I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 48 Natural Energy
Next door to Adachi Ward,
In Katsushika Ward, which is surrounded and traversed by the Edogawa, Arakawa and Shin-Nakawa rivers, there is a very eye-catching, huge silver-white building.

This building has a very modern design. If you look down from above, you'll see that the building is shaped like an 'X', which is both impressive and imposing! Surrounded by lawns and trees, it has the feel of a high-end apartment building; it even has a helipad.

Many tourists who are unaware of the facts often express their amazement when they pass by on the tram:
"One day, I want to live in an apartment like this that prioritizes safety and represents a high quality of life!"

However, in reality, it is not difficult to move in there.

Because this is: Tokyo Detention Center!

Although it's called a detention center, it's a place that strikes fear into the hearts of many criminals: because it's also where the island nation carries out executions.

The death penalty in island nations is extremely complex and troublesome. Coupled with the constant rotation of cabinets, one administration after another, many high-ranking prisoners wait here for the gallows, often for more than a decade.

For example, the person who released poison gas in the subway, injuring more than 5,000 people.

The infamous leader of the XX Truth Cult waited here for over twenty years before finally being hanged six years ago.

This led to many people on the island nation's internet making sarcastic remarks, saying that the cult leader was incredibly powerful and had been floating for twenty years using the "human levitation" technique, finally exhausting his strength and dying unwillingly, etc. The sarcasm was not hidden at all.

In addition, island prisons not only have a regular lifestyle and a clean environment, but are also equipped with advanced medical equipment.

It is often mocked by the island media as a 'nursing home', although it doesn't really matter.

Ultimately, society still operates under the will of the powerful.

In the night sky, a crow landed on the top of the building.

Illusion Technique: Golden Binding Technique

launch!

Without a sound, an invisible illusion swept across the building, rendering everyone instantly immobile!

Next, the crow transformed into a mysterious figure in white cloth and drifted towards the building's control room.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Click, click, click.
The sound of a series of cell doors opening faded into the distance in the quiet corridor.

After a while, a prisoner in prison clothes poked his head out from the crack in the door, looking around in confusion, and then looked at his 'neighbors' next door and across the street.

what's the situation?
I was so asleep that it was already the next day.
"Could this be a trap to lure us in?"

"Don't joke around, do you think those prison guards would dare to do that!"

Some daring prisoners stepped out of their cells, their gaze falling on the end of the corridor: there, the isolation door was also open, as if they didn't care at all whether the prisoners would escape.

Soon, prisoners of all shapes and sizes, some burly, some fierce, some frail, and some handsome, emerged, their faces full of questions.

"Hey, what are you guys doing—"

Some prisoners couldn't help but look up at the direction of the surveillance camera.

Next second,
He was interrupted by a sound coming from above.

This thing should be used like this.

“Very good, judging from your reactions, you have heard my voice. Interesting human toys.”

?

"Did the warden forget to take his medication?"

"No, I think the guys in the monitoring room are probably high on drugs."

A group of hardened criminals looked at each other, wondering if they were hallucinating.

That doesn't make sense. Although they are all vicious and ruthless, they are also clean-living and have never been involved with drugs. Those present are all "elite" who have fought wits and courage against the police. Without some strength, they wouldn't be able to get in here.

"So."

A hoarse voice continued to come from the overhead loudspeaker.
“Those who want freedom, come to the courtyard, and I will give you freedom, and more.”

? ?
"I'm pretty sure the warden is drunk."

One prisoner confidently declared, "Why wouldn't I sleep? What's the point?"

"Or maybe he just finished watching a game like 'Saw' and wants to play 'Battle Royale' with me?"

Although they didn't believe it, a small number of the prisoners still walked toward the isolation door: they walked the road to the courtyard several times a day and knew it all too well.

Regardless of what the prison is doing, it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look.

It's a bit of fun in our otherwise boring daily lives.
As for the rest:
Tonight's events are eerie; it's safer to stay in the cell.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"This"

"Making a movie?"

