was still stored within his acupoints, undetectable by Danzo's chakra-sensing barriers.
After thirty minutes, Li Yao showed no signs of deterioration, and the barriers didn't register any increase in Hashirama cells or Wood Release chakra.
Undeniably—
He had withstood the devouring effects of Hashirama's cells and Wood Release chakra.
Danzo could now confirm it.
"Excellent!"
Even though he had already celebrated earlier, Danzo's face still couldn't hide his excitement.
"Hiruzen… you truly are my best friend!"
"Thanks for the Wood Release gift—I'll happily accept it for myself."
"Hehehe!"
Danzo's grin widened wildly. Li Yao's survival meant the Wood Release revival project had made a breakthrough.
He had no idea what anomaly in Li Yao's body allowed him to survive the cell invasion.
He just needed to understand the principle—so he could replicate it for himself.
With both Wood Release and a Mangekyō Sharingan in hand, he'd be the next God of Shinobi. Becoming Hokage would be inevitable.
How could he not be grateful to Hiruzen for delivering Li Yao to him like a treasure chest?
The way Danzo now looked at Li Yao was blazing with undisguised greed—so intense that Li Yao, sensing the emotional temperature shift through chakra perception, felt a chill in his heart.
He didn't know why he suddenly felt such danger—only that Danzo was now terrifying.
Li Yao suppressed his impulse to act. Patience. Sacrificing the big picture for a moment of emotion would be foolish.
Fortunately, Danzo didn't press further.
"Genjutsu—Demonic Illusion: Darkness Technique."
Suddenly, Danzo rapidly formed seals and cast the jutsu. It came so fast, Li Yao nearly didn't react.
Even in excitement, Danzo hadn't let his guard down.
The genjutsu failed, just like before—Li Yao's chakra still resisted any intrusion.
Seeing this, Danzo relaxed and smiled slightly. Li Yao was still in a vegetative state—he hadn't woken up.
"Maybe it's precisely because of this state that he could resist Hashirama's cells…"
Danzo mused.
Satisfied that nothing unexpected had occurred, he removed Li Yao's restraints and applied the Reverse Five Elements Seal to his chest.
The black sealing formula spread across the surface of his heart, completely encasing it.
Danzo had decided to hide Li Yao from Hiruzen.
But he also understood how dangerous Wood Release could be.
If Li Yao fully adapted to the cells and gained powerful Wood Release abilities, he definitely wouldn't obediently follow orders—especially given his known hatred toward Danzo and Konoha.
That's why the Reverse Five Elements Seal was the last line of defense.
If Li Yao disobeyed, Danzo could activate the seal—reverting it to the Five Elements Seal to block all of Li Yao's chakra and bodily functions.
And if Li Yao ever escaped Konoha—
Danzo could use the Reverse Seal to blow up his heart and kill him instantly.
But that was a last resort.
Until he extracted the secrets of Wood Release, Danzo had no intention of killing Li Yao.
With the seal in place, Danzo re-secured Li Yao in another glass chamber filled with nutrient fluid.
The fluid was sustained by a chakra-metal pipe connected to the sphere beneath the lab—continuously replenishing nutrients and energy.
The chakra sealed in the sphere came from regular Root shinobi and Danzo himself, ensuring the lab ran at full capacity.
With everything in place, Danzo left—now it was time to wait and observe how Li Yao's body adapted to the Hashirama cells.
As soon as Danzo exited, Li Yao reproduced the sealing chakra Danzo had used on his heart.
Of course, he didn't know it was the Reverse Five Elements Seal, nor its exact effects.
But one look and he could guess—it was certainly meant to control or kill him.
Unfortunately for Danzo, he didn't understand Li Yao's abilities.
Replicating that sealing chakra meant Li Yao could undo the seal on his heart at any time.
Still, he didn't remove it right away.
That might trigger a response and alert Danzo.
He needed time.
But he couldn't ignore the danger either—if Danzo activated the seal suddenly, he might not react in time.
So, Li Yao coated the seal with a layer of replicated chakra. If Danzo triggered it, Li Yao's chakra would instantly override and disable the seal.
With the heart threat neutralized, Li Yao wasted no time. He resumed fusing Acupoint Chakra and Eight Trigrams Seal chakra.
When his mind was exhausted, he rested—then resumed working on the chakra cable structure.
Again and again.
He didn't even have time to form Wood Release chakra.
To him, the Adamantine Sealing Chains were foundational—far more essential to his combat potential.
Wood Release chakra, without jutsu support, was far weaker than what his sealing technique could offer.
Li Yao knew this well.
And while he toiled to develop the chains—
The rest of the shinobi world was in turmoil.
(END CHAPTER)
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