Natural Energy

Next to Adachi Ward, Surrounded and traversed by the Edogawa, Arakawa, and Shin-Nakagawa rivers, Katsushika Ward houses a striking, massive silver-white building.

The building features a highly modern design; viewed from above, it forms an 'X' shape—both imposing and austere! With surrounding lawns and trees, it carries the air of a high-end apartment complex: it even has a helipad.

Many uninformed tourists, passing by on the train, often exclaim:

"One day, I'm going to live in an apartment that prioritizes security and represents such a high quality of life!"

In reality, however, getting in is not difficult at all.

Because this is: the Tokyo Detention House!

Though named a detention house, it is a place that strikes fear into the hearts of many criminals: it is also where the island nation carries out executions.

Capital punishment in the island nation is complex and cumbersome, and with the constant rotation of the Cabinet, one administration pushing it to the next, many high-profile prisoners wait here for the gallows, often for over a decade.

For instance, that leader of the infamous XX Truth Sect, who released poison gas in the subway and injured over five thousand people, waited here for over twenty years before finally reaching the gallows six years ago.

This led many on the island nation's internet to mock him, saying the leader had boundless magical power, using the technique of "human levitation" to float for twenty years before finally exhausting his strength and reluctantly passing away. The sarcasm was undisguised.

Furthermore, the island nation's prisons are not only disciplined and clean, but also equipped with advanced medical facilities.

They are often teased by local media as "nursing homes," though such attacks are entirely useless.

At the end of the day, society still operates according to the will of the powerful.

In the night sky, a crow landed on the roof of the building.

Illusion: Body Bind Technique

Activate!

Silently, an invisible illusion swept across the building, instantly rendering everyone unable to move!

Next, the crow transformed into a mysterious figure in white cloth, drifting toward the direction of the building's control room.

Click, click, click.

A series of cell doors opening echoed through the quiet corridor, fading into the distance.

After a long while, prisoners in uniforms poked their heads out from the gaps in their doors, looking left and right in confusion, then exchanged blank stares with their "neighbors" next door and across the hall.

What was going on?

Had they slept so soundly that it was already the next day?

"Is this some kind of trap to lure us out and kill us?"

"Don't joke around, do those prison guards even have the guts?"

Some bold prisoners stepped out of their cells, their eyes fixed on the end of the corridor: the security gate there had also been opened, as if the authorities didn't care at all whether they escaped.

Soon, prisoners—some burly, some fierce, some frail, or even... handsome—walked out one after another, their faces full of question marks.

"Hey, what are you guys doing—"

A prisoner couldn't help but look up toward the surveillance cameras.

The next second, He was interrupted by a voice ringing out from above.

"...This thing should be used like this."

"Very good. Judging by your reactions, you have already heard my voice. Heh, interesting human toys."

?

"Did the warden forget to take his meds?"

"No, I think the guy in the control room is probably high."

A group of hardened criminals looked at one another, each suspecting they were hallucinating.

That made no sense; although they were all vicious and depraved, they were also self-respecting and had never touched drugs. Everyone present was an "elite" who had once outsmarted the police; without real ability, they wouldn't have ended up here.

"So then."

The raspy voice continued from the overhead speakers, "Those who want freedom, come to the courtyard. I will give you freedom, and more."

??

"I am very certain the warden is drunk."

One prisoner stated confidently, wondering what kind of ghost story they were playing at instead of sleeping.

"Or maybe he just finished watching Saw or something and wants to play a game of 'Battle Royale' with us?"

Though they didn't believe it, a small portion of the prisoners still headed toward the security gate: they walked the path to the courtyard several times a day, and it couldn't be more familiar.

No matter what the prison authorities were up to, there was no harm in going to take a look.

It could be considered a bit of amusement in this boring daily routine.

As for the rest:

Tonight's events reeked of something bizarre; it was safer to stay in the cell.

"This..."

"Are we filming a movie?"

"No, I think we've encountered some kind of supernatural phenomenon."

