Hearing that Fox had used the Five Elements Seal to suppress the Nine-Tails chakra forming one of Kushina's tails, Tsunade suddenly felt a peculiar intuition.
It was like...
Too similar...
Kushina had said that on the night of the Nine-Tails transfer seal, someone had twice infused her with the unique sealing-attributed chakra characteristic of the Uzumaki clan.
That person absolutely had Uzumaki bloodline.
That person was very mysterious and had never shown themselves.
And at that time, the only ones finally around Kushina were the Yellow Dog Battalion.
Fox was the top expert of the Yellow Dog Battalion.
Now, hearing that Fox had such high proficiency with the Five Elements Seal made a thought occur to Tsunade.
Could it be him?
The Five Elements Seal was a relatively common sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan, its effects far inferior to the Four Symbols Seal or the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
If Fox were viewed as a ninja with Uzumaki bloodline, everything seemed to make sense.
Tsunade looked at the other high-ranking officials in the room.
None of them had directly contacted Nine-Tails chakra, so they didn't understand the strength required to seal Nine-Tails chakra with the Five Elements Seal.
However, Tsunade did not hastily confirm it.
She had matured a lot.
If Fox didn't have Uzumaki bloodline, she could easily be used by the ANBU.
Fox had a notorious reputation; he wasn't a good person.
If Fox did have Uzumaki bloodline, then she absolutely should not make contact with him.
Fox was someone watching over Kushina from the shadows. Recklessly contacting him would only expose him.
Yōkō noticed Tsunade's fleeting glance but didn't react.
Given his current strength as an ANBU squad captain, having a decent level of sealing skill wouldn't surprise others.
They would never connect Fox with the Uzumaki bloodline, only think, 'As expected of Copper Fox, he's becoming more and more well-rounded.'
Tsunade made herself forget about Fox and said to the other elders:
"Kushina is only 10 years old, she hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy. How could she possibly fully master the seal?"
"Your testing of the Nine-Tails seal is too crude. What if something goes wrong with the seal?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "It's too slow. We must improve Kushina's strength as soon as possible. Kumogakure's Perfect Jinchūriki plan puts immense pressure on Konoha."
Senju Hanaki and Tsunade exchanged a glance, somewhat puzzled why the village was in such a hurry.
Senju Hanaki said, "Our Senju clan will form a dedicated sealing team to regularly inspect and maintain Kushina's seal."
"Tsunade's sealing skill is extremely high. She has learned many of our mother's sealing techniques and also developed powerful ones herself."
"If even Tsunade cannot reinforce the Nine-Tails seal, then no one else in Konoha can."
Senju Hanaki knew that Tsunade had already mastered the Yin Seal and was researching the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Spurred by the blow on the night of the Nine-Tails transfer, Tsunade's strength was increasing rapidly.
When Senju Hanaki said Tsunade's sealing skill was high, the other elders didn't refute it; it was true.
Senju Hanaki continued, "However, before Kushina graduates, I do not recommend putting too much pressure on her too early."
"Mother said that to coexist with the Nine-Tails, one must fill their heart with love to counteract the Nine-Tails' hatred."
"The Nine-Tails' chakra brings intense negative emotions."
"Kushina should have a happy school life. This matter cannot be rushed, otherwise it will only amplify the negative effects of the Nine-Tails chakra."
The high-ranking officials didn't reach a conclusion through argument.
After the meeting ended, Tsunade intentionally lagged behind a few steps. She saw Fox use Body Flicker to leave but didn't notice anything.
She reminded herself not to be impatient, not to act recklessly.
The Senju clan's situation was worse than she imagined. She was the clan's last reliance.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Yōkō quickly headed to a training ground at the edge of the village.
Inside the training ground, Hatake Sakumo suddenly turned his head, sensing someone's arrival.
Seeing the fox mask revealed among the bushes, Hatake Sakumo felt relieved and continued explaining to Namikaze Minato.
"Minato, you have a large chakra reserve. You can't be treated as an ordinary Ninja Academy student."
"The technique I'm teaching you is for the efficient use of chakra, and it's also the foundational secret technique behind my fame."
Hearing this, Minato's heart was touched.
He never expected that Lord Konoha's White Fang, after knowing him for less than a month, would be willing to teach him the very secret technique that made the White Fang famous.
"Lord Sakumo..." Minato immediately corrected himself, "Teacher Sakumo, I will definitely live up to your teachings!"
Hatake Sakumo nodded repeatedly and continued:
"The training method I taught you earlier is the first stage of my secret technique."
"My secret technique is called the Chakra Crystallization Refinement Secret Technique, divided into two steps."
"Step one: Chakra Condensation."
"Step two: Chakra Crystallization."
"Mastering Chakra Condensation is enough to make you a Jōnin."
"If you can master Chakra Crystallization, it's enough to make you an Elite Jōnin or even a Kage-level ninja."
As he spoke, a mass of Lightning Release chakra appeared in Hatake Sakumo's hand.
The chakra grew denser and more condensed, yet its volume shrank.
The crackling sound of lightning was like many birds chirping.
