Secret Base

We chatted for a while.

The film that Kazahana Koyuki made this year is called "Resident Evil: The Haunted House". The script was inspired by Sakura Haruno, and the filming location was the underground bounty agency that Sakura Haruno had raided. They also hired ninjas to add a complex underground section using Earth Release.

However, the script underwent some drastic changes... It's about an evil missing-nin organization secretly developing forbidden techniques, which accidentally caused trouble. The zombies in it can breathe fireballs and spew water dragons, which Sakura found absolutely mesmerizing.

It's unclear whether moviegoers in the Hokage world will accept this premise. However, the mere presence of the beautiful and Kazahana Koyuki older sister, Yuki Kazahana, in the film is enough to attract a large audience...

"This topic is so novel, I really don't know how you came up with it! It's definitely going to be a huge hit!" Kazahana Koyuki exclaimed.

After finishing that topic, she suddenly asked, "Could I visit your base?"

Sakura Haruno hesitated for a moment, then nodded and agreed to her request.

"Alright, I'll satisfy all your curiosity at once! Anyway, I'm going to use Genjutsu to block your memories..."

"Hmph, can't we just not use Genjutsu?" Xue pouted, dissatisfied.

"Let's wait for world peace! Otherwise, the more you know, the more dangerous it will be!" Sakura made a helpless expression, spreading her hands. "I don't want to do this either, but... for your safety, this is the only way. Hold me tight."

She embraced Xue in a princess carry and vanished from Daming Prefecture in Body Flicker Technique.

About two hours later.

Deep within the Land of Snow, in a secluded and less-visited mountain cliff, even more remote than the Snow Ninja Castle.

About half a year ago, when she came to the Land of Snow for the second time, Sakura Haruno used her water sword to cut through the rocks and built a hidden base here.

Just as she planned: Snow Ninja Castle was merely a cover; this base was her real base for conducting secret experiments.

The location was too remote and dangerous for ordinary people to come here, so there was no need to use Genjutsu to conceal it. The base, embedded in the rock strata and deep into the mountain, was perfectly concealed from the outside, and even if someone searched for it, they would not be able to spot it from the outside.

Inside, she sealed the base completely with Ice Release. Apart from the necessary ventilation openings, the entire base was like a hollowed-out iceberg, concealing her secrets within a thick layer of ice. This arrangement was also to prevent anyone from entering using Earth Release. Ever since discovering the strange person hiding in the ground during her battle with Sasori, Sakura had paid extra attention to this aspect of the operation.

The entrance to the secret base.

"This place... is quite hard to find. There's absolutely no sign of a base." Xue jumped off Ying and watched as she used her Monstrous Strength to move the boulder blocking the doorway, secretly marveling at her strength: She's really strong!

She followed Sakura inside, and then the girl moved the stones back to block the entrance, raised a fireball to illuminate the surroundings, and the vertical stone walls on all sides indicated that this was clearly a man-made passage.

Following the long passage downwards, you reach the main body of the base. Sakura Haruno has excavated a huge cavern, and stepping out of the passage, you enter a vast and empty hall. The dim fireball in Sakura's hand can only vaguely illuminate the outline of the hall.

With a few quick flicks of her fingers, the fireball in her hand shattered into several flames, which shot onto the torches on the wall, instantly illuminating the base with bright Kakkō.

Kazahana Koyuki finally saw the entire base: the hall was filled with all kinds of instruments, and the tables and shelves were full of containers containing liquids of unknown purpose.

To the left is a series of windowless rooms with tightly closed doors, occupying the other half of the cave.

To the right is a spacious training field, separated by a thick ice wall. Through the transparent ice wall, you can vaguely see several targets and wooden stakes standing on the field.

It was surrounded by a thick layer of ice, and beyond that were hard rocks that had been cut by water jets.

"This place is quite well-protected!" Sakura Haruno dusted off her hands, somewhat proudly stating, "I built this entire place all by myself!"

Because it concerned the secret of her Ninjutsu, Sakura Haruno tried her best to do it perfectly.

However, she could only express her pride to the snow. If the Land of Land of Snow were to mobilize the entire nation to build a base of this scale, it would probably take decades—just cutting the stone would be difficult enough for them. But if Orochimaru, who was proficient in Earth Release, were to do it, he could probably complete a bunch of such bases in no time.

"The secrecy is quite good," Kazahana Koyuki said, looking around. "But it's a bit stuffy in the cave, isn't it? I thought it would be another castle or a bungalow..."

"Yeah, after living here for a while, I feel like a gopher. And the power supply isn't convenient either; we can only use the built-in generator, which has a rather low power output..." Sakura chuckled twice and scratched the back of her head.

"What's in this room?" Xue asked as she walked to the room on the left.

"Hmm... this is my personal rest area, like a bedroom and bathroom." Sakura walked over and Gate of Opening.

A 100-square-meter bedroom finally fulfills my dream of never having lived in a mansion in my past life...

"On the other side is the warehouse. I purchased a lot of supplies in the Land of Fire, enough for my experiments and daily life for a long time. They're all piled up in there." Then she smiled mysteriously, "The innermost rooms are secret laboratories and storage rooms for experimental supplies. The things inside are my real secrets..."

"Want to go in and take a look?"

Kazahana Koyuki was taken aback for a moment, but still nodded. "Now that we're all here, of course we have to see it!"

