Chakra Crystals

Upon hearing the budget, Seimei and the other two were overjoyed, their eyes lighting up.

Uchiha Jun allows for reasonable 'losses' in projects, as long as the final result Uchiha Jun him.

Sasori tapped his fingers lightly on the table, producing a crisp metallic sound, "Interesting... If it can really be done, this fortress will become the first Air Fortress in the Shinobi World to possess 'absolute defense'."

"It's not absolute defense," Uchiha Jun corrected, a glint in his eyes, "But rather— 'Concept Defense '."

"Let the enemy's attack, the moment it makes contact with us, be negated from the very concept of 'attack' itself."

En Oyashiro adjusted his glasses, his voice steady. "If we combine the illusionary abilities of the Tsukuyomi Mangekyo with the long-range attack capabilities of the Amaterasu Mangekyo —the fortress itself would possess illusionary defense, while simultaneously being able to launch Amaterasu -Burning Strike from over ten kilometers away... This fortress would become a mobile, unassailable fortress, possessing ultra-long-range destructive firepower—"

"--Space-based weapon platform."

Uchiha Jun finished speaking for him.

Silence fell once again in the meeting room.

But this time, what burned within the silence was—excitement.

After discussing the initial concept of the defense system, Seimei cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Lord Chun, there is one more thing I need to report to you."

Seimei took out a scroll from his bosom and unfolded it on the table—it was a survey map of the lunar terrain, densely marked with the locations and reserves of various mineral veins.

"The White Zetsu Corps on the moon have completed the first phase of mineral exploration."

Seimei's fingertips traced across the exploration map, marking the locations of various mineral veins. "The results are even more optimistic than we expected."

"We discovered three giant mineral veins at a depth of approximately 300 to 1,000 meters below the lunar surface."

"The first requirement is high-quality Chakra-Conducting Alloy Ore —preliminary estimates suggest reserves sufficient to build the outer shells of at least three Sky Fortress of the same class."

"The second is the rare metal mines—including Black Steel, Mithril, Star Iron, and other rare materials used to manufacture high-precision ninja tools and jutsu inscriptions. Their reserves are also extremely abundant."

"The third one—is the most surprising discovery."

Seimei raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Eight hundred meters underground, we have discovered a naturally formed Chakra Crystal Vein."

"--What?!"

This time, even Orochimaru couldn't sit still, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Naturally formed Chakra Crystal Vein? Aren't those things only formed in places with extremely high Chakra concentrations, after hundreds or even thousands of years of accumulation?"

"I thought that thing had become extinct."

"Chakra Crystal... what are those?"

It was Scorpion who spoke, his eyes gleaming with a cold light mixed with a hint of curiosity.

As the most talented puppeteer in Sunagakure, he believed he knew all about the materials in the Shinobi World —the properties of rare metals, conductive alloys, and sealing materials were all familiar to him.

But he had never seen the name "Chakra Crystal" in any ancient texts.

"I haven't heard of it either." En Oyashiro pushed up his glasses, his brows furrowing slightly. "The ancient mechanical arts manuals of the Sky Ninja Village record various energy materials—from the most basic Chakra Battery to advanced Natural Energy conversion devices—but they never mention Chakra veins in 'crystalline' form."

Uchiha Jun's gaze also turned to Orochimaru.

--Let me explain.

Orochimaru licked his lips, and after gathering his thoughts, slowly spoke:

" --Chakra Crystal, I only learned of their existence during World War II and Third Shinobi World War, after visiting several ruins, and I've only found three sources."

"The first place is in an underground cave on the shore of the Land of Water. It is a stone wall carved in the early Warring States Era. The stone wall records what the Kaguya Clan saw after a battle with 'a certain enemy' - when they were cleaning up the battlefield after the battle, they found some 'stones that looked like amber and emitted a faint light' in the strata in the center of the battlefield."

"The second place is a tattered scroll I found in the ruins of an ancient ninja clan that has long since disappeared. The script on the scroll is an ancient script that predates the era of the Sage of Six Paths. It took me two whole years to decipher a part of its contents—that part mentioned ' Tears of Heaven '."

"--' Tears of Heaven '?" As a veteran who had lived through the Warring States Period period, Tobirama Senju frowned and repeated, clearly he had never heard of it either.

"That's one of the ancient names for Chakra Crystal," Orochimaru explained. "The scroll records that ' Tears of Heaven ' are 'tears of the earth that have crystallized where gods have fallen'—they only form deep within the earth after large-scale battles of the gods."

