For ordinary people, the enemy's disguises would've been flawless.
Lady Sakuraba Jōrō and her samurai attendants certainly hadn't noticed a thing.
But to Souma and the others, these stalkers were practically waving flags—
especially to Souma.
His growing spiritual power sharpened his sensory range to frightening clarity.
Every movement from their followers pulsed like ripples in still water.
Tenten twirled a kunai seemingly out of boredom—
but her sideways glance was asking Souma:
Want me to take them out?
Souma turned a page of his book.
No.
Catching two small fries here would accomplish nothing.
Their mission was protection, not citywide pest control.
As long as the stalkers didn't strike, he had no reason to care.
But if they did?
He'd erase them.
Souma wasn't the type to meddle—but he would never compromise the safety of their employer.
Once they left Kyoto proper, the tails gradually dispersed.
It seemed they had given up.
Under a dim moon, the group stopped at a small valley to rest.
"Kasumi, you've been on the lookout all day. Go sleep. I'll take over tonight."
"I can keep going…"
Kasumi hesitated, glancing down the slope.
Souma shook his head.
"Rest. The moon's bright tonight. Perfect for reading. I'll call you at midnight."
"Ah… o-okay."
Kasumi stepped back.
Souma resumed reading by moonlight, flipping pages quietly.
The Bodhi Seed granted him immense mental stamina—
pulling an all-nighter wouldn't affect him.
Kasumi and Tenten weren't so fortunate.
Even Kakashi shouldn't be relied on for every burden; their team operated under special expectations, and Souma knew it.
He couldn't lean on Kakashi forever.
By midnight—
"That's enough. Go sleep. I'll take a second watch."
Kakashi appeared, book in hand.
"I'm fine," Souma replied. "I can last the whole—"
"I know you can," Kakashi said plainly, "but as a shinobi—and as this team's captain—you need to learn how to distribute workload.
If you collapse during a real crisis because you didn't rest, who will take responsibility?"
Souma paused.
Then nodded.
Early in the morning, Kasumi jumped awake and immediately bowed in apology.
"I—I'm sorry, Sensei! Souma! I didn't wake up when I should have—"
"It's my order," Kakashi said. "Don't worry about it. Let's move—we have a long road ahead."
"Yes!"
Kasumi still bowed twice more.
Before she could pick up the scouting rotation, Tenten blocked her.
"You scouted all afternoon and Souma watched half the night. Morning shift is mine."
Kasumi hesitated.
Kakashi nodded.
"That works."
Souma said nothing, silently flipping pages again.
Though he had already finished all three sealing books, he knew he hadn't fully understood them—so he began a second read-through.
And sure enough—
New details, new connections, new missteps became clear.
The sealing arts were truly terrifyingly deep.
Kasumi approached quietly.
"Souma-kun… doesn't this tire you out?"
"I gain something new every time I read it. Why would I get tired?"
"…That hurts to hear."
Kasumi looked away.
To her—and most shinobi—sealing texts were indistinguishable from divine scripture.
Hearing someone say "I learn something new every reread" felt like being stabbed by talent incarnate.
Souma smiled slightly.
"Sealing arts are difficult, yes. But their value is tremendous.
I'm considering whether I can pair the absorption barrier with sealing techniques to store chakra."
"Store… chakra?"
Kasumi's eyes widened.
If that were possible—
The previously unimpressive absorption barrier would instantly become terrifying.
Everyone in the shinobi world knew Doro Dōmu (Soil Burial Prison / Earth Prison Dome) was a fairly mediocre jutsu.
If you'd already trapped the enemy, you could kill them outright;
if you couldn't trap them, absorbing their chakra would never matter.
But if that chakra could be saved…
Then the technique no longer merely hindered the enemy—it empowered the user.
"Theoretically, it's possible," Souma admitted.
Though he didn't add: it resembled Yin Seal, a forbidden technique stored on the forehead. Without fully understanding it, he wouldn't dare touch that domain.
Still—
he had another thought.
Absorption barriers weren't truly about the barrier part—they were about the absorption.
If he could isolate that principle, he might embed it into many other techniques.
A tiny amount of chakra meant nothing to Souma—his reserves were already beyond most chunin.
But nature transformation chakra?
That was different.
Imagine temporarily stealing the enemy's elemental chakra…
Wouldn't that mean he effectively gained nature transformation, even if briefly?
Souma rubbed his chin.
Yes.
That definitely had potential.
He pulled out a small notebook and began scribbling furiously.
Kasumi peeked, pouting.
"Tenten-chan has a notebook for ninja-tool designs…
You have one for ninjutsu development…
And I have… no ideas at all."
Souma chuckled.
"It's not that you have no ideas. You just haven't learned to notice them yet.
Creation starts with recording every passing thought—
Someday, a stray idea may become a technique of your own."
Kasumi blinked.
Then suddenly—
Jingle.
The faint sound of bells.
Souma instantly shut the notebook and expanded his sensory field.
"Dong-dong-dong!"
Tenten had already moved.
Dozens of kunai shot into the forest, guided by steel wire.
Hidden attackers were forced out of cover.
Souma's eyes narrowed.
Several were the same samurai who'd tailed them in Kyoto.
Persistent fools.
Kakashi descended from his perch.
"I'll guard the client. You three handle them."
"Yes!"
Souma stepped forward.
"Go."
In an instant, he disappeared.
His hands formed seals mid-step—
and twin chakra needles materialized between his fingers.
A faint whistle—
shhk.
The first enemy froze, eyes widening.
A moment later, he clutched his throat, face reddening as blood filled his windpipe.
One by one, attackers stumbled, gasping—
too late realizing their carotid arteries had been severed by blades they never saw.
Kasumi's sword could be parried.
A kunai could clash.
But Souma's chakra needles—
had no weight
no glint
no warning
and no mercy.
The blade you see can be blocked.
The blade you cannot see—kills instantly.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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