Something Big Happened (Please Keep Reading! Please Invest!)

The Blut Arterie launch could be called a complete success.

Anyone could see just how powerful this terrifying technique was.

Just imagine it: a three-man squad, with one ninja using Blut Vene as a meat shield up front, resisting all kinds of attacks with his body; one using Blut Arterie in the rear, charging up terrifying giant fireballs; and a Medical Ninja alongside them. What kind of scene would that be?

Even if the Blut Vene ninja went berserk every time and held off three enemies alone while demanding that the Blut Arterie user unleash a massive self-destruction, they could probably beat the shit out of ninjas from every nation. Not to mention that Blut Vene excelled at taijutsu, Blut Arterie was versatile, and with a Medical Ninja's support, both of them would recover at terrifying speeds.

At this rate, what ninja village could stop them? What ninja village could possibly stop them? There was no way they could withstand the attacks of that damned triangle!

Yet compared to the ninjas' jubilant mood, the six people inside the Hokage's Office—the Sannin, Aizen, the Hokage, and Kakashi Hatake—wore vastly different expressions.

Jiraiya glanced at the mild-mannered Aizen and the utterly unconcerned Kakashi Hatake, let out an almost imperceptible sigh, then strode forward and dropped to one knee before the Third Hokage, clasping his hands in salute.

"I hope you will seal away the Blut Arterie technique, Sensei."

"Give me a reason, Jiraiya."

"Because Nature Energy is truly too dangerous, Sensei."

Casting a pitying glance at Kakashi Hatake, who seemed to be rolling his eyes, Jiraiya spoke quietly to his teacher.

"The Three Great Sage Lands do not use Sage Mode to maintain a monopoly. It is because Sage Mode is too dangerous. A single misstep can turn someone into stone or transform them into something else. Only the Three Great Sage Lands can solve that problem."

"In other words, this crude Sage Mode called Blut Arterie is almost certainly gambling with the lives of children and its users. It is an exquisite technique—one could even call it the crown of the entire ninjutsu system. Using it so casually could easily bring about unimaginable danger. You simply don't understand."

"And more importantly, Sosuke, how dare you let a child undergo such an experiment?! I was truly wrong about you! Why would you make such a young child do something like this?!"

"..."

By the end, Jiraiya had become so emotional that he was pointing at Aizen and loudly berating him.

Meanwhile, Tsunade expressionlessly looked up at the ceiling, while Orochimaru glanced away. Only Kakashi Hatake looked at Jiraiya with open disdain.

What Kakashi hated most was when people started talking about his age whenever he achieved Results. It was as though being young meant he had somehow gained an advantage over others, while the Results he had produced did not matter at all.

Faced with such harsh accusations, Aizen did not even wait for the Third Hokage to question him. He pushed up his glasses and stepped forward.

"Please calm down, Jiraiya-kun. Naturally, I have my reasons for doing this."

Still wearing that gentle smile that made his words overwhelmingly persuasive, Aizen made a calming gesture and quietly began to explain.

"As everyone knows, Blut Vene is a secret technique that establishes a flow pattern based on Chakra's path through the body's meridian network, allowing it to flow alongside the blood through Chakra nodes to form a defensive barrier."

"This technique has greatly enhanced the vitality and defensive capabilities of all ninjas, but to me, its greatest significance was that it opened a path for interaction between blood and Chakra—in other words, the possibility of automatic circulation."

"So I began to wonder: since Blut Vene, which operates within the body, can circulate so perfectly on its own, what would happen if I mixed it with external energy? Could it produce an even stronger ability? Could it allow someone to unleash greater power in a short time?"

"And then, I found it."

Before the utterly bewildered Jiraiya, Aizen spoke at length to the two technical experts before him.

The sight of him discussing technical points with such confidence drew even Tsunade, who had initially been somewhat distracted, back into the conversation. She nodded along with great seriousness.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, stared at Sosuke Aizen with blazing eyes, as though he had discovered a gold mine exposed on the surface—his gaze filled with recognition and longing.

But Aizen did not care what the Sannin thought. He only looked toward the Third Hokage.

Then, as the Third Hokage silently nodded, Aizen pushed up his glasses and laid out the entire theory behind Blut Arterie for the Sannin.

"The Ren Meridian runs from beneath the lips to the lower abdomen, while the Du Meridian runs from the rear to the crown of the forehead. These two meridians Pierced through the human body and maintain a relative balance during Chakra circulation."

"Following the research path of the Eight Gates Formation, I conducted further studies and ultimately identified twenty-four Chakra-converging acupoints. Using the heart and blood vessels as the foundation, I developed the defensive technique known as Blut Vene."

"Building upon that understanding, I interlinked the twelve acupoints on the front and back of the body in an alternating pattern. With a specially formulated liquid to sense and absorb the energy, it became possible to perfectly regulate Chakra at a one-to-one ratio. This Chakra then combines with the static fluid and circulates through the body along a predetermined route."

"These Results were not based on experience or so-called common sense. Blut Arterie is a systematic technique developed through meticulous research and discovery, bold hypotheses, and careful experimental verification. So long as blood continues to flow through the body, life-energy Chakra will automatically operate, siphoning in external Nature Energy, converting it within the body, and ultimately releasing it as independent Blut Arterie energy."

