Chapter 78: The Third Hokage's Ultimate Technique
Huff... After a long breath, the Third Hokage suppressed the fury on his face and asked Danzo in a calm tone.
"Speak. Why didn't you follow my order and kill Li Yao?"
They had agreed that no matter what happened, Li Yao would be killed after one year. But Danzo had ignored that, which is why this mess had happened.
Still, the Third understood his old comrade. Something about Li Yao must have caught Danzo's interest, something so valuable that he had disobeyed orders and let him live.
What was it?
The secret to immortality?
Or a special ability that made him immune to genjutsu?
Despite his anger, the Third was deeply curious about what Danzo had discovered in Li Yao.
"That... cough, cough..."
Danzo averted his gaze, reluctant to speak of the Wood Release. But then he remembered the Third's murderous glare earlier, and the fact that Li Yao had escaped—possibly even demonstrated Wood Release abilities—and that they would need the Hokage's strength to capture him again. So, he coughed and spoke quietly:
"That… I transplanted First Hokage's Wood Release cell fluid into Li Yao."
"What!!" The Third's eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief as he stared at Danzo. His expression darkened. "You don't mean…"
"That's right."
Meeting the Third's gaze, Danzo spread his hands. "Li Yao withstood the First Hokage's Wood Release cell fluid."
Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage's mind went dizzy, his body swaying, then he fixed Danzo with an emotionless and piercing stare.
Danzo immediately felt guilty, his eyes drifting as he weakly explained, "Originally, I planned to extract the new cells formed from the fusion and then kill him immediately."
"But the war came too quickly. I couldn't take care of Li Yao, and that's how he escaped."
"Shut up, you bastard," the Third cursed. At this point, it didn't matter what excuses Danzo gave.
Li Yao was already tricky, with sealing techniques comparable to the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Now he had also gained the First Hokage's Wood Release.
This was no ordinary Wood Release—this was Wood Release powered by the First Hokage's own cell fluid.
It granted Li Yao the potential to wield power comparable to Hashirama himself!
As someone who had lived through the era when the God of Shinobi subdued the entire ninja world, the Third Hokage knew better than anyone just how terrifying the First's Wood Release was.
That was a technique capable of swatting away Tailed Beast Bombs as if they were toys.
To the First Hokage, the Nine Tails was no more than a docile house cat.
Even if all the tailed beasts joined forces, they would still be at the mercy of Hashirama's Wood Release.
Back when Konoha was first founded, it was the overwhelming force of the First Hokage that made all the daimyo of the ninja world bow and accept the system of "one nation, one ninja village."
This system meant handing over a nation's entire defense to the ninja village, while the daimyo merely funded it.
In name, it looked like the daimyo was the superior, but in reality, it was nothing more than paying protection money.
The Land of Fire's daimyo paid Konoha, and in return, Konoha protected the land from foreign aggression.
It was still the same mercenary relationship as in the Warring States era.
But Hashirama had turned it into a mandatory one.
Even without missions, the Land of Fire had to provide massive funds annually just to keep the village running.
Naturally, all the daimyo opposed this at first.
No ruler wanted a massive military organization within their borders—one they couldn't control and were forced to fund.
But what could they do?
That earth-shattering battle between the God of Shinobi and the Demon of the Ninja World at Konoha's founding terrified them all.
That kind of destructive power, reshaping entire landscapes, was not something humans could resist.
If the First had wanted to, he could have wiped out the entire world on his own.
That power alone was enough to force all the noble houses into compliance.
Thus, the "one nation, one village" system was established—and sustained—by fear.
That alone showed how terrifying the Wood Release was.
And precisely because he understood that terror, the Third now felt powerless.
It was simply… hmm… wait!
The Third suddenly stood straight, eyes lighting up with thought—he had overlooked something.
"Could it be... Li Yao hasn't truly gained Wood Release?"
"No… more likely, he hasn't fully fused with the First Hokage's cells yet."
"Yes, that must be it."
"That's why Li Yao hasn't abandoned Mokumura Yao's body."
The more he thought, the brighter the Third's eyes became. He felt certain his deduction was right.
He knew Li Yao's body well.
Even if he survived, the body was at the brink of collapse. It shouldn't be able to display such power, let alone produce chakra comparable to the Eight Gates Released Formation.
It was Danzo's transplant that extended the body's lifespan and allowed it to survive, even letting him unleash terrifying chakra during his clash with Lady Mito.
All of this was the result of initial fusion with the Wood Release cells.
But because it wasn't complete, Li Yao hadn't yet gained the First's powerful Wood Release techniques or chakra reserves rivaling a tailed beast.
That was why he never used Wood Release during his escape—because he couldn't.
Still, over time, Li Yao would eventually complete the fusion and gain near-Hashirama-level Wood Release.
This was likely why he hadn't given up Mokumura Yao's body.
After all, no one could resist the allure of the First's Wood Release.
