Shamu crouched down, pressed a hand against the seal, and used his own Chakra to probe the Dragon Vein's mass of energy.
"Hmm?" Shamu looked slightly startled.
"What is it, Shamu?" Minato asked.
Shamu had only sent a thread of Chakra into it when the energy within the Dragon Vein spontaneously gathered toward him.
Before his Chakra could probe very deeply, it was completely neutralized by the Dragon Vein's energy.
Shamu considered it for a moment. "Watch over my body. I'll use the Spirit Transformation Technique to take a look inside."
Minato was startled. "Isn't that too risky?"
Shamu shook his head. His Soul Strength had already reached the level of a Kekkei Mōra.
"Don't worry. There won't be any danger."
Seeing that Shamu had made up his mind, Minato did not try to dissuade him. "All right. Be careful."
Shamu formed hand seals with both hands, and a mass of soul emerged from his body.
Then it entered the Dragon Vein seal.
Even in soul form, Shamu remained highly attractive to the Dragon Vein's energy.
The Dragon Vein's energy began to gather around Shamu, but his soul body had no medium to contain it.
The Dragon Vein's energy could only converge upon him, then pass straight through his body.
The Dragon Vein was like a dormant volcano. Shamu began probing toward the core, where the energy was most concentrated.
When he had probed it earlier, he had seemingly "heard" someone calling to him.
Shamu discovered a denser mass of Dragon Vein energy at the very center of the lowest layer.
This mass of energy was the source of the entire Dragon Vein.
And it seemed to possess a spirit...?
He cautiously extended his thoughts toward it.
"Are you the Dragon Vein?"
The mass of Dragon Vein energy trembled slightly,