Chapter 55: Eight Chakras

"I found you!" Shishou exclaimed, opening his Sharingan as his left eye spun rapidly. Under the effect of his Mangekyo Sharingan: Biological Acceleration, four White Zetsu emerged from Obito's arm, quickly growing to palm size.

"How did you know about us..." one of the White Zetsu began, but they didn't hesitate to grow to full size and attack Shishou. However, they were no match for him.

With a swift motion of his right hand, Shishou tapped each White Zetsu, and his nano-sized Phosphor Beetles quickly spread over their bodies, paralyzing them completely.

"Quite the unexpected surprise," Shishou said, squatting before the immobilized White Zetsu, clearly pleased. If he recalled correctly, White Zetsu were created using Hashirama's cells by Madara and Obito. He was curious to see if absorbing them would yield any useful abilities.

Shishou waved his hand, directing his beetles to consume three of the White Zetsu. After absorbing the energy from their bodies, Shishou closed his eyes and felt a slight increase in his chakra, but no significant changes.

Next, he used his Mangekyo Sharingan to control the remaining White Zetsu, extracting information about their transformation jutsu, spore jutsu, and levitation technique. Although his foundational skills in genjutsu were weak compared to someone like Itachi, using his Mangekyo to control a defenseless White Zetsu was manageable.

"It seems these abilities are akin to kekkei genkai, usable only by White Zetsu," Shishou muttered, slightly disappointed. He then directed his beetles to absorb the last White Zetsu.

Through numerous absorptions, Shishou had deduced that to acquire a kekkei genkai through his beetles, he would need to absorb energy from over a hundred individuals possessing the same kekkei genkai. Absorbing just four White Zetsu was insufficient.

Shishou then turned his attention to Obito's arm. As his beetles began consuming it, he felt an immense surge of energy.

"Wow, these Hashirama cells are incredible. Just one arm contains so much power," Shishou marveled as his chakra doubled. "If Naruto, Sasuke, Madara, and Obito are like they have cheats, then Hashirama himself is like a walking cheat code."

Delighted by his newfound power, Shishou realized he now had the chakra equivalent to eight standard ninja. That meant his chakra reserves were already twice that of seventeen-year-old Naruto's base chakra. However, including Kurama, Naruto's chakra far exceeded his own, totaling over a hundred times as much.

Shishou decided not to awaken the White Zetsu in Obito's leg, opting to seal it away for future research. He stored Obito's leg back in his dimensional storage.

Next, Shishou retrieved several pieces of shell the size of a washbasin. These were from the Three-Tails, boasting incredible defense, even surviving the explosion of a Tailed Beast Bomb. They were perfect for crafting armor.

"Making a set of armor for Yugao, like a Saint Seiya Knight, might not be a bad idea," Shishou mused, imagining Yugao cosplaying Athena in such armor, causing his mind to wander.

...

The next day, Shishou got up, completed his morning routine, and headed to the ninja academy. He hadn't been there in several days and felt it was time to check in.

In the classroom, Sasuke was diligently studying. He glanced at Shishou briefly before resuming his focus.

"Sasuke is so dedicated," Sakura remarked, glancing at him with admiration before sighing. "He's been in 'Training Mode' for days now. I wonder when he'll take a break."

Shishou coughed awkwardly, hearing Sakura's comment. Sasuke probably adopted this 'Training Mode' to avoid distractions from the girls, he thought. After all, a little peace and quiet can be quite nice. Then again, it was Shishou who started this trend.

"Hey, Naruto, reading a book?" Shishou greeted as he reached the last row and sat next to Naruto.

Naruto glanced at Shishou, made a funny face, and resumed his reading.

"Naruto is in 'Hokage Mode,' seriously studying. He won't respond to you," Kiba explained with a chuckle before teasing Shishou, "Shishou, aren't you going to activate 'Study Mode' today?"

Shishou felt a twinge of embarrassment. The whole 'Mode' thing was so middle school, yet he was the instigator.

Naruto, I get that you want to become stronger and become Hokage. But why are you reading a magazine about beautiful women? Shishou thought, glancing at the magazine in Naruto's hands. Is this part of training for the Sexy Jutsu?

Shaking his head, Shishou replied to Kiba, "I've learned enough about insect breeding for now. It's important to balance work and rest."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ino rushed over to sit beside him, pouting, "Shishou, you haven't been paying attention to me. I'm so bored."

Shishou smiled at her. "How about we go shopping after school?"

Ino, who loved flowers and shopping, immediately brightened up. "Yes! Finally, someone to spoil me!"

"I-I want to go too," Hinata stammered, having somehow mustered the courage to sit on Shishou's other side, her face turning crimson.

"Hehe, afraid I'll steal Shishou away? Let's all go together," Ino teased, hugging Hinata and pressing her cheek against hers.

Hinata's face turned even redder, her shyness making Ino's eyes sparkle with amusement. She whispered something in Hinata's ear, causing her to blush even more.

"Geez, so popular," Kiba muttered, turning away from the sight of Shishou surrounded by girls.

"Alright, Ino, stop teasing Hinata. Iruka-sensei is here," Shishou intervened, separating the girls just as Iruka entered the classroom.

Clearing his throat, Iruka called out, "Class is starting now."