Buddha Realm

"No loose ends left, right?"

Shimara Kentei asked as he took the Sage Talent Secret Technique scroll brought by his fiancée.

He had to be careful. After all, the Temple of Fire was an official organization of the Land of Fire, revered by the Feudal Lord's mansion.

If this matter were to leak, it would cause considerable trouble, potentially making the Shimura Clan a target.

"Rest assured, Master personally disguised himself as a ninja from Sunagakure and acted under the guise of gathering intelligence. He drugged the monk, knocked him unconscious, and then used Genjutsu to search his mind. Not a single trace was left behind."

Shimura Keiko handed him a Byakugan, fully aware of her father's meticulous methods. She then shifted her expression and sternly cautioned him.

"Be more careful from now on. You absolutely cannot use this Secret Technique in front of others, or it will cause us a lot of trouble.

Also, the Temple of Fire's Sage Talent requires a Buddhist artifact to absorb Nature Energy for cultivation, which we don't have.

Furthermore, although we customarily call the monks' energy Chakra and its properties are quite similar, it's not actually Chakra. It's a power called Mana, and there are certain differences."

"I wasn't planning on cultivating it directly, just referencing it. By the way, have you found the Uchiha Clan and the Tsuchigumo Clan?"

Kentei replied nonchalantly, inquiring about another matter.

There were many Sage Mode powers that appeared in Naruto. Besides the Three Great Sage Lands, there was also the Temple of Fire's Sage Talent and the Cursed Seals developed by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's Cursed Seals, in turn, originated from Jugo. Jugo could absorb Nature Energy autonomously, allowing his body to enter Sage Mode. Although it had significant side effects, like losing his mind, it was indeed a form of Sage Mode.

The Sage Mode inheritances from the Three Great Sage Lands were difficult to obtain, but those from the Temple of Fire and the Uchiha Clan were not problematic.

As for the Tsuchigumo Clan's Secret Technique, it didn't seem like it fused Sage Chakra. It was likely a crude utilization of Nature Energy, making it the least valuable.

"We found them, but we couldn't bring them here. We even clashed with the Uchiha Clan and only managed to obtain one arm.

The Tsuchigumo Clan members are very slippery. Before our people could even make contact, they all vanished. We don't know where they've gone."

As if she had anticipated Kentei's question, Keiko responded while taking out another Sealed Item Scroll. She unsealed it, revealing a severed arm frozen in ice.

Calling it an arm might not be entirely accurate; it was more like a clawed arm, covered in a thick layer of keratin like armor, clearly possessing considerable defensive capabilities.

"That's enough!"

Upon seeing the clawed arm, Kentei excitedly rubbed his hands together.

He didn't care whether the Uchiha Clan could be brought here. It would be best if they came; he could help them develop a method to master that Sage Transformation in the future. If they didn't come, it didn't matter, as they were the ones who lost out.

What he coveted was the Uchiha Clan's Sage Transformation physique. This single clawed arm was sufficient.

He ran his hand over the clawed arm, copied it into his data, and then placed it back in the refrigerator for safekeeping.

Next, he needed to conduct various experiments in the Black Cauldron Space until he developed a perfect Sage Mode cultivation method before he could practice it in reality.

He couldn't rush this; he had to take it slow. After all, he only had one life, and caution was paramount!

"Don't take such risks again in the future!"

After resealing the refrigerator containing the clawed arm, Keiko solemnly cautioned him before turning to leave, preparing to take the arm back to the clan's research institute for further study.

Although she hadn't participated in the invitation of the Uchiha Clan, she had read the intelligence reports from her clan members upon their return and was amazed by the Uchiha Clan's power.

Their transformed state was incredible, practically granting them immortality. Even with severed limbs, they could regenerate them quickly. This special physique held immense research value. If they could uncover its secrets and apply them to the Shimura Clan members, it would at least double the clan's strength.

After his fiancée left, Shimura Kentei finished reading and memorizing the scroll detailing the Sage Talent cultivation method. He took a simple bath, then lay down on his bed, his consciousness entering the Black Cauldron Space to begin researching the Temple of Fire's Sage Talent and the clawed arm.

He glanced at the Flower Tree Fruit and the clawed arm he had previously copied into the Black Cauldron Space, then walked to the side to study the Temple of Fire's Sage Talent Secret Technique.

