In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 456 Platinum Ark Reactor, Synthesizing Primordial Qi

"Shimizu, do you think there are limits to puppetry?"

Scorpion asked Shimizu with a solemn expression.

Shimizu shook his head.

"It doesn't exist. If it did, then the upper limit of puppetry would be the upper limit of the truth of this world."

"Yes, I think so too. But people have their own limits. Your own limits determine the upper limit of puppetry in your hands, and also the upper limit of its development. Our lives are limited, and our strength is limited."

Would you feel it's presumptuous to use your limited life and strength to explore infinite truth and the art of puppetry?

Otherwise, why would you have spent the last few years improving so many things that seem unrelated to puppetry, in addition to developing puppetry techniques?
Even now, puppetry in your hands is merely an important means to supplement your combat power. Without puppets, you still possess the power to overpower any other Kage.

I can't judge whether your current path is the right one, but I think it still has enough reference value for me.

I cannot become a second you, nor do I want to, but I believe that by learning from your path, I too can reach the heights you have achieved.

To put it bluntly, Sasori also wanted to become as strong as Shimizu is now, and finally stopped clinging to puppetry like before, believing that puppetry was the best, the most beautiful, and the most artistic, so he devoted himself to puppetry and learned other ninjutsu and sealing techniques only to serve the purpose of researching puppetry.

Now, it seems that under the influence of his own actions, Scorpion, while still harboring a love for puppetry, is finally willing to accept things outside of puppetry to a limited extent.

Because Shimizu's performance in the Ninja World War over the past year has been so powerful and fierce that it has surpassed any other strong person of his time.

The worship and desire for power is something ingrained in the genes of our ancient ancestors, who lived by eating raw meat and using stones as weapons, and fought against countless beasts in the jungle!

Scorpion is an artist who pursues puppetry, and the beauty of violence needs no words or language to describe it; it is presented directly and nakedly on the screen and can penetrate people's hearts.

This is not contradictory, because the beauty of power can often be expressed through art, which gives it meaning and form.

Scorpion believes that the art of puppetry is an interpretation of beauty. The stronger the puppet, the more beautiful it is. Ultimately, it is the beauty of strength.

And so, without realizing it, Scorpion found himself needing to make some changes.

At least, if it were him, could he possibly use puppetry to withstand three Kage-level powerhouses and suppress two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki single-handedly, just like Shimizu?
Perhaps he could in the future, but definitely not now. Maybe many years from now, when he has advanced the new puppetry technique to a sufficiently high level, he could do it, but that would take too long.

But how powerful must Qingshui have been back then?
He's already been left far behind!

From the selection process before joining the puppet army, Sasori had been chasing after Shimizu, but as time went by, the gap between them widened.

When they first met, Shimizu had to use skill to defeat Sasori, but now that Sasori has just reached the threshold of the Kage level, Shimizu has already surpassed that level.

If this continues for a few more years, won't the gap widen even further?
The scorpion has seen its own limits, but not the limits of clear water.

If this continues, let alone catching up, even following behind, we might not be able to catch a glimpse of them.

It's time to make a change!

"Then, let Sasori take on the role of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki."

Shimizu finally made the decision.

Compared to the stable addition of another Kage-level powerhouse, the opportunity for Sunagakure to make Sasori a being above Kage level is far more attractive.

Without Shimizu, Sunagakure's current strength is still quite different from Konoha's, which has about ten Kage-level experts.

In terms of the number of skilled fighters, Sunagakure has three powerful elders: Chiyo, Ebizo, and the Third Kazekage, and five younger fighters, totaling eight, which is slightly less than Konoha.

However, with the addition of two more Jinchuriki, the disadvantage in numbers is no longer present. Moreover, Iwagakure to the north has effectively lost two Kage-level combatants. With this shift in power, Sunagakure will definitely face much less pressure when facing Iwagakure in the future.

Once two Jinchuriki with high attack and high health are born, Sunagakure will truly gain an advantage over Konoha in terms of high-end combat power. In this case, the difference between nine Kage-level powerhouses and ten Kage-level powerhouses is not that big. Instead, it would be better to let Sasori give it a try.

