"Asuma, I'll trouble you to deliver this letter to Master Chiriku."
The next day, Souma handed an already-sealed letter to Asuma.
Asuma glanced at it, then looked up at Souma…
"Your sage-lineage talent has made another breakthrough?" he asked.
"I don't think 'sage-lineage talent' is quite the right label," Souma said. "This time I just want Master Chiriku to check if the Fire Temple has any similar records."
Asuma felt… complicated.
He knew what Souma had been up to lately.
Most of his time was going into the research institute.
On top of that, he was helping investigate secret spiritual techniques.
And the result?
Your sage-lineage talent breaks through first?
It left him feeling oddly hollow.
He stared at Souma with a look like he wanted to say something but didn't.
Souma was speechless.
"If you've got a question, just ask. It's not like this is the first time we've dealt with each other," he said.
"Aren't you supposed to be researching something else right now?" Asuma asked.
"Yeah. I was working on mental secret arts," Souma said. "And kind of accidentally stumbled into this. Mmm… I'll just show you."
The area was empty.
Souma closed his eyes, communed with the natural energy stored in his body, and directed a portion toward his head.
A moment later, he opened his eyes.
A golden gleam flashed in his gaze.
The Buddha-like form appeared again.
Asuma's eyes flew wide open.
This…
Blown up to a larger scale, it was practically the outer Buddha-phantom from Thousand-Armed Kannon!
"What is that?" Asuma muttered.
"I've heard there are legends of sages in the Three Great Holy Lands," Souma said. "This might be a kind of sage transformation."
He let the form disperse and gave his guess.
Asuma shook his head, then spoke solemnly.
"I'm not sure either. But I'll send a messenger bird immediately."
"Good. I'll leave it to you," Souma nodded.
"I remember one of the Sannin—Jiraiya-sama—received a legacy from Mount Myōboku, one of those Three Great Holy Lands. You could ask him."
Souma spread his hands.
"I'd love to. But first, I don't know him. Second, Jiraiya-sama is like a dragon that shows its head and not its tail. Actually finding him is the hard part."
"True enough," Asuma conceded.
He put the letter away and was just about to leave—
When Souma suddenly thought of something else.
"Asuma, how about the research institute? Interested?" he asked.
"The… institute?" Asuma blinked.
"Yeah. Two of your students are already with me. You might as well join too," Souma said casually.
"Huh?!"
Asuma froze.
Two of his three students…
Were already in Souma's camp?
Wait.
The remaining one was Ino, right?
Ino…
Souma was currently studying spiritual secret arts. Once he finished, Ino ending up in the institute would only be a matter of time.
Asuma was silent for a moment, then waved his hand.
"We'll talk about it later," he said.
"Heh, works for me," Souma laughed.
He said goodbye to Asuma and headed straight for the Yamanaka compound.
He had already finished the theoretical framework for mental synchronization. The only thing left was the final step—
Experimentation.
As for his own spiritual cultivation method, he had a rough outline now:
Continue stimulating the brain with natural energy.
But this time—
He'd add a visualization component, using a "Buddha" image in his mind—something he'd seen in his previous life—to anchor his consciousness and resist the shock of natural energy.
Still—
Spiritual power took years to change in any meaningful way. The results wouldn't show in the short term.
Mental synchronization was different.
At the Yamanaka residence—
Yamanaka Inoichi was dressed and about to go out.
Ino was at his side, pouting.
"The three clans have always advanced and retreated together. There's no downside to you sticking with Shikamaru," Inoichi said.
"He's too lazy," Ino shot back, immediately launching into a long list of complaints.
On that point…
Inoichi really had nothing to say.
Shikamaru was smart.
If he had put in even a little more effort, his current accomplishments wouldn't stop where they were.
Yes, he'd improved a lot in the last year or two.
But compared to a normal hardworking ninja, he was still behind.
Inoichi was about to continue when he sensed something and turned toward the gate.
"We have a visitor."
"Who is it?" Ino asked, looking up.
She saw a familiar figure standing outside the fence, waving from a distance.
Yagyū Souma.
What's he doing here?
Ino couldn't help glancing at her father.
Could it be…
Her father had some deal with Souma?
Because of her?
Inoichi snorted.
"Don't overthink it. You're not worth that much."