"I speculate that it originated in ancient times when some powerful ninja clans attempted to hunt the Tailed Beasts Tailed Beasts in order to obtain their power, but were ultimately annihilated by the Tailed Beasts. The underlying mechanism is unknown."

"And the third one—is a verbal transmission I heard from the White Snake Sage, who has lived for countless years, when I first entered Ryūchi Cave and signed the contract."

"The White Snake Sage said--"

"--' Chakra Crystal are the remains of an era.'"

"That's why I made the deduction I just made."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

"The remains of an era?" Hiruko lost in thought.

"That's right," Orochimaru continued, "Based on information from these three sources, plus my years of research and deduction—my definition of Chakra Crystal is—"

" --Chakra Crystal are minerals formed when the Chakra released from a large-scale Chakra holder dies, fuses with the Natural Energy of the earth, and precipitates under specific conditions."

"Because there are no physical artifacts or other information to pass down, I am also unsure of its effects."

Uchiha Jun's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Only places where fierce battles have taken place and where large numbers of corpses have accumulated can potentially form Chakra Crystal?"

"So, the moon really does have the conditions to form this kind of peculiar mineral."

"But besides the Sage of Six Paths and his brother, were there other participants in that great battle? That shouldn't be the case."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He had long known that Uchiha Jun's intelligence network was incredibly powerful, and Uchiha Jun knew all sorts of strange and unusual stories and legends.

I never imagined they even knew about the life and experiences of the Sage of Six Paths!

Great War?

I never expected to hear even more explosive news this time! This is fantastic!

"Then, Chun-jun, please introduce us to him?"

"Hmm... okay, it's not a big deal for you to know about this stage. To put it simply, it was during the time of the Sage of Six Paths, before the current Nine Tailed Beasts and Chakra existed. Instead, there was a ' Ten-Tails ' that gathered nearly 90% or more of the Chakra of the entire Shinobi World."

"At that time, the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki was the mother of the Sage of Sage of Six Paths brothers. The two sides turned against each other, and the two Sage of Six Paths brothers fought against their mother. In the end, they successfully used a forbidden technique to seal their mother into what is now the moon and put her into space."

"At the same time, the Ten-Tails beasts were split into nine, which became the Nine Tailed Beasts we know today."

After Uchiha Jun finished speaking, the conference room fell into a deathly silence that lasted for several breaths.

It wasn't because they had nothing to say, but because there was just too much information—so much that everyone present needed time to process it.

"The Ten-Tails... its Jinchuriki... the Sage of Sage of Six Paths' mother... sealed on the moon..."

"... I never imagined that the planet we see every day and night actually seals away the mother of the Sage of Six Paths — the Progenitor of Chakra?!"

"Yes, it's surprising that the moon is man-made. In that case, Boss Chun's plan to conquer the galaxy doesn't seem so far away after all."

Immediately, everyone was abuzz with discussion, clearly shocked by this information.

Before this information was revealed, who was the undisputed strongest Shinobi World?

Senju Hashirama, or Madara Uchiha?

Even at the height of their lives, these two probably couldn't have created a celestial body the size of the moon!

Tobirama Senju raised his head, his gaze sharp, and looked at Uchiha Jun: "--Where exactly did you get this information from?"

"That's not important," Uchiha Jun said casually. "What's important is—the Chakra Crystal Vein beneath the moon, what's the quality of those Chakra Crystal, and can we utilize them?"

Uchiha Jun turned his gaze to Seimei:

"Seimei, since you specifically mentioned Chakra Crystal Vein, you must have already brought back some samples?"

A slight smile on Seimei.

"Your Excellency is wise to see the truth."

Immediately afterwards, Seimei took out a palm-sized cylindrical container made entirely of sealing alloy from his chest cavity and gently placed it in the center of the conference table.

The container was not large, about the thickness of an adult's thigh. Its surface was covered with densely packed Sealing Jutsu patterns. The patterns automatically lit up with a light blue, water-like halo the moment they came into contact with the air, completely sealing off the aura inside the container.

"--Second batch of samples from the Chakra Crystal Vein."

"Because after we brought the first batch of samples back to Earth, we found that the samples showed signs of disintegration. Finally, just before the first batch of samples completely dissipated, we managed to prepare a solution that could preserve these Chakra Crystal."

As Seimei spoke, he pressed a seal release sequence on the top of the container.

"Click-- hiss--"

With a crisp click of mechanical unlocking, the Sealing Jutsu on the top of the container peeled away layer by layer, the pale blue aura dissipated, revealing the scene inside the container—

A roughly fist-sized, irregularly shaped crystal lay quietly in the center of the container.

Its color is a translucent warm hue, somewhere between amber and deep red, like the frozen afterglow of a sunset.

