After leaving Danzō's place, Hajime built a small wooden hut in the corner of the Root ninja camp.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Hajime refocused his thoughts entirely on the development of his space-time ninjutsu.
Tomorrow was the day his status would refresh—he didn't have much time left.
"Relying solely on clones for positioning is still too limiting."
He brought his hands together, attempting to create a Wood Release seed.
This was a direction he had thought of previously to further develop his space-time technique.
Since Yamato used Wood Release seeds to track and locate enemies, then he could use them for teleportation coordinates.
At the same time, this was also the foundation for the Spore Technique.
A night passed.
As dawn broke, Hajime opened his right palm, and in the center of it lay a seed.
Wood Release Seed!
Looking at the seed in his hand, Hajime smiled. "It's a bit too big... and it needs to be implanted into the enemy's body."
"Hmm… it has to be more like pollen."
"Or maybe like Deidara's micro-bombs."
As he thought about it, Hajime immediately linked the concept to Advent of a World of Flowering Trees, that secret Wood Release technique.
"In the future, my Advent of a World of Flowering Trees can not only spread poison, but also scatter seeds."
Of course, that was assuming he could realize his vision.
He stood up and walked outside. Looking up at the gloomy sky, Hajime frowned slightly. "Looks like it's going to snow…"
Braving the cold wind, Hajime went to collect supplies and quickly filled his stomach. Then he stood on the rooftop, bringing his hands together and lowering his eyes as he attempted to produce a large number of seeds that could disperse with the wind.
This training session lasted until noon.
"Captain!"
Ryo and Ryōma appeared.
Hajime jumped down from the roof. "A mission?"
Ryo shook his head and scratched his cheek with a sheepish smile. "Well, Captain… I developed a new ninjutsu!"
Hajime smiled, a bit expectant. "Then show me."
Ryo nodded, then leapt backward to create some distance.
Ryōma also stepped to the side.
The ninja dof Kurotama jumped off Ryo's shoulder, and his body immediately swelled, transforming into a large wolfdog.
Ryo jumped onto Kurotama's back and formed a series of hand seals.
Poof!
A puff of smoke rose—and another man and dog appeared beside him.
Immediately, the two humans and two dogs stacked together. As the seals were completed, a massive black beast with four heads appeared in place.
Four-Headed Wolf?
Hajime couldn't quite recall whether Inuzuka Kiba from the Konoha 12 ever used this move.
Wasn't it a Two-Headed Wolf?
At this moment, Ryo spoke up. "Captain, this technique was inspired by your mastery of shadow clones!"
Hajime said, "Then let's test its power."
"Treat me as the enemy!"
As soon as he said that, Hajime raised one hand upright, and his skin darkened into a stony black-brown hue.
Daimond Body Technique!
His skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs rapidly hardened.
Seeing Hajime ready, Ryo launched himself into the air. The four-headed black wolf spun at high speed mid-air, forming a violent tornado.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The fierce wind howled, carving deep gashes into the ground.
"So strong!"
Ryōma was startled. The black cloak on his body silently split open—it had been sliced by the sharp winds. He quickly leapt back a few meters. "An attack like this— even if it doesn't land directly, it can still injure enemies within a certain range using those slicing wind blades."
Hajime raised an eyebrow slightly, visibly impressed.
The next moment, he was struck by the tornado that descended from the sky.
Boom!
The ground collapsed as countless cracks spread in all directions, accompanied by billowing clouds of dust and debris.
"This kind of attack—if it lands, most people wouldn't be able to defend against it at all."
Ryōma's expression changed.
But he wasn't particularly worried about Hajime.
As the dust cleared, sure enough, Hajime stood there unharmed—though both his feet were sunken into the collapsed earth.
"Impressive power!"
Hajime pulled his feet out, patted the dust off his robe, and smiled as he praised it.
The reverted Ryo gave a wry smile. "But it couldn't even break through your defense, Captain…"
Woof woof!
Kurotama barked in agreement.
Hajime shook his head. "That's because I used Earth Style to harden my body—it's comparable to the toughest diamond and offers extraordinary resistance to physical attacks."
"As long as your opponent isn't someone with defenses like mine, anyone hit by that would be dead without a doubt."
"Even without a direct hit, anyone within ten meters would be injured by the wind blades."
"A very solid technique!"
Hearing the praise, Ryo couldn't help but grin.
"Come inside. I'll teach you the Body Activation Technique."
Hajime turned and walked back toward the wooden hut. "Ryōma, you too."
Once inside, the three sat facing each other. Hajime carefully began teaching Ryo the Body Activation Technique while Ryōma listened in.
For Hajime, this was not just about nurturing subordinates—it was also a way to build stronger ties with the Inuzuka Clan.
The Body Activation Technique significantly enhanced the physical body's capabilities—not just raw strength, but also reaction speed and nerve response.
For a secret-technique clan like the Inuzuka, this was a major improvement.
After finishing the lesson, Hajime turned to Ryōma. "How's your new technique coming along?"
Ryōma replied, "I'm developing a type of bug that can self-destruct. It absorbs the enemy's chakra and then detonates—or I can feed it chakra myself to create a chain of explosions."
Hajime gave a small nod. "That's a solid concept."
"Have you thought about cultivating egg-laying females that can reproduce quickly?"
He suggested, "Your clan's bugs can absorb the enemy's chakra. Maybe you could try having the eggs silently enter the enemy's body."
"While dormant, they could serve as trackers, acting as beacons for sensing and locating."
"When needed, the egg would absorb chakra and transform into an adult."
Hearing this, Ryo's eyes lit up. He felt Hajime's idea had real potential.
Ryōma, on the other hand, fell into deep thought. "Rapid egg-laying isn't too hard to breed."
"The hard part is getting the eggs into the enemy's body without them noticing—they'd need to be tiny and very well-concealed."
"As for absorbing chakra in the egg stage… maybe I could pre-load the egg with chakra, so that when the time comes, it evolves into an adult."
Hajime added, "Tiny eggs could even enter the enemy's body through breathing. In that case, unless someone has a Byakugan or Sharingan with extremely strong insight, it would be almost impossible to detect."
Ryo got goosebumps. "If that's the case, then once an egg gets into your body… it's like your life's no longer under your control?"
Hajime thought for a moment and said, "For most shinobi, that would be true."
"But someone like the Third Raikage, who can activate all his cells with Lightning Style chakra… the egg would probably be killed instantly."
Ryo laughed, "There aren't many ninja like that."
He looked at Ryōma and smiled. "Do your best—if you manage to develop this technique, you'll become famous across the ninja world!"
Ryōma nodded seriously. "I'll give it everything I've got!"
(End of Chapter)
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