Chapter Thirty-Six: The Abyss of Chakra

PS: Thanks to Azure Robe, White Robe, and Ling Mo for their generous rewards.

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It could be said that as long as one uses chakra in the world of Naruto, one can never surpass Kaguya. Not only is it impossible to exceed her, but no harm can be inflicted upon her lineage, for the instant chakra comes into contact with them, it is absorbed away, along with one's own spiritual and physical energy.

There is, in truth, no way around this. Had the Naruto world followed its natural course of evolution, it would have birthed a cultivation method akin to the absorption of natural spirit energy, a path of ascension resembling that of cultivators. Yet the appearance of Otsutsuki Kaguya was akin to throwing a secret manual onto this evolutionary road, prompting everyone to cease researching and creating their own techniques, and instead focus solely on chakra cultivation. The natural forces that should have emerged were severed outright.

At the same time, Feng Xue even suspected that Kaguya's sealing was part of some greater conspiracy. Perhaps the chakra fruit was not yet fully ripe.

Some might ask, "Wasn't the chakra fruit eaten already?" No, in truth, every person in the Naruto world is like fertile soil nurturing the fruit. After chakra was distributed among the populace, it was passed on through generations, proliferating ever further until, in this era, there is virtually no human left without chakra. This quantity far exceeds what was originally contained in the chakra fruit.

This inevitably brings to mind another kind of plant—the Spirit Fruit from Dragon Ball. It too grows with an entire planet as its soil, absorbing the planet's vitality to bear its fruit. Though the effects differ, the resemblance is striking.

Perhaps the Otsutsuki clan likewise uses entire planets as pastures, tending chakra until the day of harvest. When maturity comes, this cosmic race will reap the world, and by then, the Naruto realm will have no means to resist. Do not speak of Naruto or Sasuke—they may well be reduced to ashes by then. Even if they survive, one Kaguya pushed them to the brink; what of a whole host of Kaguyas? If everyone perished, what use would remain for a handful of practitioners of sage chakra?

The reason traversers refuse to learn chakra lies precisely in this. Some may argue that the Otsutsuki clan's power is confined to a sub-plane; what does it matter if you use chakra in the real world? To this, Feng Xue could only reply, "You are far too naive!"

For on Earth's reality, there exists a woman named Otsutsuki Kaguya, and she is also a member of the Gaia Council, belonging to neither Eastern nor Western branches of humanity. The accounts of how and when she arrived on Earth are myriad, but the only certainty is that when the first rule-level humans entered the Gaia Council, she was already there.

And on Earth, the unique population—the chakra creatures (beings like the Nine-Tails, aggregations of chakra)—embody her will. Gazing back across millennia, a significant number of chakra system users fell in battle with these creatures, depleted of energy and dying outright. From then on, humanity adopted an unspoken rule of avoiding the use of chakra. (Though transplantation of special organs such as the Rinnegan, Byakugan, and Sharingan continues, these are processed to operate under different energy systems.)

...

Unlike Xia Mi, who cultivates spiritual power and can absorb natural energy by analogy, Feng Xue cannot do the same. The natural energy of the Naruto world is especially perilous; mishandling it can result in petrification.

At this moment, Feng Xue possesses only three kinds of power systems: the calories, or bioenergy, bestowed by Gourmet Cells; the ripple, or vibrational force, from Ripple Sage Path; and soul particles from the AT Field.

Ripple Sage Path is fundamentally vibrational, making it impossible to wield illusions, but mimicking wind and lightning styles is easier. As for the heat from Gourmet Cells... I'll need to eat more before I can say.

Thus, only the soul particles from the AT Field remain. The AT Field inherently possesses abilities related to mental corruption, but these differ entirely from illusions. The AT Field injects soul particles infused with one's will directly into the opponent's body, causing spiritual disarray, hallucinations, even madness; with skill, one can even read memories through these particles.

The essence of illusions, however, is to disrupt the flow of energy within the enemy, interfering with brain activity, affecting neural signals, inducing hallucinations, influencing thought, and even manipulating physical actions.

The two should be highly compatible, yet Feng Xue overlooked one crucial point—he knows nothing about chakra.

He understands that chakra is a blend of physical and spiritual energy, but this applies only to those infected with the "virus" of chakra in this world. Pure spiritual energy, like the soul particles generated by the AT Field, struggles to manipulate the flow of chakra.

...

Thus, Feng Xue could only turn his gaze to the indigenous power of this world—natural energy.

Compared to other worlds' spiritual energy, Naruto's natural energy is more wild, not in appearance but in its untamable nature. Excess intake can cause petrification.

As for turning into a frog, Feng Xue believes this is due to the influence of toad oil. Consider the Curse Mark, which is also natural energy, yet transforms users into all manner of monstrous forms (in Orochimaru's base, I saw giant birds, thunder dragons, sand dragons—seems Kishimoto enjoyed monstrous abuse too). Kabuto, who also cultivated sage chakra, displays no frog traits, evidently because his sage arts stem from the Ryūchi Cave.

However, Feng Xue's soul particles are derivatives produced by the soul, and since they do not reside within the body, petrification is not a risk. Conversely, lacking bodily constraints makes it harder to internalize the extraction of natural energy as instinct.

...

On the other side, Xia Mi was progressing unusually smoothly. Since she too absorbs spiritual energy from heaven and earth, the affinity between natural energy and spiritual power is remarkably compatible. Perhaps the world's natural forces are themselves a highly dense form of special spiritual power.

Xia Mi continued to absorb natural energy, unaware that her body was undergoing subtle transformations...

...

Mu Qianrou's days were the most carefree, consisting solely of three activities: eating, sleeping, and beating up Sound Ninja.

Orochimaru, surprisingly, had no objections. In his view, the more excellent the vessel for Reanimation, the better the results. The elite among his subordinates were too precious to waste as expendables here, but these discarded pieces, eager to prove themselves, he could hardly object.

Of course, if they failed to reach the threshold, sacrifices would still be made as needed.