Inside the crystal, countless fine, hair-like lines, spreading like blood vessels, can be faintly seen. These lines flow continuously and slowly, as if they were alive.

The entire crystal emitted a faint, soft glow.

The light was neither dazzling nor scorching.

"... This is... Chakra Crystal?"

Hiruko involuntarily stood up, walked around the table, went to the container, squatted down, and carefully examined the crystal, his eyes shining:

"There are traces of energy flow inside... It's not a static mineral, but a dynamic energy aggregate... I've never seen this structure before..."

"May I touch it?" She reached out her hand, then withdrew it, looking at Seimei nervously.

"I don't recommend it." Seimei shook his head. "When I tried to make close contact with it using my mechanical body, I was corrupted by the Senjutsu Chakra it contained. If Sasori hadn't been there and used the puppet strings to cut off my arm in time, I probably would have needed the boss to save me."

"Senjutsu Chakra? I'll do that then."

Uchiha Jun's voice came calmly from the seat of honor.

He stood up, walked around the conference table, and went to the container.

"Jun-kun, be careful," Uchiha Hikari said in a deep voice.

"If the formation principle of Chakra Crystal is truly as Orochimaru described, then the proportion of Natural Energy contained within them is likely extremely high—direct contact could potentially trigger an uncontrolled reaction of Natural Energy."

"I know."

Uchiha Jun stood in front of the container and slowly raised his right hand.

Then--

Sage Transformation--!

The next moment, a completely different aura erupted from his body!

Deep within Uchiha Jun's eyes, faint golden patterns emerged, contrasting beautifully with the crimson of his Sharingan.

The air pressure in the entire conference room seemed to drop by several orders of magnitude in that instant.

" --Senjutsu Chakra is the product of the perfect fusion of Natural Energy, spiritual energy, and physical energy."

In his Sage Transformation Mode, Uchiha Jun's voice took on a faint, echo-like quality:

"Chakra Crystal are a solidified mixture of Natural Energy and ordinary Chakra."

"So--theoretically speaking--"

Uchiha Jun extended his right hand, his five fingers covered with a thin, flowing layer of Senjutsu Chakra:

"--As long as I use Senjutsu Chakra of the same origin to come into contact with it, it won't trigger a rejection reaction."

After saying that, Uchiha Jun slowly reached for the Chakra Crystal in the container.

In the conference room, everyone held their breath for a moment.

Fingertips touched the surface of the crystals --

"Buzz--!"

The next moment, the Chakra Crystal suddenly lit up!

It wasn't the soft light from before, but a fiery, deep red light, as if it had been ignited!

The entire crystal seemed to have some long-dormant instinct activated the moment Uchiha Jun touched it—the vein-like patterns began to flow wildly, radiating a heart-pounding pulse!

"Um?"

"... I see. Seimei, let me solidify this Chakra Crystal. Then you can grind it into components and add it to steel smelting. This will improve the performance of the steel and might even create a more cost-effective steel than the current one."

Upon first contact, Uchiha Jun discovered the true nature of the Chakra Crystal.

Just as Orochimaru guessed, the Chakra Crystal were indeed a remnant from the great battle between the Ten-Tails and the Sage of Six Paths.

It contained the Senjutsu Chakra of the Sage of Six Paths and the God Tree Chakra of the Ten-Tails, along with some miscellaneous 'impurities', and was taken into space by the Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei.

It survived to this day only because of radiation from outer space.

Immediately afterwards, Uchiha Jun activated his Senjutsu Chakra Solidification. The next moment, the deep red light that had flashed on the surface of the Chakra Crystal slowly receded back into the crystal, like the receding tide.

But this time, the crystalline light did not fully return to its original gentle state.

Instead, a faint, coating-like golden sheen remained on the surface of the crystals.

"Boss, what you just did..." Seimei couldn't help but ask.

"I'm solidifying its structure."

Uchiha Jun tossed the crystal to Seimei: "Try it—use your mechanical body to touch it."

Seimei reached out and took the crystal.

The instant the mechanical finger touches the crystalline surface --

Quiet.

There were no abnormal reactions.

As someone who has personally experienced the erosion.

Seimei stared wide-eyed, feeling the slightly warm touch from the mechanical hand:

"... No erosion reaction... The energy inside the crystal is completely locked within the circulating structure! It won't leak out!"

"--and--"

Then, Seimei quickly entered a state of research, carefully examining the surface of the crystal. Beneath the golden luster, flowing patterns could be faintly seen:

"--Its hardness seems to have changed too."

"It hasn't changed, it's improved."

