NOVEL NEXT Chapter 356: Chapter 356
Yoichi smiled as he prepared to delve into the mysteries of the ring. Earlier, his return had been delayed due to his encounter with Temari in the bathhouse, leaving little time for proper research.
Taking out the storage ring, Yoichi sensed the residual spiritual imprint on it. With a pulse of mental energy, he erased the imprint, then dripped a drop of his own blood to bind with the ring.
"The space inside is impressive. This dragon-lion must have stumbled upon quite the treasure. A sixth-tier magical beast obtaining a ring like this? It's more likely it found it among the possessions of a stronger being," Yoichi mused.
Inspecting the ring's contents, Yoichi found an array of magical beast cores, rare materials, precious herbs, and over a dozen combat techniques and cultivation methods.
"The techniques and methods must have belonged to the original owner. The rest—cores, materials, and herbs—appear to be the dragon-lion's personal collection. It must have been a dominant force across several mountain ranges," Yoichi thought with growing excitement.
The treasure trove included three sixth-tier beast cores and over a hundred fourth- and fifth-tier cores. Together with the rare herbs, Yoichi estimated he could craft five sixth-tier elixirs and seventeen fifth-tier ones.
Beyond these, the ring held a hoard of gold, silver, and gemstones—enough to resemble a small mountain. Clearly, the dragon-lion's draconic lineage endowed it with an innate drive to collect wealth.
Sorting the contents meticulously took over an hour. By the end, Yoichi had emptied the ring and stored its treasures elsewhere.
"I'll save the ring itself as a gift for either Mikoto or Tsunade," he thought.
Meanwhile, Temari was slowly regaining consciousness upstairs. The darkening sky outside the window jolted her fully awake.
"How… how is it this late already? That bastard!" she muttered, hastily getting out of bed to find her clothes.
Her legs wobbled as she stood, nearly causing her to collapse. Channeling chakra to steady herself, she made her way to the bathroom, retrieving her discarded clothes.
Pausing by the mirror, Temari caught sight of the floral pattern on her lower abdomen, now missing one petal. She sighed in relief.
Only four more times...
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Temari resolved not to confront Yoichi recklessly. While unafraid of death, she feared losing her family and her life with Shikadai and Shikamaru. For their sake, she chose to endure.
However, she failed to notice a new, sinister design forming on her lower back—a mark Yoichi had left on a whim.
Though she wanted to bathe before heading home, it was already late. Throwing on her clothes, she prepared to leave. Yet, as she dressed, a sharp pain in her abdomen made her curse under her breath.
"That bastard..."
"Why start cursing the moment you wake up? Haven't you had enough after hours of it earlier?"
Yoichi entered the room, smirking as he handed her a pill and a glass of water. "Here's medicine. Take it before you go."
Temari glared at him, snatched the pill, swallowed it without water, and stormed out.
Rushing home, Temari stopped briefly to buy pre-prepared food from the supermarket. As she ran, she couldn't shake the uncomfortable sensation that something was leaking out of her.
"I'm back!" she called out as she entered her home, quickly changing her shoes.
Shikadai emerged, scratching his head. "Mom, where were you? It's so late, and dinner's not ready yet."
"Sorry, something came up," Temari replied, relieved that Shikamaru wasn't home yet. She hastily apologized to Shikadai, but her reprieve was short-lived.
"I'm home. Temari, you just got back too?"
Shikamaru's voice cut through her thoughts. Temari steadied herself and replied, "Sorry, I got held up. I'll make dinner right away." She hurried into the kitchen, avoiding his gaze.
Once she left, Shikamaru turned to Shikadai. "When did your mom get home?"
"A few minutes before you. I thought you came back together," Shikadai replied nonchalantly.
"She seems off today. Go play for now; I'll check on your schoolwork after dinner," Shikamaru said, sending Shikadai away before heading to their bedroom.
Looking around the room, Shikamaru examined the bed and checked other rooms as well. His movements didn't escape Shikadai's notice.
"Are you looking for something?" Shikadai asked curiously.
"No, nothing important," Shikamaru replied. Just as he considered pressing further, Temari's voice called out, "Dinner's ready!"
"Let's eat," he said, setting aside his suspicions for the moment.
Land of Silence
Elsewhere, Sai was making significant progress. Despite being discovered by Victor's men earlier, their attempts to drive him away inadvertently revealed valuable information.
Using these clues, Sai infiltrated Victor's pharmaceutical company after nearly a month of careful planning. Even the emergence of otherworldly beasts in Konoha hadn't swayed him from his mission to uncover the truth behind the manipulation of Hashirama's cells.
Once inside, Sai moved cautiously, using transformation techniques to blend in with the staff. Slowly but surely, he made his way to the innermost section of Victor's artificial God Tree facility.
Victor's overconfidence in his security had left the core poorly guarded, allowing Sai to penetrate deep into the facility.
Victor was currently in a heated discussion with an unexpected visitor—Yoichi's Kamui clone.
"I'm warning you, don't get any clever ideas. Konoha's still watching you closely, and you want to waltz into their affairs?" the Kamui clone scolded. "Focus on the God Tree. Once it's complete, I'll need to collect my share of the data. Until then, stay out of trouble!"
"But—"
"No buts. I've invested too much in this project to let your recklessness ruin it. If the God Tree fails, you'll become my enemy," the clone interrupted sharply.
Suddenly, the Kamui clone froze, detecting an unfamiliar chakra signature nearby. Though unable to identify the intruder without a Byakugan, it locked onto their location.
"Let's leave it at that, Victor. Remember, your agents are useless against someone with space-time abilities," the clone said before vanishing with Kamui.
From his hiding spot, Sai observed the Kamui technique in action.
That distortion… Kamui? Is that Obito's Sharingan ability?
Sai's heart raced. He had fought Obito during the Fourth Great Ninja War and recognized Kamui's distinct spatial manipulation.
Why would Kamui be here? Could it be related to Obito's Sharingan? Sai thought, alarmed.
"This needs to be reported to the village immediately," he resolved.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5!!][[email protected]/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]