"…"
Ino rolled her eyes, but her curiosity only grew.
She followed her father to the courtyard.
After the usual greetings, Souma stepped inside and handed over a scroll.
Inoichi looked down.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A proposed method for mental synchronization. I've pushed the theory as far as I can. But it needs Mind Transfer to work," Souma said.
Inoichi opened the scroll and read carefully.
Two minutes later, he shut it, his expression grave.
The logical chain in the scroll…
It was extremely sound.
Just from the description, the feasibility seemed very high.
All that was left was testing.
"Well?" Souma asked.
"It's worth trying," Inoichi nodded.
Inside, though, he was deeply impressed.
It had only been a few days.
Four or five at most.
Subtract the time Souma spent on other projects, and it was probably less.
And yet—
Souma had already derived a practical path to mental synchronization.
Remarkable.
Inoichi turned the scroll over in his hand.
"Thanks," he said sincerely.
"It still needs experimentation. But that part's up to you," Souma said. "I can't do much more here."
Unless Inoichi was willing to hand him the Mind Transfer Technique, Souma had reached the limit of his involvement.
Inoichi grinned.
"If you became part of the Yamanaka clan, you'd be able to help a lot more."
"I have things to do. I'll be going," Souma said, rolling his eyes and refusing to engage.
"Alright," Inoichi chuckled.
He watched Souma leave.
Finally, Ino couldn't hold back.
"Father, earlier… what did you mean?" she asked.
"Exactly what I said."
"Huh?"
Ino pointed to the gate, then to herself.
Inoichi chuckled.
"You still feel like you're the one losing out? Maybe check reality. He's the one who wouldn't even look twice."
"…"
Ino had no comeback.
Souma had ignored the bait completely.
"He's the most gifted of the entire younger generation in Konoha," Inoichi said with a sigh.
Ino couldn't argue.
If this had been a while back, she would've brought up his lack of nature transformation to nitpick him.
Now…
She'd seen it with her own eyes.
Even without elemental ninjutsu, he could still solo-roll their entire three-man cell.
And he was only a year older than they were.
That was the gap.
When you're weak, you have to admit it.
"Souma's setting up a research institute," Inoichi added. "You should go take a look. Our clan will be sending people as guards. Getting you in won't be a problem."
"I'll leave it to you," Ino said.
She didn't refuse.
First, she was genuinely curious about his institute.
Second…
She truly did want to change herself.
At the very least, she didn't want to be just a pretty face.
Lately, she often recalled that feeling of helplessness in battle—and the image of Sakura fainting from a single genjutsu.
A ninja should act like a ninja.
Fire Temple.
Chiriku was lecturing on the gathering and cultivation of sage chakra when a bird swooped in from afar, circling the courtyard twice before perching on the main hall's eaves.
He recognized it at a glance.
"Reflect on this yourselves for a moment. I'll receive a letter," Chiriku said.
"Yes, Master," the monks chorused.
While they meditated, Chiriku stepped out of the hall and beckoned.
The messenger bird fluttered down.
He retrieved the letter fixed under its belly.
At first, he was calm.
Then—
"What?"
His eyes bulged as he stared down at the page.
A Buddha?
Impossible!
Chiriku's mind went blank for a few seconds.
Then he remembered—
The Fire Temple did have similar records.
The term "sage-lineage talent" originally came from ancient "sages" whose arts were later circulated as "sage techniques" and became the so-called sage-lineage.
"So Souma accidentally revived the 'secret of the sages'?" Chiriku murmured.
He was stunned.
But also thrilled.
Sages!
Even within the Fire Temple, they existed only in scattered fragments of ancient lore.
For a long, long time, no monk had ever achieved sage transformation.
Souma's discovery could be said to bridge a broken link in the temple's history.
Chiriku's heart was pounding.
He forced himself to read the rest of the letter.
Then he saw Souma's small additional request.
"Hatake Kakashi?" Chiriku whispered.
He thought for a moment.
That man was one of the most outstanding of Konoha's new generation, a disciple of the Fourth Hokage, and a very real contender for future Hokage.
With that background—
His identity was reliable.
As for his strength—
The name "Copy Ninja" was known across the shinobi world. With Kakashi's ability, guarding this secret wouldn't be a problem.