"That is only a simple overview. For the details, please refer to the paper I placed in the library."

Though it was merely a simple explanation, it was already enough to make Jiraiya dizzy and leave him utterly overwhelmed.

To be honest, although Jiraiya claimed to understand, he did not really understand this stuff at all. His ability to enter Sage Mode was largely thanks to the two Mount Myōboku sages he had summoned.

So when faced with Sosuke Aizen's lengthy, top-student-like technical lecture, he hurriedly called for him to stop. If Aizen continued, Jiraiya's bargain-bin Sage Mode might truly fail to hold up, and he would only embarrass himself.

"I don't want to hear those theories. Just tell me why it's acceptable to let Kakashi do something so dangerous."

"Dangerous? What part of it is dangerous? Everything is within safe limits."

Looking strangely at the sweat-covered Jiraiya, Sosuke Aizen spoke naturally.

"The reason users are required to avoid jolts is that this balance requires control over the interlinking and movement of the body's twenty-four acupoints. Once the body undergoes major changes, causing temporary blockage of the acupoints or damage to the siphoning process, Blut Arterie mode will automatically deactivate without producing any other negative effects."

"However, while it is safe, its effect is correspondingly not as powerful as having one's entire body transformed into so-called Sage Art Chakra. At least half to three-quarters of the Chakra must be used to assimilate the Chakra affected afterward. Put simply, it uses medicinal blockages within the body to establish an entirely new small cycle, relatively isolated from the external cycle."

"If your Sage Modes have a power level of one hundred, then Blut Arterie's power may only be around fifty to twenty-five. However, its advantage lies in its safety. In a critical situation, it can also unleash power at one hundred—that is, by removing the suppository and medicinal restrictions, expanding the Chakra circulation within the body without limit, and entering the final fusion-burst state. But at that point, it will depend on the ninja's own ability to regulate themselves afterward."

"From every perspective, this complies with all safety procedures. Moreover, Kakashi-kun personally drafted those safety regulations, so I have no reason to oppose it."

"Huh?"

Jiraiya's voice rose even higher, carrying a note of disbelief.

"How could you let a seven-year-old child do something like this? Kakashi is still a child. What could he possibly understand about safety regulations?"

"—!"

Damn it, why?

What was wrong with being seven years old? Couldn't a seven-year-old be a genius??

Listening to the instinctive words of that so-called Sannin Legendary Hero, veins bulged on Kakashi Hatake's forehead. He wanted nothing more than to go up and slap him across the face.

You're spouting nonsense, tarnishing my research results, and saying it was impossible. Did you ever ask what I thought?

Aside from providing the idea and funding, Sosuke Aizen had nothing to do with Blut Arterie. I was the one who researched everything else!

But there was no time for Kakashi Hatake to defend himself, because in the next instant, the door to the Hokage's Office was smashed open by a Ninja.

"Third Hokage! Something terrible has happened! The library archives, they—"

A seemingly ordinary-looking Ninja rushed in, panic written all over his face.

He was probably Anbu, but this news was so grave that there was no longer any need to maintain the standards required for Anbu work.

The Ninja staggered forward, drenched in sweat, and dropped to one knee. Trembling all over, he delivered news that struck everyone present like a thunderbolt.

"The library archives—every copied record of Advisor Sosuke Aizen's research has just been confirmed missing! The Anbu center was attacked by enemies at the same time! At least thirteen Ninja have defected from the village simultaneously! What should we do, Third Hokage?!"

"..."

Hearing that shocking report, the Third Hokage's expression froze at once.

He knew Sosuke Aizen's habits. As a professionally trained Ninja, Aizen habitually submitted one copy of his materials to Konoha and kept another copied version in the library.

These materials were usually protected with extreme security. The records within Konoha were guarded directly by the Anbu, while the copies in the library served as bait to lure spies and were guarded by Danzō's Root.

But now the materials were gone. Where was Danzō's Root?!

"Danzō! Where is Danzō?! Bring him to see me immediately!"

"Third Hokage."

Seeing that the Third Hokage had begun to lose his composure, Sosuke Aizen adjusted his glasses, stepped closer, and spoke softly.

"Lord Shimura Danzō left overnight with Root yesterday to negotiate in the Land of Rain because of your Land of Rain policy. You know..."

"..."

Upon hearing those words, the Third Hokage's face immediately turned deathly pale.

The Land of Rain front had been completely withdrawn, but the Land of Rain front could not be left unmanned. This was something every Ninja village and Ninja agreed upon.

Although Shimura Danzō had concealed it well and departed overnight without anyone noticing, the enemy had likely thought the same. They had gambled that Konoha would certainly secretly divert some of its relevant Ninja to the Land of Rain.

Now, it seemed they had won that gamble.

And Hiruzen Sarutobi knew full well that, because of his momentary impulse, the consequences to come would likely be catastrophic.

All theoretical techniques and principles behind Blut Arterie and Blut Vene had been stolen.

Konoha's technological advantage was gone.