If Sasori succeeds, then Konoha will truly be unable to withstand the onslaught of Sunagakure.

"Starting tomorrow, Sasori, you, Maki, and Ayane Uzumaki will all go to my lab at four o'clock every afternoon to find a shadow clone to receive intensive training in mind ninjutsu. Then summarize your training experience. Go and inform the other two later."

Because I'm compiling a textbook on the training of mental ninjutsu, the experiences of others can provide me with some reference. Mastering mental ninjutsu can enhance mental energy and strengthen resistance to and ability to use illusions.

"it is good."

Scorpion nodded vigorously.

The meeting, which lasted for most of the day, ended quickly.

Yekura stretched, loosening her stiff body from sitting for so long, and turned to look at Shimizu:
"It's getting dark. Want to grab some food together? Oh, I forgot you're a shadow clone, you can't eat."

"They haven't eaten yet, so take some with you."

Clear water rushed towards Ye Cangdao.

"Okay, I'll go get the food. What would you like to eat right now?"

Yekura's eyes lit up as she looked at Shimizu.

"Let's have the lamb chop rice from the same restaurant we ate at last time."

Clear water rushed towards Ye Cangdao.

He's been busy lately with a bunch of shadow clones, so he seems to have less time to spend with Yekura.

"Okay! I'll go buy it and then come find you!"

Yecang gave Shimizu a faint smile, turned around and walked away with light steps.

Tsk, I should try to make more time for it in the future. After all, there shouldn't be any large-scale wars in the next two years. With so many shadow clones around, some things that don't require the main body to handle should be left to the shadow clones.

As for what matters absolutely require the original body, that would undoubtedly be the research into celestial arts. Apart from that, it seems there's really nothing that a shadow clone can't handle.

Thinking this, Shimizu reached out and formed a hand seal, dispelling the shadow clone and synchronizing the memories with the main body.

In the newly built large research institute in Sunagakure Village, Shimizu stopped what he was doing, looked at a piece of silver-white metal in front of him, and received the memories transmitted by his shadow clone.

This silvery-white metal is a piece of newly refined platinum.

The embodiment of the Marvel universe, based on the palladium isotope of the corresponding Space Stone, discovered the corresponding ruthenium metal isotope with the Mind Stone, and deduced with Tony Stark that the other four Infinity Stones also have four corresponding platinum group metal isotopes.

Thus, the platinum isotopes correspond to real-world gemstones, and the rhodium isotopes correspond to time-related gemstones.

These two metal isotopes can also be used to create the corresponding arc reactor.

The ninja world currently lacks the resources to build a high-configuration particle accelerator to synthesize isotopes through directed particle bombardment, and it is also unable to manufacture nanorobots at this time.

Fortunately, Shimizu has obtained from Stark the method he used in the Middle East caves to chemically deposit hydrogen atoms into these platinum group metals. This method can relatively easily produce hydrogen-saturated isotopic metals, and if the equipment is up to standard, it can even produce platinum group metals with almost 100% saturation.

The silvery-white metal in front of you is a piece of high-purity natural platinum metal that has been further purified.

Sunagakure certainly has the ability to extract those rare metals, but for Shimizu at present, the easiest thing to obtain is platinum, which can exist in its elemental form in nature. The former Daimyo of the Land of Wind had several works of art made of platinum in his treasury.

The power output of an arc reactor built directly with platinum is definitely not comparable to that of a second-generation arc reactor based on isotopes, as the energy density is an order of magnitude lower. However, it is sufficient for an early-stage transition.

At least with sufficient energy, many problems in the subsequent technological advancement can be easily solved.

After placing a small platinum bar into the newly built equipment and allowing the hydrogen ions separated from the water electrolysis to settle on their own, Shimizu got up, tidied up, glanced at the several shadow clones busy in the room, and waited for Yekura's arrival.

That night.

At Shimizu's home.

