Early the next morning.
Outside the cave, a sturdy panda poked its head into the entrance.
The cave Masahiko had chosen was just right for him, but for Iron Palm, it was far too narrow.
"Aow!"
It let out a cry.
Masahiko opened his eyes.
"Iron Palm?"
"Cough, the elders of the clan want to see you."
Iron Palm looked a bit embarrassed.
Masahiko understood perfectly.
It seemed the Panda Clan already knew about him mastering the Senjutsu cultivation method.
Or rather—
Ever since he entered their habitat, these pandas might have seemed lazy, but they had actually been watching him every day.
He stood up.
"I've been here for many days and haven't met the two elders yet. Where are they?"
"Just outside."
"Ah?"
Masahiko was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up and used Body Flicker to head out.
Afterward, he saw two upright pandas whose bodies had undergone some changes; they were pandas, but like Enma, they possessed some human physical characteristics.
One was burly and sturdy, holding an iron staff.
The other was relatively small and delicate, seemingly a female panda.
Masahiko first offered his greetings before saying, "Two elders—"
"Hello, hello. I am Elder Lie Jiu, and she is Shuiyun."
The panda who spoke had fur that leaned toward brown and white.
For some reason, Masahiko could see trepidation and urgency on their faces.
"As you can see, our clan's personality is quite lazy. We haven't had an outsider for hundreds of years, so we've been a bit neglectful."
The petite Shuiyun panda-person scratched her head. "This... have you mastered the cultivation method now?"
Masahiko understood.
Iron Palm had said before that even within the Panda Clan, only a few could master Senjutsu.
Many pandas were essentially just large beasts with slightly higher intelligence.
Ajisai from the Hidden Rain Village had contracted exactly that kind of panda.
Seeking Masahiko—
Naturally, they wanted to obtain a cultivation method.
Masahiko thought for a moment and said, "Elder Elder Lie Jiu, it's not that I'm being stingy, but my method isn't applicable to others."
He described his process of insight. "I possess the Byakugan, which allows me to develop my own Chakra pathway system through the Byakugan and open up more Tenketsu. Moreover, my Chakra control is stronger than that of ordinary people—"
Masahiko spoke slowly.
Elder Lie Jiu and Shuiyun looked disappointed after hearing this.
They hadn't heard of the Byakugan, but they understood the logic.
It indeed couldn't be popularized.
However.
Shuiyun still said, "Are you used to the food here? If not, we also have bamboo worms, bamboo rats, bamboo shoots, and so on—"
"Old man said before, this isn't how you deal with humans!"
Elder Lie Jiu gave her a glare, then looked at Masahiko. "I have some wine I brewed myself. I heard you humans are good at brewing; shall we exchange some tips?"
"It would be my honor."
Masahiko responded with a smile.
He also wanted to taste their clan's wine and food to see if they could effectively help him absorb Nature Energy, much like the insect meals of Mount Myōboku.
Half a day later, Masahiko opened his eyes.
Beside him, Elder Lie Jiu and Shuiyun were snoring away, looking quite adorable.
These pandas really have no guard up!
He stood up, recalling the afternoon's training—
The wine and food did have a certain degree of help for his cultivation.
Though it wasn't much, it would likely add up significantly over time.
He should get more in the future!
Looking at it this way, the Panda Clan wasn't as weak as Iron Palm had claimed, with no heritage to speak of; it was just that they were born this way and didn't realize it.
It should be successful in two or three years!
Cultivating in the mountains, one loses track of time.
Masahiko had gone out occasionally, active in the Ninja World under the identities of the "Black-Robed Man" and "Demon Pill," so he knew a bit about outside affairs.
More than a year had passed, and the landscape of the Ninja World hadn't changed much overall.
However.
The development of Hidden Forest Village had hit some bottlenecks; they lacked high-end combat power and cultivation methods that could be relatively quick to master.
Masahiko had no choice but to come out.
Land of Bears.
Located at the junction of the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Birds, there was a forest filled with poisonous gas.
—
The central area was exactly where Hoshigakure was located.
On this day—
"Lord Akahoshi, I heard from outsiders that there's a group of very strong Rogue Ninja in the Ninja World right now—"
"Our Land of Bears has poisonous mist and canyons; no one would dare invade this place. Even if enemies come, I can defeat them."
Akahoshi didn't care at all.
Right then—
Boom!
A loud explosion rang out.
The building collapsed.
Akahoshi looked over in shock, only to find that the person who had been kicked over was none other than his confidant and capable assistant, Night Hawk.
Ahead, a line extended all the way from the village entrance to this spot.
Kicked all the way from the village entrance to here—
What kind of terrifying physical strength was this?
Shiso beside him swallowed hard and quietly retreated.
Such an enemy was impossible to defeat!
"You, who are you?"
Akahoshi was terrified, completely forgetting his boastful words from a moment ago.
A sharp whistle sounded.
Akahoshi couldn't see what was happening at all.
Immediately after, a sharp pain shot through various parts of his body. The next second, he discovered to his horror that he could no longer move.
Just now—
What was that?
"What did you do?"
He watched Masahiko approach step by step, his face filled with terror and panic.
"Be quiet, or I'll kill you."
A cold voice rang out.
Akahoshi swallowed hard, not daring to speak another word.
