Closing the Space-Time Tunnel

After Aono Shinichi and his two companions temporarily interrupted Uzumaki Riori's idea of teaching Neji and his two companions the Great Fire Formation, they...

Yichen beckoned, calling the six children to his side.

"Shinichi, Shizuka, Rion, this contains detailed records of all the large-scale wars the village has participated in since its founding."

Yichen took out a huge scroll and handed it to Aono Shinichi.

"This Ninja Tool Pouch contains descriptions of all the village's Ninjutsu abilities, even Ninjutsu not found in the village, which are described in detail."

Yichen then took out another Ninja Tool Pouch and handed it to Minamoto Shizuka.

"This record contains all the classic small-scale battles known throughout the entire Ninja World."

"Some of these cases involved our own people, so they are written in great detail. Others we only heard about and guessed the general process from."

"By the way, this includes several of Riori's battles. The Great Fire Formation has repeatedly Kamui on the battlefield and has been listed as a classic tactic."

As he spoke, Yichen handed another Sealing Scroll to Rion.

Upon hearing this, Uzumaki Riori, who had been somewhat listless, immediately perked up again.

She stared intently at the Sealing Scroll in Rion's hand.

Yichen gestured to Rion to give her what Uzumaki Riori wanted.

After receiving the description of her glorious achievements, Uzumaki Riori immediately forgot about teaching her disciples.

She grabbed the scroll Fenghuo off to share her joy with her companions, including Atsumi Akino.

Yichen turned his attention back to Aono Shinichi other two, and said, "The three of you are all smart people, so I won't say anything more."

"Let's read through all of this first and broaden our knowledge. Then I'll show you the details of how these Ninjutsu are performed."

"Watch closely, let's discuss it. Although I selected all three of you through two chess competitions, there are still significant differences between you three."

"Learn from each other, complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and then each of you should write a reflection, which I will check."

The three of them hugged the things Yichen had given them and nodded earnestly in agreement.

Yichen then added, "My expectation of you is tactical or strategic ninjas."

"But the basics of being a ninja can't be neglected. Every day, you have to complete the basic exercises I set two days ago. This is also the introductory course for all my disciples."

"Yes, Teacher Yichen." After the three agreed, they went to analyze the data.

Yichen then looked at Kurotsuchi and said, "Kurotsuchi, your primary attribute is earth, so for now, focus all your efforts on practicing Earth Release."

"Once you can use A-rank Earth Style Jutsu, then we can consider developing other attributes."

"Starting tomorrow, you will be following Teacher Riori on missions. Besides combat, the two of them have other things to learn, so you will be the main force during missions."

"Sometimes you might have to go on missions with Teacher Riori alone, so don't act like a child."

Kurotsuchi glanced at his two companions with some envy, then replied listlessly, "Yes."

Yichen then took out an Earth Style Jutsu Scroll and handed it to her, saying, "This is my understanding of Earth Release from my early years. Take a look at it first."

"If you perform well in the future, I can give you an even more advanced Earth Style Jutsu Scroll."

"That's a collection of insights written by the person who has gone the furthest on the path of a ninja in the entire Ninja World in the last few hundred years."

"However, there's one thing: although you are the granddaughter of the Third Hokage, you will have to exchange your mission rewards for Ninjutsu at the Contribution Office in the future."

"I've already given you plenty of preferential treatment; you can't get any more special treatment."

Kurotsuchi reluctantly replied, "I know."

Kurotsuchi was not opposed to Yichen's suggestion that she use her own efforts to complete tasks to earn Contribution Points, which could then be exchanged for Ninjutsu.

Kurotsuchi also wanted to become an excellent ninja through her own abilities, instead of being treated differently because everyone called her the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage.

Yichen then turned his gaze to Karin and said, "Karin, your main focus remains Medical Ninjutsu."

"I must ensure that half of my time is devoted to learning Medical Ninjutsu. For this, I can appropriately give up accompanying you, Sister Riori, on missions."