Uchiha Jun picked up the thread and explained, "Before solidification, the hardness of Chakra Crystal is roughly equivalent to medium-quality steel—quite good for a mineral, but not enough for direct use as an industrial material."

"After solidification—my Senjutsu Chakra reshaped its internal structure, making its molecular arrangement more compact—its current hardness is roughly equivalent to a high-quality Chakra-Conducting Alloy that has undergone three forgings."

"--If it is ground into powder and added to steel smelting--"

"--Theoretically, it can conduct Chakra through ordinary steel, while also absorbing cosmic radiation and restoring itself."

"In other words, if everything goes smoothly this time, we've found a way to obtain ' Living Metal '!"

Living Metal.

These four words, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirred up ripples in the conference room.

Sasori's eyes suddenly lit up. Ignoring the risks, he used his Chakra Threads to snatch the Chakra Crystal that Seimei had Seimei, examining it closely while raising his own doubts. "Grind it into powder? But if this energy crystal is ground, won't its structure be destroyed, causing it to collapse?"

"No, with the aid of the Large Mangekyo's power, my Senjutsu Chakra can manipulate structures at the 'atomic' level. This Chakra Crystal appears to be an energy entity at the moment, but it can actually be classified as a mineral."

Uchiha Jun continued Sasori's words, offering an explanation.

"Furthermore, what is the preliminary proven reserve of Chakra Crystal in the lunar mineral veins?"

"It's probably over 40 million tons. Once we figure out the fusion ratio, we'll be able to estimate how many spaceships we can build!"

"By the way, boss, we now have all kinds of common minerals. The White Zetsu Corps have also created a second ' Playground ' on the moon to mine minerals. Counting the minerals from the Land of Iron Earth, we can start preparing to build a second Sky Fortress, or expand and upgrade the first Sky Fortress."

"Would you prefer to build new or renovate?"

After failing to seize the Chakra Crystal from Sasori and En Oyashiro, Seimei handed Uchiha Jun a list of materials and a plan.

The proposal outlines the possible scale for building a new Sky Fortress and the extent of renovation required for the existing one.

Uchiha Jun took the scroll of plans handed to him by Seimei and slowly unfurled it on the table.

It was an extremely detailed engineering plan—it included written descriptions, detailed structural diagrams, and even preliminary budget estimates and project timelines.

The scroll stretched from one end of the table to the other, almost covering the entire conference table.

Everyone fell silent, awaiting Uchiha Jun's decision.

Uchiha Jun's gaze slowly swept across the scroll, starting from the first line.

The plan is divided into two main sections.

Option 1: Build a second Sky Fortress.

The planned second fortress will be several times larger than the first one—its length will jump from the original hundred meters to tens of thousands of meters.

The corresponding core power demand has also skyrocketed. According to the plan, the daily consumption required to maintain the cruise of the fortress warship would need to be five times the power of the current Moryo Zero-Tails power reactor!

Of course, such an exaggerated concept also means terrifying offensive power. With its many advantages, such as attacking from a high position, it can sweep across the entire surface of a planet in just one week when its firepower is fully unleashed!

The construction period is expected to be two years, and the required resources are approximately twenty times the total amount needed for the first vessel.

Option 2: Renovate and expand the existing fortress.

The first fortress underwent a major upgrade— Chakra Crystal Powder was incorporated into the outer shell to enhance its defensive capabilities; the internal space was expanded to include living quarters and laboratories; and the power system was upgraded to enable it to support larger-scale spell arrays.

The scale has been increased from nearly 1,000 meters to about 3,000 meters, which can accommodate tens of thousands of people to live in.

The construction period is estimated to be half a month, and the required resources are about 10% of those for building a new ship.

Both proposals have their advantages and disadvantages.

Standing to the side, Seimei added, "Boss, if we choose Option One, we can have two Sky Fortress simultaneously, forming a twin squadron—one for offense and one for defense, working together. If we choose Option Two, we can quickly elevate the combat power of our existing fortresses to a new level, offering better value for money."

Uchiha Jun did not answer immediately.

My gaze lingered on the "Resource Overview" section at the end of the scroll.

Chakra-Conducting Alloy Ore reserves: in the tens of millions of tons.

Rare metal ore reserves: in the tens of millions of tons.

Chakra Crystal Vein reserves: Preliminary exploration indicates over 40 million tons.

Forty million tons.

Uchiha Jun raised his head and looked at Seimei: "Seimei, go back and research the cost of an alloy constructed from Chakra Crystal dust. If it's suitable, then build Option One."

"Yes, boss." Seimei nodded.

"Also, how are the preparations for the giant dock on the moon going?"