Because the other party truly could kill him easily, and it felt as if a needle was stuck in his flesh; even the slightest movement caused excruciating pain.
In reality, what was inside his body was just a small strand of hair.
Enhanced by Senjutsu Chakra, this strand of hair was harder than iron.
Combined with the Byakugan, it also possessed the ability to strike Tenketsu.
Masahiko was very satisfied.
However, he had only preliminary mastery of Senjutsu, far from perfect. It couldn't even be considered Sage Mode. The Panda Clan's cultivation method required one to work from the outside in, letting the body adapt and fuse with Senjutsu Chakra.
Forcing Sage Transformation would lead to a difficult-to-treat Ironification disease.
It didn't matter to pandas—in fact, it was a benefit—but Masahiko had the Training Space, and he knew very well which path was more correct.
He didn't need to rush in the short term.
Furthermore.
Now he could quickly refine Senjutsu Chakra for brief use in Senjutsu, which wasn't actually that different.
"My Lord, what... what are you planning to do?"
Akahoshi was trembling.
Masahiko looked at him with a bright smile and said, "Your Hoshigakure possesses great wealth, so I have brought you a blessing."
Ah?
Akahoshi was confused.
The next second, he saw the other party reach out.
Following that, a massive amount of Chakra poured into his entire body.
"Aaaaaah!"
Screams echoed throughout the surroundings.
Akahoshi was doing it on purpose, of course.
He hoped to use this to call for help, but in reality, Hoshigakure's Anbu and Ninja forces had arrived long ago.
They didn't dare show themselves.
And now—
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
The next moment, Masahiko withdrew his hand.
"As expected, your village's Star causes quite serious damage to the body. Fortunately, I treated you in time; you're fine now."
A soft laugh came from behind the mask. "Now, try cultivating again."
"I'm healed?"
Akahoshi was a mix of surprise and joy.
It really didn't hurt anymore!
Except for the areas where the other party had pierced him, which still felt a bit painful.
He felt awe in his heart and didn't dare to have any thoughts of resistance; he walked to the Star and began to cultivate.
Shiso in the back was dumbfounded.
What was going on?
The other party didn't come to kill?
Akahoshi sat cross-legged and cultivated; with the help of the Star Core, the Chakra in his body continued to rise.
Masahiko observed from the side, lost in thought.
The next second, he said, "I'll help you with the treatment. Don't worry about the backlash; try to cultivate faster."
While speaking—
Masahiko added some Genjutsu hypnosis.
Akahoshi's expression became dazed, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, My Lord!"
He created a Shadow Clone to assist the other's cultivation from behind, while his main body looked at Shiso and said, "Tell the villagers to go back. I have no ill intent."
"Yes!"
How could Shiso dare to object?
He took two steps out, then turned back. "My Lord, could I also—"
"You may. I will help you."
Masahiko replied with a smile.
Shiso was overjoyed and hurriedly ran out to soothe the villagers.
Half a day later.
Akahoshi opened his eyes and said with great joy, "So strong! I've become very strong, hahahaha! You fool, did you really think I would submit to you?"
The next moment, he directly attacked, lunging at Masahiko.
The massive amount of Chakra transformed into a giant Chakra dragon.
However.
The instant the dragon was about to strike Masahiko, strands of ironized hair pierced through his heart, throat, and other vital points, further interrupting the flow of Chakra in his body.
Akahoshi looked stunned.
Masahiko's gaze was cold as he looked outward with a smile. "Your name is Shiso? Now, your chance has come."
"Yes, My Lord!"
Shiso was overjoyed and ran in respectfully. "I am different from Akahoshi; I am completely loyal to you and will never have any second thoughts!"
"It doesn't matter if you want to betray me; I don't care."
Masahiko was smiling.
The next moment, he reached out his hand.
Shiso's eyelid twitched as he sensed something was wrong, but he could no longer help himself; his body was enveloped by a special Chakra, rendering him unable to move.
Soon, a sharp pain shot through his brain.
This was—
Some kind of Forbidden Technique to restrict him?
Shiso was terrified and didn't dare to have any thoughts of resistance.
Masahiko's expression was calm as he said, "Let's go."
After speaking, he took the Star Core and left behind a booklet.
It contained some basic Medical Ninjutsu knowledge and specific methods for treating the residual side effects of the Mysterious Peacock Method.
At the same time—
There were also a few words.
His goal achieved, he had no interest in staying here any longer.
Whether to use this knowledge would be up to Hoshigakure itself.
Shiso was excited and quickly followed, but in reality, he was just a slightly more obedient test subject than Akahoshi.
Only after he led the way out did Hoshigakure's Anbu and Ninja forces dare to emerge.
The leader cautiously approached the area.
Suddenly, a figure flew down from above. She scanned the Ninjas outside and then picked up the booklet placed where the Star Core had originally been.
This is—
Natsuhi's eyes widened slightly.
A healing method!
She was overjoyed and continued reading.
Soon—
There were a few words at the bottom.
"I have brought Hoshigakure the blessing of peace and healing, and taken away what you could not control."
Natsuhi looked around at the miserably dead Akahoshi and couldn't help but fall silent.
What a terrifying opponent!
Fortunately, the other party's target was only the 'Star'.