Astonishing!

"It's been half a month since then. I wonder how Yu is doing..." Yūhi Uzuki popped a peanut into her mouth and chewed absentmindedly.

Tobi sat on a stone bench not far away. The usually talkative man had been noticeably quieter these past few days.

Rumble...!

Suddenly, the ground began to shake...

"An earthquake?" Yūhi Uzuki froze.

Tobi looked toward the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Gurgle, gurgle! White Zetsu emerged from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. "Hey! Something's happening with Yu!"

Tobi was already on his feet and heading over.

"Wait for me!" Yūhi Uzuki hurried after him.

In the corridor, Riu approached in a loose white robe and wooden clogs, with Orochimaru following at his side. He looked at Tobi and Yūhi Uzuki, who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Please remain calm, you two. I need to run some tests on Yu first..."

The lights came on in the equipment room. The Hashirama Clone used to extract Original Cells was stored in a corner as a precious specimen.

Orochimaru changed into his lab coat and activated a machine. Riu sat in its chair while Tobi and Yūhi Uzuki waited nearby.

"What is this machine for?" Riu asked after sitting down.

"This is a scanning device I invented years ago after studying the Hyuga Clan, based on the iris imaging principles of the Byakugan. It can check whether there are any abnormalities in your body. After all, this was such a massive cellular transplantation project. It's best to be cautious..."

So this was the Naruto World's X-ray machine. Orochimaru invented it? Riu thought.

Orochimaru pressed a switch. A dome-shaped device moved above Riu and cast down a white light.

Riu's entire body soon appeared as a transparent image on the display.

After observing it carefully, Orochimaru nodded. "Mm, there are no lesions or aftereffects. It seems this cell transplant was a complete success."

At that, Yūhi Uzuki let out a sigh of relief. To her, whether Riu became stronger was secondary. His health was what mattered most.

"Then... was it assimilation or fusion?" Tobi asked.

"I was just about to reveal the answer..." Orochimaru said with a smile, attaching several wired magnetic pads to the major acupoints on Riu's body.

Then he pressed another switch.

Buzz! The dome over Riu's head spun away.

"Yu, take off your mask," Orochimaru said.

"Okay." Riu reached up and removed his mask.

Seeing Riu's face, even more refined than before, Yūhi Uzuki's eyes brightened.

A device fitted with electrodes descended from above and slowly settled over Riu's head.

"Yu, an electric current will pass through your body next. It will synchronize the bioelectric fields inside you and calculate your cellular energy value. You may feel a slight tingling sensation~"

"Mm. I'll just treat it as an electronic massage..." Riu closed his eyes.

Orochimaru pressed another switch.

The numbers on the screen rose rapidly, quickly surpassing one hundred thousand.

"What do those numbers represent?" Yūhi Uzuki asked curiously.

"Body cell energy values~ It will take some time to finish calculating, so let me explain the principle. The human body is composed of cells, with roughly 14 billion cells in total. Every cell contains a certain amount of energy. The sum of all cellular energy is 'Body Energy,' which, together with 'Mental Energy,' forms the Chakra we know so well!"

Orochimaru turned toward the display. The value had already surpassed three hundred thousand, yet showed no signs of stopping.

"I developed this Body Cell Energy Detector by quantifying Body Energy values."

"You said quantify? Doesn't quantification require a standard, a basic unit? What's your baseline?" Yūhi Uzuki had once been an ANBU elite and had received training in such knowledge.

"Heh heh, good question~ Kabuto is dead, and I happen to be short an assistant. Would you consider it?" Orochimaru extended an olive branch.

"I'm not interested..." Just imagining it made Yūhi Uzuki feel goosebumps all over.

"To make it applicable to everyone, I used the average Body Energy of newborns as the baseline, defining it as one basic unit. An ordinary adult's Body Energy is ten, with individual differences ignored."

