Hyūga Yu quickly arrived at the abandoned laboratory.
Calling it a "laboratory" was a bit of a stretch; the place looked more like a snake hole burrowed out by a giant serpent. It was hidden and shaded, and as he drew closer, he could smell the dampness in the air. The laboratory entrance was sealed with a barrier jutsu that made it difficult to open, so Yu could only stand at the door and wait.
He didn't have to wait long, however, before Shigaraki Tanuki walked briskly from the direction of the camp.
Compared to his previous attitude—where he had treated Yu with negligence and viewed him as a nuisance—he was undoubtedly much more proactive now.
"Follow me."
Approaching the door, Shigaraki Tanuki wasted no words. He wove several hand signs in front of Yu and pressed his palm against the entrance.
Sssss—
Dust scattered as the laboratory doors swung open!
"This place was left behind by Orochimaru. It was previously used to research... a classified project. However, all resources have since been diverted to another project, and this site has been abandoned."
As Shigaraki spoke, he led Yu downward. Within a few dozen steps, the two arrived at a room filled with a vast array of bottles and jars. The environment was quite eerie, with various pieces of old equipment piled up haphazardly, making it look like a warehouse.
Looking at the two rows of green glass containers facing him, and one particularly special culture dish with a jagged hole in it, Yu's heart stirred. He immediately recognized that this was likely the laboratory where Orochimaru had researched Hashirama cells.
The broken culture dish had likely once held Yamato (Tenzō), the lucky survivor among the sixty experimental subjects. According to the timeline, Yamato would only be eight years old right now, being raised by Danzō, who held high hopes for him.
This meant that Orochimaru's research into Hashirama cells had temporarily come to a close. So, what was Root currently pouring all its resources into researching?
Yu quickly deduced the answer—the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
However, at this point, Orochimaru had not yet found Jūgo. The experimental subjects who were implanted with the Cursed Seal were essentially guaranteed to die. It could be understood as a project Orochimaru used to swindle research funding; for Root to sink money into this project was truly like trying to scoop water with a wicker basket.
At that moment, before Yu could ask, Shigaraki Tanuki introduced the project as they walked deeper inside.
"The Zero-Tails project team was disbanded not long ago."
"After several restarts, there were no particularly significant results in advancing the project. We lack the most critical element: a natural living host."
"However," Shigaraki continued, "recently, because a certain technology has been conquered, it has given me new inspiration. I am researching a major project that combines Zero-Tails technology with... a new technique."
"For the time being, I am calling it 'Nue.'"
Hearing this, Yu feigned ignorance and asked, "Nue?"
"The Nue is a legendary creature. It is a wingless flying beast with the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the legs of a tiger, and the tail of a snake. Its cry is like that of a scaly thrush, and it is regarded as an omen of misfortune."
Shigaraki casually explained the origin of the code name. Then, he said in a heavy tone, "Of course, that doesn't have much to do with the project we are researching. To be precise, if we want to create a 'Nue' as powerful as a Tailed Beast, the first problem we must solve is—how do we give it a terrifying level of chakra comparable to a Tailed Beast?"
Yu frowned, analyzing the situation. "Chakra is the combination of spiritual and physical energy. If you want to create a creature with a massive amount of chakra, then its scale must be quite enormous. Like giant summoning beasts—the ones used by the Sannin."
"So, did you find me because you want me to help you breed a giant summoning beast?"
Yu was, of course, playing dumb. He knew exactly what the Nue was, and he understood the various problems that needed to be solved to create it: chakra conversion, chakra absorption, Space-Time Ninjutsu, chakra fortification similar to a Tailed Beast Mantle, physical size multiplication, and finally, the issue of self-destruction efficiency.
In the Boruto era, this thing was just a stray cat that could meow, but in the Third Shinobi World War—where "god-tier" shinobi weren't as common—a "Nue" backed by so many high-end shinobi technologies deserved to be addressed with respect.
"Massive physical size is a problem to be solved later."
Shigaraki Tanuki shook his head and proposed his hypothesis. "After a seminar, I discovered that the new substance we conquered possesses the characteristic of absorbing chakra. If we amplify this trait to absorb a large amount of chakra from the outside all at once, we might be able to preliminarily solve the chakra issue."
"However, the conversion efficiency of this trait is very slow. Thus, I thought of a research project that was sealed away by the village—the Zero-Tails."
"The 'Zero-Tails' envisioned by the Second Hokage possessed the same chakra conversion capabilities as the 'Nue.' He had conducted in-depth research on it, but the Second Shinobi World War broke out soon after, and the research was left unfinished."
"The higher-ups subsequently restarted the Zero-Tails project several times, but they could never solve this problem. In the end, they only obtained some rather useless research results, so... the project team was soon disbanded."
Hearing this, Yu looked around at the mountains of junk equipment and the rather crude research environment; the situation was now clear to him. He couldn't help but look at Shigaraki Tanuki.
"Why haven't you given up?"
"Heh." Shigaraki Tanuki's laugh was a bit forced.
Yu understood instantly. This Root superior, who had talked a big game about protecting him from the Hyūga Main House, was likely a "clay bodhisattva crossing a river"—unable even to save himself.
If even the true high-ranking official of Root, the second-in-command Aburame Ryōma, didn't dare to make such a claim, how could Shigaraki Tanuki possibly achieve it? Moreover, when Yu was previously listed as an unofficial member of Root, Aburame Ryōma had intended to dump him on Shigaraki. It was clear that Shigaraki Tanuki was currently a "nobody" within Root.
The reason he hadn't given up on the research after the project team disbanded was likely because this was the last straw he could grasp to save his career.
At this moment, seeing the look of realization on Yu's face, Shigaraki Tanuki knew that his facade of profound authority had been seen through. He bit his cheek and said in a muffled voice, "Don't you want to know how I plan to protect you from the Main House?"
Yu would never place his life in the hands of a superior who had suddenly appeared. He already had his own plans for the potential trouble from the Main House, but that didn't stop him from listening to Shigaraki's "brilliant" theory.
Yu looked at him calmly. "I'm all ears."
Shigaraki Tanuki spoke coldly. "You'd better not think too highly of Aburame Ryōma."
"Root is a training department that is subordinate to the Anbu, yet stands slightly above it. The entire Anbu organization consists of 70 members, and Root occupies 14 of those positions."
"In other words, among the nearly one thousand ninjas in Root's expansion, the only ones who truly have a say—aside from Lord Danzō—are these remaining 13 people."
"13 people, 13 masks. Every mask has a unique code name."
"And I am one of them, code-named [Shigaraki Tanuki]. Theoretically, Aburame Ryōma is of the same rank as me; he has no authority to command me. Therefore, he can only secretly shove people into my hands to interfere with my research, attempting to push me out so he can promote one of his own."
"If you want to use the power of Root to oppose the Hyūga Main House—your only option is to squeeze into one of these 13 seats and become the true 'Roots' of Konoha!"
At this point, Shigaraki Tanuki narrowed his eyes and looked at Yu, speaking in a chilling tone:
"And to squeeze into these 13 seats, there are only two ways—"
————
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