Chapter 914

Following the line of sight of Kaguya and the other two in the painting, Cai Cai saw another figure, dressed similarly to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, with eyes that were also Byakugan.

Notably, the figure was depicted standing, and the painting exaggeratedly enlarged the mouth, with a bright red Rinnegan drawn on the protruding tongue.

"You've fully adapted to the fusion—Lin Cheng's body fits so perfectly. It seems I can now take the next step," Kaguya said, gazing at her reflection, her fingers tracing her face. No one but herself knew the terrifying power hidden beneath that pale, youthful skin.

It had been about a month since Lin Cheng's body completed the fusion. She had used her supposed ill health as an excuse to obtain a leave of absence from school, and Hyūga Hiashi raised no suspicion.

During the fusion, Lin Cheng exhibited strange, even troublesome symptoms, forcing Hyūga Hiashi to immediately impose martial law and summon the village's best physician, Tsunade, to treat Lin Cheng.

Hyūga Hizashi even surrounded the entire Hyūga household with members of the branch family, layer upon layer, and even the normally uninvolved Leaf Anbu were forcibly removed.

Of course, aside from the ordinary villagers who knew nothing, everyone understood that something serious had happened within the Hyūga household.

But unfortunately, even when Hashirama and Kushina came personally to inquire, Hyūga Hiashi stood silently at the gate with his brother Hizashi, acting as gatekeepers—except for Tsunade.

No outsider could enter the main Hyūga residence, and no one could learn what had truly occurred.

Taking advantage of this absolute period of quiet rest with no disturbances, Kaguya fully merged the mingled blood, allowing Lin Cheng's body to draw even closer to her true form.

Originally, her plan was to force the evolution to at least the level of "Bloodline Net," even if it meant ignoring the body's natural lifespan.

But this level of fusion pleased Kaguya immensely, so she abandoned her rushed approach and instead chose to have Xiaojue Gang investigate the latest movements of the Tailed Beasts.

Some matters must be moved up on the agenda soon.

Because she had to suppress an awakened Bloodline every so often, outsiders perceived Lin Cheng as periodically suffering from strange illnesses.

Even Tsunade could not explain why, during episodes, Lin Cheng appeared as if her body were about to explode—but after some time, her chakra would calm, and her body and meridians showed no signs of damage.

"Forgive me, Lord Hyūga, but given your daughter's current condition, I do not believe I can cure her," Tsunade said after careful consideration, following Lin Cheng's fifth sudden collapse from chakra runaway.

"Are you saying Lin Cheng has no hope of recovery?" Tsunade's treatments had no effect, and the intervals between Lin Cheng's collapses grew shorter with each occurrence.

In truth, Lin Cheng's body had already adapted to the Bloodline fusion process.

If even Tsunade could find no cause or way to intervene, did that mean she was about to lose Lin Cheng?

"No, that's not what I mean—not yet. After observing your daughter's episodes, I believe it is more accurate to say she has repeatedly overexerted her chakra in combat, then miraculously recovered through a complete substitution technique."

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Because Lin Cheng's chakra erupted so violently, Tsunade couldn't even cast a complete medical ninjutsu to protect her meridians from damage, so she could never understand why, each time, when Lin Cheng's body seemed on the verge of exploding like a spiraling Rasengan—practically a death sentence—her body would heal itself at a speed visibly defying all logic, right before Tsunade's eyes.

Upon further examination, it wasn't just healing—Lin Cheng's meridians had grown even tougher than before, as if preparing for the next eruption.

"I suspect this is an 'evolution' phenomenon. If true, you should perhaps summon that person for a better assessment," Tsunade said, unable to explain Lin Cheng's condition through medical science, and naturally thinking of Orochimaru, who excelled in such matters.

After barely stabilizing Kimimaro's dire condition—even Orochimaru, the obsessive researcher, was exhausted—she had barely sat down in her lab office when she was summoned to the Hyūga residence.

She had wondered what urgent matter could prompt the Hyūga clan head, with whom she had no prior contact, to personally invite her—until she saw Tsunade's grim expression and Shizune's gloomy face, always glaring at her—then the reason was obvious: something dire required her knowledge.