Karin smiled and said, "Teacher Yichen, I understand."

Karin was very happy that she could reduce the number of times she had to go on missions with her unreliable Sister Riori.

As for my good friend Kurotsuchi, sorry, I'm also in dire straits, barely able to save myself. Good luck to you!

However, Yichen added, "But you can't neglect your training outside of Medical Ninjutsu."

"Don't neglect the basic training. Also, I've prepared a Sensory Ninjutsu for you. Learn it, and write down your insights afterward."

"I'm giving you another task: to improve the Sensory Ninjutsu I gave you."

Karin was a little confused. She had never been exposed to Sensory Ninjutsu before, so she said somewhat uncertainly, "Teacher Yichen, but I've never learned Sensory Ninjutsu."

"Writing reflections should be fine, but isn't asking for more improvement in Ninjutsu too much?"

Yichen said, "Don't worry, I believe you can do it. Don't forget, you're a genius I have high hopes for."

Hearing Yichen's trust in her so much, Karin nodded vigorously and said, "I understand, Teacher Yichen, I will try my best."

Yichen nodded and gave Karin an encouraging look.

Yichen certainly believed that Karin could do it; the terrifying effect of Mind's Eye of the Kagura was something Yichen had greatly admired when he was a child.

Yichen even named his own Super S-rank Sensory Ninjutsu after Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

Finally, he looked at Neji and said, "Neji, you know your own situation. I've already told you what you need to do."

"I won't say much more; we need to focus on our training now."

Upon hearing Neji immediately replied, "Thank you Lord Tsuchikage. I understand what to do."

Seeing Neji's determined gaze, Yichen nodded, thinking: I've spent so much time and energy on Neji, I hope it won't be in vain.

Now, Yichen can at least conclude that, so far, the brainwashing of Neji has been going very well.

But that's not enough. The most crucial step is cracking the Caged Bird, and that step absolutely cannot go wrong.

In fact, Yichen spent far more than just time and energy on Neji. Of all the many transactions that Iwagakure and Orochimaru made, Yichen devoted most of it to Neji.

There's also the divine artifact, the Yata Mirror. By giving this treasure to Neji, Yichen's only goal was to win Neji's heart.

Not far away, upon hearing the conversation Neji Yichen, Karin, and Karin, Aono Shinichi, Minamoto Shizuka, and Rion exchanged surprised glances.

Aono Shinichi said, "When Uzumaki Karin addresses Teacher Yichen, she also calls him 'sensei,' so it seems she's already become his apprentice."

"Neji Hyuga is also very familiar with Teacher Yichen, as if Yichen had already devised a training plan for him."

Minamoto Shizuka nodded and said, "That should be right. Teacher Yichen only takes on oddballs like us as disciples because normal ninjas can't teach us and it's difficult for us to utilize our strengths."

"However, Neji Hyuga and the other two are renowned geniuses in the village, and as the Tsuchikage, Teacher Yichen must be concerned about their development."

Rion nodded and said, "That makes sense. For example, the Ninja Academy used to have two top students, one named Wada Akio, and the other was Lord Deidara."

"It is said that both of them received guidance from Teacher Yichen."

Minamoto Shizuka also said, "Yes, I've heard that too. Teacher Yichen took on six students from the same year as Wada Akio."

"Those six people are not particularly talented."

"And the class that was in the same year as Lord Deidara was Senior Sister Riori's class, and the three of them were far less talented than Lord Deidara."

"It is said that Wada Akio and Lord Deidara became Elite Jonin under the guidance of Teacher Yichen."

"There are even rumors that Lord Deidara's rise to Kage Level was thanks to Teacher Yichen."

Aono Shinichi sighed and said, "Yes, Neji and the other two are just like Deidara back then; their strength and talent far surpass those of their peers."

"Especially Neji Hyuga, it's said that last year he was even better than the top student of the graduating class."

