Not long ago, within the Eternal Space.
The fifth tomoe of Heiyan's Six Tomoe necklace shattered, merging with the Ten-Tails' power from the Star Meteorite into his body. This caused his Sage Transformation to undergo an evolution never seen before.
Externally, the most noticeable change in Heiyan's appearance was that he had grown taller—reaching a height of 190cm. Standing next to Tsunade, who was 175cm tall, the height difference between them felt just right.
His body seemed cast from steel—every proportion of his body was flawless. The head-to-shoulder ratio, the head-to-body ratio, and the balance between the upper and lower halves were all perfectly aligned, as if sculpted by divine hands into an impeccable statue.
He stood there, his long black hair flowing in the wind, his entire demeanor and aura evoking vivid memories of the legendary First Hokage—Hashirama Senju himself.
Indeed, after multiple stages of evolution, Heiyan's Sage Transformation had finally reached a level surpassing Hashirama Senju's prime.
However, changes in physical appearance were secondary.
In the Sage Eye system, both Sharingan and Byakugan, when evolved to higher levels, grant their users unique special abilities.
These abilities are shaped by the eye-bearer's own domain of mastery. For instance, Fugaku Uchiha was skilled in Fire Release and genjutsu, so his Mangekyou granted him Amaterasu's black flames and the River of Three Paths illusion.
The Sage Transformation followed the same principle.
Since Hashirama Senju specialized in Wood Release Kekkei Tota during his lifetime, his Sage Body evolved abilities like [Wood Dragon Technique], [Bringing Down the Hammer], [Kaibukuto (All-Killing Absorption Cannons)], and even [Thousand Hands Manipulation Force: Thrust]—a technique capable of rivaling Perfect Susanoo.
Tsunade, having fully inherited Hashirama's legacy, also possessed these abilities.
Back to Heiyan.
Among the numerous jutsu he currently mastered, the strongest was without a doubt Yin-Yang Release.
This ability originated from his initial mastery of only Water and Lightning Releases. From there, he developed the Kekkei Genkai Storm Release, further broke through to Terrestrial Release (Kun), a form of Kekkei Tota. Finally, by fusing Terrestrial Release with Wood Release—two forms of advanced bloodline—he synthesized all his knowledge and skills to create this ultimate nature transformation.
Yin-Yang Release combined Yang, Water, Earth, and Lightning chakra natures. Already surpassing the level of Kekkei Tota, it approached the legendary realm of Kekkei Mora.
Such an astonishingly powerful super Kekkei Tota, fused with Heiyan's peak Sage Transformation, underwent intense "chemical reactions" that birthed unbelievable new abilities.
At the crater lake.
Under Tsunade's expectant gaze, Heiyan unveiled this ability for the first time.
Whoosh!
He flicked his finger, sending forth a milky-white spore about the size of a soybean shooting from his fingertip. It landed on Tsunade's chest amid her startled cry, sinking straight in.
"What are you doing?"
Her cheeks flushing, Tsunade shot Heiyan an annoyed look, then frantically patted at her chest trying to find the sneaky little spore.
Yet much to her surprise, despite searching every inch of her chest area thoroughly, she found nothing—not even close to catching it, short of stripping completely.
Just then—
Heiyan, who was facing Tsunade, suddenly raised his hand. His ten fingers danced up and down like a puppeteer manipulating the strings of a marionette.
At the same time, Tsunade was shocked to discover that her body had suddenly become uncontrollable.
Swish!
Tsunade spun around on the spot, twisting her flexible body into an elegant, mesmerizing dance.
Heiyan smirked as he flicked his fingers faster and faster, forcing Tsunade to strike one difficult pose after another. Even a yoga master would be impressed by her flexibility.
"Stop it now!"
Tsunade seized a rare moment to catch her breath and urgently shouted at Heiyan. She realized then that Heiyan was controlling her from a distance. If he continued like this, she shuddered to think what other embarrassing poses she might be forced into.
"This is [Yin-Yang Release: Spore Technique]."
Heiyan stopped moving his hands and explained with a smile toward Tsunade.
"Heh... Heh..."
Tsunade bent over, leaning her hands on her knees while gasping for air. Her whole body was drenched in sweat, carrying a faint floral scent.
After a moment passed.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade took the towel Heiyan offered, wiped off the sweat, and let out a cold snort showing signs of anger.
Then, she formed a hand seal with both hands pressed together, tightly closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and released powerful chakra from within her body.