Yōkō in the bushes was startled. Why did it seem a bit like Chidori?
Hatake Sakumo said, "My chakra nature is Lightning. After condensing Lightning-nature chakra, it enhances the piercing power of Lightning Release."
"Your chakra nature is Wind. You've already figured out how to condense Wind-nature chakra to enhance your Body Flicker technique."
"This technique requires persistent, ascetic condensation training, day in and day out for years. It's easy to start but difficult to advance."
"Keep researching, keep training hard. One day, you will master Chakra Crystallization."
"Minato, you call me teacher, so today I officially accept you as my disciple."
"After you graduate from the Ninja Academy, I will become your Team Leader."
Minato was deeply moved. He had actually been recognized by Teacher Sakumo in advance.
Hatake Sakumo liked Namikaze Minato's talent and character. He glanced to the side, remembering Fox's suggestion, which he had initially been somewhat doubtful about.
But after spending more time with Minato, Hatake Sakumo liked him more and more.
Nearby, Hatake Kakashi watched the ball of lightning in his father's hand, lost in thought.
Not only Kakashi, but Yōkō, looking at that condensed ball of Lightning Release chakra, was also lost in thought.
He absolutely had to improve his strength as much as possible.
Hatake Sakumo must not die. If he died, all his arrangements would come to nothing.
His strongest abilities right now were undoubtedly Absolute Defense: Copper Light and Water Release: Water Body Flicker.
Water Body Flicker couldn't see the light of day, and he still couldn't find a way to legitimize this technique.
He couldn't very well run off to Amegakure, tie up Hanzo, and interrogate him, could he?
Absolute Defense: Copper Light was built upon the Chakra Crystallization Secret Technique.
Copper Light was very effective against physical attacks, but faced with other types of attacks, like the recent Nine-Tails chakra assault, it had its limitations.
The crystallization of Earth-nature chakra was complete. It was time to attempt the crystallization of other chakra natures.
His second chakra nature was Water.
Earth-nature chakra, condensed and compressed to its extreme, provided defense through ultra-high density.
From Hatake Sakumo's demonstration, Lightning-nature chakra, condensed and compressed to its extreme, offered destructive power through high frequency.
Wind-nature chakra, based on Namikaze Minato's initial development, seemed to provide explosive force through high pressure.
For Water-nature chakra, Yōkō hadn't yet figured out the direction for condensation.
He had to follow Hatake Sakumo's teachings and diligently complete the crystallization of Water-nature chakra.
After Hatake Sakumo and the other two left the training ground, Yōkō sat in the bushes and began attempting to condense Water-nature chakra.
Achieving crystallization in one step was impossible. The system could help him once; it couldn't help him five times.
He had to practice slowly and master it gradually, just like Namikaze Minato.
One must accept their own mediocrity. Aside from the system, he was a thoroughly ordinary good-for-nothing.
Water-nature chakra appeared in his hand, condensing under his control.
Liquids are incompressible; no matter how much pressure is applied, the volume of water doesn't change much.
Water-nature chakra seemed to share this incompressible property.
Was Chakra Crystallization unsuitable for Water Release?
Should he skip Water Release chakra and move on to condensing his third nature, Wind-nature chakra?
No, he couldn't give up.
He should try hard. What if he wasn't a good-for-nothing after all?
Earth Release high density brings defense, Lightning Release high frequency brings destruction, Wind Release high pressure brings explosive force... what characteristic does Water-nature chakra have after compression?
Two hours later, Yōkō had gained nothing.
He had to tell himself there was plenty of time; he truly wasn't a genius.
He returned to the ANBU to handle today's investigation reports.
Damn formalism. Even as a ninja, he had to spend time every day writing mission scrolls.
Purple Cat helped him summarize the tasks of the other squads, but he still had to write up his own completed tasks.
Especially the missions the higher-ups were concerned about – monitoring Hatake Sakumo and the Jinchūriki – had to be written in great detail.
Purple Cat entered the office and asked, "Did the mission go smoothly?"
"More or less."
Purple Cat noticed Fox's low spirits and lay down beside the desk, waiting.
Once Fox finished the scroll, she immediately took it to deliver to the ANBU Vice-Commander's assistant, Butterfly, then returned to Fox's side.
"Why are you unhappy? How about digging for a little happiness?"
Purple Cat was getting better at this, even knowing how to use coded language to hint to Yōkō.
After one round of digging, Purple Cat's neck was flushed pink.
After a second round, Yōkō's mood improved considerably.
But feeling it wasn't good enough yet, he proceeded to a third round.
Only when Purple Cat was dazed, soft, and couldn't take any more did Yōkō leave satisfied.
Returning to the Tsurugetsu Izakaya, Yōkō saw Kyōi, who had closed early.
"Business slow today?"
"Yeah, it's strange. For some reason, there weren't many people today."
Kyōi pushed Yōkō into her boudoir.
Yōkō felt a bit guilty. Three rounds with Purple Cat, then investigating Kyōi... it was a bit taxing.
