Chapter 182: The First Kekkei Tōta
Clap!
Jiraiya clapped his hands together. "Sage Art: Goemon!" He spat out a jet of toad oil. At the same time, the two sages on his shoulders used Fire and Wind Release, respectively.
BOOM!
A sea of fire formed in an instant. The terrifyingly high temperature charred the ground, causing it to crack, and the very air and light seemed to twist. This was several times more powerful than Kakuzu's Searing Migraine and Pressure Damage combo.
This level of power is probably beyond the upper limit of what my illusionary body can withstand, Genichi thought, quickly making a judgment as he felt the scorching heat.
He then activated his Mirror Eye, clapped his hands together, and a clone appeared beside him. Only, this clone was in the form of Jiraiya, and it also had the two sages on its shoulders.
Sage Art: Goemon!
The identical Jiraiya, in Sage Mode, unleashed the exact same sage art.
RUMBLE!
The two terrifying seas of fire collided, creating a violent roar. Rolling flames shot into the sky, forming mushroom-shaped clouds of fire. And the flames also swept out to the sides, turning the grass and trees to charcoal in an instant, which then collapsed and disintegrated into ash.
When the sea of fire dissipated, Jiraiya and the two sages were all staring wide-eyed at the identical version of themselves.
"Is that a transformation jutsu?" Shima asked, puzzled.
"I'm afraid it's not an ordinary one," Fukasaku said with a grave expression. "It even copied Sage Mode, and the same sage art. This ability…" He had never seen it before.
Cold sweat dripped down Jiraiya's forehead. "This guy is completely beyond my expectations." He had thought Genichi would use Ice Release. But now he was fighting himself? A clone and a transformation? Could those eyes even copy sage art? No, perhaps this guy has mastered Sage Mode himself, Jiraiya calmly analyzed. He didn't recognize the Mirror Eye, but it was very similar to the Sharingan, so he could make some reasonable deductions.
At this moment, Genichi stood with his hands in his pockets, a smile on his face. The Mirror Illusion Clone created by his Mirror Eye and Kyōka Suigetsu was working very well. The Mirror Eye alone could not copy Sage Mode, but the Kekkei Genkai Kyōka Suigetsu could. The current clone not only possessed all of Jiraiya's abilities but also had a certain degree of immunity to attacks—the original ability of Kyōka Suigetsu.
"Now I can only try…" Jiraiya decided to ignore his double and target the real Genichi.
And so, the attack began again.
Shima opened her mouth, and a long, snake-like tongue covered in sacs and lined with sharp teeth shot out, whipping toward Genichi at extreme speed. But the clone's Shima also unleashed the same move. The two tongues entangled each other.
"Pa!" Shima shouted.
Fukasaku immediately opened his mouth and spat out a high-pressure water jet. The clone opposite him did the same, and the two jets cut into each other and disintegrated.
Jiraiya then leaped into the air, a Rasengan forming in his hand and rapidly expanding.
Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan!
Even if it's a perfect copy, there must be an upper limit!
Jiraiya brought the giant Rasengan down from the sky, enveloping both the clone and Genichi.
"Using a jutsu I developed against me?" Genichi chuckled.
The mirror clone stepped forward. It raised its hand, and the same sage art Rasengan formed, into which it then infused both Wind and Water nature transformations. But it did not become Ice Release. Instead, two smaller, one white and one blue, rotating Rasengans formed inside the big one. And this Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan was even larger than Jiraiya's.
One from above, one from below, the two giant Rasengans collided.
CRACK! CRACK!
With a sound of shattering, Jiraiya's eyes widened. "How is that possible?" A mere clone was stronger than them!
His Rasengan shattered. The clone then twisted its wrist, and its giant Rasengan exploded. The smaller wind and water Rasengans inside collided, creating a terrifying vortex.
Jiraiya immediately used Needle Jizō, his self-created ninjutsu. His white hair rapidly grew, enveloping himself and the two sages. The next moment, they were caught in the vortex. Countless sharp, violent currents cut against his sage-art-hardened hair, creating a clanging sound, and then one strand after another was severed.