Chiriku decided to convene a meeting.
Not so much because of Kakashi.
But because of sage transformation.
Within half a day, the elders were assembled again in the hall.
Unlike before—
"Chiriku, what'd you drag us out here for?" one elder grumbled.
"Yeah, I was just starting to sense natural energy. I was this close!" another protested.
"If it's important, say it quickly," a third snapped. "We all have training to do."
Everyone was impatient, eager to get back to cultivation.
Chiriku, however, was in a very good mood.
He used to hate these meetings.
Now, he loves them.
Seeing all these elders so anxious to return to their training made him want to tease them a little.
But today's topic was too important, so he cut straight to the point.
"Souma asked Asuma to send a letter," he said. "It contains two main matters."
"Another discovery?" an elder blurted, barely containing his excitement.
Chiriku nodded.
"Yes. According to his description, he's discovered a way to use a special power to enter a unique, Buddha-like state. He wants to know if the Fire Temple has any similar records."
"Sage lineage! It's sage lineage!" someone shouted.
The hall erupted.
They all knew the origin of the sage-lineage term.
Better than Chiriku, even.
They were more out of control than he had been.
"Who still doubts our cooperation with that boy now?" one elder snorted.
"A-hem. Abbot, maybe this isn't the best time to bring that up," Elder Shiraishi coughed, his face slightly red.
He was the biggest direct beneficiary of sage-lineage chakra out of all of them.
He had no face left to argue about past decisions.
Chiriku smiled.
"Souma didn't go into much detail," he said. "He probably stumbled into it by accident. He's not sure what he's touched on yet."
"This…" Elder Shiraishi hesitated.
"Could we invite Souma here to the Fire Temple to speak in person?" he suggested.
"I'll try. But it'll be difficult," Chiriku admitted.
These elders didn't seem fully aware.
Souma wasn't some cabbage in Konoha's market—call and he comes, waves and he goes.
He was Konoha's shining prodigy.
The initiative was not in the Fire Temple's hands.
Chiriku then brought up Kakashi.
"The other matter Souma mentions," he said, "is that he hopes we'll allow him to pass sage-lineage chakra to Kakashi."
"Discuss."
But right now—
Who still cared about Kakashi?
All eyes were on the word sage.
They argued passionately, until Elder Shiraishi finally said:
"Abbot, how about this? Write back and tell him we agree about Kakashi. And if I recall correctly, Asuma has already mastered sage-lineage chakra, hasn't he?"
"He has," Chiriku confirmed.
"Then let Souma and Asuma work together to research and refine these sage abilities first," Shiraishi said. "If they succeed, we can invite Souma—or Asuma—to come to the Fire Temple again."
As the discussion went on, Shiraishi calmed down.
The number of monks in the Fire Temple who could use sage-lineage chakra was tiny.
If Souma couldn't come, then letting him train Asuma was the next best step.
If Asuma also managed sage transformation, it meant that this power could be spread further.
Otherwise, even if they did drag Souma to the Fire Temple, all they could do was stare in awe.
As for Kakashi—
That was barely an issue.
Even putting aside their earlier promise to Souma—
Just looking at who Souma was now, if Konoha agreed, the Fire Temple would gladly treat him like an honored ancestor.
He was already on the level of a "restoration patriarch" for them.
Unfortunately…
He wasn't one of them.
Thinking back to the past, Shiraishi felt his thighs itch just imagining the slaps he owed himself.
If he'd known, he would've had Chiriku at least give Souma an honorary monk title.
Then no matter what, he'd count as family.
Not like now—awkward as hell.
"Then we'll write it as Elder Shiraishi suggested," Chiriku said, nodding repeatedly.
He was amused inside.
Back then, he'd pushed hard for this cooperation.
And the ones who'd opposed it…
Were these the same old guys?
Monks or not, they were still human.
Their hearts hadn't reached true detachment.
He sighed quietly to himself.
Of course—
Right now, Chiriku had conveniently forgotten who it was that was so frantic to gather everyone earlier that day.
He was already thinking further ahead.
He knew Souma was working on a "research institute" in Konoha. Once it was built, the Fire Temple—or its warrior-monks—could send people under that banner.
That was the power of information.
And of being in the know.
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