"No, I think we might have encountered some supernatural phenomenon."

When dozens of serious criminals arrived at the central courtyard, they saw a mysterious person floating in mid-air, dressed in a simple, wide hunting robe, wearing a tall, imposing black crown, with a white cloth bearing the number 'three' hanging down to cover his face.
And there was the warden with a blank expression and lifeless eyes, and a row of prison guards.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with this scene?"

It's just like those 'prisoner killing' experiments that the government conducts in comics?
Some prisoners instinctively stepped back, preparing to return to their cells.

brush,

Amidst a chorus of gunshots, the stunned prison guards drew their pistols and aimed at the gate leading from the courtyard to the cells.

? !
"Now that we're here, there's no turning back."

The mysterious figure floating in mid-air gave a cold laugh. Even though his face was covered by a white cloth, the prisoners could imagine the expression on his face.

"I need to recruit a few men, but you already have too many—"

As the mysterious man spoke, the dazed warden waved his hand, tossing the bag he was carrying into the air, where it landed in front of the prisoners.

Splash,

Daggers were scattered out, gleaming with a cold, icy light.

"You know what to do next, right?"

Is this really a 'Battle Royale' plot?

"Hey, warden!"

A frail-looking prisoner shouted at the dazed warden.
"Are you just going to let this guy run wild?"

"Don't forget, my father comes to visit every month, if I—"

“Noisy,”

The mysterious man raised his hand and pointed in the air.
The frail prisoner's arm suddenly twisted.

click,

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of bones breaking, the prisoner's arm was twisted three times out of thin air.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Amidst screams, his other hand and both legs also began to spin in mid-air. Crack, crack, crack.
Bones broke, and flesh, unable to withstand the twisting force, tore apart!
Blood spurted from the prisoner's body, which was twisted into a "big" shape like a towel. As his body and head began to spin, his screams abruptly stopped.

Then the mysterious man took out a stone.

In the horrified eyes of everyone,

A phantom similar to the frail prisoner from before flew out of the twisted corpse and was sucked into the stone in the mysterious man's hand.

thud,

As the twisted corpse fell to the ground, the prisoners' values ​​shattered along with it!
? ? ? ? ?

this.
We want to apply for a mental hospital.

brush,

While everyone was still stunned, a short prisoner had already pounced first.

He bent down and grabbed a dagger, alerting the other prisoners.

Damn it, they beat us to it!
Those present were all serious criminals with murder on their hands, so their reactions were naturally faster than ordinary people. One after another, fierce eyes fell on the short prisoner.

But the short prisoner also understood that if he grabbed the weapon first, he would immediately become the target of everyone's hatred, so:
brush,

He grabbed the bag from the ground with his other hand and threw it at the others.

?

The bag slammed into the chest of the burly prisoner with a 'thud,' and the dagger inside fell to the ground.

Before the burly prisoner could react, several fists came crashing down on him from all sides!

The bloody battle begins!
Yes,

Akihi Yu, who was controlling the paper clone, nodded. In terms of ruthlessness and decisiveness, these serious criminals were the best choice; moreover, they were all in good physical condition. They had to work while in prison, and operating a sewing machine for 8 hours a day was, in a sense, a kind of exercise.

It is a batch of good materials for 'experimentation'.

What Akihi Yu is preparing to experiment with is whether 'natural energy' exists and whether it can be absorbed.

Natural energy is a type of energy possessed by the planet itself: it has special effects such as prolonging life and enhancing the power of ninjutsu.

Unlike the 'magic power' generated by living organisms, natural energy represents planets, and even the Great Wood Clan is very interested in this energy.

However, whether the planets in this world have 'natural energy' is unknown to Qiu Riyou, and she has no intention of experimenting on it herself: if she accidentally turns herself into a stone statue, wouldn't she become a laughing stock?

As for whether a group of monsters will emerge if this planet has 'natural energy'?

