Major Discovery by the Barrier Team

Yichen had already made plans for these five days.

After a year of intermittent experiments, he had more or less finished testing the fragments of the "Fire Domain" Sealing Jutsu.

Of the several hundred fragments, Yichen had gradually figured out the functions of the vast majority through repeated experiments.

A portion remained impossible to test. Some had incomplete structures, while others had functions that were especially difficult to restore.

Based on the overall structure and layout of the seal, Yichen had already guessed the functions of those fragments with reasonable accuracy.

Only two remained unsolved. They were among the largest of the hundreds of fragments, and they were also the two Yichen had the least clue about.

Still, Yichen's progress in Sealing Jutsu over the past year had been quite impressive.

After numerous attempts and analyses of the entire Sealing Jutsu, Yichen guessed that the first fragment concerned how the "Fire Domain" generated flames, while the second concerned how it converted Natural Energy.

Moreover, Yichen had a general direction for how to research them. He simply needed the help of the others from the Barrier Team to complete this step.

Since he happened to have five days off, Yichen arrived at the Barrier Team early in the morning and gathered every Sealing Jutsu expert currently in the village once more.

Unlike last time, when everyone heard that Yichen needed help, none of them hesitated much before coming over.

Once everyone had arrived, Yichen spent a full hour explaining his ideas for dismantling the "Fire Domain" Sealing Jutsu, his research approach, and the broad results of his experiments over the past year.

Naturally, he only discussed the results in terms of general direction. Actual knowledge could not be taught freely; even within the village, there were confidentiality rules.

Everyone was stunned after hearing him. Most of them were still researching B-rank Sealing Jutsu.

Even Sealing Jutsu masters like Mizuhara and Bunji, who had already reached A-rank, were still working on A-rank Sealing Jutsu.

As for S-rank Sealing Jutsu, they had seen it before, but they had no idea where to begin. Unlike Yichen, who had boldly dismantled an S-rank Sealing Jutsu—and actually managed to uncover something from it.

Yichen's main identity now was as a member of Team Five, but strangely enough, his position in the Barrier Team had not been revoked. In fact, he still collected a salary from the Barrier Team every month, and all the materials he used to research Sealing Jutsu were supplied by the Barrier Team.

This had been a unanimous decision among the Barrier Team's higher-ups. They believed that Yichen's Sealing Jutsu proficiency would surpass theirs sooner or later, and making Yichen feel more favorably toward the Barrier Team was a good thing.

After all, leaving aside everything else, the research approach Yichen had just spent an hour describing was already worth the salary they paid him every month.

When Yichen finally mentioned that two Sealing Jutsu fragments remained unsolved and that he had even guessed their functions, the entire Barrier Team went wild.

No one there was stupid. With even a little imagination, they could understand just how great an impact it would have on the entire ninja world if the principles behind those two fragments were decoded.

Of course, fully decoding them would not be easy. Even the Uzumaki Clan, who had developed this Sealing Jutsu, probably had not completely deciphered the principles behind converting Natural Energy.

Otherwise, the Uzumaki Clan would have long possessed a method for cultivating Sage Techniques.

But even if they could not understand the principles, it would be enough if they could successfully convert Natural Energy through experiments. Who knew what forbidden techniques they might be able to develop from it?

Thus, everyone set aside their current work and began collectively discussing the two fragments.

As expected, this matter was reported to Ōnoki. For no other reason than that Ōnoki's attainments in Sealing Jutsu were also considerable, so they ought to drag him into it.

Sure enough, after Ōnoki heard about the research project, he set aside time every day to take part in it.

As one of the strongest people in the ninja world, Ōnoki had broad vision and offered the researchers quite a few suggestions.

Yichen's break was not long, only five days, but decoding these two fragments was far more difficult than he had imagined. Five days were nowhere near enough. In fact, throughout those five days, they had not even moved beyond the discussion and design stage of theory.

Everyone let their imaginations run wild and proposed all kinds of ideas.

The result was that there were too many ideas, the experiments would take too long, and the costs were too high, forcing them to narrow the list down and try the more feasible ideas first.

Although he could not participate from beginning to end because of missions, Yichen still gained a great deal. Ōnoki personally approved an A-rank mission reward for him.

The reward amounted to a full five thousand Contribution Points, instantly accomplishing Yichen's short-term goal.

Without wasting a moment, Yichen immediately exchanged for the Sensory Ninjutsu he had been yearning for.

Unlike combat Ninjutsu, Sensory Ninjutsu belonged to the category of pre-battle preparation techniques. It did not demand much Hand Seal Speed and was particularly easy to learn, so it was expensive as well.

After obtaining the technique, Yichen returned home and began reading.

Thanks to his studies of Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu knowledge over the years, Yichen's theoretical foundation had been improving rapidly. He had no difficulty at all understanding this Sensory Ninjutsu.

Once he understood the principle behind its use, Yichen began his first practice session. Just as he had expected, the greatest test of Sensory Ninjutsu was Mental Power, and that was precisely Yichen's strength.

His first attempt succeeded. This was the first time in the five years since Yichen had transmigrated that learning something had gone so smoothly.

After completing the hand seals, Yichen placed one finger against the floor. Following the technique's description, with Chakra as support, his consciousness spread outward through his chakra pathways.

