"Hm?"
The bubble bursting at his feet had made little sound, but in this quiet atmosphere, even that faint pop was incomparably clear. Chiba, whose entire body felt refreshed as the Chakra released from the Yin Seal replenished his cells and limitedly restored his energy, keenly caught the sound.
Instinctively, he lowered his head.
Was it an illusion? Yet all he saw was the calm lake surface, without the slightest abnormality.
Forget bubbles—there was not even a ripple.
It was probably... an illusion.
If it were Uchiha Nobuhiko, the attack would have arrived by now.
Then, he frowned, dismissing the startled thought that had crossed his mind upon hearing that sound. Still, I need to hurry! I need to recover faster! Though he had rejected that thought, a trace of urgency still appeared on Chiba's face. As it flashed across his expression, he could not help but glance behind him.
He looked toward the village behind him, which was currently under attack by the giant beast.
But in the end, his urgency was of little use.
The Chakra in the Yin Seal continuously broke down into physical energy and a small amount of mental energy amid some peculiar fluctuations, then was absorbed by his exhausted body. This process was like digestion after eating. It could not be rushed.
His body absorbed this physical and mental energy broken down from Chakra very slowly. It differed from when he broke down Chakra and passed it on to others. His own body seemed to have a very low absorption rate for this decomposed physical and mental energy. When the physical and mental energy broken down from roughly Kage-level Chakra had been passed to Minato Namikaze, Minato Namikaze had absorbed it almost immediately.
But when he used it on himself, it was always strangely