When the dozens of high-security prisoners arrived in the central courtyard, what they saw was a mysterious figure floating in mid-air, dressed in a simple, wide-sleeved hunting robe and wearing a towering black cap, with a white cloth marked with the character 'Three' hanging down to obscure his face.

And, standing beside him, the prison warden with a dull, vacant expression and lifeless eyes, along with the prison guards lined up in a row.

"Hey, hey, hey, why does this scene look so..."

It looked exactly like those manga tropes where the government conducts a 'prisoner slaughter' experiment or something similar.

Some prisoners instinctively stepped back, preparing to return to their cells.

Shing.

Amidst the synchronized sound of holsters clearing, those vacant-eyed guards drew their pistols and aimed them at the gate leading from the courtyard back to the cell blocks.

?!

"Since you have arrived, there is no possibility of retreat."

The mysterious figure floating in mid-air let out a cold laugh; even with the white cloth covering his face, the prisoners could easily imagine the expression he wore.

"I intend to recruit a few subordinates, but there are far too many of you—"

As the mysterious figure spoke, the vacant-eyed warden waved a hand, tossing the bag he had been carrying, which landed right in front of the prisoners.

Clatter.

Daggers spilled out, radiating a cold, chilling light.

"I shouldn't need to teach you what to do next, should I?"

So it really was a 'Battle Royale' plot?

"Hey, Warden!"

A frail-looking prisoner shouted at the vacant-eyed warden, "Are you just going to let this guy do whatever he wants?"

"Don't forget, my father comes to visit every month. If I—"

"Noisy."

The mysterious figure raised a hand and pointed into the air.

The frail prisoner's arm suddenly twisted violently.

Snap.

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of bone breaking, the prisoner's arm was twisted three full rotations by an invisible force.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

As he screamed, his other arm and both legs also began to rotate in mid-air.

Snap, snap, snap.

Bones shattered, and the flesh, unable to withstand the twisting force, tore apart!

The prisoner, now twisted into the shape of a large 'X' like a wrung-out towel, sprayed blood everywhere. As his body spun, his head followed suit, and his screams were cut short.

Immediately after, the mysterious figure produced a stone.

In the horrified gaze of everyone present, A phantom resembling the frail prisoner flew out from the twisted corpse and was sucked into the stone in the mysterious figure's hand.

Thud.

As the twisted corpse hit the ground, the prisoners' worldviews shattered along with it.

?????

This.

We want to apply for a psychiatric prison.

Swish.

Just as everyone was stunned, a short prisoner had already lunged forward.

He stooped down to grab a dagger, causing the other prisoners to snap out of their stupor.

Damn it, he beat us to it!

Everyone present was a hardened criminal with blood on their hands, so their reactions were naturally faster than ordinary people; a dozen pairs of eyes filled with murderous intent locked onto the short prisoner.

However, the short prisoner understood that if he were the first to grab a weapon, he would immediately become the target of everyone else, so:

Swish.

He grabbed the bag on the ground with his other hand and tossed it toward the others.

?

The bag hit a burly prisoner in the chest with a thud, and the daggers inside scattered to the floor.

Before the burly prisoner could react, several fists from those around him came crashing down!

The bloody slaughter began!

Not bad.

Akihi Yu, controlling his Paper Clone, nodded. In terms of ferocity and decisiveness, these hardened criminals were top-tier choices. Furthermore, their physiques were quite good; prison life required labor, and operating a sewing machine for eight hours a day was, in a sense, a form of exercise.

They were excellent materials for "experimentation."

What Akihi Yu intended to test was whether "natural energy" existed and if it could be absorbed.

Natural energy was a type of energy possessed by the planet itself, known for its special effects of prolonging life and enhancing the power of ninjutsu.

Unlike the "mana" produced by living organisms, natural energy represented the planet itself; even the Otsutsuki Clan was very interested in this energy.

However, Akihi Yu did not know if the planet in this world possessed "natural energy," nor was he prepared to experiment on himself. If he were careless and turned himself into a stone statue, wouldn't that be a laughingstock?

