Chapter 145: Epiphany and Breakthrough
Uchiha Dali, following the information that had just entered his mind, immediately activated the Observation Haki he had just comprehended.
In that instant, countless sounds flooded into his ears.
These sounds came from all directions—near and far, each with different characteristics.
Some were from animals, others from humans.
More astonishingly, Uchiha Dali was indeed able to analyze and determine the number, position, and even strength of these targets based on their unique traits.
But that still wasn't what Uchiha Dali was aiming for.
He urged his Observation Haki to spread limitlessly outward in all directions across three-dimensional space.
One kilometer, two kilometers, three kilometers…
When the range of his Observation Haki expanded to a radius of about five kilometers with himself at the center, it hit a bottleneck.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't expand his sensory range any further.
Uchiha Dali frowned slightly.
"So even in its initial stage, Observation Haki can't be expanded to cover the entire Shinobi World."
Just as he was about to give up and withdraw his Observation Haki…
Because one of the key conditions for using Observation Haki to its full extent is absolute focus.
Any lapse in concentration—no matter how strong the user may be—would hinder their ability to use it properly or at most only allow partial effectiveness.
But if he had to maintain total concentration at all times, how could Uchiha Dali do anything else?
Just then, the familiar prompt sounded in his mind again.
[You are currently cultivating your Observation Haki. Through meditation and insight, your understanding of Observation Haki has deepened. You have achieved an epiphany: Observation Haki - Advanced Stage!]
[Observation Haki - Advanced Stage: At this level, Observation Haki not only enhances your sensitivity to emotional fluctuations, positions, numbers, and aura of targets, but also enables accurate prediction of their attacks. Additionally, it lowers the requirement for complete focus during usage.]
The voice in his mind left Uchiha Dali both amused and exasperated.
Who would've thought that simply using Observation Haki a bit could, thanks to his heaven-defying comprehension, result in such a rapid level-up?
And from the sound of it, this advanced stage not only improved all aspects of the ability but also reduced the need for full concentration during use.
In other words, even if his focus slipped slightly, it wouldn't affect his Observation Haki.
"That seems to be the case…"
Feeling pleased, Uchiha Dali began trying again.
This time, his Observation Haki picked up even more distinct and vivid sounds, and at the same time, his sensory range expanded dramatically.
Previously, his range had capped at around five kilometers in radius.
But now, Uchiha Dali's perception easily broke past the twenty-kilometer mark—and it was still increasing.
This development thrilled him.
Thirty kilometers, forty, fifty…
When the radius reached about one hundred kilometers, Uchiha Dali finally started to feel strained.
A hundred-kilometer radius of perception was already absurdly vast.
Even without considering the fact that this range spanned three-dimensional space, just the flat area alone would amount to over 30,000 square kilometers.
What does that mean?
It meant Uchiha Dali could now cover an entire large city from his previous life on the Blue Star—urban center, suburbs, and surrounding towns included.
In fact, many countries on his former planet didn't even span such a large area.
"Not bad."
"But I still can't fully cover the Land of Earth? Looks like I underestimated these nations…"
Uchiha Dali mused to himself as he tried to further expand his Observation Haki's range.
However, he encountered the same issue as before.
No matter how hard he tried, even with complete focus, the range remained fixed at a one-hundred-kilometer radius.
"This is as far as it goes."
Uchiha Dali thought silently.
Since Observation Haki wouldn't advance further, he saw no reason to dwell on it.
Besides, with this level of sensory range, all he needed to do was move around a bit, and he could effortlessly survey the entire Land of Earth.
"Iwagakure's Tailed Beasts are the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. I recall their Jinchuriki don't get along with Ōnoki, so they're unlikely to be in the village. And being Jinchuriki, they're powerful shinobi with very distinct chakra signatures…"
Shinobi with Tailed Beast–level chakra were rare across the entire Shinobi World.
The Land of Earth, being just one country, couldn't have too many.
So next, Uchiha Dali's goal was to use his Observation Haki to conduct a sweeping search of the region.
Any suspicious chakra that fit the criteria was worth investigating.
…
After obediently leaving the Land of Earth, Kakuzu crossed the border into the neighboring Land of Rain.
This was the base of the Akatsuki organization.
Once he found a relatively safe spot and confirmed he hadn't been tailed by Uchiha Dali, he activated his secret technique to contact the other Akatsuki members.
At this moment, the others were still in the process of sealing the Three-Tails.
Upon receiving the chakra signal, Deva Path Pain opened his eyes and said coldly, "Kakuzu is requesting communication."
As he finished speaking, an image of Kakuzu materialized before them.
"The operation in the Land of Earth failed."
"Though I did capture a few bounty targets and made several million ryō, I had to retreat after encountering that man."
"That man? Who do you mean?"
Deva Path Pain asked calmly.
The other members were also quite curious.
"Is this guy one of us?"
"Cut the crap and spit it out all at once."
Sasori of the Red Sand said impatiently.
After all, remote communication like this consumed chakra. No one had time to waste chatting with Kakuzu.
"A new recruit, huh? Tch… Watch your tone, or I'll kill you myself!"
Kakuzu snapped back.
But Deva Path Pain simply ordered, "Stick to the point."
"Uchiha Dali has also arrived in the Land of Earth. He told me to deliver a message to the Leader—he says the Tailed Beasts will not be handed over to us."
"If we want the truth, then we should go to Konoha and find him. Otherwise, it's a fight to the death."