After running a full round of tests, Uchiha Feiyu finally had solid data on his Break-Evil Blade, and overall, he was pretty satisfied.
Its ability to tear through energy defenses actually didn't have that many potential targets in the ninja world. Outside of Lightning Release Chakra Mode, it was hard to find another technique that formed a proper full-body energy shell.
Susanoo technically counted as an energy defense too—but the Break-Evil effect was only active on the edge of the blade. Even with Kusanagi's ability to extend and retract, trying to poke through Susanoo in real combat would be more trouble than it was worth.
On the other hand, the soul damage effect was much more valuable in Feiyu's eyes—especially for high-end fights.
Things like advanced Medical Ninjutsu, extreme regeneration, "immortality"–type bodies… all of those were naturally countered by Break-Evil Qi.
And after being reforged as a demonic artifact, Kusanagi itself had gotten a decent buff:
Sharper
Tougher
Better chakra conduction
It had already been a first-rate famous sword. Now, it was easily among the very top tier of weapons in the entire ninja world—a pleasant surprise on top.
With a weapon that specifically countered the Raikage's Lightning Armor, Feiyu could finally relax a tiny bit. If he ran into the Third Raikage again he still wasn't confident of victory… but if he met the Fourth Raikage alone, he was now pretty sure he could harvest a very high-quality soul.
And once he slaughtered a few hundred more people and fully "fed" the Break-Evil Blade to maturity, then in a proper first-strike scenario… even the Third Raikage might be killable in one shot.
However, when Feiyu returned to headquarters, ready to ask Orochimaru for more hunting missions, he got a different piece of news instead:
"We're getting ready for a decisive battle? Cloud sent us a challenge?"
Orochimaru rolled his eyes at that.
"Cloud didn't send anything. We're the ones who have to force a decisive battle as soon as possible. Don't forget—this is the Land of Fire."
"If we keep this standoff going, the Cloud ninja are going to strip this entire region bare."
In the past, big ninja wars were usually fought in the little buffer countries along the borders. No matter how miserable the battlefield became, even if the land was scorched into wasteland, the ones who paid the price were those small nations—not the Five Great Countries themselves.
This time, though, Konoha had been beaten all the way back to its own "high ground."
And this wasn't some game like King of Glory—high ground here didn't give combat buffs. If anything, it just meant there was a lot more wealth lying around to be looted.
The Land of Lightning wasn't exactly poor, but it wasn't as rich as the Land of Fire either. For Cloud's band of muscle-brained thugs, invading Fire Country was like throwing rats into a grain silo. Even without trying, they could plunder huge amounts of resources.
And all that wealth was being carved straight off the flesh of the Land of Fire.
The Fire Daimyō was practically breathing fire. He'd already sent letter after urgent letter, pressuring Konoha to hurry up and drive the Cloud ninja out.
On top of that, getting pushed back into their own country was a massive blow to Konoha's reputation. Konoha's mission system was basically held up by trust and prestige. Once the people of Fire Country lost confidence in them, mission requests would dry up almost instantly.
Under those conditions, Konoha simply couldn't afford to drag this out. Every extra day Cloud stayed in Fire Country, Konoha bled that much more. Anyone in charge would be desperate by now.
"Ah, so that's how it is."
Feiyu nodded without much interest. As a solo operator, he'd never cared how Konoha actually ran itself. Still, once he thought it through, he understood just how awkward the village's position was right now.
"So that means the real battle's about to begin? Cloud is actually willing to fight us head-on? They're the ones with the advantage right now—if they just turtle in their camp, we'd be stuck trying to storm them."
Orochimaru's smile turned thin.
"Relax. That head you brought back was very useful. The Yamanaka clan pulled quite a lot of intel out of it."
"Thanks to that, we now have detailed information on Cloud's supply lines, resource depots, patrol routes, even their barrier formations."
"Even if they want to adjust, they can't fix everything quickly. Not in this short window."
"If we cut their logistics, destroy their supplies, wipe out their patrol teams… with the temperament of those Cloud brutes, they won't let it go. They'll come out for a decisive battle sooner or later."
Feiyu blinked.
"So the plan is to force them out into a final fight?
That's… actually a good approach."
"Which is why this mission falls to you and Minato-kun," Orochimaru said lightly.
Feiyu stared.
"Uh… isn't that a bit much? Isn't just one Namikaze Minato enough? He's got the Flying Thunder God; he doesn't have to be scared of being surrounded behind enemy lines."
Orochimaru let out a soft sigh. He'd long since gotten used to his disciple's personality. Getting Feiyu to take any mission involving real danger was always like pulling teeth.
Fortunately, he'd already prepared for this.
"If this operation succeeds, I'll teach you Soft Physique Modification and Cellular Activation. Those two are my real trump card techniques."
Soft Physique Modification and Cellular Activation might not look flashy at first glance, especially compared to Orochimaru's more infamous forbidden jutsu. But they were, in truth, fundamental, core foundation techniques.
Soft Physique Modification greatly increased the body's flexibility, allowing bizarre angles of attack, and the softened body could also unleash shocking bursts of power.
On top of that, the technique dramatically boosted resistance to blunt trauma. Orochimaru could take Tsunade's monstrous punches head-on largely thanks to this. In many ways, his entire taijutsu system rested on the backbone of Soft Physique Modification.
Cellular Activation, in a sense, was similar to Lightning Release Chakra Mode:
You continuously stimulate your own cells,
To strengthen the body,
Sharpen reaction speed,
And increase chakra output.
It wasn't as explosive as Lightning Chakra Mode in pure combat terms, but it was far more gentle and precise. It dug deeper into the user's potential and "filled out" the body's foundations.
And when trained together, these two techniques had a strong synergistic effect.
For an ordinary ninja, mastering both would give them the underlying qualifications needed to reach the jōnin level.
You had to remember: the ninja world didn't really have a systematic "cultivation method" that raised the fundamental quality of life. Even "chakra refinement methods," from the name alone, were still just techniques, not full cultivation paths.
Theoretically, a ninja's ceiling—in chakra, body, and talent—was fixed at birth.
Soft Physique Modification plus Cellular Activation were among the extremely rare techniques that could push that ceiling higherafter the fact. Naturally, Feiyu was very, very interested.
It was just that, up till now, he and Orochimaru might have used the word "teacher," but their relationship had always been built on mutual benefit. These true, bottom-of-the-box foundational arts were things Orochimaru had never been willing to hand over.
"Those two are really good," Feiyu said honestly, "but they're not that big a help to my current level."
Inside, he'd already taken the bait. On his face, though, he put on a hesitant look and didn't agree right away—instead trying to push for more.
"So what are you asking for?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
Feiyu smiled.
"I want something else instead. For example—
Hashirama's cells."
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