Minamoto Shizuka laughed and said, "Alright, why are you sighing? We are now also Teacher Yichen's disciples."

"The teacher said that while we are studying tactics, we must not abandon regular ninja training."

"So, even though those three are geniuses, we can't afford to lose."

"Didn't you hear Teacher Yichen said? Uzumaki Karin needs to train in other areas while learning Medical Ninjutsu."

"Furthermore, judging from what Teacher Yichen just said, it seems that Uzumaki Karin is going to undergo a third project: the practice of Sensory Ninjutsu. Her training intensity is much higher than ours."

Rion nodded emphatically and said, "Then let's do our best too."

Then the three of them stopped paying attention to Yichen's affairs and began to focus on analyzing the information in their hands.

A few days later, in Atsumi Akino's laboratory, Yichen held the plan written by Atsumi Akino to repair the Space-Time Tunnel.

After reading it, Yichen felt completely confused and had no idea what it was talking about.

Setting the plan aside, Yichen asked, "Akino, when can we set off?"

Atsumi Akino rolled her eyes. "I told you you wouldn't understand, but you just wouldn't give up."

However, she gave Yichen some face and continued Yichen topic, saying, "We can leave now. Are we flying there again this time?"

Yichen shook his head and said, "This time, we'll just use your Flying Thunder God to teleport there."

"Although Orochimaru's Snake Pit Village is certainly not as good as Konoha, I still feel that going to the Land of Fire is not dangerous, but I still have to be Mind's Eye when going to Orochimaru's territory."

"Flying over there in a big way will get us spotted; the Flying Thunder God is more discreet."

Atsumi Akino nodded, then asked, "Where should we fly to?"

Yichen had placed Atsumi Akino's Flying Thunder God Kunai in various corners of the entire Ninja World. Then he gave Atsumi Akino a map showing the Flying Thunder God Coordinates kunai.

Atsumi Akino had already memorized this blueprint.

After thinking for a moment, Yichen said, "Let's go to location number fifty-seven. Although it's in the Land of Whirlpools, it's quite a distance from both Snake Pit Village and Uzushio Village."

"We'll go there without Orochimaru noticing. Once we get there, we'll sneak over."

Atsumi Akino nodded, took the prepared items, and then Hand Seals to teleport the two of them to the location of the Flying Thunder God Coordinates fifty-seven.

After the scene before her changed, Atsumi Akino glanced at an inconspicuous stone at her feet.

There is a Great Fireball pattern on one side of this stone. Most importantly, the color of this pattern is exactly the same as that of the stone, and it is impossible to notice it without careful observation.

Atsumi Akino remembered this stone; it was one of the stones she had made when she drew the Flying Thunder God symbol according to Yichen's request.

The Flying Thunder God Coordinates that Yichen placed in various corners of the entire Ninja World are mostly similar to this stone.

Some of those coordinates were carved on stones, some on trees, and some directly on the ground. Yichen paid great attention to concealment when setting up these Flying Thunder God Coordinates.

Yichen chose a natural, unpretentious method of concealment.

Yichen using Mind's Eye perception to sense the heavens and the earth, and then found a route where there were no people or snakes.

Yichen used Porcelain Release to carry Atsumi Akino, flying at low altitude straight towards Uzushio Village.

After flying slowly for a long time, the two arrived near Uzushio Village.

Yichen said, "There are many small snakes ahead. It seems Orochimaru takes this place quite seriously."

"I'll set up a barrier to block perception first."

As he spoke, Yichen created several Shadow Clone then dispersed around the Space-Time Tunnel, where he set up a barrier.

After the barrier was set up, Yichen quickly used the Porcelain Release Sealing Jutsu within it to seal all the snakes lurking in the shadows.

With the help of Mind's Eye locator, Yichen ambushed each snake without making a sound; the entire process was completely silent.

After all the snakes were sealed, Yichen led Atsumi Akino to the Space-Time Tunnel.

