To figure out what was going on with those stone statues, Terumi Mei ordered someone to open a prison cell.
She casually took a long blade from a nearby ninja and walked into the opened cell.
Walking around the statue, she swung her weapon downward.
[Crack...]
The statue split in two, crashing onto the ground and shattering.
Not a single drop of blood seeped out. Inside and out, both visually and physically—it was just solid stone.
A living person had turned into a stone.
"Incredible..." Terumi Mei frowned, genuinely amazed.
After a moment of contemplation, she commanded, "Bring out those three prisoners."
With that, she stepped outside, waiting in the central open area of the prison.
The Mist Ninjas followed her orders and unlocked the cells.
But capturing the prisoners wasn't going smoothly—the three berserk inmates had completely lost their sanity, filled only with wild desires for destruction and chaos.
As soon as the door opened, one prisoner roared and lunged at the guard who had opened it.
The Mist Ninja who'd opened the door crashed into the wall, but the prisoner didn't stop—he pounded his fists repeatedly into the ninja's head.
Devoid of rational thought, he fought purely on instinct now.
[Crunch...] That was the sound of a skull fracturing.
[Squelch...] That was blood splattering.
The mist ninja receiving the brutal beating had bloodshot eyes, unable to see clearly anymore.
"Perfect!" One of the prisoners shouted gleefully.
They had seen twelve people firsthand—some turned to statues, others driven mad—but what did it matter?
In their view, anyone who knew these secrets would never leave this prison alive anyway.
"Settle down!" After shouting at the violent prisoner, several other Mist Ninjas rushed over in time.
They hurriedly intervened, throwing all their strength into finally restraining the violent inmate.
"Damn it!"
Regaining some vision, the injured mist ninja cursed furiously, kicking angrily at the prisoner.
The prisoner glared viciously at everyone within sight.
After this incident, the Mist Ninjas became much more cautious, calling over additional colleagues to assist.
About half an hour later, Terumi Mei finally saw nine Mist Ninjas bringing forward the three berserkers under their control.
Three guards handled each prisoner.
"Ma'am Terumi Mei, these ones have completely lost their minds—they only think about fighting."
"I understand," Terumi Mei replied. "Release them. I'll test their strength myself." She stepped forward to issue instructions.
"Please be careful." After another warning, the nine Mist Ninjas simultaneously activated their Body Replacement Technique and retreated.
Now free from restraints, the three prisoners' gazes grew even more bizarre and savage.
They no longer had any thoughts—only destruction.
Destroy absolutely everything.
Terumi Mei took the first move, but the fight felt bizarre—though she faced three opponents alone, they were attacking each other instead of her. Whoever was closest became the next target.
Brown hair swept over someone's body. Terumi Mei took the impact of a blow directly on herself before activating [Body Replacement Technique].
A wave of nausea churned inside her stomach, like something was about to burst out any second. A pale shade flickered across Mei's face. She murmured softly, "They're a lot stronger than I expected."
"But how can I use people who can't tell friend from foe?"
She turned her head backward—those three were already tearing into each other.
Their fighting style resembled wild beasts locked in a colosseum.
They fought with everything—they used their arms, legs, even their sharp teeth.
Painful cries mixed with savage roars—the scene felt like returning to a primitive battlefield.
Although those individuals couldn't possibly threaten her, an inexplicable chill crept into Mei's heart.
In some sense, they were already dead—without reason, without thought.
"Terumi-sama, are you alright?" A ninja appeared beside her, asking with concern.
Mei shook her head lightly. "Separate them and lock each one up individually somewhere isolated."
"Yes."
She couldn't determine whether this outcome marked success or failure of Sage Art cultivation.
What they displayed was purely increased physical power.
After hearing all of Mei's report, Genshi flipped through the [Frog Sage Art Manual] repeatedly but still found no answers.
Remaining silent for a long time, he asked, "How much have their powers increased? Is it only brute force enhancement without the ability to perform ninjutsu?"
Mei replied, "They've already lost humanity and intelligence; they probably forgot everything about their former selves long ago. As for how strong they've gotten? These were Chunin before—and they're still only Chunin level. No real leap in power at all."
"But their fighting style is just about ripping into enemies without caring what happens to themselves. In actual combat, Chunin-level ninja likely wouldn't be able to subdue them."