A few seconds later.
Found it.
She opened her eyes again, now glowing with electric intensity. Just as she heard a "puff," a spore popped out from under her skin and fell onto the ground.
"Die!"
Tsunade shouted angrily and lifted her foot, aiming to crush the spore.
Seeing this, Heiyan quickly formed a hand sign. The spore on the ground immediately shot back like a blur into his palm and merged back into his body.
"Sweetheart, please calm down."
Heiyan smiled apologetically at Tsunade while explaining,
"My parasitic spores are limited to only six in total. If you accidentally destroy one, it'll take a very long time before I can produce a new one."
"Since when am I your wife? We're not even married yet!"
Tsunade snapped at him with a glare, speaking in a somewhat spoiled tone.
Though Heiyan said that, she decided not to press the issue further.
Once Tsunade cooled off,
To quench her curiosity, Heiyan once again brought out one of those milky-white spores and gave her a detailed explanation of its abilities.
When Heiyan obtained this technique, the first thing that came to his mind was White Zetsu's Spore Technique.
As known from White Zetsu (a being created by Kaguya), its spores could silently attach to a target. Once activated, they would transform into expanding masses that envelop the host, absorb the host's chakra, and transfer and replenish that chakra to others.
However, although both were classified under the Spore Technique, Heiyan's ability far surpassed White Zetsu's.
Both the concealment and development capabilities of Heiyan's parasitic spores exceeded those of White Zetsu's Spore Technique by a large margin.
As the first person to be parasitized by the spores, Tsunade had managed to break free from their control. But this was only possible because the spores hadn't been inside her body for long and hadn't yet firmly rooted themselves or fully matured.
Another reason was Tsunade's powerful Sage Body constitution, which gave her an extremely strong immunity. Only through the coordinated operation of her entire bodily system could she successfully expel the spores.
For others, it wouldn't be so easy.
Heiyan possessed a total of six individual spores. Once they entered a target's body, they would lie dormant in silence. Without the host realizing, they would begin consuming their chakra, growing stronger over time until eventually taking full control of the host's entire body and fusing completely with it.
By that point, even Heiyan himself wouldn't be able to separate the spores from the host anymore.
And once that happened, the host's body would become nothing more than Heiyan's string-pulled puppet, every movement dictated at his will.
Heiyan speculated that [Yin-Yang Release: Spore Technique] allowed him near-complete control over any shinobi below Six Paths Tier—and even most Tailed Beasts.
In other words, right now the Spore Technique was the most powerful Puppet Technique ever seen among ninja.
With just these six spores, Heiyan could rightfully claim the title of the greatest puppet master in the ninja world.
His next move was clear. Find the perfect moment—and the most suitable targets—to plant the spores and let them do their work.
"Hisss."
As she listened to Heiyan's explanation, Tsunade hissed through clenched teeth—her skin crawling with fear.
This jutsu was absolutely terrifying. If Heiyan wished, he might even control the Kages of various villages—and possibly even the Daimyos of different nations.
"This period of secluded cultivation has concluded successfully. Honey, you head back to Konoha first," Heiyan said, patting Tsunade gently on the shoulder.
"What about you?" Tsunade blinked, surprised.
"I need to figure out where to relocate this guy—find it a new home."
Heiyan helplessly pointed toward Samehada floating in the crater lake. When Tsunade turned her head, she realized only now that during the past four months, Samehada's size had grown to several times its original size, nearly filling up the entire crater lake.
Compared to Samehada at this point, even Six-Tails and Seven-Tails looked like miniature animals.
"In that case, I'll go ahead then. Just remember... come back soon," Tsunade said reluctantly, adjusting Heiyan's collar as she spoke. She was head over heels, not wanting to leave him for even a second.
"Mm." Heiyan nodded, reaching out to stroke her golden tresses gently.
After seeing Tsunade off,
Swoosh—
In a flash, he shot upward and landed neatly atop Samehada's enormous head.
Then, after sharing a quick mental conversation with Samehada, he bit his fingertip and used his blood to draw a complex seal across Samehada's body, officially formalizing their Summoning Contract.
Preparations complete.
After bidding farewell to the Sage Slug, Heiyan summoned Guagua the Stealth Frog. With Guagua's assistance, he utilized the Enshinsui seal to leave Shikkotsu Forest behind.
South Sea.
Mikazuki Island, hilltop villa.