At this moment, Jiraiya was completely powerless to resist, just spinning randomly in the vortex.
As expected of the creator of the Rasengan… he marveled, amidst his shock.
BOOM!
The vortex slammed into the ground and dispersed. Jiraiya rolled several times before stopping. He flipped to his feet and looked at the mirror clone, at a complete loss. How could he fight this? Whatever he could do, it could do. And it did it better. Attacking the real body directly was also difficult; he had to deal with this identical copy first.
Genichi was very satisfied. The clone took half of his chakra, but that half was still an enormous amount. The combination of the Mirror Eye and Kyōka Suigetsu had become even stronger. And the stronger his own foundation was, the stronger the clone would be. If half of his chakra could be compared to Madara's, then perhaps just the clone could fight him to a standstill. And these two Kekkei Genkai worked together very smoothly.
Could I try to fuse them? The thought flashed through his mind, but he suppressed it. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and the mirror clone dispelled.
"Let's end it here, Master Jiraiya," he smiled.
Jiraiya nodded helplessly and then released his Sage Mode. "You brat, you're really full of trump cards. Those eyes of yours, they seem to be similar to the Sharingan."
Genichi nodded slightly but didn't explain further. Jiraiya also didn't press. "That Rasengan just now, how did you think of it?"
"I previously developed a combination ninjutsu of Water and Wind Release," he smiled. "And don't forget, I was the one who developed the Rasengan." Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he was the one who had developed it. And although he rarely used it, it didn't mean he wasn't good at it. For him, there were many jutsu that he didn't use often, but he had to have them.
Jiraiya stroked his chin. He decided to copy it. That Ultra-Big Ball Wind-Water Rasengan just now was too cool, too powerful.
"I'm leaving…" Jiraiya didn't mention Nagato again. He waved goodbye coolly and left, silently pondering the Wind-Water Rasengan. But then he grew frustrated. "Even if I learn it, I'm probably still no match for that brat Genichi. That kid is growing too fast, too astonishingly. He's not even human. Forget it, forget it. If I can't beat him, I can't beat him. But as long as I can beat Nagato… the Rinnegan."
After watching Jiraiya leave, Genichi teleported home. Today was the day to use his 'cheat'.
Lying on his bed, he closed his eyes.
Activate.
In his mind, the panel exploded into a purple ball of light. Infinite light radiated out, combining with each and every one of his cells. His mind went blank. In an instant, ten years passed.
When he opened his eyes again, the panel had returned, and on it was a list of his gains from the next ten years. He carefully browsed through it, removed everything he didn't need, and then chose to infuse.
His mind went blank, and a current passed through his body. Another instant, and when he opened his eyes again, he felt a huge change in himself.
First was his physical constitution, which had naturally been strengthened again. He had once again experienced a growth period from age 13 to 23. However, in terms of the multiplier, it was not as strong as last time. His stamina had only doubled. That is to say, his current chakra reserves were now close to half of the complete Nine-Tails.
If I master a few more Kekkei Genkai, and then use my 'cheat' again next time, I should be able to match the Nine-Tails, he was secretly delighted. For a ninja, chakra reserves were too important.
He got up and sat cross-legged. He was a little surprised.
The further development of his Ice Release had taken a full five years in the future. But it had been successfully completed. He had obtained his first Kekkei Tōta. However, for Magnet Release, although he had mastered the Lightning + Earth version in the future, he had spent all that time and still hadn't been able to fuse the two different types to form a Kekkei Tōta.
Was my line of thinking wrong? He frowned. He had completely received the development experience from the future. If it wasn't that, then was it… a problem with his brain? Some things really couldn't be achieved just with time.
"No, I shouldn't doubt myself. After all, I've already completed the training for both types of Magnet Release," he thought. "Perhaps I should change my direction, change my method." His future self had tried two methods: a direct fusion, and trying to fuse them with the goal of controlling the magnetic field, but neither had worked.
