Leaving behind the Kaguya Clan's settlement, which was filled with the stench of blood and despair, Chiya took Haku and Kimimaro and headed toward the eastern sea.
With two more children, their journey had obviously slowed down.
Chiya was not in a hurry.
Jūgo was on that island, so arriving a few days earlier or later made no difference.
Instead, this relatively peaceful journey was the perfect opportunity to shape the two unpolished gems beside him.
Along the way, Chiya did not speak much, but whenever he did, his words always went straight to the heart of the matter.
As they passed through a battlefield scarred field, Chiya looked at the scorched earth and the scattered patches of new green struggling to emerge.
"Power itself has no good or evil. Just like this land, it can nurture life, but it can also bear destruction. What matters is the person who wields that power and where their heart is headed."
Haku seemed to understand only part of it and asked softly, "Teacher, then... can my Ice Release also avoid hurting other people?"
"Of course."
Chiya nodded.
"Ice can freeze everything, but it can also turn water into bridges. Your heart determines what form it takes."
He looked at the silent Kimimaro beside him.
"The same applies to your bones. Will they become weapons of slaughter or shields that protect others? The choice is yours, not something dictated by your bloodline."
Kimimaro's green eyes flickered slightly as he lowered his head and looked at his small palm.
For the first time, he began to think about the meaning of the word 'choice.'
Before this, he had only been a weapon used by his clan.
The concept of 'protection' was as distant as the stars in the sky...
When they camped at night, Chiya would light a campfire and begin teaching them the most basic ninja theory.
They could not begin ninja training yet, but there was no reason they could not learn the basic theory in advance.
"Chakra is the fusion of physical energy and spiritual energy. Extraction, control, and application are the foundation of everything a ninja does."
A strand of pale blue Chakra curled around his fingertip.
"Feel it, just as you feel your own breathing."
He taught the two of them the most basic Chakra extraction and control techniques.
He did not require them to master them immediately, but simply wanted them to establish a basic understanding.
"Powerful ninjutsu comes from precise control, not brute force. Remember, control will always be more important than destructive power."
"..."
The two listened with great interest and took his lessons very seriously.
Of course, that was when it came to their lessons.
Chiya also paid considerable attention to their food.
After all, the two of them were still children.
Because they had suffered from long-term malnutrition, their bodies were severely weakened.
Unlike when he traveled alone and ate whenever he pleased, Chiya now deliberately used the money he carried with him, or the meat of small animals he occasionally hunted, to exchange for fresh vegetables, eggs, and grain in villages along the way that had not yet been completely sealed off.
He even personally baked flatbread for them.
The body was the foundation of everything.
Without a healthy body, no matter how hard they trained in the future, their efforts would be in vain.
Unless you were one of those 'chosen ones' who appeared in the Kurama Clan every once in a while.
He divided the tender, crispy roasted meat and flatbread between the two children, who were staring at the food eagerly.
There was also a bowl of kelp soup for each of them.
They were at the age when their bodies were growing, so he could not afford to be careless.
At first, Haku and Kimimaro were somewhat reserved, but under Chiya's calm and unquestionable gaze, they gradually relaxed.
The warm, nourishing food filled their stomachs, driving away the chill from their bodies and gradually bringing some color back to their pale faces.
Haku especially could feel that after several days of regular meals and proper rest, the power inside his body that was often restless and unstable seemed to have become much more docile.
Three days passed quietly in this manner.
The changes in the two children were obvious.
Haku was no longer as lost and confused as he had been at first.
There was now a little more stability in his eyes, along with curiosity about the future.
Kimimaro remained quiet, but his once empty green eyes had begun to show signs of thought.
He would silently observe everything Chiya did, and whenever Chiya taught them something, he would listen with particular attentiveness.
Chiya's words were like a crack being carved into his closed-off world, allowing a different kind of light to shine through.
On the morning of the fourth day, the salty sea breeze became particularly strong.
After passing through a dense coastal forest filled with strange, twisted trees, a gray and hazy stretch of sea appeared before them.
In the distance, the outline of an island shrouded in thin mist could be seen faintly.
This was Ōzu Island, the place mentioned in the intelligence.
There was no boat, so Chiya simply used Chakra to walk across the water with the two children, stepping onto the island as easily as if he were walking on solid ground.
The environment on the island was indeed abnormal.
