The Chukichi in front of him looked somewhat different from the Chukichi in Soma's impression. He was bald and appeared younger than Soma had anticipated.
He was a little older than Soma, but not by much.
In terms of Ninja generations, he should belong to the same generation of Ninjas as himself, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Terumi Mei.
He wore a string of bright red prayer beads around his neck. Soma placed the Soul Reaping Sword on the table.
"This is my newly forged Zanpakuto, named... Dragon Scale Blade."
The Soul Reaping Sword can also be called the Dragon Scale Blade. Soma thought for a moment and felt that the name Dragon Scale Blade was more vivid.
Additionally, Konoha has now adopted the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu. The name Soul Reaping Sword easily brings to mind the idea of suppressing souls.
But in reality, it doesn't have such an ability. Therefore, using the name Dragon Scale Blade would be more appropriate.
"Before you try it, I have to tell you in advance that this blade has great power, but it also has certain side effects. Only those with strong will can endure it."
"If you can't handle it, Chukichi, just say so."
"If you lose control, then it won't just be your loss."
"It will be a loss for the entire Hidden Mist Village."
"Even if it doesn't compare to the Konoha's Nine-Tails Incident, there will definitely be a considerable number of people who die because of this matter."
Chukichi's expression became serious.
"Uehara-sama, I will act within my abilities."
Soma nodded.
"Go ahead and give it a try."
"Yes."
Chukichi reached out and grasped the hilt of the Dragon Scale Blade.
Immediately, a notification appeared: [Detected a contractor compatible with Dragon Scale Blade, (attribute compatibility: extremely high) overall compatibility: Perfect. Do you want to guide the Dragon Scale Blade and the contractor to form a contract?]
"Perfect?"
"Guide it!"
[Dragon Scale Blade contract successful.]
[Compatibility: Excellent.]
[The abilities of the Dragon Scale Blade have been amplified.]
[Congratulations, the host has obtained Excellent-level Sensing talent.]
[Detected that the host already possesses Good-level Sensing talent, starting talent synthesis.]
[Fusion successful; the host's current Sensing talent is Excellent level, and is one Good-level talent away from the next level.]
"Perfect level... I didn't expect Chukichi's compatibility with the Dragon Scale Blade to be this high."
"It might mainly be due to the Dark Release Kekkei Genkai."
At the moment Soma successfully guided the contract, Chukichi felt as if the blade in his hand had come to life.
It was as if a living entity was emanating a sense of closeness toward him.
At the same time, a surge of power flowed back along his arm.
Chukichi's pupils suddenly constricted.
He saw that his arm was also changing.
The tips of his fingers became sharp, and green scales began to grow on his skin.
"Uehara-sama, what is this?"
Soma said, "This is one of the abilities of the Dragon Scale Blade, Chukichi. But do you feel your spirit being affected?"
Chukichi was about to shake his head.
However, at that moment, Chukichi felt it.
It seemed that another voice had appeared in his mind.
This voice was filled with a seductive power.
Chukichi quickly removed the Buddha beads from his neck, holding the Dragon Scale Blade in one hand and the beads in the other.
Gradually, Chukichi managed to suppress the voice in his mind.
"Uehara-sama, I do feel it, but I should be able to endure it."
Soma observed Chukichi's movements as he manipulated the beads.
"So Chukichi has entered the Temple of Water and learned some Buddhist teachings?"
"Are you relying on the Buddhist teachings to suppress the side effects of the Dragon Scale Blade?"
"That's true, just right."
However, looking at Chukichi like this, Soma couldn't help but imagine.
On the battlefield, Chukichi would be turning the beads with one hand, a compassionate expression on his face, while wielding the blade with the other, splattering blood everywhere.
No matter how you looked at it, it seemed strange.
It could probably be considered an alternative version of the "Fierce Vajra."
Soma briefly introduced the abilities of the Dragon Scale Blade.
"The Dragon Scale Blade has three abilities. The one you're using right now is the first; it can enhance your body, a process called Dragon Transformation. However, it has side effects."
"Therefore, this blade is generally unsuitable for regular Ninjas."
"If you can endure it, that's even better."
"The second ability is to absorb Ninjutsu and return it."
"The third ability is that when the Dragon Scale Blade touches the opponent, it can absorb their Chakra."
Chukichi looked at the Dragon Scale Blade, and with a thought, the effect of Dragon Transformation on his hand gradually faded, and the dragon scales disappeared.
"Uehara-sama, this is very similar to my Dark Release Kekkei Genkai."
