Growing Stronger Through Battle

Unlocking the First-Stage Gene Lock essentially meant forcibly breaking free from the restraints of biological instinct.

Under normal circumstances, a person could not make their muscles erupt with full force, much less continue fighting with broken joints and a rigid body.

Because the brain actively restricted the body.

That restriction was not meant to weaken humans, but to protect life.

Lie Yang had forcibly shattered that layer of protection.

Adrenaline surged violently, his heart operated beyond its limits, muscle fibers tore across large areas, and his internal functions fell into complete disorder.

For an ordinary person, cardiac shock alone would have been enough to kill them.

The Shadow Clone Technique steadied Lie Yang's body and said in a low voice, "Hold on."

Lie Yang did not respond.

His consciousness remained muddled, yet his brow stayed tightly furrowed.

A few breaths later, his body suddenly jolted.

"Cough!"

A mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his lips, staining the pillow red.

The Shadow Clone Technique immediately turned him onto his side to keep the blood from blocking his airway.

More blood ran down from the corner of his mouth.

Lie Yang's breathing grew even weaker, and his heartbeat even paused briefly.

The Shadow Clone Technique did not panic.

His chakra was still there.

And its total amount had not decreased much.

That proved Lie Yang's chakra pathways had not collapsed.

Chakra was originally the product of spiritual energy fused with physical energy. The life force of Yang Release contained within it was constantly cushioning the damage caused by the Gene Lock.

When ordinary people unlocked the First-Stage Gene Lock, they could only rely on their constitution to endure the backlash.

If they endured it, they completed their transformation.

If they could not, they died on the spot.

But Lie Yang had an additional layer of chakra protection.

The severely damaged cells began instinctively devouring the life energy contained in the chakra within his body, repairing torn muscles and stabilizing his disordered internal functions.

The process was still painful.

But the risk of death had been greatly reduced.

Time passed bit by bit.

Lie Yang coughed up blood twice more on the bed.

Each time he coughed blood, his aura weakened another fraction.

Strangely, the total amount of chakra in his body did not noticeably decrease. Only the vitality belonging to physical energy within the chakra was continuously absorbed by his cells.

The Shadow Clone Technique remained at his bedside.

Not until the latter half of the night did Lie Yang's erratic heartbeat finally stabilize.

His breathing no longer alternated between rapid and slow.

The crimson flush on his skin gradually faded, and his bulging veins slowly returned to normal.

The Shadow Clone Technique pressed a hand against Lie Yang's neck, feeling his pulse grow steadier and steadier.

"It worked."

The most dangerous stage had passed.

The internal injuries had stopped worsening, and the cellular failure had been forcibly contained by the life force of Yang Release within his chakra.

Lie Yang had survived the first backlash.

From this day onward, the First-Stage Gene Lock would no longer be an unknown power that could claim his life at any moment. It had become an entirely new foundation that truly belonged to him.

Morning.

The first ray of sunlight passed through a crack in the window and fell beside the bed.

Lie Yang slowly opened his eyes.

The instant his consciousness returned, the lingering pain buried deep within his body came flooding back.

His chest felt tight, his organs ached faintly, and every heartbeat brought a wave of palpitations.

Compared to the agonizing pain that had erupted from the depths of his cells last night, this was nothing.

"Awake?"

The Shadow Clone Technique sat by the table and turned to look at him.

Lie Yang did not get up immediately.

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the state of his body.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"One night."

"What about the backlash?"

"It's stabilized."

The Shadow Clone Technique stood and walked to the bedside.

"Your heartbeat, breathing, and internal functions have all returned to normal. You've passed the first backlash. There won't be any more fatal danger afterward."

Lie Yang slowly exhaled.

Last night's situation had been far more dangerous than he had expected.

Without chakra cushioning the damage, he might have died of cardiac shock the instant he exited the Gene Lock.

The ninja chakra system happened to fill in the most dangerous link after unlocking the Gene Lock.

The experiences of two lifetimes allowed Lie Yang to quickly suppress the emotions of having survived a disaster.

Death had already passed.

Surviving meant that gamble had succeeded completely.

"How are your eyes?" the Shadow Clone Technique asked.

Lie Yang opened his eyes again.

Pupil power surged from the depths of his eyes.

Three long, wheat-grain-shaped black markings surrounded his pupils as power far beyond the Three-Tomoe Sharingan rapidly gathered.

The Shadow Clone Technique met those eyes for only an instant before his body instinctively tensed.

"They're stronger than last night."

Lie Yang could clearly feel two completely different ocular techniques being nurtured within his Mangekyō Sharingan.

His left eye, Shenka.

His right eye, Miro.

They were powers unique to him alone.

The extreme refinement of spirit brought by the First-Stage Gene Lock had completely shattered the boundaries of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. After his pupil power underwent a qualitative transformation, even his senses became different from before.

Lie Yang raised a hand and pressed it against his eye sockets.

His newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan had not completely stabilized yet.

A distinct soreness swelled within his eyes, and the edges of his vision blurred briefly.

The Shadow Clone Technique tore off a strip of clean cloth and handed it to him.

"Don't use them yet."

"Your Mangekyō Sharingan has only just awakened, and your body is still recovering. Give your eyes a few days to adapt."

Lie Yang took the cloth, covered his eyes, and tied it behind his head.

Darkness obscured his vision.

But his expression did not change in the slightest.

