Border of the Land of Fire
A carriage slowly approached and stopped.
Beyond that point was the border of the Land of Rain.
"Jia, we've arrived."
A young boy jumped out of the carriage and lifted the curtain.
A mother and daughter then stepped out from the carriage.
"I can only take you this far. From here, it's up to you."
Any ninja entering another country's territory was usually treated as a spy, and the ninja of the Land of Rain were especially known for their assassination techniques. Mo Yu didn't want to risk his life to test their skills.
"Mo Yu, thank you so much."
Kaguya Zhenyi expressed her gratitude. "I will repay what I owe you in the future."
Mo Yu didn't offer any words of rejection, instead smiling and saying, "Sure, I'll wait. But you two better try your best to survive."
Looking at the dark, cloud-filled sky ahead, Mo Yu let out a sigh.
"Alright, no need for parting words. We'll meet again if fate allows."
After saying that, Mo Yu jumped back onto the carriage and turned the reins.
"Yah!"
He didn't like the atmosphere of farewells; it was better to be carefree.
In Kaguya Zhenyi's eyes, there was a trace of reluctance and sadness. Since their escape began, Mo Yu was the first person who made her feel a sense of support and warmth. Sometimes, she thought to herself, "If only I had a younger brother like him."
At this moment, Ryuri, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly shouted loudly at the departing carriage, "Mo Yu-oniichan, I will always remember you!!!"
Mo Yu didn't look back, just waved his hand.
Ryuri's eyes were red, with tears glistening in them.
"Mom, will we be able to see Mo Yu-oniichan again?"
Kaguya Zhenyi knelt and wiped away her daughter's tears. It seemed like she was speaking to Ryuri, but it was also as if she were talking to herself.
"We definitely will."
After parting with the Kaguya mother and daughter, Mo Yu's mission was considered half complete.
The village naturally had its own intelligence network to confirm if Kaguya Zhenyi and Ryuri had reached the border of the Land of Water, after which the reward would be given to Mo Yu.
However, Mo Yu didn't rush back. Instead, it seemed like he was out for a leisurely journey, walking slowly and stopping often.
The main reason he had taken a task that involved leaving the village was not just to "catch some fish" and counterattack a little, but also to clear his mind and take in the sights. After all these years of being reborn, Mo Yu hadn't really taken the time to appreciate the world properly.
By the third day of his return journey, he had only covered half the distance.
That evening, he reached a cliffside and found a cave to enter.
Last time, Mo Yu had asked the system if it could help him improve his handseal speed, and the system had only given him a very extreme solution.
Mo Yu had hesitated at first, but after considering that he would still be under constant threat from the Uchiha clan once he returned to the village, he made up his mind.
Since his bones had already set, no matter how much he trained, his handseal speed would naturally be slower than that of those ninjas who had started training from a young age.
To close this gap, he needed to make his bones redevelop.
"How do I go about re-developing them?" he had asked the system.
"Crush all the bones in your hands and reassemble them," the system had replied.
"..."
After receiving such a ridiculous answer, Mo Yu, who was usually decisive and extreme, spent two whole days and nights thinking about it before finally making up his mind.
"The crushing and reassembly of your hand bones will be done by the system. You just need to endure the pain. The cost is 50 coins."
"You make it sound so easy," Mo Yu complained. "Well, just get on with it. Don't drag it out, start now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Yu felt an intense pain in his hands.
There was also a "crack, crack" sound, the sound of his bones breaking.
"Ahhh!!"
His fingers were linked to his heart, and Mo Yu couldn't help but scream, rolling around the cave.
His palms had already turned to a bloody mess, looking like a pile of "mud," unbearable to look at.
Then, a green light full of vitality shone on the "mud," and flesh buds began to wriggle, weaving together muscles and blood vessels. The bones regrew, crystal clear, like jade.
In just the time of a breath, Mo Yu's hands were restored.
The hands were now pale and slender, looking more beautiful than a woman's, as if he had been reborn.
Mo Yu was covered in sweat from the pain, and it took him a long time to recover. When he looked at his unfamiliar hands, he almost couldn't recognize them.
He casually formed a few seals and tried them out, and he immediately realized what it meant to be quick with his hands and what it meant to be light on his feet.
Each finger was so flexible it felt like it had no bones, and could be bent back to touch the back of his hand.
Some hand seals that had been somewhat complex for him before were now easily done without difficulty.
From Mo Yu's estimate, his handseal speed had already surpassed his previous limits. He could now do about 4 seals per second.
With more practice, doing 6 seals per second wouldn't be a problem, and even faster speeds could be achieved.
6 seals per second was the pinnacle of handseal speed.
For ninjas above the rank of Jōnin, they could easily condense their known techniques into six or fewer seals, or even fewer.
Being able to do 6 seals per second meant that all ninjutsu could be completed in that time. It could be said to be instantaneous.
If you could perform seals quickly, it meant you could seize the initiative and always be one step ahead of the opponent. In battle, this could provide a huge advantage.
Mo Yu couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. The excruciating pain he had endured was worth it.
"However, this still isn't enough. Since I can achieve such a fast handseal speed, I can't waste this advantage. I must dig out all my potential."
Mo Yu's eyes flashed with thought. After a while, he spoke to the system.
"System, help me exchange for one-handed handseals and the technique of multitasking."
The system soon responded.
"One-handed handseal technique, 80 coins."
"Multitasking, 150 coins."
This time, Mo Yu acted decisively. When he heard the prices, he didn't even blink.
"Exchange!"
With a large sum of coins spent, a stream of information entered Mo Yu's mind.
After absorbing it, Mo Yu's eyes shone with brilliance.
He raised his right hand and began performing hand seals using only one hand.
Swish, swish, swish, his fingers nimbly formed several seals, and in the blink of an eye, they were completed.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A wave of intense flame shot out, crashing against the rock wall.
"Very good, the handseal speed and ninjutsu power are unaffected."
Mo Yu said happily.
One-handed handseals freed up his other hand, and what he did with that hand was precisely the reason Mo Yu had spent 150 coins on the "multitasking" technique.
Mo Yu then exchanged for two C-rank ninjutsu, spending a total of 20 coins.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter."
"Water Style: Water Chaos Wave."
After mastering the two ninjutsu, Mo Yu began to perform hand seals with both hands at the same time, though the seals were completely different.
Within one second, both hands finished forming their respective seals.
With his left hand, the "Wind Cutter" unleashed a dozen wind blades.
With his right hand, the "Water Chaos Wave" released a stream of water that continuously changed shape.
The two techniques collided with the rock wall simultaneously.
Boom! Boom!
The rock wall, already scorched by the fireball, now had a dent from the water impact and several cracks from the wind blades.
"I did it, it really works!"
Mo Yu couldn't help but laugh with excitement.
This was just two C-rank ninjutsu. If he used two B-rank or even A-rank ninjutsu simultaneously, it would be equivalent to outputting twice as much as other ninjas in the same amount of time.
And sometimes, 1+1 doesn't just equal 2; it's far greater than 2.
With his ultimate handseal speed, the ability to perform one-handed handseals, and the techniques of multitasking, Mo Yu was now confident that he could face a Jōnin head-on.
If he were to fight the Jōnin from the Yuma family again, the result wouldn't change—he would still die—but Mo Yu was confident he wouldn't be left in such a miserable state this time.