The eggshell cracked, and a new Ninja Beast hatched.
Minato Namikaze leaned down slightly, looking at the small, newborn creature in his palm.
Its body was covered in a pattern of interlocking yellow and black stripes. On top of its head were two antennae resembling electrical plugs, with faint arcs of electricity occasionally flickering across them. Two black stripes circled its short arms, and its body was a rounded oval shape. Its large, amber-like eyes were curiously watching Minato.
In a state of resonance, Minato Namikaze slowly spoke its name, "Elekid..."
A warm Chakra Wave flowed between the two of them.
Elekid blinked, raised its short arm with a snap, and a faint, pale-blue light flashed in its palm before quickly vanishing.
A faint smell of something burnt appeared in the air.
"Haha, it can discharge electricity! A Lightning Release-type Ninja Beast. It seems to suit your style," Kushina said, leaning in with sparkling eyes.
Mikoto Uchiha smiled. "It looks quite cute."
Minato nodded, a genuine smile gracing his face.
"It's called Elekid. It's a Ninja Beast that uses lightning as its life source."
Mikoto also walked over, crouching down to carefully observe the newborn Ninja Beast.
"Its horns are glowing..."
Minato looked up and saw the plug-like horns on Elekid's head shimmering with a faint, pale-blue light. Accompanied by a soft crackling sound, the light flickered and danced in the air.
"That's the signal that it's finished charging," Minato explained. "Its ability to store electricity isn't mature yet, so it can only hold a charge for a short time. However, this structure also gives it astonishing instantaneous power in terms of speed and energy release."
Listening to Minato's explanation, Kushina skeptically reached out a finger and poked Elekid's belly.
"Hey, little guy, are you going to shock me?"
"Ka!"
Elekid raised its small hand, and a tiny bolt of electricity flashed out.
Kushina immediately pulled her hand back, her hair standing on end from the shock. She froze for a moment.
"Ahaha! It really does shock people!"
"It seems to like you."
"Like me, my foot!" Kushina stomped her foot indignantly.
Watching this scene from the side, Mikoto hugged the Ninja Beast Egg in her arms, her gaze gentle.
"It's like we really know what we're going to hatch."
Minato gently stroked Elekid's head. A gentle current danced on his fingertips, but there was no burning pain at all.
Over on Shiroishi's side, the information about Minato Namikaze's hatching was updated simultaneously.
[Host Confirmed: Minato Namikaze (Elekid)]
[Skills Activated: Electric Shock, Barrier, Lightning Flash]
As Elekid's skills appeared, Minato Namikaze closed his eyes, concentrating to feel the chakra circuit from Elekid.
Mikoto noticed the change in him and asked softly, "Have you mastered something?"
Minato slowly opened his eyes, his blond hair lifting slightly.
"There's a... very interesting technique."
Kushina stared at the little creature before them. "Is it Lightning Release?"
Minato didn't answer. He just took a deep breath and extended his right hand.
Chakra flowed through his body like an electric current, and ripples appeared in his palm. As he gently moved his fingers, it transformed into a special wave of spiritual energy. It extended from his palm, condensed, and took form!
A transparent glass-like wall, accompanied by a low hum, slowly unfolded in the air. It was a structure of extremely pure energy. Light refracted through it, creating a rainbow-colored halo, like a crystal.
Kushina's eyes widened, and she let out a gasp of amazement. "What is this?"
"Mm," Minato smiled, a hint of rational analysis in his eyes. "A type of Space-Time Ninjutsu, Barrier. It can use one's own chakra, will, and spiritual energy to form a transparent, high-density energy wall."
He gently touched the glass-like wall. Where his fingertips passed, a slight friction sound could be heard in the air.
"Its current strength isn't that high..."
Besides Barrier, Electric Shock and Lightning Flash were also very interesting skills. The instantaneous speed of Lightning Flash seemed much more formidable than the ordinary Body Flicker Technique.
Night fell in the Land of Rain.
Outside the Breeding House, the air was filled with the faint smell of wood chips and burnt material.
