The Ingenious Structure of a Sealing Array

His own Adamantine Sealing Technique—Black Iron Chains—had been developed a year ago.

Afterward, Li Yao immediately condensed his own Wood Release Chakra and devoured the Wood Release Chakra inherent in the Hashirama Cells.

Without Hashirama's Wood Release Chakra protecting them,

the Hashirama Cells quickly lost their vitality due to Li Yao's body's rejection and were ultimately completely broken down.

Over the following year, Li Yao's aging body was nourished by the Wood Release Chakra he continuously condensed, restoring him to the appearance a twelve-year-old boy should have. He no longer had to worry about only having a few years left to live.

The only regret was that Wood Release Chakra was not as overpowered as Li Yao had initially imagined. It could not put him at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World within four or five years.

The reason was that his Wood Release Chakra had been replicated through nature transformation and shape transformation by controlling his own Chakra.

The Wood Release Chakra he replicated could nourish his body, but it could not transform his body's cells into Sage Body cells like Hashirama's.

Much less could it grant him the vast Chakra reserves needed to easily suppress a monster like the Nine-Tails.

At its core, his physical body was still Kimura Yao's body.

Even after being nourished by Wood Release Chakra for a year, his talent seemed to have improved slightly.

But his talent for Chakra reserves remained quite ordinary.

If Li Yao had not developed Acupoint Space to store Chakra and increase his reserves,

then relying solely on the Dantian's capacity, Li Yao's current Chakra might have been enough for at most two Rasengan.

Talent could be this cruel sometimes.

Unlike now, after all these years of accumulation, the Acupoint Spaces throughout Li Yao's body, including the Gate of Death, contained more Chakra in total than two Anbu jonin.

This amount of Chakra certainly could not compare to a monster like Naruto.

But it was already enough to give Li Yao the means to escape Konoha.

After all, if he continued lying low here, Li Yao's strength would not improve much further.

It was not as though he had never considered developing the Perfect Transformation Jutsu before escaping, which would be safer.

But the problem was that he spent all day sealed inside a glass chamber. There was not even a mosquito in this sealed laboratory, much less birds or other animals.

Without animals to observe and study, relying only on Li Yao's own imagination, even with absolute Chakra control and special Chakra sensory abilities, he could not develop the Perfect Transformation Jutsu.

Therefore, escaping during the Second Shinobi World War, when Konoha's forces were at their weakest, gave him the greatest chance of success.

Otherwise, once the Ninja World War truly ended and Danzo turned his attention back to Li Yao,

even if he had already developed the Perfect Transformation Jutsu by then, his chances of escaping would not be as great as they were now.

Escaping at this time was just right.

"Sealing arrays... what a truly marvelous concept!"

Li Yao removed his hand from the Chakra Metal Bed. He had already analyzed the Devouring Seal Array's Chakra nature transformation, shape transformation, and structure.

Li Yao could not help marveling at the person who had invented the sealing array. They were truly remarkable.

The Devouring Seal Array was composed of multiple Sealing Techniques.

But it was not simply a structure combining several Sealing Techniques.

Rather, it used a central Devouring Chakra Sealing Jutsu Formula as its core, while the other Sealing Techniques were like engines embedded into it, enhancing the devouring power of the Devouring Chakra Sealing Jutsu Formula.

This kind of sealing array, which strengthened the sealing ability of a primary Sealing Jutsu Formula through different Sealing Techniques, could unleash sealing power ten or even a hundred times greater than the primary Sealing Technique itself.

"If the Black Iron Chains incorporated the Chakra-devouring ability of the Devouring Seal Array, they would definitely become even more effective at restraining shinobi."

Lowering his hands, Li Yao looked at the Black Iron Chains Chakra Cloak condensed around his body and pondered for a moment before smiling.

There was no rush.

He would get out first.

But before leaving... Li Yao turned to look around.

This laboratory was likely where Danzo researched Wood Release.

Within several of the glass chambers, Li Yao sensed dense Wood Release Chakra. They were probably culture mediums cultivating Hashirama Cells.

The other research equipment was clearly nothing ordinary.

"I don't have time for proper revenge right now."

"Then I'll cause a little damage before I leave."

With a thought from Li Yao, eight Black Iron Chains as thick as wrists extended from his back, writhing like octopus tentacles as they struck in every direction.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Clang! Clang!

The surrounding glass chambers shattered across the floor. Once the Hashirama Cell culture mediums left their nutrient fluid, they rapidly weakened, and their Wood Release Chakra quickly dissipated.

Bang! Bang...!