Upon hearing that, Genshi showed slight disappointment. "Out of twelve subjects, only three survived—an average success rate, and even then, using human lives as test material yields such minimal results."
In his view, those frenzied beings weren't much different from the Kaguya Clan.
They lived solely for battle.
As for lacking thought—well, that hardly mattered. When needed, they could simply be deployed onto the battlefield without concern for their fate.
Still, their abilities seemed mediocre, limiting their usefulness.
Genshi considered further—if their strength had become too overwhelming, they might pose threats to the village itself.
Like Tailed Beasts without restraints.
Although the results were shocking, Genshi still decided to continue these experiments.
Until understanding fully both benefits and drawbacks of this cultivation method, he wouldn't risk sending his own men to test it.
Even producing a few berserkers could count as a pleasant side effect.
According to Minato Namikaze's account, he himself also practiced Sage Art—but unlike these individuals, he never went feral!
Where exactly did things go wrong—or was there something he concealed?
While Genshi pondered deeply, Mei made her request, "Genshi-sama, I would like to transfer to the patrol unit stationed outside the village."
"You want to understand every department thoroughly?" Genshi looked at her with surprise.
"Yes."
Terumi Mei nodded calmly without batting an eyelid.
What was on her mind was still how to contact Hiroki Hyuga.
She figured, if that person indeed had such great ambitions, he must have secretly arranged some spies or informants.
It would be inconvenient inside the village, but outside restrictions would lessen, and suspicions from villagers wouldn't be a concern anymore.
Hearing this, Genshi didn't suspect much and quickly agreed.
The job itself was simply assigning several teams of ninja to patrol designated areas at fixed times.
During her service, Terumi Mei would frequently leave her post to wander around the village.
Because she currently enjoyed high favor, other ninja could only look the other way.
So another month slipped by.
"Do we really have such a bad connection?" Terumi Mei murmured as she gazed toward the village exterior while sighing again.
"Do you have something on your mind?" Suddenly, a voice echoed into her mind.
"You finally noticed?" Terumi Mei replied mockingly.
Hiroki Hyuga chuckled softly. "If there's anything important to talk about, hurry up and say it."
White Zetsu couldn't emerge directly from within Kiri's ground, but a few had always been lurking just beyond its borders.
Initially they hadn't thought much of it, yet with Mei occasionally wandering around the village's periphery, suspicion inevitably arose, so they decided to report this situation to Hiroki Hyuga.
"I want to ask you, what does your version of the complete Sage Art look like?"
Terumi Mei explained to him Minato Namikaze's distribution of the Sage Art cultivation manual and Kiri's internal experiments.
"Losing sanity, turning into stone statues... That doesn't sound like Sage Art at all."
"In fact, it's related to where the cultivation takes place. Have you heard of the Three Great Holy Sites? It'd be better if practiced there," Hiroki Hyuga explained.
Terumi Mei sounded doubtful, "Really? Whatever, first tell me your version of the training method—I need it for comparison."
"You want me to give up info on the Three Great Holy Sites..." Hesitating for a moment, Hiroki Hyuga continued, "Forget it, just record the [Frog] Sage Art cultivation technique and leave it near White Zetsu outside the village. As for what you mentioned, I'll have someone send it to you once Konoha finishes organizing everything."
After speaking, he fell silent completely, seemingly having left.
"Eh?! But we haven't even discussed how to contact each other next time!" Terumi Mei anxiously shouted internally.
"Weekly intervals—I'll initiate contact with you." With that said, Hiroki Hyuga's consciousness completely withdrew from her body.
...
"Wanna know the secret behind Hashirama Senju, Minato Namikaze, and Sannin Jiraiya becoming so powerful?"
"It's all inside this book."
"Back then, when Hashirama Senju defeated Madara Uchiha, mainly because he mastered Sage Art."
"Sage Art—is power surpassing regular Ninjutsu."
This hidden black market in the Land of Fire was known as an Underground Bounty Office—not only conducting bounty-related businesses, but also engaging in shadowy transactions.
These underground markets were usually built in unimaginable places.
For example, the current Bounty Office that Hiroki arrived at was situated beneath a public restroom.
The people appearing here generally weren't willing to reveal their true identities.
Hiroki had disguised himself. As he placed the Frog Sage Art manual on the trading counter, he gave a quick, flashy pitch—doing his best to ignore the disgusting stench in the air.
