Anya's heart leapt with excitement upon hearing about the Spirit Transformation Technique. She was determined to learn it—this jutsu was just too useful. However, this skill clearly belonged solely to this ninja, and she had no familial ties or close relationship with him. How could she convince him to teach her? It was a real dilemma.
Dan Kato noticed the hunger for knowledge in Anya's eyes and chuckled. "What, you want to learn it?"
That question struck right at the core of Anya's thoughts. She nodded eagerly, her face brimming with curiosity.
Dan paused briefly before replying, "Truth is, I've thought about teaching it before. But I've never met anyone with a situation like mine—one who can actually feel their own soul. Even ninjas as spiritually sensitive as you are extremely rare."
Hearing this, Anya's expression fell slightly, but she persisted, asking, "Was this ability something you were born with?"
"Maybe," Dan replied after a moment's thought. "It might also have something to do with what happened when I was young. From what I remember, my mother once told me that I fell off a cliff as a child while playing and got lucky by landing on a branch. Who knows if that experience had something to do with it?"
Anya listened carefully and thought it might actually be true. After all, during rapid movement, one's mind and awareness would be extremely tense, even possibly unaware of where they actually were. She recalled a saying from her past life: "When you fall, your body leads—and your soul follows."
Seeing Anya lost in deep thought, Dan didn't interrupt.
Soon enough, dinner ended peacefully, and the two exchanged farewells. Anya even said she'd visit again soon—but what was really on her mind, only she knew.
That night, Anya came alone to a cliffside in Konoha. After securing herself with chakra thread obtained earlier, she jumped off without hesitation.
In theory, when a person plummets from a great height, their emotions shift from tension, fear, and anxiety into a thrilling sensation. Screaming loudly brings extreme excitement, and the dual stimulation—both psychological and physical—causes the heartbeat to race. Repeated exposure creates entirely new feelings.
But Anya felt absolutely nothing. At the moment she was about to hit the ground, she controlled the threads to stop her fall, yet inwardly, from start to finish, not a single ripple stirred.
Well then… another failure.
It made sense, though. Back when she was a notorious thief, she'd done way crazier stuff. According to Dan, this ability probably developed under intense conditions—nothing stimulated the brain more than life-or-death situations.
Could it really require trying suicide?
The very thought startled her, and she immediately shook it away. No way. She must've gone mad obsessing over learning ninjutsu so much that she'd even consider something like that. She decided to give up. Sighing, a wave of regret washed over her; once Dan passed on, this technique might disappear from the entire ninja world for good.
As Anya turned away, feeling disappointed, she suddenly froze mid-step.
Wait! Death—I've already died before.
She had been reborn, hadn't she? Her soul had always existed—hadn't her soul and all its darkness been there all along?
Anya immediately activated the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. As darkness enveloped his entire body, memories of those lonely years spent alone in the void surged back—solitude, silence, and emptiness began spreading outward, while a powerful evil force gradually emerged. Slowly, the genjutsu faded away, and a pitch-black spiritual form rose from his body. I see…it's my own soul?
The face was identical to his physical body, yet this spiritual form radiated an overwhelming aura far exceeding that of his original self. The moment this soul, which had been nurtured in darkness for years, appeared, it seemed as solid as reality itself. The immense pressure sent ripples through the surrounding air, allowing Anya to finally realize where his powerful mental strength originated—from his own soul. Therefore, once I master the Spirit Transformation Technique, even a single Jonin won't survive before me.
Hmm? Someone is approaching here—the powerful soul granted Anya extraordinary sensory perception.
Sensing movement inwardly, Anya withdrew his soul and instantly vanished using the Shifting Body Technique.
Approximately five minutes later, the Third Hokage arrived at the scene. He looked around grimly, then muttered to himself in confusion, "How strange... There was clearly an intense dark power here just moments ago. Why did it vanish so suddenly? Who could have such a dark heart? Could it be…Madara Uchiha is still alive?"
Unwilling to give up easily, the Third carefully examined the area thoroughly. Soon, his gaze fell upon several extremely thin marks along the cliffside—they were threads left by puppet masters.
Was that a Suna ninja just now?
Could it be Sunagakure has infiltrated puppet users into our village?
With rising suspicion, the Third became more alert. Soon, several cat-faced ninjas also arrived on the scene.
This was wartime, and security within the village was paramount. The Third commanded sternly, "Investigate every single resident who came from Sunagakure Village. If anyone is detected with chakra, immediately detain them for interrogation. Should they resist, execute them on sight."
"Yes, sir."
Poor Sunagakure Village had no idea whatsoever that they had just taken the blame for Anya's actions.
The next morning, Anya set off toward the hospital carrying packed food, eagerly waiting outside as expected. Sure enough, Dan Kato was inside treating patients—he didn't disturb him and simply waited patiently nearby.
Dan Kato obviously noticed Anya, though slightly surprised he showed up. After finishing treatment, he walked over and greeted him.
Anya handed him the meal, and Dan Kato asked after receiving it, "Did you specifically bring this for me?"
"Yep," replied Anya with a mysterious smile, adding, "I tried what you told me last night. Guess what—I actually saw my own soul!"
Dan Kato's eyes widened with astonishment as he stared at Anya in shock: "Seriously?"
Anya nodded firmly in response.
Dan's face lit up with excitement. Honestly, even though he created the Spirit Transformation Technique himself, he'd been exploring it alone without any established methods to reference, which made progress slow. Now that he'd found someone else capable of learning the same technique, it was a huge relief. They could discuss and learn together henceforth, advancing side by side.
So without skipping a beat, Dan Kato said, "Once I'm all healed up, let's head to the training grounds together."
Before long, the two reached the training ground. Dan quickly saw Anya's soul—though this was a weakened version of her original soul after an entire night's dissipation. If she had shown up in her full, undiminished form, it might've terrified him.
Seeing Anya's soul, Dan didn't hold back and immediately began teaching her the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Just as Anya had expected, this Spirit Transformation Technique could indeed perform attacks infused with her own chakra—attacks directly targeting the soul, capable of killing someone before they even knew what hit them.
In short, if someone's soul energy was weaker than his, they didn't stand a chance against the Spirit Transformation Technique. No Cinderella story here. In fact, the technique could even enter an ally's body, boosting their chakra like a living battery. It was absolutely insane.
The two trained there all night long. Meanwhile, not far off, White Fang silently observed everything from the shadows of the trees, never showing himself—lost in thoughts only he knew.
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