"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I didn't plan on asking for that technique at first."
Souma coughed lightly, trying to justify himself.
To be fair, he wasn't lying. At the beginning, he really hadn't been thinking about the Spirit Transformation Technique at all—it was the Third Hokage who had gradually handed him the perfect excuse.
Besides…
Just now, Souma had felt another noticeable surge in his spiritual energy.
Has a new pattern appeared on the Bodhi Seed again?
He suppressed the urge to check. With the Third Hokage right in front of him, basic respect was still necessary.
"Forcing the soul to leave the body is extremely dangerous," the Third Hokage said gravely. "I have no intention of watching you gamble with your life."
"Rest assured," Souma replied calmly. "I'm not planning to learn it directly."
"Oh?" The Third raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you planning?"
Hearing this, the Hokage finally relaxed a little.
This was the key difference between Souma and Orochimaru.
Souma always said what he wanted—or didn't want—openly. No deception. No games.
And more importantly…
He had clear bottom lines.
That was what the Third Hokage appreciated most.
"I want to use it as a template," Souma explained, "to develop a safer and more stable mental attack technique. When combined with mental synchronization, the results should be… quite remarkable."
The Third Hokage rubbed his temples, mentally simulating the possibilities.
And the more he thought—
The more terrifying the result became.
There were many defensive techniques in the ninja world, but almost none specifically designed to counter mental attacks.
If Souma succeeded—
No. Even if he only achieved half, or a third of his goal—
The value of that technique would still be immense.
The Third admitted it.
He was tempted.
"You're absolutely sure you won't directly practice the Spirit Transformation Technique?"
"Of course," Souma replied earnestly. "I don't want to die."
That technique was classified as forbidden for a reason.
The soul was the most mysterious domain of all—and Souma's soul contained the unknown Bodhi Seed. Before fully understanding it, he would never risk soul separation.
What if it left…
And couldn't come back?
That would be fatal.
After a moment of silence, the Third Hokage summoned the crystal ball to scan the surroundings.
Souma didn't interrupt.
Once he confirmed no one was nearby, the Hokage rested his chin on his hand and looked at Souma.
"Wait outside for a moment."
"Understood."
The Third needed to retrieve the Scroll of Seals.
If Souma stayed, the Hokage had no doubt this monster would deduce the scroll's hiding place just by glancing around.
Too terrifying.
Only after Souma left did the Third retrieve the scroll from its hidden seal and copy the relevant records of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
After a long while—
"Come in."
Souma reentered the office.
On the desk lay a newly prepared scroll, the ink still fresh.
Beside it… a thin notebook.
Souma paused, puzzled.
The Third Hokage sighed softly.
"This is a notebook left behind by someone who once mastered the technique. Your contributions—your ninjutsu and sealing research—have benefited Konoha greatly. This is what you deserve."
Souma blinked.
Kato Dan?
He hadn't expected Dan to leave behind notes at all.
Curious, Souma flipped through the notebook.
After finishing it—
He shook his head.
"Senior Dan didn't study enough techniques."
"…!"
The Third Hokage's mouth twitched, but curiosity got the better of him.
"What do you mean?"
"When the soul leaves the body," Souma explained calmly, "the body becomes uncontrollable, and the soul loses real-time awareness of danger. That's when the technique is most lethal—to the user."
He sighed lightly.
"Erasing presence, layered barrier defenses, summon sentries, teammate protection… that would qualify as relatively safe."
"None of that existed back then," the Third said helplessly.
"That's why we create," Souma replied. "We can't cling to old techniques without improvement. Just like how Might Duy refined the Eight Gates, and Might Guy developed an entire combat system around it."
"Techniques are created by people. If we stop just because predecessors didn't have them, progress dies."
Souma closed the notebook.
From these notes, Dan's fate was obvious.
Death.
A powerful but careless ninja was easily hunted on the battlefield.
And the ninja world was full of ambush techniques.
White Zetsu.
Earth Release concealment.
Even Iwagakure alone had countless methods to bypass perception.
Dan's teammates…
Probably weren't strong enough.
Souma shook his head.
He would never entrust his life to others.
The Third Hokage couldn't refute him.
If this were anyone else, he'd say "It's not that simple."