The Temple of Fire's Sage Talent was a Secret Technique for absorbing and fusing Nature Energy, but its absorption and fusion ratio was far inferior to the Sage Mode of the Three Great Sage Lands.

He wasn't sure about the Sage Mode ratios of Shikkotsu Forest and Ryūchi Cave, but the Temple of Fire's Sage Talent had an absorption ratio of ten percent. This meant that nine parts of one's own Mana were used to fuse with Nature Energy, achieving a nine-to-one ratio, ultimately forming a stable Sage Chakra.

Because the proportion of Nature Energy was so small, the power of this Sage Chakra was far inferior to the Sage Chakra generated in Sage Mode from the Three Great Sage Lands.

"Buddha Realm? What the heck?"

His eyebrows furrowed as Kentei got stuck on something rather esoteric.

To cultivate the Temple of Fire's Sage Talent, one had to first comprehend a state called the Buddha Realm from Buddhist scriptures. Only the Buddha Realm could control Sage Energy; otherwise, one would inevitably suffer backlash.

"Making it sound so mystical, isn't it just a state of mental tranquility!"

After careful analysis, Shimura Kentei recalled Uzumaki Naruto's training process for Sage Mode in the Naruto series. It included a stage of mental focus, even sitting on a rock spike to maintain balance and achieve a state of stillness.

The Temple of Fire's Buddha Realm was essentially a state of mental tranquility, albeit slightly more advanced. Upon achieving the Buddha Realm, all emotions would be suppressed.

"No wonder Jiraiya had to stand still when using Kannon Thousand-Hand Kill in the original work. It was to fit the state of stillness, similar to the requirements for Sage Mode training at Mount Myōboku."

After analyzing the Kannon Thousand-Hand Kill Secret Technique, Kentei suddenly understood. This Secret Technique required the practitioner to be in a stationary state, not only mentally calm but also physically still, in order to quickly gather Nature Energy and ultimately fuse it into Sage Chakra.

Following Kannon Thousand-Hand Kill was Myoo Thousand-Hand Kill, which involved unleashing the suppressed emotions of the Buddha Realm in the form of anger, guiding the Sage Energy to erupt as well, attacking the opponent with immense power.

"Why is it still borrowing? Isn't there a method to refine and make it one's own?"

After comprehending the Temple of Fire's Sage Talent inheritance, Shimura Kentei was deeply disappointed.

What he truly desired was the Sage Mode cultivation method of the Three Great Sage Lands themselves, one that could enhance one's life essence and prolong lifespan, allowing them to live for thousands of years like the Great Toad Sage, not just a temporary Sage Mode.

The Sage Modes shown in the original work were all temporary uses of Nature Energy, with no way to completely refine it into one's own power.

Although this allowed one to use powerful Sage Art Ninjutsu with Sage Chakra, it could not enhance the practitioner's life essence.

As a modern individual from China, his concept of a cultivator's strength was that it should be directly proportional to their lifespan. The stronger one became, the longer their life would be.

Compared to cultivation novels where just entering a sect can add a hundred or two hundred years to one's lifespan, ninjas in the Naruto world are practically a scam.

Even peerless powerhouses like Uchiha Madara had lifespans no different from ordinary people, not even living past a hundred years old. It's utterly ridiculous!

I originally thought the Sage Talent of the Temple of Fire would be different, but it's not even as good as the Sage Mode rumored to come from the Three Great Sage Lands.

Fortunately, the Secret Technique of the Temple of Fire's Sage Talent seems to be cultivable with Chakra. The effect might be worse, but in the original Naruto story, Sarutobi Asuma once used it. However, the scale of his Kannon Thousand-Hand Kill was far inferior to Jiraiya's, and it couldn't be sustained. Still, it can serve as a stepping stone to interacting with Nature Energy.

"Combine!"

Regaining his composure, Shimura Kentei's gaze fell upon the copied claw arm. He activated the Black Cauldron Space's combination ability, integrating its data characteristics into his body.

"Bang!"

Less than ten seconds after integration, his entire body exploded, a truly tragic sight.

"It seems the owner of this claw arm was at least a Quasi-Kage level expert!"

After restoring the clone, Shimura Kentei mused.

