Chapter 343: Cell Fusion
Hyuga Fuji ended the remote communication while keeping his gaze fixed on Kaguya as she escaped the camp, encountered Konan, and pretended to be knocked out and taken away. Stroking his chin, he fell into deep thought.
Black Zetsu No. 2 had mentioned that Kara's base was in the capital of the Land of Rain, disguised as a general store with a high volume of foot traffic, and that Bayakushi frequently went out in disguise.
However, if the base was in such a busy location and Bayakushi often left, there was no way he wouldn't have detected his whereabouts after several probes.
It was undeniable—the base Black Zetsu No. 2 found was fake.
Kara had just met with the Akatsuki. There was no way they would expose their headquarters so soon. Among the Akatsuki, only Nagato seemed to have gained Byaku-Shiki's trust.
According to Black Zetsu No. 2, he had managed to reintegrate into the Akatsuki. Nagato was cautious but did not keep constant surveillance on him, which was enough for now.
"Bayakushi's demand in exchange for cooperation is a suitable host body… is he trying to transplant Shibai's divine technique?"
Hyuga Fuji narrowed his eyes.
There was no way Bayakushi would give up on avenging Isshiki. His greatest bargaining chip was Shibai's corpse—there was no way he wouldn't use it.
Among Shibai's divine techniques, only one posed a true threat to him—Omnipotence.
---
Bayakushi glanced at the Hyuga ninja before him, then at Nagato, his eyelids twitching.
Strange. This was too strange.
Why had Isshiki searched for so long without finding a suitable candidate, yet Nagato and his group found one after just a brief sweep of the battlefield?
Initially, he had intended to make things difficult for Nagato and use that as an excuse to suggest he try the divine technique himself.
After all, as the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, Nagato had a much higher probability of inheriting the divine technique than an ordinary person. If Nagato wanted power, he wouldn't outright refuse.
But unexpectedly, Nagato had actually found someone.
"Well? Will she do?"
Nagato's voice was low as he observed Bayakushi pause his examination.
This was already the tenth candidate. The previous nine had been dismissed immediately, but this time, Bayakushi didn't reject the subject right away. Perhaps there was hope.
Bayakushi nodded. "She's worth a try."
"Good. Can I observe?"
"Of course."
While they spoke, Kaguya stood still, her gaze unfocused as if lost in thought.
Only she knew that she was fully prepared to abandon this body at a moment's notice.
When Konan first approached her, she thought she had been exposed and nearly fled immediately.
However, she soon realized that their goal was merely to find descendants of the Otsutsuki—not to target her specifically. Only then did she remain still and conceal her true identity.
Thinking of how Black Zetsu was still suffering under Nagato, and how she needed someone to strategize with, Kaguya made a decision—to feign capture and find an opportunity to rescue him.
…Well, there was another reason.
To oppose Isshiki, she realized that Nagato was the only person in the Shinobi world with the potential to do so.
Nagato was dangerous, but staying by his side meant she could avoid Isshiki's attention for now.
Of course, all of this depended on not exposing herself.
Nagato and his group seemed to intend to experiment on her. She couldn't afford to be careless. If anything went wrong, she would escape immediately.
"Follow me." Bayakushi spoke to Kaguya.
She did not resist and quietly followed along, behaving obediently.
Neither Bayakushi nor Nagato found this unusual.
This Hyuga ninja had been captured after escaping a snow county camp.
She had chosen to run rather than commit suicide, meaning she still had the will to live.
As long as her life wasn't threatened, she wouldn't resist. More importantly, she didn't have the power to resist.
---
On the way to the laboratory, Nagato carefully observed the Kara base, focusing on the arms of its members.
Noticing this, Bayakushi asked: "Still worried about that ocular technique?"
Nagato nodded slightly. "Hikari' power is strong. The nations have yet to find a widespread countermeasure and can only use sealing techniques to remove it individually. While I trust your strength, I'm not sure about your subordinates."
Hikari was now in Hyuga Fuji's hands. If she was being used by him, everyone affected by Yachihoko was a potential risk.
"No need to worry. Those who weren't cleansed in time are dead. The ones who entered the Tsukuyomi space were also killed. No one here is compromised."
Bayakushi cast a cold glance at Kaguya. "But outsiders are a different story."
"The ones I brought with me have all been purified." Nagato said.
"…"
Do you really not understand what I'm saying? Or are you just pretending?
I was asking if your comrades were safe, not about your captives!
Bayakushi glanced at Nagato, noting his calm expression, and took a deep breath. He dropped the subject.
Other than Nagato, none of the Akatsuki members had any value to him. Keeping them around only increased the risk of exposure.
That's why he had been subtly trying to push them out of the plan—but Nagato refused.
Instead, he had only agreed to station them at branch bases rather than involve them directly.
Yes, the base where Black Zetsu No. 2 and the others were located was a decoy.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Only Nagato was invited to the true headquarters. The others were placed in cover facilities.
With genetic engineering and his divine techniques to gather resources, it wasn't difficult to produce disposable pawns and establish multiple bases.
The rest of the journey was silent.
---
Inside the lab, advanced technology filled the air with a pungent chemical scent.
In the center, a massive glass container held strange biological tissue.
Nagato's Rinnegan detected intense life energy within—similar to the Hashirama cells in his body.
"First, let her try fusing with these cells. If she succeeds, we'll proceed further."
Bayakushi explained before directing Kaguya onto the operating table. Taking a syringe from the surgical tray, he prepared to begin the procedure.
Kaguya remained wary.
As long as the experiment only affected this body, she didn't care. But if it interfered with her chakra, she would leave immediately.
"Hmm… which Otsutsuki do these cells belong to? They don't match Isshiki's…"
Kaguya's heart shook with shock.
Then, excitement.
She immediately abandoned her escape plan and focused entirely on absorbing this newfound power.
Strangely, there was another Otsutsuki in this world aside from her and Isshiki…
If she could fully assimilate these cells, it would be immensely beneficial.
These cells were on a higher level than hers.
Perhaps, through this fusion, she could find a path to evolve further!
…Of course, her real body still needed to escape from the moon first.
As Kaguya secretly manipulated her energy to merge with the cells, her aura began to rise.
Nagato observed her changes and said in a low voice: "Her energy is increasing. The fusion is going smoothly."
Bayakushi's eyes gleamed.
"Yes… it's perfect. The most flawless fusion in history."