However, his future self's exploration of sage transformation had shown him a new direction. It might be worth a try…
Suppressing the urge, he returned his attention to his Ice Release.
Wind + Water + Yin = Ice Release Kekkei Tōta.
Before, the temperature of his Ice Release had been stuck at -100°C. But once the Kekkei Tōta was completed, the temperature had quickly broken through to -150°C. In the next five years, it had been lowered to -200°C.
"-200°C is another limit. I'm still quite a distance from absolute zero."
He got out of bed and took out an ordinary kunai. The next moment, the -200°C ice covered it. He then applied a little force, and the kunai shattered like a potato chip. This was the power of -200°C. At this temperature, human cells, plant and animal cells, could not survive; they would die instantly. Nitrogen would liquefy, various metals would become harder and more brittle, and matter would become soft and fragile. Of course, there were steels and alloys that could maintain their physical properties at this temperature, but he believed they were very rare in the ninja world. He just didn't know if the black rods made by Yin-Yang Release or the Truth-Seeking Orbs could withstand it.
And absolute zero. The lowest temperature in thermodynamics, the temperature of a substance when the kinetic energy of its particles is at the minimum point of quantum mechanics. That is, what is commonly known as -273.15 degrees Celsius.
"So the limit of the Ice Release Kekkei Tōta is -200°C. Then, for absolute zero, do I need to reach the Kekkei Mōra level?" He vaguely remembered that the temperature of a substance depended on the kinetic energy of its particles. The so-called absolute zero was when the particles of a substance had no movement, no atomic spin. But in reality, absolute zero was also theoretical. Because no substance was an isolated system, and heat was transferred from high to low. Unless the entire universe was without temperature, it was impossible to truly reach a state of absolute zero.
Then, for the development of Kekkei Mōra, did he need to start from the internal movement of matter? He couldn't help but scratch his scalp. He regretted not reading more books in his past life.
Now he had Wind, Water, and Yin. Next were Yang, Earth, Lightning, and Fire… what role would these nature transformations play when they were integrated? Dust Release could decompose matter to a molecular, atomic state. Could that be used? Earth Release could reduce the mass of an object. Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and then he forcefully pushed them away. He had to take it slow, clear his thoughts.
He threw the fragments of the kunai into the trash and teleported to the roof. The still slightly cold wind cleared his head a bit.
"Completing the Ice Release Kekkei Tōta is a very good start. I can put aside the Kekkei Mōra for now. First, I'll train in other Kekkei Tōta. Maybe I'll get some inspiration."
Sorting through his thoughts, just as he was about to leave, a voice called out. "Genichi!"
He turned and saw the masked Kurenai leaping toward him. "Genichi, the Hokage summons you."
"Is it urgent?" he asked.
"It's about the Sky-nin," she said in a low voice.
The Sky-nin? The Zero-Tails? He raised an eyebrow, then reached out and grabbed her shoulder, teleporting directly to the Hokage's tower.
In the office, Tsunade and Hiruzen were both there.
"Lady Hokage, Lord Third," he greeted them.
Hiruzen nodded slightly.
"The Sky-nin's base has been found," Tsunade said directly. "It's under the ruins of their old village. There was a huge fortress hidden there. But although the fortress was destroyed, a major target escaped. And most importantly, a Tailed Beast was found there, called the Zero-Tails."
"Was it destroyed, or brought back to the village?"
"Minato sealed it inside his own body," she shook her head.
"Minato-san led the team to complete the mission?" he was surprised.
"It was him and Sakumo together," Tsunade said. "It's a good thing I was cautious and sent them both. Otherwise, the losses might have been great."
After Hiruzen's assassination attempt, Konoha had been investigating the remnants of the Sky-nin. It wasn't until recently that they had gotten more detailed intelligence and had found their hidden base. And with the intention of completely eliminating them, she had directly dispatched two elite jonin, Minato and Sakumo, each leading an elite squad. She hadn't expected that even then, a Sky-nin would escape. Most importantly, to deal with the Zero-Tails, Minato had used a sealing jutsu to seal it into his own body. According to the intel, the Zero-Tails was an aggregate of dark chakra. Just from the name, it didn't sound like a good thing.
