35. (updated)

The merchant stumbled back, breathing heavily. His robes were torn, his face pale with fear. Around him, three mist shinobi stood like wolves, their masks reflecting the flickering glow of the burning storehouse.

"You should've listened to the Mizukage. Funding the resistance was your last mistake."

"Please, I'll stop—I'll do anything!"

"It's too late for that."

Before the shinobi could strike, a deafening crack echoed through the area. The blazing storehouse exploded outward, sending flaming debris flying in all directions. The mist shinobi shielded their faces, coughing as the smoke and fire swirled around them.

When the dust cleared, a figure emerged from the inferno—a tall, menacing Oni.

"Who the hell are you?"

Hiroshi didn't answer. He took a single, slow step forward, releasing his chakra presser.

"Kill him!"

The first shinobi lunged, his katana flashing as he swung at Hiroshi's neck. With a single finger, Hiroshi stopped the blade mid-swing.

The metal screeched under the pressure before shattering into pieces.

The shinobi froze, his eyes wide with shock.

The other mist shinobi didn't hesitate. They unleashed a barrage of jutsu—blades of wind, streams of fire, and swirling torrents of water all converged on Hiroshi.

The ground trembled under the impact, and smoke and debris obscured the battlefield.

But as the dust settled, Hiroshi stood unscathed. Not a scratch, not a mark, not even a singed thread on his robe.

The mist shinobi faltered, their confidence shaken.

"My turn," Hiroshi said calmly,

"Gravity Release: Event Horizon."

A black void began to form at Hiroshi's feet, growing rapidly. The edges shimmered with an eerie glow, like the horizon of a black hole.

The mist shinobi had no time to react.

The gravitational pull of the Event Horizon was absolute. The shinobi screamed as they were lifted off their feet, their bodies stretching and distorting under the intense gravitational force.

Their forms—elongating like threads of spaghetti before vanishing into the void!

The ground cracked and crumbled, trees and debris spiraling into the Event Horizon before disappearing into nothingness. It was as if the very fabric of reality was being torn apart.

The merchant, miraculously, remained untouched. A barrier surrounded him—isolating him from the devastating pull of the technique.

Hiroshi stood at the center of the chaos, his chakra pouring into the jutsu. He could feel the strain on his body, the massive toll it was taking on his reserves.

As the last remnants of the mist shinobi vanished, Hiroshi released the technique. The black void collapsed in on itself, leaving behind an eerie silence.

The area was utterly desolate—everything within the Event Horizon's radius had been wiped from existence.

Hiroshi's breath was ragged as he straightened, his body trembling slightly from exhaustion.

"I left the merchant out of the pull," he muttered to himself, glancing at the stunned man. "But damn, that drained me completely."

His chakra reserves, which had reached the level of a super Kage, were nearly empty.

The merchant fell to his knees, staring at Hiroshi with a terror.

Hiroshi turned to him, "You're safe now. But remember," Red eyes of the Oni mask start glowing, "Now you know who to fear."

Merchant lost control of his bladder as he dropped to the ground.

…

"See, Nova, those red light seal works!" Hiroshi said as he got back to his control room.

"Sigh~ …if only that merchant knew." Nova let out a slow sigh. "Well, we are able to gather data on the event horizon, at least."

"I can't babysit him forever… Nova, What's the best way to remove the Mizukage in one go?" Hiroshi's tone was sharp, "A resistance feels like a messy option. We need something… cleaner. Something efficient. I want my focus on Star Light."

"There are several approaches. The most straightforward would involve replacing the Mizukage with someone loyal to you. When the time is right, you can hand the position over to Terumi Mei. Her growing influence among the resistance makes her the perfect long-term candidate."

Hiroshi leaned forward, steepling his fingers as he considered the idea. "Replace him, huh?" A smile appeared on his face as he looked at the small crystal on the table.

"Check the White Zetsu first."

He put crystal containing zetsu on complex seal middle of control room.

"Still alive," Nova noted. "Though his chakra levels are unusually low."

"Good," Hiroshi muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Let's cook…"

…

Zetsu Modification Project Day 1

After reviewing the modifications I wanted to make to the White Zetsu, I realized this wouldn't be a simple task.

Zetsu's cellular composition is entirely unnatural—an odd mix of organic material and what feels like a plant-based chakra. Nova suggested running a complete analysis of its biochemistry, so I spent most of today cataloging the cellular structures and storage mechanisms inside its body.

To my surprise, Zetsu's cells store chakra like a living battery, way more than any living thing can store.

What intrigued me even more was their reaction to external stimuli. When exposed to small amounts of natural energy, the cells began to regenerate at an accelerated rate, even forming new structures that resembled organs.

This gave me an idea: what if I could enhance Zetsu—make Zetsu able to absorb natural energy from the atmosphere? I can even put my sub-quantum string computer inside it, making it smart and strong!

Day 3

After failing with the initial batch of enhancements (the Zetsu's cells either rejected or outright dissolved anything foreign I tried to integrate), I started going through the historical archives on biochemistry in the ninja world one that I stol—I mean copied from clans.

Surprisingly, I stumbled upon rudimentary experiments recorded by early medical ninja. They noted how natural energy could catalyze certain organic reactions.

Of course, their experiments were primitive, but the concept intrigued me.

This led me to recreate one of the foundational scientific experiments from my previous life: Stanley Miller's experiment. If natural energy could catalyze reactions, maybe I could replicate the origin of life itself in this world!

Day 5

I set up my makeshift version of the experiment. Using a closed system, I added a mixture of water, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen—the same primordial soup Miller used. Instead of electrical discharges to simulate lightning, I used concentrated bursts of natural energy. I was careful to keep the system stable; the last thing I needed was an explosion in my lab.

The results were... staggering. Within hours, I noticed amino acids forming, the basic building blocks of life.

This wasn't surprising; the experiment was designed to do just that. What shocked me was their behavior when exposed to additional natural energy. The compounds began to organize themselves—almost like they were alive.

Day 6

Today, I pushed the experiment further. I altered the balance of natural energy and chakra introduced to the system. The amino acids began forming into more complex organic structures, something akin to RNA strands!

Then, I witnessed something extraordinary: these structures began replicating themselves.

They weren't alive in the traditional sense—not yet—but they were behaving eerily like viruses. (No corona, please!)