The claw arm contained an immense amount of Chakra, over a thousand times his own. This indicated the incredible power of its owner.

Furthermore, the Chakra within the claw arm was extremely violent. It instantly overwhelmed his own Chakra, rampaging through his body, destroying all his meridians and acupoints, and finally causing him to explode.

That must be the Sage Chakra unique to the Uchiha Clan's Sage Transformation!

"Combine!"

Analyzing the previous attempt, Shimura Kentei once again used the combination ability to copy data from the claw arm and integrate it into his body.

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

Without daring to delay, before the Sage Chakra in the claw arm could go berserk, he activated the Adamantine Sealing Chains gifted by Uzumaki Mito to bind himself.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains lived up to their reputation as an Uzumaki Clan signature Secret Technique, capable of suppressing even the Nine-Tails. The Sage Chakra within him was immediately suppressed.

Using the Adamantine Sealing Chains to suppress the claw arm's Sage Chakra, Shimura Kentei began to study this power, attempting to fuse it with his own Chakra using the Sage Talent method.

It turned out the Sage Talent Secret Technique could indeed be cultivated with Chakra. After thousands of failures, he finally succeeded in fusing the claw arm's Sage Chakra with his own. Immediately, a violent, bloodthirsty thought surged into his mind, causing his entire body to lose control.

Because his own Chakra had been fused, the Adamantine Sealing Chains lost their restraining effect, plunging him into a berserk state, and the Sage Chakra within him grew even more ferocious.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, his entire body was once again blown apart into a mist of blood, a truly tragic sight.

"Alright, it seems I need to cultivate that so-called Buddha Realm first."

Restoring his form once more, Shimura Kentei understood that this approach wouldn't work. Even if he fused the claw arm's Sage Chakra, he couldn't control it, leading to the same result as just now, his body being shattered by the increasingly violent Sage Chakra.

Moreover, the previous fusion of Sage Chakra wasn't perfect; it couldn't even be called a fusion. It was more like a devouring, with his own Chakra being consumed by the claw arm's Sage Chakra.

"That mystical Buddha Realm is difficult to achieve, but I can try the Absolute Rational state!"

Stroking his chin, Shimura Kentei recalled a previous idea.

When he discovered the strength difference between Sister Keiko's main body and her clone, he had thought about developing a Secret Technique to achieve that Absolute Rational state as well.

At the time, it was solely to better utilize his own strength. Now, it seemed it could serve as a substitute for the mystical Buddha Realm.

Anyway, he couldn't figure out the Buddha Realm; it was too esoteric, said to require enlightenment from Buddhist scriptures and demanding extremely high comprehension. How could he possibly achieve it? Should he become a monk at the Temple of Fire?

He was self-aware. Although his fiancée saw him as a peerless genius, he knew that most of it was due to the Black Cauldron Space and the clone's characteristics. His own comprehension was very average, let alone comprehending that mystical Buddha Realm.

As for achieving the Absolute Rational state of the clone, he had considered a few relatively reliable methods.

"Hypnotic Genjutsu! No, the realm of the mind and consciousness is more complex than the human body, with more uncontrollable factors. Furthermore, the Black Cauldron Space's characteristics might not be able to recover from mental and consciousness issues. It would be a joke if it resulted in schizophrenia or personality splitting!"

His first thought was the unique Genjutsu of the Ninja World. If handled correctly, it could indeed create an Absolute Rational state, but he quickly dismissed it.

The clone in the Black Cauldron Space could only restore physical condition, with no help for the mental and willpower state. It was not worth the risk.

It's better to play it safe!

"Medicine!"

Considering the second method, Shimura Kentei frowned, not entirely satisfied.

Some drugs could indeed suppress human emotions. For instance, a movie he watched in his previous life, Equilibrium. The most famous aspect of that movie was gun-fu, which is also the source of most gun-fu themes online.

However, there was also a drug called Prozium, which could suppress human emotions by inhibiting hormones like dopamine. The priests in the movie were all emotionless powerhouses.

"With the current medical technology, researching a similar drug would likely take decades."

Rejecting this path, Shimura Kentei had little faith in Konoha's current medical technology and didn't have that much time to wait.

"It seems I have to go back to my old profession!"

After rejecting two ideas in succession, Shimura Kentei sighed helplessly.