Shihōin Naraku sat cross-legged beside the pool. This time, before he even began absorbing it, vast amounts of natural energy surged into his body the instant he closed his eyes, as though it would burst him alive.
Mental energy, physical energy, and natural energy clashed inside him, throwing his body into utter chaos.
His organs also began to suffer damage. These were places ordinary ninja could not train, so it was little wonder this was considered dangerous.
Under these circumstances, Naraku could not even maintain a basic balance, let alone produce senjutsu chakra.
Relatively speaking, Naraku's physical energy was slightly weaker, while his mental energy was immensely powerful. Even with a constant supply from outside, the natural energy could neither devour nor overwhelm his mental energy.
As a result, the outward signs were peculiar. Enveloped in natural energy, his body gradually began showing signs of corrosion.
But under the suppression of his mental energy, the rate of corrosion was close to nothing.
Katsuyu watched Naraku's every movement with great tension, ready to guard against any accidents.
Yet the scene before her was somewhat beyond her expectations.
Ninja in the past had either been assimilated by natural energy and completely corroded away.
Or they had relied on powerful physiques to withstand it, as members of the Uzumaki Clan did, progressing from resisting natural energy to adapting to it, then merging with it, balancing it, and so on.
Most people followed this process, but very few managed to persevere.
After all, the natural energy inside the Sage Art Cave was immense and could be replenished endlessly at any moment, whereas a ninja's constitution remained fixed. If they could not rebalance the energies and produce senjutsu chakra within the limited time available, the outcome went without saying.
Give up or die. They could