What a joke! Even a chosen one like Naruto struggles with his training.

Those who dare to touch 'natural energy' must be at least Shadow-level figures. How can ordinary people in this world absorb natural energy?

As autumn thoughts drifted by, the courtyard was already littered with blood!
"what!"

"Spare your life——"

"Go to hell, hahahaha!!"

A group of prisoners who had snatched the daggers laughed wildly and viciously stabbed at the other prisoners.

The other prisoners didn't sit idly by and wait to die; they all threw punches and kicks in retaliation, aiming to kill in any way they could—kicking in the groin, striking in the temples, smashing the back of the head.

In just a few minutes, most of them had fallen asleep.

"Okay,"

As soon as the mysterious man spoke, the prisoners, who had been bloodthirsty, stopped instantly.

An invisible force bound them, rendering them unable to move.

"Come, accept this gift."

A drop of ink dripped from the mysterious man's fingertip, suddenly splitting into nine, which flew toward the surviving prisoners.

"You will all be freed from your mortal bodies and used by me—"

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

"Woo~~~"

As the ink flew into his forehead, the remaining prisoners suddenly clutched their heads and wailed, first kneeling on one knee, then rolling on the ground, covered in blood.

This time, Qiu Riyou didn't just grant them magical power; she also included a curse seal!
Earth Seal
That's right, it's the thing Orochimaru developed to lure Sasuke!

It's not a high-level 'Heavenly Curse Seal,' but a low-level 'Earthly Curse Seal,' its essence being: a poor-quality, low-class version of immortal body fluids.

This curse mark grants the imprinted person a characteristic that weakens their ability to absorb 'natural energy' by countless times.

Come on, if you succeed, it will prove that there is natural energy in this world.

If we fail, it doesn't matter.

As the prisoners screamed and writhed, one prisoner's body began to swell.

Countless protrusions, large and small, darted about beneath the flesh, swelling to two meters in the blink of an eye. Then:
Bang!
Like a balloon reaching its limit, the prisoner's body suddenly exploded, turning into a flesh-and-blood bomb: flying bones, blood, and muscle rained down on him, engulfing the three prisoners around him.

Failed?
No, it worked!
It was precisely because of the existence of 'natural energy' that he self-destructed.

Then
His gaze fell on the other prisoners who were still struggling, wondering if any of them could withstand the onslaught of 'natural energy'.

Bang!
Another prisoner exploded as a flesh bomb, but Akihi Yu noticed something unusual.

Two streams of energy were being injected into the remaining prisoners in the air.

One of them, magnificent and enormous, even a wisp of it, was enough to cause the prisoner to explode and die; it was undoubtedly the omnipresent 'natural energy'.
And the other one.
It's actually a mixed spiritual force?
As an expert who plays with illusions every day, Akihi Yu is no stranger to mental power.

Everyone experiences mental fluctuations, which is a normal phenomenon; without magical power, the mental fluctuations of ordinary people are merely illusions and impotent rage.

But if they possess magical power, this spiritual energy becomes extraordinary: the remaining prisoners who are still struggling are clearly absorbing the 'unclaimed' spiritual energy to balance the scarce natural energy in their bodies.

So-called immortal arts are the product of the balance of natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy.

Of course, these prisoners are no match for the Sound Five, let alone Sage Mode, but the principle is the same: they are indeed using unconsciously gathered mental energy to stabilize the power of the cursed seal within their bodies.

"Interesting, interesting."

As prisoners exploded one by one, the two gradually calmed down, and the mysterious man played by Akihi Yu slowly spoke.

"Say your names, lucky ones."

“Suke Saito,”

The short prisoner who was the first to grab the dagger and the first to calm down spoke calmly.
“Tatsumi Ichihashi,”

A handsome man with a melancholy face wiped the blood and grime from his face;

"Toru Yamagami,"

The last man slowly stood up and gave his name.

(End of this chapter)