Otherwise, during the escape from Konoha, given that Mokumura Yao's body had collapsed entirely, Li Yao would've just taken over a new host.
But he didn't.
And the body showed no major problems—clear evidence of early-stage fusion benefits.
Which meant... for now, they didn't need to worry about Li Yao changing bodies.
However... time was short. They had to seal him before he completed the fusion.
"Danzo, how's that kid Danzō's Spirit Transformation Technique progressing?" the Third asked suddenly.
Danzo, deep in thought about how to recapture Li Yao, immediately understood the Third's angle when he heard Kato Dan's name.
A smile crept to Danzo's lips. "Not bad. That kid has mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique. On the battlefield between the Land of Rain and Sunagakure, the puppet squads of Suna had no chance against it. He's become a ninja that strikes fear in every puppeteer."
Then Danzo changed tone and sighed. "But that technique is best suited for espionage and assassination. The battlefield isn't where he shines most."
"Hiruzen."
Danzo stared at the Third with a burning gaze. "Let me bring that kid into Root. He'll be the strongest intelligence and assassination ninja in Root's history—far more valuable than killing a hundred puppet masters."
Excellent… Hearing that Kato Dan had mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, the Third smiled with relief. As for Danzo's proposal—or rather, intention—he saw right through it. No way would he let Danzo meddle in the Li Yao situation again.
The Third firmly rejected him. "Dan is mine to use."
Danzo protested, "Hiruzen, you're wasting that child's potential."
The Third chuckled. "I'm the Hokage. I decide."
"…." Danzo internally cursed.
"That's enough. Stay out of Li Yao's business."
The Third looked at Danzo and sneered coldly.
Danzo gave a dry laugh. Realizing his true motive had been exposed, he felt a bit embarrassed.
But… the secret of Wood Release was at stake. He couldn't afford to give up.
"You…" the Third shook his head, seeing Danzo's reluctance. "You don't understand how dangerous Li Yao really is."
He then explained everything about Li Yao's escape, including the secret that Li Yao had mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, which granted immortality.
"Ah…" Danzo's eyes bulged in shock—not because of Li Yao's sealing jutsu, but because the Third hadn't trusted him.
Back when Li Yao was handed to him, the Third hadn't mentioned any of this—only that Li Yao's body was unique and immune to Sharingan genjutsu.
Had he known about the immortality technique, he never would have let Li Yao escape—he would've made all the proper arrangements.
So in Danzo's mind, all of this was the Third's fault for not telling the truth.
Still, he spoke righteously, "Then all the more reason to let me personally hunt Li Yao down."
"I'll handle it," the Third rejected him again. Before Danzo could argue, he continued, "Now that you're back, don't return to the frontlines. Rebuild Root immediately. The Uchiha Hunt Project is back on."
The Uchiha had gone too far this time. The Third had decided not to tolerate them anymore.
"Why so suddenly?" Danzo asked. Before, the Third had rejected the plan, saying unity was needed during wartime. The war wasn't over—so why now?
There was no "sudden" when it came to dealing with the Uchiha… the Third didn't feel like explaining. He simply said sternly, "That's your next mission."
"Or…" The Third gave Danzo a sharp look. "Would you rather I strip you of your position as head of Root?"
Danzo once again cursed internally. "…"
Using the title of Hokage to suppress me again… Danzo rolled his eyes. Between losing his position and targeting the Uchiha, there was no choice. He nodded. "Fine. I'll stay and handle the Uchiha. But you'd better not keep the Wood Release secret from me."
"Agreed."
The Third didn't bother to say more and waved as he turned to leave the Root base.
Very soon, an order was sent out—Kato Dan was to return to Konoha immediately upon receiving it, no excuses.
"You can't kill Li Yao. You can only seal him."
That much, the Third had known from the start, and he had prepared accordingly.
Six years ago, after capturing Li Yao, the Third had secretly selected a group of gifted children to learn the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Kato Dan was the only one who showed talent.
The Third knew: someone who could perform Spirit Transformation could be very difficult to identify if they used possession—especially if they possessed a baby.
But if Konoha also had a Spirit Transformation user, Li Yao wouldn't be able to possess anyone without being detected.
Even if he got close to Konoha, the Spirit user would sense him.
The soul perception range of the Spirit Transformation Technique was almost on par with a barrier center—perhaps even larger, spanning over a thousand kilometers. The moment Li Yao appeared, he'd be exposed.
This had always been the Third's ace up his sleeve for dealing with Li Yao.
And now, it would be the final piece of the ultimate strategy.
The sealing technique to bind Li Yao—the Third had already prepared that too.
All that remained was the child—Kato Dan.
Once he mastered Reaper Death Seal, combined with the unique soul perception of Spirit Transformation, even if Li Yao possessed someone else, he'd have no way to escape—only be sealed in the belly of the Shinigami.
(END CHAPTER)
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