Kakashi had no doubt whatsoever that Kai could remove the cursed seal from Sasuke. The title of "strongest in the ninja world" wasn't given lightly—Kai's power and knowledge far exceeded Kakashi's own. Moreover, years ago, Kai had demonstrated medical ninjutsu that rivaled even Tsunade's abilities.
"Mm... I can do it," Kai nodded in agreement. He had no reason to refuse, especially since he'd previously promised Itachi to help look after Sasuke.
Seeing Kai's agreement, relief flashed in Kakashi's eyes. "Thank you, Kai," he said gratefully, leading him toward the back area where Sasuke was resting.
Sasuke lay at the center of an exorcism array that Kakashi had set up. Kai crouched down and placed his hand on the cursed seal marking Sasuke's left shoulder.
Instantly, a chilling sensation spread from Kai's hand throughout his entire body.
"Interesting... such pure Yin Release?" Kai's face lit up with intrigue.
Through his examination, Kai quickly grasped the cursed seal's mechanism. It inscribed a Yin Release mark on the recipient, which could be activated using chakra to unleash Yin Release power. This explained why palm-like appendages grew from Sasuke's back when the seal activated—Yin Release inherently possessed the ability to create matter from nothingness.
"Jūgo of the Scales, hmm? Worth keeping an eye on," Kai mused.
If Orochimaru knew that his cursed seal had once again drawn Kai's attention to himself, he might regret ever marking Sasuke with it.
This type of extreme Yin Release could be easily neutralized by infusing it with Yang Release—removing it posed no difficulty for Kai.
Gathering immense life force into his five fingertips, Kai prepared to press them against the cursed seal. Suddenly, his hand was caught.
A young, hoarse voice spoke up: "There's no need. This is my power." It was Sasuke, blocking Kai's intervention.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi scolded harshly. "That cursed seal may grant you power, but it's evil! Using it will cause severe side effects to your body!"
Kai remained noncommittal about Kakashi's words. In his view, power knew no distinction between evil and justice—victory was the only true justice. However, since Sasuke had refused his help, Kai couldn't be bothered playing the good Samaritan. He dispersed the life force from his fingertips and said, "Since you've made your decision, don't regret it."
"I... won't regret it. As long as I can kill that man, I'm willing to pay any price!" Sasuke's face was ice-cold, though his eyes burned with hatred.
"How much do you really understand about Itachi?" Kai looked at Sasuke with disdainful amusement. "Compared to Itachi... you're nowhere close. Itachi is my proud disciple, while you... don't even qualify for my serious attention."
With that, Kai turned and walked away, no longer bothering with Sasuke.
Kakashi raised his hand as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent. With a sigh, he looked at Sasuke and said, "Sasuke, you've passed the third stage of the exam. However, these were only preliminaries. The final exam will be held in one month. During this time, I'll give you special training to enhance your abilities."
Special training?
Hearing Kakashi's words, Sasuke's eyes lit up with anticipation. He nodded in agreement. "Good!"
To focus on Sasuke's special training, Kakashi rather irresponsibly handed Naruto over to Ebisu, a special jōnin, claiming that Ebisu was even stronger than himself. However, through a twist of fate, Naruto ended up meeting Jiraiya.
As Minato's only child, Jiraiya naturally spared no expense, immediately having Naruto sign his name on the summoning scroll of the Toad Clan of Mount Myōboku.
However, Naruto seemed to struggle with the Summoning Technique. Two weeks had passed, and he could still only summon a tiny tadpole. Seeing Naruto's dejected expression, Jiraiya felt somewhat helpless and said, "Naruto, don't get discouraged. Next, I'll teach you the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's signature jutsu. How about that?!"
The Fourth Hokage?!
That was his father! Naruto's eyes immediately brightened as he nodded eagerly.
"This jutsu was Minato's most skilled technique! During the Third Great Ninja War, countless enemies died under this technique!" Jiraiya said proudly.
"Quick, Pervy Sage! What's this jutsu called?" Naruto asked impatiently.
"This jutsu is called—"
Jiraiya paused dramatically, preparing to strike what he considered an incredibly cool pose before revealing the jutsu's name to Naruto. But he was interrupted by a voice.
"Rasengan!"
Kai's casual voice reached Jiraiya's ears, causing him to stumble slightly. Kai continued, "Jiraiya-san, you should at least mention the Rasengan's developer, shouldn't you?"
"Kai, how are you here too? What a coincidence! Ahaha..." Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uncle, who developed this jutsu?" Naruto asked curiously.
Kai pointed to himself and said, "Me." He paused, then continued, "I'm much more reliable than this Pervy Sage. Want me to teach you instead? Not only will I help you master the Rasengan, but I can also teach you the Summoning Technique instantly."
"Really?"
Naruto's face lit up with joy. Looking at Jiraiya beside him, he said somewhat sheepishly, "Pervy Sage, comparatively, I think Uncle is more capable. So, um, I'll let Uncle teach me."
Hearing Naruto's words, Jiraiya felt rather dejected. Kai was indeed stronger than him—and by more than just a little. However, Jiraiya was also curious about how Kai could teach Naruto the Summoning Technique instantly.
"Uncle, what should I do to learn the Summoning Technique instantly?" Naruto asked eagerly.
After sensing around, Kai confirmed that aside from the Reaper Death Seal and Eight Trigrams Seal, there were no other seals on Naruto's body. He said, "Follow me."
He then walked to the side, with Naruto and Jiraiya following. They came to the edge of a cliff.
"Uncle, what are you going to do?" Naruto looked at the bottomless cliff and took two steps back, afraid of accidentally falling.
"Teach you the Summoning Technique instantly, of course."
Kai said with a smile. Then, suddenly catching Naruto off guard, he kicked him off the cliff.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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