Sakura Haruno opened the door, and behind it was pitch black, like a giant beast opening its blood-red maw, ready to devour anyone who entered.

The sound of the door closing startled Xue; without any light source, the room immediately became pitch black.

She almost screamed, then Sakura Haruno turned on the light, and the room suddenly brightened up, going from extremely dark to extremely bright. The bright light made Kazahana Koyuki's eyes almost unable to open.

After a while, she saw what was in the room and her eyes widened in shock.

"What's this?"

Before her stood towering, upright cylindrical containers, each a full two meters in diameter, arranged in a massive array of ten rows and columns.

Sakura Haruno stepped forward and lifted the black cloth that was tightly covering the container.

The container was filled with a yellowish-orange liquid, and a naked human figure floated in the water.

"This is... you?" Kazahana Koyuki was shocked and asked incredulously.

"You should remember when I talked to you about cloning last time, right?" Sakura said calmly.

"That heart clone from last time?" Kazahana Koyuki nodded. "Hmm... I remember after you broke the Genjutsu."

She took a step closer, pressed her face against the transparent container wall, and carefully examined the human body inside.

Xue quickly realized, "So, this is also a clone? It's not copying your heart, but your entire body!"

Having realized this, she abruptly took a step back and asked with a hint of doubt, "Is she alive?"

"That's a poor question..." Sakura Haruno stepped forward, placing her hand on the container, and said slowly, "It's a complete body, it's alive, but there's no spirit inside."

Xue walked around to the front of the clone, squatted down, and saw that her head was hanging down, her eyes were closed, her chest was sunken, and her chest was rising and falling slightly, as if she was breathing.

"Is she breathing?" Kazahana Koyuki asked.

"No, that's just the heart beating... the first breath hasn't even started yet."

"Look."

Sakura Haruno raised her hand, and a thin blue rod emerged from the girl's palm, piercing through the glass wall of the container like a phantom and inserting into the clone inside.

The girl inside the container suddenly opened her eyes!

Startled, Kazahana Koyuki took a step back. She watched as the girl in the container moved her body, and the water flow lifted her out of the container, placing her on the floor.

The naked girl lay on the ground, took a few deep breaths, and her contracted lungs expanded as air entered, producing a sound similar to the cry of a newborn baby—the sound of air entering the respiratory tract for the first time.

"This is my first breath." The girl, soaking wet, said awkwardly, controlling her throat. She had been a little unsteady just now, but after a few seconds she had adapted to her body and could now stand up.

She moved her hands, her fingers deftly Hand Seals, transforming the water into clothes that she wore.

"Who are you?" Kazahana Koyuki took a step back, her expression one of surprise bordering on fear. "Are you an avatar? Or a clone?"

"No, I am the original."

The girl standing in front of Xue stretched her body as she spoke softly. She had quite good control over her throat, and her voice was natural and indistinguishable from her own.

"Look."

Sakura pointed to the thin blue rod on her body, which still connected the two Sakura Haruno. Kazahana Koyuki looked in the direction of the rod and realized that the Sakura who had brought her there was now lying on the ground, her eyes closed as if she were asleep.

Xuexin carefully moved her hand under the girl's nose, and only when she confirmed that the girl was still breathing did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, with a chilling realization, she asked, "So, which one of you is the clone or the original?"

"Have you gone mad from making movies?" Sakura Haruno sighed. "This technique doesn't involve creating clones or a true body. I'm just temporarily using this body to conduct some dangerous or even fatal experiments. Ultimately, I'll have to return to my original body."

She went over and picked herself up.

"So, your soul is temporarily residing in this body?" Kazahana Koyuki asked, biting her finger, her mind a bit muddled. "What about the original spirit and soul of this body?"

"They haven't even had a chance to be born yet. They only take eight weeks to develop from embryos to full maturity. Such a short time isn't enough to nurture a newborn soul and spirit. Babies don't even develop a vague sense of consciousness until several months later." Sakura Haruno hugged her body as she walked out of the room, turning back to signal Yuki to follow. "However, given time and sufficient external stimulation, they will naturally develop intelligence and become true humans."

"Aren't you leaving yet? Do you want to draw out their souls?"

Kazahana Koyuki rushed out of the room in a panic. Sakura Haruno turned off the lights and closed the door, laughing, "Just kidding! New souls don't come so easily!"

"Don't you think it's incredibly creepy and terrifying inside?" Xue shook her head vigorously, then glared at Ying and said, "And why did you make something like this?"

"Because several new Ninjutsu can only be developed using real human bodies, and they are extremely dangerous. I can't joke around with myself, and I can't use other living people for experiments, so I can only use my own clone!" Sakura shrugged and said helplessly.

"What kind of new Ninjutsu is it?" Xue frowned.

"One is an attempt to convert electrical energy into usable energy within the Yin Seal. The other is Ninjutsu that attempts to Brain Overclocking and accelerate reaction speed. Both of these Ninjutsu are Ninjutsu if one is not careful!"

The two walked into the hall. Sakura Haruno set her original body aside and walked to the other side, saying, "Alright, I'll demonstrate for you to satisfy your curiosity!"

(First update delivered, two updates today! Extra updates starting tomorrow!)

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(The National Day holiday update rush is over. I need to take a break these two days to look up some information and organize the outline! I'll continue updating tomorrow, with at least 10K words every time!)