The vegetation was unusually tall and dense, while the air was filled with rich natural energy and an agitated, restless aura.
Occasionally, muffled roars from beasts could be heard deep within the island.
Chiya now possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan, so he released his sensory abilities.
He quickly locked onto a unique and violent source of energy.
Taking Haku and Kimimaro with him, he walked toward it without hurrying.
Eventually, in a chaotic clearing at the center of the island, they saw their target.
It was a child with orange hair and orange eyes.
He was slightly taller and more robust than Kimimaro.
Jūgo was crouching on the ground, carefully lifting a wildflower that had been knocked over by the wind and fixing it back into place with soil.
Hearing footsteps, he raised his head and revealed a gentle, even somewhat timid face.
When he saw Chiya and the other two, he froze for a moment.
Then obvious anxiety appeared on his face.
"You... you're from outside?"
He stood up and waved his hands urgently.
"Leave this place quickly! It's dangerous here, extremely dangerous! Hurry up and go!"
Chiya looked at his brown eyes, which were filled with fear and concern, and understood exactly what he meant by 'danger.'
"Danger?"
Chiya calmly questioned him without stopping.
"Yes! Extremely dangerous! It will... it will hurt you!"
Seeing that they refused to listen, Jūgo became even more anxious, almost to the point of tears.
"Please, I'm begging you, leave quickly!"
Suddenly, his body trembled violently.
His face instantly turned deathly pale, and his pupils contracted.
He bit his lip tightly and stopped speaking.
Then he abruptly turned around and stumbled toward the depths of the forest.
Chiya watched his retreating figure and said to the two children behind him, "Follow me."
He then followed Jūgo's path without hurrying.
Guided by the footprints and the restless Chakra lingering in the air, they eventually arrived before a hidden cave.
Heavy, suppressed breathing and the clinking of chains could be heard from inside.
The three entered the cave.
The sight inside made Haku and Kimimaro hold their breath.
Jūgo was kneeling with his back to the entrance.
Thick iron chains were tightly wrapped around his arms and body, with the other ends deeply embedded in the cave wall.
His exposed skin was turning gray and black at a visible rate.
Strange patterns spread across his body like living creatures, while his muscles swelled unnaturally, radiating the aura of a beast.
It seemed that he was using the last of his strength to resist something.
His entire body trembled violently.
Hearing the footsteps, he struggled to turn his head.
Half of his face still retained its human appearance, while the other half was already covered in gray-black scales, making him look terrifying.
Jūgo's only remaining human eye was bloodshot and filled with pain and struggle.
"Leave... hurry and leave..."
He forced the broken words from deep within his throat, each one seeming to consume the last of his strength.
"I... I can't control it anymore... I... I'll kill you..."
Haku and Kimimaro were startled and instinctively looked toward Chiya.
Facing the monster-like figure before them and the violent pressure filling the air, their hearts pounded.
Chiya's expression remained unchanged.
He quietly watched Jūgo struggle in the chains as his reason was gradually being devoured, and a look of understanding flashed through his mind.
A body naturally capable of absorbing natural energy was a talent countless ninjas could only dream of.
Unfortunately, possessing a treasure without having the key to unlock it, and having no one to guide him, had turned this gift into a curse that tormented him.
It had transformed this kind-hearted boy into a monster controlled by his own power.
In some ways, Jūgo's situation was incredibly similar to Haku and Kimimaro's.
All three were unfortunate people trapped by their own power.
At that moment, the last trace of pleading in Jūgo's voice disappeared.
In its place came a completely inhuman roar filled with the desire for destruction.
He suddenly thrashed his body, and the iron chains shook violently under the strain.
He turned around completely.
His eyes were blood red, containing nothing but primitive savagery as they locked onto the three 'intruders' inside the cave.
His reason was completely gone.
Jūgo's eyes remained blood red as he let out meaningless roars.
He violently smashed everything around him with his mutated arms, causing the surrounding rocks to shatter.
His strength was astonishing.
"Roar!"
The last trace of reason in Jūgo's eyes was completely swallowed by his rage.
He let out a deafening roar that sounded nothing like a human voice, and his body underwent a terrifying transformation in an instant!
His muscles expanded wildly, tearing his clothes apart.
His skin was completely covered by gray-black curse markings.