Glancing at Ye Cang, who was fast asleep beside him, Shimizu, shirtless, got out of bed, picked up a glass of cooled boiled water from the bedside table and drank it. Then he walked out of the bedroom, went to a seat in the living room, and took out a bottle of the volatile organic compound that had been synthesized earlier that day from a drawer.

He had already deciphered the molecular structure of the volatiles in the Nathan Tree Golden Branch. With the technology that the Marvel universe currently possesses, he didn't need to rely on Tony Stark's brain. He directly used the Time Stone to accelerate time, relying on time to force his way through, breaking down a bunch of equipment before finally overcoming the difficulty of artificially synthesizing this volatile substance.

Materials science requires a combination of rigorous scientific theory and repeated, intensive experiments to develop the necessary techniques and ultimately yield results.

The process of artificially synthesizing this volatile substance is relatively complicated, but fortunately Banner helped him simplify the process. Although the output is not high and the cost is very high, with the current technology in the Naruto world, it is already possible to produce this volatile substance.

Qingshui opened the bottle cap, applied the volatile substance, and simultaneously focused his consciousness into the panel.

[Current Luck Value: 49.14%]

[Should I spend 20% of my current Luck Value to synchronize the ability: Marks?]

【Yes. 】

[Current luck value: 29.14%]

Instantly, Shimizu felt a surge of heat in her body, her heart pounded rapidly, and her mouth involuntarily opened as she activated her breathing technique, inhaling a large amount of air before exhaling.

For a moment, the living room was filled with white mist.

The prerequisite for obtaining the markings is to cultivate the breathing technique to its peak, raise the body temperature to 39 degrees Celsius, and increase the heart rate to 200 beats per second.

A blue cloud pattern, exactly the same as the one in the Demon Slayer world, quietly appeared at the junction of Shimizu's neck and shoulder.

"After the natural energy is absorbed by the body, it begins to converge towards the location of the markings, and its properties seem to have changed. Is it being filtered? Or has the markings refined the natural energy to make it more suitable for human use?"

The amount of natural energy has decreased, but very little natural energy remains in the air expelled from the body. Therefore, it's not filtration, but rather purification, or refining, into natural energy suitable for humans.

"However, while these high-purity natural energies strengthen the body, they also further exploit the body's potential. A body temperature of thirty-nine degrees Celsius and a heart rate of two hundred beats per minute are pressures that a normal human being cannot endure all the time. No wonder those who have activated their markings usually have short lifespans."

Shimizu touched the markings on her body, feeling her physical condition, and thought to herself.

Fortunately, his perfect demonic body can perfectly withstand this burden, and the markings can be sealed by sealing techniques, rendering them ineffective.

"Then the next step is the Triple Rebirth!"

In an instant, Qing Shui's hair and skin turned milky white, and wisps of soft, ethereal milky white smoke rose from her body.

The foundation of the main body is much deeper than that of the avatar in the world of one person. When the avatar was only in the middle of the first level, it had already reached the peak of the first level and completed the cultivation of the skin, flesh and meridians.

In this state, the body already possesses some of the properties of a so-called "nascent soul," and can absorb a limited amount of natural energy.

This absorption is not the simple inhalation of breathing techniques that temporarily strengthens the body, but rather a high-level integration of natural energy with one's own energy to form primordial Qi.

"My perception of natural energy is still somewhat limited. I can only sense that in the reverse life state, the nature of some of the Qi is changing and its intensity is significantly increasing. However, in the first level of the reverse life state, the absorption efficiency of natural energy is still relatively low. Nevertheless, innate Qi has indeed been born in my body."

And indeed, just as I suspected, the alienation phenomenon has almost disappeared.

Shimizu looked at her body, which was otherwise normal except for the marks, and then looked in the mirror.

There was no eyeshadow, and no fairy-like makeup on her face.

The markings truly transformed natural energy into a form suitable for humankind.

It seems that we need to investigate how the markings transform natural energy into natural energy suitable for humans.

Perhaps we could start by exploring the three holy sites?

(End of this chapter)