But not Souma.
Souma had already created every technique he'd mentioned.
Presence erasure—already done.
Barrier techniques—only a matter of time.
Support methods?
Trivial.
The Third felt a pang of regret.
If Souma had been born twenty or thirty years earlier…
Konoha—and perhaps the entire ninja world—might look completely different.
The discussion ended there.
Souma returned the scroll, keeping only Dan's notebook.
It contained invaluable mental-energy knowledge—exactly what he needed.
As for the Chūnin Exams, Souma agreed only to provide an outline. The execution would be handled by the Hokage.
Just as expected, the Third also mentioned Yakushi Kabuto—the genin who had lost two teammates.
Leaving the Hokage Tower, Souma finally checked the Bodhi Seed.
Another pattern had appeared.
Through meditation, he confirmed the source—
Mental Synchronization Technique.
Even though only the Yamanaka clan widely practiced it, their numbers were sufficient to trigger feedback growth.
"Mental reinforcement… not bad."
Though Souma trained his mind constantly, feedback amplification far surpassed ordinary cultivation.
Unfortunately, due to the strict conditions of mental synchronization, it couldn't be widely promoted.
Its growth ceiling was limited.
In contrast—
The technique providing the most feedback was still Overlimit State: Muscle Control.
Thanks to it, Souma's physical strength had surged rapidly, and his chakra reserves had grown far beyond normal standards.
Maintaining two shadow clones simultaneously was no longer an issue—
Though releasing both at once might knock him unconscious.
Next, he tested Sage Mode.
As expected—
The duration had increased again.
Two full minutes.
That was without large-scale senjutsu. Techniques like Sage Art: Massive Rasengan would still drain him quickly.
After natural energy depletion, two optimization paths emerged in his mind.
First—
Fire Temple's Buddha Transformation was weakest in the head and mind.
If a mental defense layer could be constructed internally, could Sage Mode duration be extended?
Second—
Could he combine Thousand-Armed Murder with continuous natural-energy absorption during combat?
If successful—
Absorbing natural energy would become far safer.
Worth researching.
"Damn… two more projects."
Souma sighed.
"I should check on Kimimaro. I've given him several days—let's see if he's thought things through."
Souma didn't expect agreement.
But he still hoped.
At the ANBU holding area, he met Kimimaro again.
The result was predictable.
Kimimaro hadn't softened—but he was willing to talk.
Naturally, the topic was the Kaguya Clan.
At first, Kimimaro remained silent.
Only when the clan's extermination came up—leaving only distant relatives—did he finally speak.
"I was locked up as a child," Kimimaro said quietly. "Orochimaru-sama saved me."
"I see. Do you know why?"
"They were afraid of me."
After his parents died, the clan imprisoned him.
That sealed his indifference toward them.
"Then your level of Shikotsumyaku wasn't common within the clan," Souma mused. "My guess is that you're closer to the original ancestor—stronger bones, greater density."
"Perhaps."
"And your bloodline disease might be related."
Kimimaro froze.
"You said before it was caused by the curse mark."
"Diseases rarely have a single cause," Souma replied calmly. "In Konoha, we've seen similar cases."
He paused briefly.
"One cause is the curse mark amplifying your Shikotsumyaku. The other is that your body isn't strong enough to support a power that is close to the ancestor."
"That's… bad?"
"Not necessarily good."
Souma used an analogy.
"A wooden bucket can hold water. Fill it with iron blocks, and it breaks. Add corrosive liquid, and it collapses faster."
Kimimaro understood.
His bloodline was too strong.
His body couldn't keep up.
And the curse mark worsened it.
Even though Shikotsumyaku healed him, healing wasn't the same as strengthening.
Everything clicked.
And Orochimaru had suspected something similar.
"So…" Kimimaro asked quietly, "you make my body stronger?"
"Yes."
Silence followed.
Then—
"What's the price?"
"As I said before," Souma replied calmly. "Remain neutral. Do not leave Konoha. And you'll be under certain restrictions."
Kimimaro fell silent again.
"All previous terms still apply," Souma added with a smile. "You don't have to decide now. We'll have plenty of time over the next six months."
"…Alright."
Souma sealed Kimimaro once more.
For now—
That was enough.
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