It was a very strange experience, as though an invisible hand were feeling around in every direction, feeding everything it touched back into his mind, where it formed a scene.

The process was actually very fast. Only a few seconds after Yichen used the technique, he had surveyed the surrounding area.

However, this technique had a flaw: it could only detect living things—or rather, things that possessed energy.

In Yichen's perception, countless Lifeforms existed around him. Most had extremely faint life force.

It was like drawing on paper with very pale colors. Without looking carefully, one would not notice them at all.

A small number of Lifeforms were enormous, like tiny suns that made the image Yichen perceived begin to tremble.

Yichen knew these were Ninja. Those tiny sun-like things were the Chakra within their bodies.

After trying the method recorded in the technique, Yichen stopped focusing on those large sources of light and deliberately avoided them instead.

He practiced like this for a long time. Watching the light sources move back and forth, Yichen found it quite fascinating. From time to time, some entered his sensing range, while from time to time, others left it.

But one thing was the same: none of those light sources seemed to react to his perception.

What a great thing. Those ten thousand-plus Contribution Points were well spent.

Yichen's Mental Power was very strong. He played around by himself in the room for a long time without feeling tired at all.

Yichen withdrew his perception, then went outside and walked around the area. He observed the Lifeforms around him and compared them to the images he had sensed, using that to determine the range of his perception.

He also matched the distances and directions in reality with the distances and directions he sensed.

Before long, Yichen had completely mastered this Sensory Ninjutsu. Another skill had been added to his arsenal, and he was a little excited.

But it was already late. He still had a mission tomorrow, so he should rest first.

The next day, after Team Five gathered once again, Kitsuchi gave Yichen a somewhat emotional look. Clearly, he had already learned that Yichen had caused another major stir in the Barrier Team.

However, Ninja valued intelligence greatly. He did not pry into it, instead leading the three of them to choose a mission as usual.

Yichen, on the other hand, said to the other three members of Team Five, "Yesterday, I learned a Sensory Ninjutsu. Its sensing range is around one hundred meters, but if I narrow it to a specific direction, my maximum sensing range can reach roughly three hundred meters. Let's take a mission today where we can use Sensory Ninjutsu."

Yichen had a reason for telling his teammates. Hiding one's abilities from teammates during battle was unwise; it could lead to mistakes in their coordination.

Shinohara was somewhat speechless after hearing this. Even though he was a taijutsu-type Ninja, Yichen's words still annoyed him.

How had he learned another Ninjutsu again? Was learning Ninjutsu really that easy?

And it was Sensory Ninjutsu, too!

Speaking of which, where did he get the Contribution Points? Where did he learn it?

He himself still could not learn anything beyond the Three Basic Jutsu. Even with the Three Basic Jutsu, he could only perform them; their practical combat applications were far too limited.

Tana was also somewhat envious. During their missions lately, Shinohara, as the team's strength-type Ninja, had been their main attacker and played the biggest role.

Yichen provided Ninjutsu firepower. Although its effects were not particularly impressive, it often occupied more than half the enemy's attention and prevented them from fighting freely.

Only she, as a speed-type Ninja, could merely use kunai to provide some harassment from the side.

Now that Yichen had learned Sensory Ninjutsu as well, his role in the team had become even greater, while her own progress had not been nearly as noticeable.

This was not really Tana's fault. It was not as though speed-type Ninja lacked advantages.

Rather, in the early stages, before their speed had grown enough to overwhelm their opponents, their advantage was too small.

In one-on-one combat, they could make it so that they could not do much to their enemy, but their enemy could not do much to them either.

But in team battles, the enemy could simply ignore them and focus on dealing with the other two.

If Team Five encountered enemies too weak to matter, they could win without even needing to use their speed advantage.

If the enemy was strong, then the opponent's speed would already be much greater than that of Yichen and Shinohara, making Tana's advantage less apparent by comparison.

Thus, Tana had been saving money all year with the goal of exchanging for the Body Flicker Technique. If she could learn the Body Flicker Technique, she would be able to make better use of her speed advantage.

Faced with a Ninja who was agile yet capable of suddenly closing in at any time, no one would dare relax.

This was also a method she had learned from the Chunin named Takeo during their first mission.

Back then, Takeo had used a Body Flicker Technique to instantly rush in front of Yichen before he could perform his Ninjutsu. If Tana had not deliberately burst forward in a high-speed sneak attack, Yichen's technique would have been interrupted, and the rhythm of the battle would have fallen entirely under the enemy's control.

Unaware of what the two were thinking, Yichen eagerly began choosing a mission.

Before long, they selected a search mission.

According to the mission description, a family's child had gone missing, and they had commissioned Ninja to find the child and bring them back.

To be honest, a missing child in these times was practically equivalent to a dead child. If it had happened in the village, it would have been better. The village's public security was decent, and perhaps the child had simply gotten lost somewhere and could not find the way home. In that case, there would be no need to issue a mission; a passing Ninja might have already brought the child back.

But this had happened in a small town quite far from the village. In a place like that, once one left the town, it could be considered lawless territory. Finding a child there was practically impossible.

Yichen hesitated somewhat as well, but in order to test the effects of his Ninjutsu, he still chose this mission. The other three also wanted to see just how miraculous the Sensory Ninjutsu Yichen had mentioned truly was.