It was all the fault of the unsuccessful Water-nature chakra condensation, which put him in a bad mood with Purple Cat and led to overindulgence.
Kyōi instantly noticed Yōkō's hesitation. She said, "I've resumed my ninja training. Today, whether you're up for it or not, you're doing it!"
She actually took out a blue secret pill of the Akimichi clan and dropped it into a glass of water.
Yōkō watched the blue secret pill drift left and right in the water due to the water's resistance, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
He had found inspiration!
His thinking had been wrong. The direction for Water-nature chakra condensation was water's resistance!
Kyōi grew a little afraid: "Wait, Kōji, what's that look in your eyes? Why are they shining? I'm a bit scared now. Maybe we should call it off for today?"
Yōkō threw his head back and drank the water with the blue secret pill.
"Too late! Today, whether you're up for it or not, you're doing it!"
In the latter half of the night, Kyōi's love was like tidal waves.
Yōkō, however, left refreshed and in high spirits, arriving at an unmanned training ground at the village's edge.
After scouting to confirm no one was around, Yōkō first organized his thoughts.
Earth-nature chakra crystallization: High density brings defense.
Lightning-nature chakra crystallization: High frequency brings destruction.
The blue secret pill just now, drifting left and right in the water due to resistance, proved that one of water's characteristics is resistance.
In other words, he could do something utilizing water's resistance.
Could he hypothesize that for Water-nature chakra, high resistance brings cushioning or slowing/delaying?
Yōkō attempted to condense Water-nature chakra.
This time, he didn't try to compress the volume of the Water-nature chakra, but continuously drew more Water-nature chakra into his hand, letting it accumulate in his palm.
A mass of Water-nature chakra appeared in his hand, extremely dense.
He flicked a stone up with his toe, kicking it high into the air.
The stone rose to its peak and then fell, carrying great speed, and landed in the condensed mass of Water-nature chakra in his hand.
Water splashed from his hand. The Water-nature chakra, stimulated, quickly turned into liquid.
The Water-nature chakra dissipated the stone's kinetic energy. The stone's speed drastically reduced, finally landing gently in Yōkō's palm.
Good. Condensed Water-nature chakra indeed possessed high resistance.
He created several Shadow Clones.
The first clone used Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique on him.
The surging flames collided with the mass of Water-nature chakra in Yōkō's hand, quickly neutralizing with the Water-nature chakra and producing a large amount of steam.
It wasn't neutralizing with water, but with the Water-nature chakra itself.
The impact and heat of the Dragon Fire Technique were both blocked by the Water-nature chakra.
After the Water-nature chakra dispersed, it turned into steam.
Yōkō looked at the chakra in his hand, thinking the amount of Water-nature chakra was too small, and the protective area on his palm wasn't large either.
After thinking carefully, he formed hand seals and changed the chakra's form.
Using the three hand seals related to chakra shape transformation from the Water Dragon Bullet Technique, a thin dragon made of Water-nature chakra coiled around Yōkō's body.
As he injected more chakra, the Water-nature chakra dragon spun faster and faster, suspended half a meter away from his body.
Chakra condensation consumed a lot of chakra. Yōkō couldn't maintain a majestic form like a dragon, so he finally adjusted the shape, turning the Water-nature chakra into a thin snake.
Appearance was secondary; effectiveness was most important.
The Water-nature chakra condensed into a coiling snake, slowly suspended, swaying up and down.
It was somewhat similar to Mitsuki's Sage Mode in Boruto.
The more chakra he injected, the faster the condensed Water-nature chakra within the coiling snake moved, and the higher its energy density became.
A Shadow Clone released Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique at Yōkō.
This time, the defensive effect was excellent. The high-resistance Water-nature chakra easily blocked the Fire Release.
Another clone used Earth Release: Earth-Style Rising Spears on Yōkō.
The Water-nature chakra snake moved according to Yōkō's will, accurately intercepting several of the earth spears.
The earth spears stabbed into the Water-nature chakra snake as if piercing into particularly viscous, thick oil. Their speed drastically reduced, losing all power, and the spear tips were knocked away.
Yōkō was momentarily stunned. Had he created another defensive secret technique?
Just how afraid of death was he?
The Water-nature chakra snake would block destruction from Fire Release, impacts, etc., and then Absolute Defense: Copper Light would block any remaining attacks.
He had become a copper turtle protected by Water-nature chakra resistance.
Extracting Water-nature chakra and condensing it into a coiling snake required no hand seals.
The regret was that this new technique was a half-finished product. Truly crystallized Water-nature chakra definitely wouldn't be like this.
He named this secret technique: Semi-Absolute Defense: Coiling Snake.
Once true crystallization was achieved, with dual Earth and Water natures and dual defenses, he could just stand there and let people hit him, and they still wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
As the saying goes, if you can't win, stack defense.
Between killing the enemy and being killed by the enemy, he chose to tire the enemy out.
--
This month passed amidst various monitoring missions within the village.
The full moon was like a silver platter.
Yōkō once again awaited the new night of the full moon.
Five days after the full moon, the Jōnin Commander meeting was convened again.
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(Chapter End)