Yichen said to Atsumi Akino, "Akino, it's your turn now."

Atsumi Akino grunted in agreement and first threw a large pile of Flying Thunder God Kunai into the room. These Kunai were made of refined iron, so even if the gravity inside was very strong, it would not damage Kunai structure.

Having gained experience from the Kamui Space, we'll have coordinates to locate ourselves should we need to enter this Gravity Space again in the future.

Then Atsumi Akino began the repair work.

Yichen originally thought that Atsumi Akino would set up a net or something similar in this Space-Time Tunnel.

Unexpectedly, Atsumi Akino did the opposite, and somehow managed to break through the edge of the Space-Time Tunnel.

Then a miraculous thing happened: after breaking through one ring, the passage actually began to close.

Seeing this amazing scene, Yichen couldn't help but want to ask about the underlying principles.

Atsumi Akino explained, "Teacher Yichen, I've analyzed it. The reason this passage has survived isn't a natural phenomenon, but rather that someone used a special method to fix the space at the edge of the passage."

"I'll damage the edge of the passage, and it will repair itself."

Yichen had always believed that the seal on this passage was placed there by someone before to prevent it from expanding. Now, after hearing what Atsumi Akino, Yichen realized that he was wrong.

The person who sealed this passage was not trying to prevent the two worlds from connecting, but rather to prevent them from completely severing their connection.

The passage between the two realms closes automatically, requiring no human intervention. On the contrary, preserving this passage requires resisting Space-Time Tunnel self-repairing properties.

Yichen nodded in realization, then frowned and asked, "From what you're saying, the person who created this passage might have a far greater mastery of Space-Time Ninjutsu than you?"

After thinking for a moment, Atsumi Akino said, "Teacher Yichen, I have a guess. Perhaps this passage wasn't created using Ninjutsu."

Yichen was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean?"

Atsumi Akino and said, "I suspect it might be some kind of Dōjutsu."

Yichen seemed to be deep in thought, then asked, "You mean Dōjutsu similar to the Mangekyō Sharingan? What's the basis for that?"

Atsumi Akino said, "The basis for this is that this passage looks too natural."

"Teacher Yichen, based on your teachings and my research on Space-Time Ninjutsu over the years, I've come to a conclusion: what ninjas call Ninjutsu is actually the application of certain rules of the Ninja World."

"However, this application appears very crude, with obvious signs of human intervention."

"However, those Dōjutsu whose causes are unclear must have directly utilized these rules, which is why Dōjutsu abilities often appear very natural."

Yichen looked at Atsumi Akino with surprise and asked, "Akino, what have you been researching all these years? It seems you have quite a good understanding of the nature of Chakra?"

Atsumi Akino chuckled and said, "Of course, Space-Time Ninjutsu is probably the ability that best fits these rules. When I study Space-Time Ninjutsu, I have to think about these mysterious things."

Yichen nodded and asked, "Is there anything else we need to do next?"

Atsumi Akino shook her head and said, "No need, but I want to see the scene when the Space-Time Tunnel closes again."

"I didn't see it clearly last time in the Land of Fire."

Yichen nodded and said, "Alright, you study it carefully, I'll protect you."

Half a day later.

In the underground base of Snake Pit Village, halfway across the Land of Land of Whirlpools, where Yi Yichen was located.

Orochimaru suddenly sensed something and then used Summoning Jutsu to summon a small snake.

After the small snake appeared, it said to Orochimaru, "Lord Orochimaru, the snakes from Uzushio Village have reached their appointed time, but they haven't returned to Ryūchi Cave."

"The attempt to use the Reverse Summoning Technique also failed. The Sage suspect that someone has sealed away all the snakes in that area."

"Moreover, the opponent's seal can block the summoning of Summoning Jutsu, which is very clever."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, and the next moment, Yichen's name appeared in his mind.

He chuckled softly and said to Kabuto Yakushi beside him, "Kabuto, it seems the Tsuchikage has officially taken me as an enemy and has begun his scheme."