Li Yao destroyed all manner of pipes, equipment, wires, and experimental instruments. He did not even spare the Chakra Metal Spheres underground, removing their seals and crushing them with the Black Iron Chains.

Being able to crush Chakra Metal Spheres as large as small houses was enough to prove that the Black Iron Chains Li Yao had developed had reached the required standard in physical strength.

After thoroughly wrecking the laboratory, Li Yao headed toward its door.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three Black Iron Chains shot from behind Li Yao like spring whips, striking directly at the door.

Bang!

A deafening metallic crash echoed through the laboratory.

The laboratory door remained completely unharmed.

Li Yao looked at the web-like black Sealing Jutsu Formula patterns emerging across the laboratory door, the surrounding walls, and the floor. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes, followed by a smile.

Danzo clearly placed great importance on the things inside this laboratory.

The entire laboratory, including the door, had been reinforced with defensive Sealing Jutsu Formulas. The Black Iron Chains did not have enough attack power to break through them.

If someone else had come here, even after breaking free, they could only despair before this laboratory wrapped in Sealing Jutsu Formulas.

Unfortunately, it had encountered Li Yao, who could rapidly perform nature transformation and shape transformation through Chakra control.

Li Yao walked forward and reached out to touch the door.

The instant his hand touched it, Li Yao's gaze suddenly flickered.

He withdrew his hand again, then rapidly formed hand seals.

At this moment.

Outside the laboratory door, three of the four Root Squad members on guard had already arrived. The remaining one had gone to notify the Third Hokage.

The moment Li Yao emerged from the glass chamber, he had already triggered the alarm of Root's Sensor Barrier.

When the Root Squad stationed there saw that it was Lab Zero, they immediately realized that something had happened to the dangerous experimental subject inside. One of them promptly reported to the Third Hokage and sought reinforcements.

The remaining three spread out and lay in ambush on either side of the door, ready at any moment to attack the experimental subject emerging from Lab Zero.

"Captain, what kind of experimental subject is inside?"

Outside the door, one squad member asked. He was quite confused as to why the captain was so nervous about the experimental subject inside.

Since it had been reduced to an experimental subject, it should not have posed much danger. Even if it escaped, there should have been no need to be so tense or to notify the Third Hokage.

The things in Lab Zero were what Lord Danzo valued most. No one else could be allowed to know about them, including the Third Hokage.

"Shut up. Stay focused."

The captain glared at the one who had spoken. The fool understood nothing, and he could not be bothered to explain.

The things in Lab Zero were indeed valuable.

If the Third Hokage found out, Lord Danzo would certainly be furious.

But compared to Lord Danzo's anger, if the experimental subject from Lab Zero escaped the Root Base because of their arrogance and then escaped Konoha, Lord Danzo would not merely be angry.

They would pay a terrible price for it.

That was why, the moment he learned that something had gone wrong in Lab Zero, he had sent someone to notify the Third Hokage and request support.

No matter what, the thing inside Lab Zero absolutely could not escape Root.

"Yes, Captain."

Seeing the gravity in the captain's tone, the one who had asked no longer questioned him. He focused his attention on the laboratory door.

Of the entire laboratory, the Sealing Jutsu Formula at the door was the weakest. If the experimental subject inside could break out, this was the only place it could emerge.

The three men wore grim expressions as they waited in full readiness.

Suddenly, the laboratory door rippled like a stone dropped into still water.

Then, through the ripples, a youth in a black windbreaker stepped out.

The youth was very thin, without a single line of muscle on his body. His long black hair fell to his shoulders. One look made it clear that he was an experimental subject who had spent a long time inside a nutrient chamber.

His facial skin was very pale—the sickly kind of pale, as though he were gravely ill.

If one judged only by appearances, Li Yao looked like nothing more than a child on the verge of dying from illness, completely harmless.

But the instant Li Yao stepped out of the laboratory door,

the three Root Squad members lying in ambush outside all changed expression. Their breathing nearly faltered as they almost sucked in a cold breath.

"What condensed Chakra!"

"What terrifying Chakra control!"

As members of a Root Squad, every one of them, including the captain, had reached jonin level. They were battle-hardened shinobi who had truly crawled out of piles of corpses.

Their senses and eyesight were both excellent.

Li Yao's black clothes and shoes, indistinguishable from ordinary garments to the naked eye, were all condensed from Chakra. He could sense it clearly.

What kind of Chakra control was that!

He could actually condense Chakra into clothes, pants, and shoes that looked no different from the real thing to the naked eye.

The danger posed by an experimental subject possessing such unprecedented Chakra control was obvious.