His hands and feet transformed into claws, fangs grew from his mouth, and his entire body became a fierce humanoid monster that knew nothing but destruction and slaughter.
"Clang!"
The iron chains restraining him were stretched taut by his tremendous strength and let out a strained groan as fragments of rock fell from the cave wall.
Jūgo's enraged form instantly locked onto the only 'foreign presence' inside the cave.
Chiya, Haku, and Kimimaro.
He suddenly pulled against the chains.
"Boom!"
The chains embedded in the rock wall were forcibly torn apart!
Dragging the remaining chains behind him, he charged toward Chiya like an out-of-control war machine, carrying a violent aura of bloodshed and destruction.
His speed and strength were far beyond those of an ordinary ninja!
"Teacher!"
Haku cried out in fright.
Kimimaro was also stunned by the sudden change.
Facing the violent charge capable of tearing steel apart and shattering stone, Chiya did not even use his Rinnegan.
He merely shifted his body slightly, narrowly avoiding Jūgo's claw that could split stone and crack monuments.
At the same time, his right hand shot forward like lightning, with precisely controlled Chakra swirling between his five fingers.
The five Chakra natures of Lightning, Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth were completed in an instant.
Five Elements Seal!
His palm struck the center of Jūgo's mutated chest with absolute precision.
"Seal!"
The single word sounded as though it carried an invisible command.
The precisely controlled Chakra in Chiya's palm instantly transformed into countless fine runes.
Like living creatures, they rapidly seeped into Jūgo's skin and traveled against the flow of the violently rampaging natural energy inside his body, suppressing, calming, and sealing it.
"Ugh... roar?!"
Jūgo's charging body suddenly stiffened, and his attack came to an abrupt halt.
He let out a muffled roar filled with both pain and confusion.
The violent aura surrounding him rapidly weakened like a punctured balloon.
The gray-black curse markings visibly faded and disappeared.
His swollen muscles contracted.
His claws and fangs vanished.
His blood-red eyes also returned to their original color.
However, they were now filled with immense confusion and weakness.
Within just a few breaths, the terrifying monster disappeared, once again becoming the robust orange-haired child.
He collapsed to the ground with a thud, his entire body drenched in sweat.
He stared blankly at the ceiling of the cave, still unable to recover from the extreme transition between his previous rampage and his current calm state.
The chains that had bound him were already broken and scattered across the ground.
The cave fell silent.
Only Jūgo's heavy breathing remained.
Haku and Kimimaro were completely stunned.
They knew their teacher was powerful, but they had never imagined he could be this powerful.
The violent monster that had made both of them feel frightened had been subdued by their teacher with such ease, as if he had merely extinguished a flickering flame.
Chiya withdrew his hand and looked at the confused Jūgo lying on the ground.
"Now, we can have a proper talk."
Jūgo breathed heavily, his face filled with exhaustion and... fear.
Fear of the power he could not control.
Fear of when the next loss of control would come.
Chiya watched him quietly for a moment before stepping outside.
The sound of his footsteps startled Jūgo.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes like those of a frightened beast, filled with wariness and unease.
When he saw Chiya and the two seemingly harmless children behind him, his tense muscles relaxed slightly, but he still did not lower his guard.
"Who... who are you people?"
Jūgo's voice was hoarse and dry.
Chiya did not answer directly.
His gaze swept over the signs of destruction around them as he calmly spoke.
"Power you cannot control brings nothing but pain and destruction. Do you want to escape from it, or be consumed by it?"
Jūgo's entire body trembled.
Those words seemed to strike directly at the deepest pain in his heart.
He lowered his head and tightly grabbed his own hair as he spoke in anguish.
"I... I don't know... It... it won't obey me... I'll hurt other people..."
"Losing control comes from ignorance and fear."
Chiya's voice carried a strange calming power.
"Come with me. I can help you."
Jūgo raised his head and stared blankly at Chiya.
From this unfamiliar man, he felt a level of strength and... tranquility he had never experienced before.
That tranquility was something he had desperately longed for but could never attain.
Chiya said nothing more.
He simply waited quietly.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the dense branches, casting dappled shadows across his body.
Haku and Kimimaro stood behind Chiya, quietly watching Jūgo as well.
Jūgo slowly lowered his hands and struggled to stand.
Then, facing Chiya, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The sea breeze passed through the forest, and the leaves rustled softly.
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