"The Zero-Tails is a collection of dark chakra," Hiruzen said, smoking his pipe. "It reflects the darkness in people's hearts. The influence on the host is probably very great. And him and Kushina…" He trailed off.
But Genichi understood. He was afraid the Zero-Tails would affect the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. He couldn't help but smile. "You're too nervous. The dark chakra of the Zero-Tails… hmm, it does sound a bit scary. After all, who doesn't have a dark corner in their heart? But compared to the Nine-Tails, it should be nothing. The malice of the Nine-Tails should be much more terrifying. I've personally experienced that, and so has Minato-san. It is precisely for that reason that he dared to seal it inside himself."
He wasn't worried at all. If they could control the Nine-Tails' chakra, let alone a mere Zero-Tails.
"Are you sure?" Tsunade was very serious. "Dark chakra, this kind of thing is too uncontrollable, especially at such a critical time. My idea is, can we extract the Zero-Tails without affecting Minato's life?" One Nine-Tails was enough trouble. Now there was a Zero-Tails, and with the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. It was like a powder keg.
"The Fourth is right," Hiruzen nodded in agreement. "For now, it is better to be safe."
"What did Minato-san say?"
"He said it's no problem," Tsunade said. "But if the village has a solution, it's best to seal it separately. But since it's called the Zero-Tails, is it like the other Tailed Beasts, where being extracted will cause the jinchuriki to die?"
Genichi frowned slightly. He wasn't too sure about this point.
"I'll go see him first." With that, he vanished.
At Minato's house.
Genichi knocked on the door.
"Genichi," Minato opened the door and smiled. "Is it because of the Zero-Tails?"
He nodded and went inside. Kushina was also there. "Genichi, do you know about the Zero-Tails?" she asked quickly.
"A little," he said. Seeing her nervousness, he smiled. "Sister Kushina, you have to believe in Minato-san's strength. Since he dared to seal it inside his own body, then there's no problem."
"Even so," Minato smiled, "it's only because I have you, Genichi, that I could be so bold."
Humble.
"Minato-san," Genichi extended his hand, "let me take a look at its chakra."
Minato nodded and raised his hand. The two of them bumped fists.
The next moment, Genichi appeared in Minato's sealed space. It was the same kind of sealing formula as the one that held the Nine-Tails: an Eight Trigrams Seal. And inside the seal was a creature with a mask with the character for 'zero' on it, looking like a scaleless black snake. The Zero-Tails, Reibi.
Minato appeared beside him. "It is much weaker than the Nine-Tails. But its dark characteristic also gives it the property of limitless chakra. And because it relies on the darkness in people's hearts to obtain chakra, this guy is probably like the other Tailed Beasts, difficult to kill."
Genichi nodded. In theory, the darkness in people's hearts could never disappear. In that case, then the Zero-Tails probably had the property of immortality.
"Minato-san, you sealed it in your body also considering the threat of Madara Uchiha, right?" he asked.
"As expected, I can't hide it from you," Minato nodded. "That's right. Although you splitting the Nine-Tails is a precaution, I don't want Kushina and the child to be harmed. So I made this decision. It's just that I've troubled the Fourth and the Third."
"It's only natural," Genichi smiled. "And I also believe in your strength and will, Minato-san. This Zero-Tails is far weaker than even the One-Tail."
He wasn't worried about him at all. What was Hiruzen and Jiraiya's evaluation of him? A perfect ninja. Don't be fooled by his gentle demeanor. He was actually tough, calm, and rational on the inside. And he was also a ruthless person. This could be seen from the original timeline, where he had been willing to die to seal the Nine-Tails, and had even sealed half of it into his own son.
"You should think about how to use the Zero-Tails' power," Genichi suggested with a smile. "With the addition of dark chakra, your Sage Mode should be able to be maintained for a long time. As for the Fourth and the Third, I'll go talk to them."
"Then I'll have to trouble you," Minato said with an apologetic smile.
(End of Chapter)
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