"Three days."

The Shadow Clone Technique judged, "At most three days, and your body will recover to normal."

"Three days are enough."

"Then we leave today."

The Shadow Clone Technique walked to the window, lifted a crack open, and observed the street outside.

"Last night's fire was too large. Konoha will definitely send people to investigate. Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina have disappeared, and there are no bodies at the scene. Sooner or later, they'll identify you."

"Before the news reaches the border, we'll leave the Land of Fire immediately."

Lie Yang sat up and leaned against the headboard.

"The original plan is canceled."

The Shadow Clone Technique turned around.

"What do you mean?"

"We're not going to the border."

"You're planning to stay in the Land of Fire?"

"That's right."

The Shadow Clone Technique stared at the original body with his eyes covered and remained silent for several breaths.

"This is completely different from the original plan."

The original plan had been to use the A-rank mission to escape Konoha's surveillance, then use the mission area as a starting point to quickly leave the Land of Fire.

As long as they crossed the border, Konoha's tracking forces would be restricted.

But remaining in the Land of Fire now was equivalent to waiting for ANBU and Root to come looking for them.

"When I unlocked the Gene Lock, I sensed a change in fate."

Lie Yang's tone was calm.

"Miracle Authority does not grant power for nothing. Every time I break through a limitation, it will trigger greater fluctuations."

"Those fluctuations will bring danger, and they will also bring pursuit."

The Shadow Clone Technique understood.

"So you're not planning to hide?"

"Why should I hide?"

Although Lie Yang's eyes were covered, his voice was calmer than ever.

"Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina forced me into a dead end, and only then did I unlock the First-Stage Gene Lock."

"Without that pursuit, I would still only be a special jōnin."

"The people Konoha sends next will only be stronger."

The Shadow Clone Technique drew a breath.

"You want to use Konoha's pursuers to keep tempering yourself?"

"Growing stronger through battle."

The Shadow Clone Technique looked at the original body on the bed, still unrecovered and even temporarily keeping his eyes sealed. The shock in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

The Lie Yang of before had already been bold enough.

He had dared to use his own life to lay a trap, using two elite special jōnin to unlock the Gene Lock.

But at that time, Lie Yang's goal had still been to leave Konoha.

Now, however, everything was completely different.

After unlocking the Gene Lock, the original body's mindset had undergone a complete transformation.

He would no longer flee from danger.

He would no longer treat pursuit as a nuisance.

Since fluctuations in fate would inevitably bring danger, then he would meet them head-on and turn every crisis into nourishment for becoming stronger!

"This decision of yours..."

The Shadow Clone Technique paused for a moment, then slowly uttered two words.

"Truly insane."

Konoha.

The lights in the Hokage Building had not gone out all night.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, with investigation reports delivered overnight spread before him.

Danzo stood on the other side of the desk, his cane planted against the floor. The eye exposed beyond his bandages coldly stared at the mission roster.

There were only the two of them in the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the first report.

"No bodies were found at the scene."

"Nor were any clear traces left behind by the rogue ninjas."

"Takeno Sota used Earth Release, and remnants of Ayakawa Yukina's Kikaichū were also found."

"As for that fire..."

Danzo took over.

"It was Uchiha Fire Release."

"Many people can use large-scale Fire Release."

"But among the three people carrying out the mission, only Uchiha Lieyang was particularly skilled in Fire Release."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not refute him and merely picked up another report.

"The mission targets have also disappeared. We cannot rule out the possibility that they detected the infiltration in advance and set an ambush."

"Hiruzen, are you still preparing excuses for Uchiha?"

Danzo's voice turned colder.

"Takeno Sota once served in ANBU, and Ayakawa Yukina also received Root training. Two elite special jōnin vanished at the same time, yet the scene held no clear trace of any enemy."

"They couldn't possibly have been unable to even send a distress signal."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said gravely, "That is all the more reason to investigate this thoroughly."

"And how long are we supposed to keep investigating?"

Danzo tapped the ground with his cane.

"Uchiha Lieyang had been acting abnormally from the start of the mission. Not long after the team entered the mission area, battle broke out, and the entire forest was burned to the ground by Fire Release."

"Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina disappeared, and he never returned to Konoha either."

"All evidence points to him."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three names on the list.

"Without bodies, we cannot confirm that Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina are dead."

"Without direct evidence, we cannot confirm that Lie Yang defected."

Danzo gave a cold snort.

"Evidence?"

"The Uchiha Clan's dissatisfaction with the village did not begin yesterday. The Konoha Police Force's authority has grown greater and greater, and so has their resentment toward the village."

"A Three-Tomoe Sharingan Uchiha suddenly vanished during an A-rank mission and burned away every trace at the scene."

"Isn't that enough?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head.

"Danzo, the Uchiha are also members of Konoha."

"Precisely because they are members of Konoha, they are even more dangerous."

Danzo did not yield in the slightest.

"They hold the village's intelligence, possess the Sharingan, and have never truly let go of their desire for power."

"If Uchiha Lieyang could kill Takeno Sota and Ayakawa Yukina, then he could bring even more of Konoha's intelligence to other hidden villages."

"You have no evidence proving that he killed the two of them."

"I do not need to prove it."

Danzo tightened his grip on his cane, his voice devoid of warmth.

"He is an Uchiha. He vanished during the mission. His Fire Release destroyed the scene."

"That alone is enough to convict him."