After patrolling the border of the Land of Hot Water for several days, Yōkō accidentally discovered one of Yakushi Nonō's signals.
The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal had taken effect.
Communication with Yakushi Nonō was extremely inefficient.
Yōkō would not share a summoning contract with this woman; she was far too dangerous.
Following the signal's guidance, Yōkō arrived alone at the base of a cliff.
This time, Yakushi Nonō was disguised as a Kumo-nin girl with dark, glossy skin.
This skin tone would require dedicated tanning to achieve in my previous life.
"Fox, what intelligence do you wish to acquire this time?"
Yōkō said, "Among the old guard of Root, only Hei and Ki remain. I want information on these two, especially whether Danzō has placed the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on them.
Also, the new recruits replenishing Root – who are they, and what are their abilities?"
"Abilities?" Yakushi Nonō said,
"Weren't you a Root instructor? With your methods, you should know the abilities of every new recruit, right?"
Yōkō nodded and said, "It seems your intelligence is quite sharp, knowing that I once served as an instructor for Root's new recruits.
They might have been taught some special secret techniques by Danzō. Being Danzō's enemy is dangerous, but being his subordinate is even more so.
Without some skill, one cannot complete Root's missions."
Yakushi Nonō said, "Regarding the abilities of the new Root recruits, I will need some time."
Yōkō said, "No rush. You can give it to me within two or three months."
Yakushi Nonō asked, "Do you need the location of the Kumo-nin main camp? I can provide it."
"No need," Yōkō said. "Not only is it unnecessary, but you must also help prevent Konoha shinobi from obtaining intelligence on the Kumo-nin camp.
This war cannot proceed too smoothly.
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog cannot accept a Hatake Sakumo with greatly increased prestige."
"Huh?" Yakushi Nonō was surprised, then changed her expression and said, "I understand."
Yakushi Nonō thought to herself, Yellow Dog has learned a few tricks from Danzō's real playbook.
—
The full moon was like a silver platter.
Yōkō witnessed the ninth full moon of the year 40 of the Konoha calendar.
Hatake Sakumo wanted to raid the Kumo-nin main camp, but without intelligence support, he had been unable to do so.
The most crucial intelligence on enemy villages was held by Root. If Root didn't provide it, Hatake Sakumo couldn't get it.
Hatake Sakumo changed his strategy. He began having Jōnin lead teams on high-intensity, rapid patrols, ambushing and killing any Kumo-nin they encountered.
This month, Yōkō used the Mochizuki's Arc system to draw the Lightning attribute, completing his final chakra nature.
For this fifth chakra nature, Lightning attribute chakra, extraction and circulation were relatively slow. It required long-term training to master proficiently.
For now, he would treat Lightning Release as a special tool to counter Earth Release, or as a foundation for potentially drawing a Lightning-based Kekkei Genkai in the future.
During the recent battles, Yōkō rarely intervened personally, focusing mainly on letting the four teams of his squad gain combat experience.
The Hippo and Yak squads were former subordinates of Yellow Dog; Yōkō didn't know how loyal they were to him.
The White Ram and Flower Deer squads, with members like Leaf Monkey, Field Duck, Black Gorilla, and Antelope, were all nurtured by Yōkō himself.
He trusted them.
During one battle, as it was nearing its end.
The valley was littered with Kumo-nin corpses, leaving only two Kumo-nin at the base of the cliff.
The Fox Captain hadn't moved the entire time, holding the rear.
A Kumo-nin shouted, "You won't live either!"
This Kumo-nin turned and used a Lightning Release technique on the cliff face.
The Lightning Release shattered the cliff's foundation. The cliff wall tens of meters high collapsed, sending massive rocks tumbling down.
White Ram immediately ordered, "Retreat, quickly!"
The others leaped away, but Black Gorilla, exhausted from the previous battle and panting heavily, was half a step too slow.
A boulder over ten meters long fell, about to crush Black Gorilla.
Black Gorilla looked up in terror at the falling rock mid-air.
The Fox Captain had repeatedly emphasized that in shinobi combat, one must never let their guard down, as the enemy might always have a hidden trump card for a mutual demise.
Black Gorilla had tried his best to dodge, but the half-hour-long battle had drained his chakra.
A water line shot forth.
The familiar whistling sound of that water line instantly dispelled Black Gorilla's fear.
The Fox Squad Captain used just one hand seal to unleash the immensely powerful Water Cutting Wave.
The Water Cutting Wave sliced through the boulder, saving Black Gorilla.
Black Gorilla fell to the ground, gasping for breath.
He got up and approached the Fox Captain, saying, "Sorry, Captain. I was exhausted and couldn't react in time."
Yōkō didn't say anything.
Black Gorilla was usually very diligent and hardworking; his attitude wasn't the problem.
However, Black Gorilla, being the oldest, was no longer increasing his chakra reserves.
At 23 years old, Black Gorilla's body was fully developed, and his mental state had stabilized.
Chakra is a fusion of mental and physical energy. For ordinary shinobi to increase their chakra reserves, there are only two paths: honing their taijutsu and training their willpower.
Most civilian shinobi have limited talent. Like Black Gorilla, they quickly reach the limit of their innate potential.
Black Gorilla might be defined as an excellent special Jonin.
Many people say one must accept their own mediocrity.
However, Yōkō was unwilling to see Black Gorilla hit his limit just like that.
Finding a Jōnin friend was simple. Given Yōkō's current reputation, many Jōnin would be willing to associate with him if he set aside his ANBU identity.
But finding someone like Black Gorilla, who had shared numerous missions and built bonds through battle, was rare.
Even if Black Gorilla had reached his strength ceiling, Yōkō preferred having Black Gorilla by his side.
Yōkō pondered, I must find a way to help Black Gorilla break through his strength ceiling, to reach greater heights.
In the world of Naruto, there were quite a few methods to break through limits, but most had side effects.
One path was Orochimaru's modification route – altering the body to make it stronger.
Such bodies were prone to breakdown.
Even Orochimaro ultimately had to change bodies every three years.
The resources of the Fox Squad couldn't support this path.
Another path was the Hot-Swappable Eye Style.
Giving Black Gorilla a Sharingan or a Main Family Byakugan would also rapidly increase his strength.
Unfortunately, Yōkō didn't dare reveal his own Dōjutsu, let alone Black Gorilla.
Yet another path was the Eight Gates.
He could probably find a way to obtain the Eight Gates, but Black Gorilla might not possess the taijutsu talent of Might Guy or Rock Lee.
Yōkō's eyes shifted, suddenly recalling another path: Tsunade's Yin Seal.
The Yin Seal could store chakra within the diamond-shaped seal on the forehead, serving as a foundation for techniques like the Strength of a Hundred Seal during battle.
Yōkō didn't know the Yin Seal, but he was currently researching the Two Forms Seal.
The Yin Seal sounded like an advanced sealing technique from the Uzumaki clan's Yin-Yang Sealing System.
Perhaps I can create a sealing technique that achieves a similar effect to the Yin Seal, helping Black Gorilla and the others break their limits.
While the improvements from the system were gratifying, personal research and creation were equally important.
The core of the Mochizuki's Arc system was drawing abilities from others.
One day, he would have seen all the sights the shinobi world had to offer, with no new abilities left to draw.
Relying solely on the system would, at best, allow him to fight on par with top-tier experts, becoming an oversized Kakashi.
Now possessing all five chakra natures and a comprehensive knowledge of sealing techniques, it was time to develop a completely new path.
***
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