As for whether a group of old monsters might jump out if this planet did have "natural energy"?

What a joke. Even a chosen one like Naruto had struggled to master it.

Those who dared to touch "natural energy" had to be at least at the Kage level; how could ordinary people in this world possibly absorb it?

While Akihi Yu's thoughts drifted, the courtyard was already covered in blood!

"Ah!"

"Spare me—"

"Die, hahahahaha!!"

The group of prisoners who had seized the daggers laughed wildly, stabbing viciously at the other inmates.

The other prisoners did not sit idly by, either; they threw punches and kicks in retaliation, targeting groins, temples, and the back of the head—anything to be lethal.

In just a few minutes, more than half of them were lying on the ground.

"That will do."

As soon as the mysterious figure spoke, the prisoners, who had been blinded by bloodlust, stopped instantly.

An invisible force bound them, leaving them unable to move.

"Come, accept this gift."

A drop of ink dripped from the mysterious figure's fingertip, suddenly splitting into nine and flying toward the surviving prisoners.

"You shall all shed your mortal bodies and be used by me—"

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

"Ugh~~~"

As the ink flew into their foreheads, the remaining prisoners suddenly clutched their heads and wailed, first kneeling on one leg, then unable to help but roll on the ground, covered in blood and filth.

This time, Akihi Yu was not merely bestowing mana upon them; he had also included a Curse Mark!

Earth Curse Mark.

That's right, the very thing Orochimaru had developed to tempt Sasuke!

It was not the high-level "Heaven Curse Mark," but the low-level "Earth Curse Mark," the essence of which was a poor, plebeian version of Sage Body fluid.

This type of curse mark allowed the branded individual to gain a vastly weakened ability to absorb "natural energy."

Come on, if you succeed, it will prove that natural energy exists in this world.

If you fail, it doesn't matter.

Just as these prisoners were screaming and writhing, one prisoner's body began to swell.

Countless bumps of various sizes scurried beneath his flesh, and in the blink of an eye, he expanded to two meters. Then:

Bang!

Like a balloon reaching its limit, the prisoner's body exploded, turning into a flesh-and-blood bomb. The flying bone fragments acted like bullets, and the blood and muscle showered down, dragging three surrounding prisoners into the carnage.

A failure?

No, a success!

It was precisely because "natural energy" existed that he had self-destructed.

Then...

His gaze fell upon the other struggling prisoners; would any of them be able to withstand the onslaught of "natural energy"?

Bang!

As another prisoner transformed into a bloody explosion of flesh, Akihi Yu noticed a slight anomaly.

In the air, two types of energy were being injected into the remaining prisoners.

One was grand and immense; even a mere wisp of it was enough to cause a prisoner to explode, and it was undoubtedly the omnipresent "Natural Energy."

And the other.

It was actually chaotic spiritual energy?

As an expert who played with illusions every day, Akihi Yu was no stranger to spiritual energy.

Everyone produced spiritual fluctuations; this was a normal phenomenon. Without mana, the spiritual fluctuations of ordinary people were merely like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water—powerless and futile.

But once mana was involved, these spiritual energies became miraculous: the remaining prisoners who were still struggling were clearly absorbing "ownerless" spiritual energy to balance the thin natural energy within their bodies.

So-called Sage Art was the product of a balance between natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy.

Of course, these prisoners couldn't even compare to a single hair on the Sound Ninja Five, let alone master Sage Art, but the principles were the same: they were indeed utilizing unconsciously gathered spiritual energy to stabilize the Cursed Seal Power within them.

"Interesting, interesting."

As one prisoner after another exploded, the final two gradually calmed down, and the mysterious figure played by Akihi Yu spoke slowly.

"State your names, lucky ones."

"Saito Kai,"

The short prisoner who had been the first to seize a dagger and the first to stabilize himself spoke calmly.

"Ichihashi Toru,"

A man with a handsome, melancholic face wiped the filth and blood from his features.

"Yamagami Toru,"

The last man also slowly stood up and announced his name.