A faint glow suddenly emanated from the backyard well, accompanied by a ripple of chakra energy wafting out from its mouth. In the next instant, Guagua sprang out of the well and opened his wide mouth, releasing Heiyan from inside.
Half a year later, Heiyan finally returned to Penglai Ninja Village.
He walked into the villa he had built using Yin-Yang Release. He found the interior bright and spotless — not a speck of dust to be seen — clearly someone had been keeping it well-maintained.
Stepping out of the villa's front door, Heiyan made his way downhill toward the village.
Soon enough, villagers recognized him.
"Heiyan-sama has returned!"
Overjoyed, the villagers shouted excitedly, quickly spreading this happy news throughout the entire village.
Surrounded by a crowd of villagers, Heiyan arrived at the central administrative building where he met Haruko, Ashina Uzumaki, and the Queen of Loulan.
As high-ranking elders, these three represented the village's three major clans: the native fishing tribe, the Uzumaki clan who joined last year, and the Loulan clan, which recently arrived three months ago.
Heiyan's identity was that of the Village Headman of Penglai Ninja Village, though he often disappeared like a dragon's fleeting glimpse, rarely seen around.
Yet no one would ever forget that it was Heiyan who founded this village, gathering together people from these three great families, uniting them in striving for their beautiful dreams and tomorrow's hopes.
Led by the three elders, Heiyan conducted a brief tour of inspection through the village, visiting various facilities including schools, hospitals, and training grounds. During this time, he offered numerous commendations while also suggesting some improvements.
He also visited the Loulan people, finding that they had already settled in comfortably and were getting along harmoniously with other villagers, gradually becoming part of Penglai's big family.
After touring around, everyone arrived at the seaside near the village gate. Feeling things had progressed sufficiently, Heiyan addressed the group:
"In a moment, I'll use Summoning Jutsu to call forth a massive creature. Please inform all villagers so they won't panic."
Once all villagers received this message,
Heiyan stepped onto the ocean's surface and walked several kilometers outward, stopping only after passing beyond the seawall's range.
[Summoning Jutsu!]
After skillfully forming hand seals, he placed his right hand on the water's surface. With a tremendous booming sound, something enormous rose up beneath him, gradually surfacing from the sea.
"Woooh!"
Upon emerging into the open sea, Samehada seemed especially ecstatic, letting out a whale-like cry. The deep, ethereal sound carried far across the water's expanse.
Indeed, the vast ocean was undoubtedly Samehada's most suitable habitat.
Seeing this, Heiyan revealed a smile.
Now measuring over 300 meters in length, only this boundless sea could offer Samehada complete freedom to roam at will.
Moreover, with full control over Water Release techniques, Samehada was practically unbeatable within its own domain — the undisputed king of the ocean.
Even Nine-Tails itself wouldn't stand a chance against it.
Thus, starting today, Penglai Ninja Village gained an additional "guardian divine beast." Heiyan gave Samehada instructions to patrol the nearby waters, ensuring the protection of Penglai at all costs.
After accomplishing this task, Heiyan returned to the village by the shore and made his way back to the villa atop the mountain.
He told Haruko and the others not to disturb him, then shut the door firmly and went down into the basement.
He sent everyone away because Heiyan sensed something was off.
Ever since his Sage Transformation had evolved not long ago, Heiyan had been sensing an odd feeling—
His body had developed an instinct, as though it were about to split apart like dividing cells—into two separate entities.
Heiyan didn't know whether this situation was good or bad, so he kept suppressing that instinct—until now, when he could no longer control it.
Inside the basement, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Suddenly, one side of Heiyan's body swelled unnaturally, as if something within him was trying to tear free. Soon, a strange human-shaped form tore away from him, writhed on the floor for a moment, then settled into a perfect copy of Heiyan.
This clone looked exactly like Heiyan's original form, except it wasn't wearing clothes and had closed eyes, lacking consciousness.
At first glance, it seemed inferior to ordinary Shadow Clones—even basic clones could move around and fight.
However, once Heiyan figured out what had happened, he realized this clone surpassed every known clone technique in the world of shinobi.
No existing clone technique—from Shadow Clones and Wood Clones, to the Elephant Transformation, or even Nagato's Six Paths of Pain from the original timeline—could match this creation, for it bore the name:
[Yin-Yang Release: True Clone Jutsu].
It was the second ability Heiyan gained after his Sage Transformation's evolution.
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