'It seems I still need to go and find the bloodline of the Queen of Loulan.'
Among these three powerful sealing techniques, Sora had only mastered the Four Symbols Seal, accounting for merely one third.
Sora estimated that to forcefully break the seal with minimal commotion, he would need to master at least one more sealing technique.
There was no hope with Myobokuzan. He had no chance to contact those toads, as he was not a Child of Prophecy.
After much thought, the only breakthrough point was to seek it from the bloodline of the Queen of Loulan.
He shook his head, temporarily pushing aside these chaotic thoughts.
Sora began to focus all his attention on observing the sealing formula. But just as he was sensing the immense energy and intricate structure within it, the power of the Azure Dragon Fruit inside his body also faintly produced an extremely weak resonance.
It was a very peculiar feeling, not a disturbance of chakra, but more like a deeper, essence belonging to the "dragon" sensing the vast earth vein energy below, which was also called the "Dragon Vein".
This feeling flashed by, so weak it was almost imperceptible. But Sora was currently extremely focused noticed this faint sense of resonance.
Was it because both contained the character "dragon"? Or was there some unknown connection between the rules represented by the Azure Dragon Fruit and this naturally gathered earth vein energy?
A trace of doubt passed through Sora's heart, but he did not delve deeper.
With too little information now, random speculation was meaningless.
He gathered his focus, no longer trying to understand the entire structure of the seal, and began silently memorizing the basic rune combinations and the general patterns of energy flow.
Even if he couldn't break it, observing and studying such a high-level compound seal up close was greatly beneficial for his learning of sealing techniques.
At the same time, Sora also carefully perceived the Dragon Vein energy suppressed beneath the seal.
It was an immensely vast, pure, and stable energy, its nature leaning towards earth and nature.
If he could harness this power for himself... A flicker of desire appeared in Sora's eyes, but was quickly replaced by calm.
The road must be walked step by step. He hadn't even touched the edge of artificial tailed beast technology yet. It was too early to think about these things.
His current goal was to master the corresponding sealing techniques and find a way to obtain the relevant technical information from Orochimaru.
He stayed, observed, and memorized in front of the sealing altar for a long time, until he deeply imprinted the external structure and energy aura of the entire sealing formula into his mind. Only then did Sora slowly stand up.
Dragon Vein... we will meet again. Next time I come, I will surely possess the key to master you.
Silently reciting this in his heart, Sora no longer lingered. With a flash, he quickly left this long-sealed underground altar.
...
Exploring the Dragon Vein took about twenty days. Although Sora didn't gain direct benefits, he clarified the obstacles ahead and the required conditions, which made the trip worthwhile.
Next, it was time to complete the "official business" assigned by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Sora identified the direction and quickly headed towards the approximate location of Sunagakure.
...
Sora spent a few days simply gathering some public intelligence near several relatively prosperous towns and key transportation routes within the Land of Wind.
Just as he predicted, the impact of the defeat at Kikyōyama on the Land of Wind was evident.
The prices of goods in the market, especially strategic materials, had risen. The number of merchant caravans coming and going had also decreased significantly compared to before the war. Occasionally, there were rumors about Sunagakure contracting its defense lines and a decrease in mission requests.
Sora combined these scattered pieces of information with his knowledge of the original plot, organizing them in his mind. It was already enough to piece together a mission report that would basically satisfy Sarutobi Hiruzen.
'Sunagakure is now overwhelmed with its own problems. Rasa is busy consolidating his position as Kazekage, suppressing internal dissent, and guarding against Shukaku's occasional rampages. In the short term, they simply lack the strength for external expansion.'
Sora felt certain in his heart:
'As for colluding with other ninja villages? They probably can't even come up with much money to hire other forces now.'
After completing these "surface formalities", Sora calculated the time. From leaving Konoha until now, less than a month had passed. It was still early before the two-month deadline set for the mission.
He did not want to return early. Submitting the report too early might instead arouse Sarutobi Hiruzen's suspicion, wondering if he had truly conducted in-depth reconnaissance or if he had other motives.
Therefore, Sora decided to use this idle period to go to another place, the Land of Demons!
Namikaze Minato's seal had the presence of a Contract Seal. Although the Contract Seal existed in the Anbu's jutsu library, Sora had already exchanged for the Four Symbols Seal.
If he went to exchange for the Contract Seal as well, later when news spread that the Dragon Vein was taken, Sora would definitely be the prime suspect in Konoha's eyes.
Thus, Sora set his sights on a sealing technique country similar to the Land of Whirlpools, the "Land of Demons".
...
The Land of Demons, a small country not bordering the Land of Fire, located between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. It was famous in the ninja world for its unique priestess lineage and its mission to seal the evil spirit Mōryō.
Along the way, Sora's mind was not idle, constantly recalling and analyzing intelligence about the Land of Demons.
The Priestess of the Land of Demons, passed down through generations, possesses powerful sealing abilities and the power to foresee the future... Their power also seems to originate from bloodline, quite similar to the situation of the Queen of Loulan.
Mōryō, that massive collection of chakra filled with negative emotions, sealed by successive generations of priestesses... This mode of maintaining seals through bloodline contracts is almost identical to the Dragon Vein.
If he wanted to find clues or techniques to crack bloodline contract seals, the Land of Demons was undoubtedly the best choice.
Sora was very clear that directly asking for or stealing someone else's core sealing techniques was definitely unrealistic, especially for secret techniques involving the foundation of a nation.
But he believed that as long as he paid a sufficient price or found a suitable entry point, there was not no opportunity.
After all, it was the turbulent war period now, and many things would become "flexible".
While traveling, he was also refining his own plan.
When passing through a small town, Sora casually bought an ancient-looking, dark red Vermilion Bird mask and a set of ordinary clothes without any ninja village markings.
"Vermilion Bird... just corresponds to Azure Dragon, quite fitting." Sora looked at the mask in his hand, silently reciting in his heart.
A few days later, Sora, covered in dust, finally entered the borders of the Land of Demons.
Unlike the desolate deserts of the Land of Wind, the environment of the Land of Demons appeared more gloomy, with rolling mountains, dense vegetation, and a faint, indistinct mysterious aura that seemed to permeate the air.
Sora did not waste time in ordinary towns. Based on the directions he had inquired about along the way, he headed directly toward the capital of the Land of Demons, also the location of the palace where the Priestess resided.
The Priestess held an extremely revered position in the Land of Demons, equivalent to a combination of spiritual leader and actual ruler. Her palace was heavily guarded, but compared to the Five Great Ninja Villages, the defensive strength here, in Sora's view, was not impregnable.
In his normal state now, Sora already possessed jonin-level strength. He easily avoided the outer ordinary guards and silently infiltrated the interior of the palace.
His target was very clear: the bedchamber of the current Priestess!
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