"For trained ninja, Body Energy far exceeds that number. On average, a Genin is one hundred, a Chunin two hundred, a Jōnin five hundred, and an Elite Jonin one thousand. The Kage capable of commanding ninja villages have Body Energy values above three thousand. Those with a rare special constitution can even approach ten thousand. Ten thousand is the ceiling—for those without Hashirama's Power~"

"For those without Hashirama's Power?" Yūhi Uzuki narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. Hashirama's Power is the dividing line. Even touching a trace of Hashirama's Power causes a qualitative leap in Body Energy. Take ordinary White Zetsu, for instance~ Their Body Energy value is fifteen thousand!"

"Fifteen thousand? But their combat power isn't that great!" Yūhi Uzuki said in surprise.

"Heh heh heh, who said Body Energy value was equivalent to combat power? Combat power involves all sorts of factors. It can't be generalized..." Orochimaru said with a smile.

Yūhi Uzuki fell into thought.

"Half of Yu's former body was made of White Zetsu~ But after that White Zetsu body merged with Yu, it was strengthened as well~ Its Body Energy value was nearly fifty thousand! That's considerably higher than one of my more successful past test subjects, Danzo, whose value was forty-two thousand~"

As Orochimaru spoke with a smile, he looked toward the silent "Tobi" beside him, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "Tobi, you are an anomaly among the White Zetsu. Though I have never performed precise tests on you, I conservatively estimate that your Body Energy value exceeds five hundred thousand!"

Swish!

Yūhi Uzuki stared at Tobi in utter shock.

Even Riu opened his eyes and looked at Tobi in surprise...

Tobi's unfathomable eyes fixed on Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, I underestimated you in the past..."

By then, the number on the machine had broken through five hundred thousand and was advancing toward one million.

"The feeling is mutual." Orochimaru pointed at the First Hokage Clone specimen in the corner. "This perfect replica of the First Hokage, cultivated by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, has a Body Energy value of 1.36 million."

No one was surprised. That was the God of Shinobi. If anything, the number felt a little low.

"Then was that the First Hokage's Body Energy value when he was alive?" Yūhi Uzuki asked.

Orochimaru shook his head with a smile. "No~ This is, after all, an artificial body without consciousness. It never underwent acquired training and development. The First Hokage experienced countless battles and mastered Sage Art. His Body Energy would certainly have far exceeded that of this replica, perhaps even surpassing my machine's calculation limit of two million!"

"So, Yu, if it was assimilation, your Body Energy value should stabilize between eight hundred thousand and 1.2 million. If it was fusion, it could likely reach around 1.5 to 1.8 million! Now, let us eagerly await the result that will soon be revealed!"

Gulp! Yūhi Uzuki swallowed and looked toward the screen.

1.1 million, 1.2 million, 1.3 million, 1.4 million... It was still rising, already past 1.5 million!

Orochimaru said excitedly, "It can already be confirmed! Yu, it was fusion! Fusion!!"

The corners of Riu's mouth lifted slightly.

The numbers continued to change... 1.6 million, 1.7 million. They soon reached the 1.8 million threshold Orochimaru had mentioned, but... there was still no sign of them stopping.

"Thi-this, could it be..." Orochimaru's slit pupils abruptly widened, and his body began trembling uncontrollably.

1.85 million, 1.9 million, 1.95 million, 1.96 million, 1.98 million, 1.99 million... 2 million!

The green digits turned into a line of red text...

Beep beep beep!!!

The machine sounded a shrill alarm...

And alongside it came Orochimaru's nearly suffocated cry of shock. "C-can't be calculated!?"

Boom!!!

With a violent blast, the Body Energy detection device exploded...

Several dozen minutes later, the group arrived above ground.

The scene of Riu battling the Third Hokage half a month ago remained vivid in their minds. That battle had turned the surrounding area into a barren plain.

Whoosh! Wearing a brand-new black cloak, Riu strode forward. Orochimaru, Tobi, Yūhi Uzuki, and the White Zetsu army stood at the base entrance, watching expectantly.

There was a technique Riu could not wait to test.

Gurgle, gurgle! A White Zetsu emerged from the ground nearby, holding up a pair of black combat gloves in both hands.

Riu took the gloves and put them on with ceremonial solemnity.

Gurgle, gurgle! The White Zetsu sank back into the earth. Seconds later, he emerged where the White Zetsu army stood, then looked toward Riu.

Smack! Riu brought his hands together before his chest, forming the Snake seal.

Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!!