The clerk clearly wasn't easy to fool. He didn't even bother to flip through it, smirking slightly. "Sir, are you sure this isn't some kind of scam?"
"Of course not," Hiroki replied. "Have you heard of the Three Great Holy Sites? Mount Myoboku? The Great Toad Sage? This came straight from Mount Myoboku. I barely managed to steal it from Sunagakure..."
As he spoke, Hiroki deliberately covered his mouth with a cough, cutting himself off mid-sentence.
Several bounty hunters who were browsing reward missions nearby immediately turned their attention over.
They might not have known about the Three Great Holy Sites, but they caught onto some key information.
Something stolen from Sunagakure?
And he was still standing here unharmed—this guy must be pretty capable.
Or perhaps, he was actually a ninja from Sunagakure.
"Looks like Sunagakure is really declining..." someone muttered softly with a sneer.
The clerk pulled Hiroki aside and whispered, "If it's really as amazing as you claim, why would you sell it?"
Hiroki sighed dramatically. "I originally planned to cultivate it myself, but later discovered it had very high requirements. So I decided to pursue my goal another way."
He raised three fingers. "You name the price. Whatever it sells for, I just want thirty percent cut."
"But the problem is, will anyone believe you?" the clerk remained hesitant.
"They want power, so there will always be believers."
With that, Hiroki raised his voice slightly, filled with passion. "Wanna know every secret of Sage Art? Then seek them out!"
"Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, Ryuchi Cave—that's where Sage Art originated."
"Even Hashirama Senju, revered as the God of the Ninja World, once sought power in those very places."
At these words, many observing bounty hunters couldn't help but feel excited.
After Hiroki left, someone approached the trading counter.
"What did that man just say? Can I buy a copy?"
The clerk, who was reading the text, immediately showed a smiling face. After a brief thought, he said, "Two thousand coins. Sold as-is, no returns or exchanges once you leave here."
"Fine." The person didn't hesitate and agreed immediately.
Since no copies had been made yet, the clerk had someone copy it for him.
Treating it like a precious treasure, he tucked the document into his chest and cast a wary glance toward the people around who were subtly observing this spot before carefully leaving.
"He's probably just a plant, right?"
Despite such thoughts, the remaining bounty hunters still developed desires to purchase it.
After all, two thousand coins wasn't something worth getting upset over.
Two thousand coins for a shot at hope—it was worth it.
"Give me one too..." someone called out and slowly walked over.
"I want one too!" Another rushed forward eagerly.
The clerk deliberately sighed, then happily began copying again.
The thrill of making money easily beat the sore hands from all that writing.
Outside the public restroom, Hiroki didn't leave immediately.
He stood beneath a large tree, watching the restroom exit.
Among those who came out, some acted carefree while others seemed tense, constantly on guard—as if protecting something precious.
A faint smile curled on Hiroki's lips as he spoke toward a certain direction: "White Zetsu, the rest is up to you."
One hundred thousand White Zetsus, one hundred thousand agitators—if they were careful enough, it would be enough to stir up a wave of public opinion.
[Sage Art] made Hashirama Senju stronger than Madara Uchiha...
[Sage Art] was why Minato Namikaze could become Hokage, but Orochimaru couldn't...
[Sage Art] was also the reason Jiraiya could join the Sannin...
Want to learn more? Visit the Three Great Holy Sites...
These words spread like rumors across most of the Ninja World—everywhere except the Country of Rain, Iwa, Sunagakure, and Kiri.
Some found it ridiculous, while others couldn't help feeling curious.
"What exactly is [Sage Art]?"
"You don't even know? [Sage Art] is way more powerful than regular Ninjutsu."
"Huh?"
"Master it, and you could become one hell of a warrior."
"Seriously? So can I learn it?"
"Tsk. Do you even have chakra? If you're not even a ninja and can't perform basic techniques, how dare you dream about something even stronger? Can't you get the basic idea?"
"Then have *you* seen it?"
At a street corner in some unknown small village, two men talked—one smug, the other gloomy.
"Hey, did you actually see it or not?"
The man stood rooted in place and shouted after him, unable to stop the other from walking away.
Once he reached a secluded spot, all color drained from his face, his skin turning into the pure white of paint.
Scenes like this were playing out everywhere.
To spread the word about [Sage Art], the White Zetsus threw themselves completely into their roles, sparking people's curiosity.
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