"I know," Soma replied. "It is precisely because you possess Dark Release that the Dragon Scale Blade recognizes you. The abilities of the Dragon Scale Blade, when combined with your Dark Release, will certainly yield results greater than just the simple sum of the two."
"I hope you can quickly become skilled in using the Dragon Scale Blade."
"Because the village is likely about to face even more intense warfare."
Chukichi puffed out his chest.
"Uehara-sama, please rest assured; I will do my utmost!"
"I will never betray your trust."
"I will never betray the Dragon Scale Blade."
Soma nodded.
"By the way, besides Dark Release, you also excel in Sensory Ninjutsu, don't you, Chukichi?"
"Yes."
"Recently, I've been researching Forging Technique and need help with Sensory Ninjutsu. I initially wanted to ask Ao-senpai, but he's currently at the frontlines and it's inconvenient for him to return."
"Uehara-sama, what do you need me to do?"
"Is your Sensory Ninjutsu available for external sharing?"
"Yes, it is."
Chukichi replied, "Part of my Sensory Ninjutsu belongs to the village, while the other part comes from the Temple of Water."
"There are no restrictions against sharing the Sensory Ninjutsu from the Temple of Water."
"The effectiveness is better compared to what's in the village, but the difficulty is also higher."
"Uehara-sama, when would it be convenient for you?"
Soma glanced at the time.
"How about now?"
Soma took Chukichi to the training ground.
Chukichi began his explanation.
"I know two types of Sensory Ninjutsu. The one I learned in the village is called Water Mist Detection Jutsu. First, you need to create a patch of Water Mist, and then use that mist for sensing."
"The Sensory Ninjutsu from the Temple of Water is called Water Vapor Perception Technique. It uses Chakra to control the movement of the surrounding water vapor, allowing you to gather information about the environment."
"To learn Sensory Ninjutsu, you first need to be sensitive enough to Chakra."
"After that, you need to enhance your sensory abilities."
"Eyes, skin, ears..."
Chukichi spoke earnestly.
Soma could see that Chukichi not only had a good grasp of Sensory Ninjutsu but also possessed his own insights, experiences, and summaries; he was not merely learning.
"He is truly talented."
"In terms of talent, he might be on par with Zabuza."
"In the original storyline, Chukichi was killed by the Konoha rogue ninja, Hiruko. What a pity."
A person who has mastered such excellent Sensory Ninjutsu, combined with the Dark Release Kekkei Genkai, along with the Dragon Scale Blade—
in terms of potential, he is definitely impressive.
"The younger generation of Hidden Mist Village has many more exceptionally talented individuals compared to the older generation."
Hoshigaki Kisame, Ameyuri Ringo, Chukichi, Terumi Mei, and even Zabuza are certainly more talented than Kurosuki Raiga, Fuguki Suikazan, and Biwa Juzo.
"Uehara-sama, should I demonstrate now?"
"Go ahead."
With that, Chukichi began to form hand seals.
"Water Mist Detection Jutsu!"
A swirl of water mist spread out from Chukichi, with him at the center.
The Mist Ninja has many Ninjutsu based on Water Mist.
For example, Zabuza's Silent Killing Jutsu starts by creating a patch of Water Mist.
Water Mist can enhance one's sensing ability while also affecting the opponent's line of sight.
With one increasing and the other decreasing, an advantage emerges.
In the original storyline, Zabuza used this to cause significant trouble for Kakashi.
The Water Mist Detection Jutsu that Chukichi is using differs somewhat from Zabuza's.
The water mist is not as dense.
It provides some obstruction to vision but not much.
More importantly, it emphasizes sensing capabilities.
However, there is a problem.
Even if the Water Mist is thin, it is still Water Mist.
If prepared in advance, it's fine.
But if it's used suddenly without prior preparation, the opponent will definitely notice the additional Water Mist and deduce that someone is using Ninjutsu here.
As the water mist dissipated, Chukichi said, "Uehara-sama, you should give it a try."
Soma closed his eyes and mentally ran through the scenario.
In the next moment,
he formed hand seals.
"Water Mist Detection Jutsu!"
A swirl of water mist spread out, identical to the previous one.
Chukichi's eyes widened.
"You learned it just like that?"
Chukichi had mentioned that the difficulty of the Temple of Water's Sensory Ninjutsu was greater than that of Hidden Mist Village's Sensory Ninjutsu.
However, that doesn't mean that the Sensory Ninjutsu from Hidden Mist Village is easy.
On the contrary, Sensory Ninjutsu is inherently more difficult to master than ordinary Water Release Ninjutsu.