Kabuto Yakushi didn't stop his work, but replied, "If Lord Orochimaru's experiments continue, he will eventually become an enemy of the entire Ninja World."

Orochimaru smiled. Kabuto really understands him. I like his aloof demeanor.

"Kabuto, I'm going to talk to the Tsuchikage. Record the experimental data."

After saying that, Orochimaru immediately disappeared underground.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto Yakushi replied, his hands still moving.

Orochimaru quickly arrived at Uzushio Village. Before he even got close, he saw Yichen standing at the edge of the barrier.

"I was careless; I was discovered after all." Yichen didn't want to clash with Orochimaru too soon.

Especially since Orochimaru hasn't yet retrieved the Tailed Beast as Black Zetsu demanded, the two haven't reached the point of being irreconcilable enemies.

However, Yichen himself had many things to deal with recently and had no time to spare.

Watching Orochimaru slow down and approach, finally stopping a kilometer away.

Yichen said, "Soul Transformation? This body belongs to that Akira Hyuga from the Hyuga Branch Family?"

Orochimaru smiled and said, "I must thank the Lord Tsuchikage for his cooperation."

As he spoke, Orochimaru twisted his body and finally transformed into the likeness of Akira Hyuga.

At this moment, Orochimaru's Byakugan were still closed byakugan, and his forehead was smooth.

Yichen said, "Senior Orochimaru, you're too kind. May I ask what brings you here in such a hurry?"

Orochimaru laughed, "Has the Lord Tsuchikage forgotten that you have already traded this Space-Time Tunnel to me?"

Yichen smiled slightly and said, "How could I forget? It's just that I tracked a monster that was half black and half white to this place, and it escaped into that space."

"If I chased after them, I was afraid something might happen, so I had someone seal the passage."

"I wonder if Orochimaru- senpai has ever seen that thing in the Land of Whirlpools?"

Orochimaru paused for a moment, then said, "I've seen it. My lab has studied that black thing, but we haven't gotten any definitive results."

Upon hearing this, Yichen's heart skipped a beat. Orochimaru was studying Black Zetsu's body?

Did he capture Black Zetsu, or was this one of the conditions for their cooperation?

After thinking for a moment, Yichen said, "I wonder if Orochimaru- senpai has a way to divide that black monster."

Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What does Lord Tsuchikage mean?"

Yichen said, "This black monster once deliberately separated a small part of its body to locate my position."

Orochimaru's eyes flashed. He had indeed studied Black Zetsu, but unfortunately, Black Zetsu was created by Kaguya using the ultimate Yin Release.

Orochimaru was unable to cut it open using either Ninjutsu or Taijutsu.

So the experiment was ultimately abandoned.

"So Black Zetsu can actively split his body." Orochimaru licked his lips, his desire to go back and conduct experiments suddenly growing stronger.

But before that, there's one more thing to do.

Orochimaru suddenly formed hand Hand Seals and immediately summoned six coffins.

Yichen said, "Is Orochimaru- senpai going to start a war?"

Orochimaru grinned and said, "Not so. Just as the Lord Tsuchikage said back then, I want to see if the Lord Tsuchikage still has the qualifications to cooperate with me as an equal."

"It's just a small test. If the Tsuchikage dies at the hands of these dead men, he's obviously not qualified to cooperate with me."

Yichen frowned, recalling the words he had spoken years ago when he was secretly plotting against Orochimaru while shamelessly cooperating with him.

Orochimaru really holds grudges!

Yichen let out a long breath and slowly floated into the air, saying, "Since Orochimaru is in such a good mood, let's have some fun."

Orochimaru revealed an exaggerated smile, and the next moment, all the coffin lids fell off, and six figures slowly walked out from inside.

The six people looked at each other, still somewhat confused.

Yichen glanced around and muttered, "Hashirama Senju, Senju Tobirama, Jiraiya, Hanzo, Chiyo, Pakura."