Chapter 98: Valiant and Diligent Progress in Strength
Akiyama Makoto laughed out loud, the sound echoing through Kurenai Yūhi's house.
He lay spread-eagled on the floor, recalling the events of the past few months, feeling as if he were in a dream.
The person he was now was no longer the helpless ordinary man. Even if Danzō came to attack him right now, he was confident he could escape unscathed. When he mastered Sage Mode in the future, he could go anywhere in the entire ninja world. Then, he could slowly prepare for the Great Ninja War, attempting to break through from a human to a trans-human state, and grasp the legendary Six Paths power.
Although in theory, Naruto and Sasuke alone could solve the Kaguya problem, since he had come to this world, how could he not pursue the ultimate strength and seize the highest position?
The Ōtsutsuki clan would come in the future, and there even seemed to be a God among them. These were threats that were originally supposed to be defeated by the descendants of Naruto and Sasuke. But after his intervention, would their descendants still be the Children of Destiny?
Makoto dared not entrust his future and his life to an ethereal savior. It was better to rely on himself.
At this thought, he was filled with motivation.
He performed the Flying Thunder God Technique several more times in a row, only relaxing after the process was almost instantaneous. It seemed that because the distance he was transferring was so short, the chakra consumption was not that high. Coupled with his Yin Seal, he generally didn't need to worry about the cost.
All that was left was the question of its combat effectiveness. The current him certainly didn't have Minato's reflexes or adaptability, but he could use the Strength of a Hundred Technique! With that technique active, it was like having super armor. Adding his Chakra Enhanced Strength, his genjutsu, and his one-handed seal techniques, this was the foundation of his confidence to face any enemy in the current "version"!
Makoto wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly calmed himself. He still had to pretend to be weak in front of Kurenai. This was not only a continuation of the previous incident but also his method of maintaining her affection. Kurenai was a kind and motherly person. Since she had become his "big sister," she would naturally show a sister's gentleness and thoughtfulness. He, in turn, had to properly receive this kindness and consideration to lay the foundation for simulating with her in the future.
Kurenai's total stat panel was as high as 58, and her Genjutsu stat was a perfect 10. She was one of only two women he knew of with a maxed-out Genjutsu stat. The other was Tayuya. Theoretically, it seemed easier to pursue Tayuya than Kurenai. Because Tayuya was not a Konoha native, his methods could be more efficient. But he would have to wait until the Chūnin Exams to even see her. Since he already had Kurenai's pheromones, there was no reason to let it go to waste. In any case, his future pursuits would not be limited to a single woman. Even if he failed with Kurenai, it didn't matter. But what if he succeeded?
Just as he recovered his pale appearance, Kurenai had not yet returned.
He didn't plan on wasting time and began to study his other two new talents: the Low-grade Natural Energy Adaptation from Anko, and the Low-grade Mind-Mirror Image from Sakura.
He studied the former for a long time but couldn't feel any change it brought him. However, just from the name, he could guess its origin. Anko was Orochimaru's disciple, had witnessed his human experiments, and had unfortunately become one of his test subjects, implanted with the Cursed Seal of Heaven. The so-called Cursed Seal was made from the fluid extracted from Jūgo's body. Its effect was to forcibly make a ninja use natural energy to fight, at the cost of physical mutation and erosion.
The curse seal implanted in Sasuke in the future was also the Cursed Seal of Heaven. The only people who had survived it were Anko and Sasuke. Looking at it now, the reason Anko had survived was thanks to this "Low-grade Natural Energy Adaptation" talent. This also meant that with this talent, his own safety and success rate in learning Sage Mode were greatly increased.
In the future, he could even continue to upgrade this talent. When he raised it to Advanced or even Top-tier, what kind of miraculous effects would it have? He was very much looking forward to it.
But his research on this talent stopped there for now. After all, he still had no way of learning Sage Mode. Its unique nature also meant he didn't dare to try and learn it on his own. Otherwise, if he turned into a stone, there would be no one to save him. Unless, in a simulation, after his wife became pregnant, he trained with a suicidal mindset... although doing so seemed a bit too monstrous.
Then there was the Mind-Mirror Image talent provided by Sakura's heir.
At first, he hadn't paid much attention to this talent, but after experiencing it, a strange expression appeared on his face.
Wasn't this just Sakura's split personality? No, calling it a split personality wasn't quite right. It was more like a mental shadow clone, allowing a ninja to split off a part of their mind to operate independently. When the main consciousness was controlled or destroyed, the remaining part would take over the body and continue the fight. This was how Sakura had been able to break Ino's Mind Body Switch Technique.
Understanding its principle, his eyes suddenly lit up. He had been researching the Illusion-Breaking Seal, which used a similar concept to dispel genjutsu. But he was relying on curse seal automation. He wasn't a master programmer; he couldn't make a curse seal that could respond to every situation.
But what if he hid a part of his mind inside the Yin Seal? Then the fully automatic Illusion-Breaking Seal would no longer be a dream!
This move might even have more uses in the future. For example, the Sage Mode he was just thinking about. Its difficulty lay in the fact that the ninja had to arduously maintain the balance of spiritual energy, physical energy, and natural energy, all while fighting. Apart from an unreasonable Sage Body like Senju Hashirama's, no one else had solved the problem of Sage Mode's difficult start-up and short duration.
But what if the one maintaining Sage Mode was no longer a single consciousness, but two or even more? Just like how Jiraiya's Sage Mode relied on Fukasaku and Shima standing on his shoulders to maintain it, could he create a mental shadow clone to help him maintain Sage Mode?
He felt this was entirely possible.
He stroked his chin. It really was a pity that the future Sakura had completely abandoned this talent. Perhaps he could help her open up a new ninja path?
With his thoughts finished, he began to practice.
For the rest of the afternoon, he studied this talent, trying to merge it with his Illusion-Breaking Seal. By the time the sun began to set, he had successfully split off a wisp of spiritual power and integrated it into the seal.
It worked!
From now on, no matter what genjutsu he was hit with, the Illusion-Breaking Seal could immediately break him free. He even thought of more ways to use it. As for whether they would work, he would need to test them on someone. As for the test subject... Danzō was in for a treat in a future simulation.
Having made progress, he was in a great mood. He went to the window, wanting to see the view from Kurenai's house. But to his surprise, he saw Kurenai entering the main gate, followed by Ino, Sakura, and Hinata. Kurenai had a comforting smile on her face, but the three girls looked worried and uneasy.
Makoto thought for a moment and understood what had happened. Kurenai must have gone to the Kazematsuri Bathhouse to report that he wouldn't be returning for the night and had run into the three girls who were anxiously looking for him.
He quickly walked back to the sofa, lay down, closed his eyes, lowered his heart rate and blood pressure, and continued to feign being unhealthy.
Just as he lay down, the door opened with a click.
"Makoto—"
Hinata was about to call out, but Ino covered her mouth.
The three girls looked at his pale face, and their eyes instantly turned red.
"Jōnin Kurenai," Sakura said in a low voice, clenching her fists, "who was it that hurt Makoto-kun? Can you tell us? Although our strength isn't enough right now, we want to remember the enemy's name and face so we can avenge him in the future."
Ino and Hinata also nodded quickly.
Kurenai revealed an awkward smile, then said seriously, "Makoto-kun was ambushed by a vile ninja last night. We are still investigating who it was, but I can guarantee that he will not be harmed in the slightest from now on."
She had glossed over the Anko incident with a clever choice of words. The three girls didn't suspect a thing. They looked at each other, then bowed to Kurenai in thanks.
Kurenai tried hard to smile, but the smile on her face only grew more awkward.
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