Soma clearly sensed the situation within the water mist.
These water mists contained his Chakra.
It felt as if they temporarily had a life of their own.
Any occurrences within the water mist would be communicated to him.
"Learning Sensory Ninjutsu is equivalent to gaining an additional sensing organ."
"However, just because it's learned, doesn't mean it's mastered."
"But the coverage area and sensitivity both need to be improved through practice."
As the water mist dissipated, Soma said, "Chukichi, next."
Chukichi snapped back to reality.
"Yes, Uehara-sama."
This time, Chukichi demonstrated the Temple of Water's Sensory Ninjutsu.
No additional water mist appeared; the Water Vapor Perception Technique manipulated the water vapor already present in the air.
By controlling the flow of this water vapor, he could gather information about changes in the surrounding area.
Compared to the Water Mist Detection Jutsu, this Ninjutsu has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is that since no extra water mist appears, it won't be detected by enemies.
However, the drawback is that the amount of information obtained won't be as extensive.
Additionally, both of these Ninjutsu are affected by the environment.
In areas with abundant water vapor, using them will definitely be easier, similar to Water Release techniques.
Using it in the Land of Water is not the same difficulty as using it in the Land of Wind.
"Chukichi, that's enough."
Chukichi stopped the demonstration.
Soma formed hand signs.
"Water Vapor Perception Technique!"
Chukichi, who had just been surprised, was astonished once again.
"You actually learned it too?"
Chukichi forcefully suppressed the shock in his heart, looking at Soma with complex eyes, feeling quite defeated, as if a self-important genius suddenly encountered someone whose talent far surpassed his own.
In terms of Sensory Ninjutsu talent, Chukichi was not lacking.
When he learned these two Sensory Ninjutsu, he spent slightly more time than Soma did now, but not by much.
The problem, however, was that Soma was not even a Sensing-type Ninja.
He wasn't even a Ninja at all, but a Blacksmith.
"Chukichi, thank you for your hard work."
"Uehara-sama, you're too polite. It's nothing."
"By the way, Chukichi, I heard that in the Land of Fire's Temple of Fire, there exists a special Ninjutsu that combines not just Chakra but also natural energy. Does the Temple of Water have similar Ninjutsu?"
Soma's interest in Senjutsu had never diminished.
The fusion of natural energy and Chakra can allow the strength of Ninjutsu to reach a higher limit.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki defeated his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, thanks to the power of Senjutsu.
Even Jiraiya, who possessed Senjutsu, nearly killed Pain despite lacking information.
Yakushi Kabuto, who hadn't learned Senjutsu, was still no match for Kakashi during his prime.
But after learning Senjutsu, Yakushi Kabuto immediately rose to become one of the top Ninjas in the ninja world.
Chukichi nodded and then shook his head.
"Regarding Uehara-sama's question, it seems that the Temple of Water did have such Ninjutsu in the past, but after experiencing a certain event, those techniques were lost, leaving only ordinary Ninjutsu."
"However, within the Temple of Water, there is a legend that states if one observes the only well-preserved Buddha statue, they can gain insight into mysterious abilities."
"If there's any chance of recovering those Ninjutsu, it would probably be this possibility."
"However, many people have tried, and none have had any results."
"I've tried as well."
"In my eyes, it was just an ordinary statue, nothing special about it."
"Even when I used Sensory Ninjutsu, there was no difference."
Soma felt a stir in his heart.
The Senjutsu of the Temple of Fire is condensed into a fierce deity.
It's very likely that the Temple of Water has a similar situation.
Based on this reasoning, the legend of the Temple of Water might indeed be true.
Just because Chukichi couldn't comprehend it doesn't mean that he can't.
After all, he had already come into contact with natural energy many times.
He had already used natural energy.
He was quite proficient in the Sage's Polishing Technique.
"I need to find an opportunity to visit the Temple of Water."
"If I can learn Senjutsu there, I won't need to go to the so-called Three Sacred Lands of Summoning Beasts."
Ryuchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myoboku.
Each of these three has its own Senjutsu, but all have significant ties to Konoha.
Especially now, when Orochimaru hasn't yet defected from Konoha. No, with Orochimaru having already become Hokage, it's unlikely that he would defect from Konoha.
"Learning Senjutsu will not only enhance my personal strength but will also help improve my Forging Technique."
...
In the Mizukage's Building, two letters were placed before Yagura.
One was sent back by Fuguki, containing intelligence about the front lines.
The other letter was sent by the Fourth Raikage.
"Three Kage Summit?"
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