In the sudden battle just now, the ground had been torn apart by thick tree roots, and the rock walls had been pierced by vines. Those trees seemed to be alive, still slowly writhing and breathing, emitting low rustling sounds.
The Jonin from the Cloud ninja squad had a grim expression, his body soaked by the rain. The lightning in his hand flickered as he nervously watched the living forest before him.
"Retreat!" the leading Jonin growled.
The intelligence was ridiculously wrong.
According to the rumors from the Hidden Leaf Village, this Breeding House in the Land of Rain was just a small shop for trading Ninja Beast Eggs, at best a distribution center for special summoned beasts or modified chakra creatures.
But the situation before them was completely beyond reason.
This was no shop; it was clearly a Living Fortress that had mastered Forbidden Techniques and biological control arts.
Their Lightning Release Barrier had been crushed in seconds, and their Lightning Dream Lightning Human technique hadn't even managed to completely burn a single leaf. That energy was absorbed by the plants, converted, and used to counterattack! It was like fighting an entire sentient forest.
It was obvious that this Cloud Jonin, although unaware of the Ten-Tails and the World Tree, instinctively knew that this place was extremely strange!
"Retreat! Retreat immediately!" the Jonin ordered again.
However, before his words could fade, the ground beneath their feet suddenly swelled. Roots as thick as mountain ranges erupted from underground, coiling around the bodies of several Chunin like Poisonous Snakes.
"Ah!"
Screams rang out.
The Chunin struggled desperately, unleashing Lightning Release in an attempt to break free, but all their chakra was madly absorbed the moment it touched the roots, as if devoured by some invisible force. Their skin instantly lost its color, their breathing became weak, and they collapsed to the ground as if their very souls had been drained.
"Save them!"
The leading Jonin gritted his teeth and turned back, his hands forming seals!
Two bolts of lightning condensed in the air into a giant lightning wolf. The lightning exploded, sending wood chips flying.
Taking advantage of the brief opening torn by the lightning strike, the three Chunin were finally pulled out.
"Go!"
The Jonin hoisted one of them onto his back. Just as he was about to retreat, he saw the ground twist again. New vines burst from the earth and instantly wrapped around his calf. Before he could react, his chakra was being frantically drained. The feeling of having his life force forcibly stripped away was horrifying.
"Captain!!"
The remaining two Jonin's faces changed drastically, and they immediately turned back. They forcefully severed the vine.
The rescued Jonin's face was deathly pale, and he trembled all over. It was clear that in that single moment, almost all his energy had been drained.
The four of them staggered away, none daring to look back. Even for experienced Cloud Jonin, this was the first time they had felt such a bizarre fear. Even the Lightning Release they unleashed could be fed upon and recycled, as if this forest wasn't created but was a self-propagating organism.
They fled all the way until they were several miles from the valley before stopping, gasping for breath. Rainwater, mixed with blood and mud, trickled down their foreheads.
And in the shadows not far away, Black Zetsu had quietly watched the entire event. Half-hidden within a tree root, his eyes were dark, his expression uncharacteristically grave. Even he had felt that oppressive feeling.
"It's not Wood Release," he murmured in a low voice. "This is a more primitive form of control... It seizes the life nutrients of others to nourish itself."
Black Zetsu slowly sank into the ground.
The moment he disappeared, the forest returned to its previous tranquility. Rainwater slid down the leaves, turning into countless tiny droplets. Such a technique, even if used by Nagato, would be astonishing enough.
Shiroishi slowly walked out of the Breeding House entrance.
Today was likely the first wave; there might be people from other ninja villages coming to probe later.
Since Wood Release had already been revealed, he believed Hanzo would be even less likely to act rashly. As for the other ninja villages...
The group of bandits Shiroishi had been controlling had successfully infiltrated the black market's trading circles. Now, in many black market trading posts in other countries, this group of bandits acted as merchants, beginning to recommend the eggs to various nations at ridiculously high prices.
Among them, Chiyo had also purchased a batch