Chapter 79: Balance, Betrayal, and a Vanishing Rescue
"Exactly! Yes! That's it!" Mizutani Hiroshi gushed, his flattery thick. "The President's insight is extraordinary, cutting straight to the heart of the matter!"
"Explain the specifics," Akira said, his expression unreadable. He knew the man was stalling, building up to his reveal.
Chastened by Akira's cool demeanor, Mizutani's smile turned awkward. "In simple terms, the mysterious cells you provided possess immense, aggressive vitality. In shinobi taxonomy, this would be categorized as potent Yang Release. Such cells can only be successfully integrated into a host possessing a comparable level of… opposing energy. A Yin Release life form of equivalent magnitude."
He cast a cautious glance at Akira. "Someone like you, for instance."
Though not a shinobi, Mizutani's unique chakra sensitivity gave him an understanding of bloodlines and power levels. He knew the Uchiha Sharingan was a pinnacle expression of Yin Release. The more evolved the eye, the greater the Yin potency of its wielder.
"What would you estimate the success rate of transplanting these cells into my body to be?" Akira asked, his voice still flat.
Mizutani thought deeply for a moment. "For a host of your caliber… theoretically, the possibility of rejection is negligible."
He hesitated, then ventured, "If I may be so bold to ask, President… have you awakened the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Akira's gaze flicked to him. After a beat, he gave a slight, silent nod.
Mizutani broke into a relieved sweat, then nodded vigorously. "In theory, the Yin power of a Mangekyō wielder should be a near-perfect match for the Yang power in these cells. Achieving equilibrium should be… straightforward."
"Can we use the cloning technology to create a test subject for verification?" Akira proposed.
"Theoretically, yes," Mizutani mused, rubbing his chin. "Our cloning protocols are sound. However, we have never attempted to clone a shinobi with an active bloodline limit. Empirical verification is necessary."
"Can the corpse I provided earlier be used to isolate pure Uchiha somatic cells?"
"Absolutely, that is well within our capabilities."
"Prioritize this. Complete it with all haste," Akira ordered.
"Understood. I will expedite the experiment immediately," Mizutani affirmed, his posture straightening.
With chakra-assisted cultivation accelerating biological processes, the timeline for creating a viable clone was dramatically shortened—a testament to their forced, unnatural progress.
Leaving Shentian Biologics, Akira felt a rare surge of optimism. Two major breakthroughs in one day. The cloning was one thing. But if the Hashirama cell transplantation proved viable… his path to absolute security would be paved. With dual Kamui augmented by the First Hokage's legendary vitality, there would be few, if any, in the world who could truly threaten him.
His buoyant mood was shattered the moment he reached his doorstep. An Anbu agent materialized beside him in a silent shunshin. "Jonin Akira. The Hokage summons you to his office immediately."
Without a word, Akira turned and flashed towards the Hokage Tower.
What now? he thought, his mind racing through the timeline. The end of Konoha Year 51 should have been relatively quiet.
He found Sarutobi Hiruzen behind the Hokage's desk, his face a thundercloud of anxiety and anger.
"Akira," Hiruzen began before Akira could offer a greeting, his voice gravelly with strain. "The border. We have a situation. Intelligence confirms Nagato—the Rinnegan wielder—has launched a direct assault on our defensive deployments."
"Nagato attacked our border forces?" Akira was taken aback. This was an escalation far beyond probing raids.
"Yes," Hiruzen confirmed, slamming a fist softly on the desk. "Our forces were mauled. To cover the retreat… Shisui engaged Nagato directly. The last report… his status is unknown. Presumed lost."
A cold flicker of anger ignited in Akira's chest. While he and Uchiha Shisui were not close—he considered the man too ideologically aligned with the Hokage's faction—he was undeniably a pillar of the clan's strength, a vital asset.
"I have already dispatched orders to Orochimaru and Jiraiya at their respective border sectors to intercept and assist," Hiruzen continued, his eyes boring into Akira's. "But to ensure no delay… I need you to move, now. Anbu support will be mobilized to follow."
"Understood." Akira gave a sharp nod and vanished from the office in a swirl of leaves.
"Nagato…" Hiruzen whispered to the empty room once Akira was gone, his eyes narrowed to slits, brimming with cold, calculated fury.
Akira reappeared in his home. There was no time for conventional travel. He formed the seals with practiced speed. "Spiritual Transformation Technique!"
His consciousness detached, becoming a wave of pure perception that exploded outward across the landscape. He focused on a familiar chakra signature—Uchiha Shisui's.
He found it. On the borderlands between Fire and Water Country, a flicker of chakra, weak and guttering like a dying candle in a storm. And closing in fast from behind, less than ten kilometers back, was the immense, corrosive pressure of Nagato's chakra.
Shisui is on the brink. No time. His spirit snapped back to his body.
The moment his consciousness fully reintegrated, he focused. Space warped around him. Kamui.
He was gone.
He reappeared in a dense, mist-cloaked forest on the Fire Country's watery frontier. The scene was one of brutal violence. Uchiha Shisui lay against the gnarled roots of a massive tree. His flak jacket was shredded, his body a map of deep lacerations and severe burns. Twin trails of dried blood streaked from his eyes down his pale cheeks. His breathing was shallow, his life force ebbing dangerously low.
Akira didn't hesitate. He scooped the unconscious shinobi onto his back. Another twist of space, and both of them vanished from the forest floor, leaving only the scent of ozone and blood.
A direct confrontation with Nagato while protecting a mortally wounded ally was tactical suicide. His dual Kamui, potent as they were, lacked the infinite chakra and regenerative buffer of Hashirama's cells. And Nagato, having observed Obito, likely knew some of Kamui's weaknesses. A protracted fight held too many variables.
Minutes later, Nagato arrived at the spot. He looked down at the depressions in the moss and the smears of blood on the bark. His Rinnegan scanned the area, finding nothing.
"Such speed… a space-time technique," he murmured, his expression grim. "Did Konoha truly manage to seize Lord Madara's eyes?"
He expanded his sensory perception, pushing it out for hundreds of kilometers in every direction. Nothing. Not a whisper of Uchiha Shisui's distinctive chakra remained.
"All this effort… wasted," Nagato whispered to the silent trees, his face a mask of cold, frustrated fury.
(End of Chapter)
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