Drawbacks of Secret Arts

There was only one thing that bothered him, and that was his age.

Ten years old. Shiraishi Eizo said he began his training at ten, and it seemed most of the clan members started at that age as well.

But he was only six this year. Thinking of the terrifying consequences the larval stage could lead to, a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Uncle Eizo, you started practicing the secret arts at ten, but I'm only six. Won't I..."

"Very sharp, but don't worry. You're the only seedling left in the family; I wouldn't harm you."

As he spoke, Shiraishi Eizo took off his shirt, then formed hand seals. Slowly, layer upon layer of black markings began to appear on his body.

Shiraishi Yoshijo watched those markings in shock and blurted out, "Sealing Jutsu?"

"You actually know about Sealing Jutsu?" Shiraishi Eizo looked a bit surprised, then said dismissively, "It is indeed a Sealing Jutsu. Your grandfather developed it to suppress the loss of life force, but the technique isn't finished yet, so the results aren't ideal."

Suppressing the loss of life force.

"Don't tell me you're dying. That's not a funny joke at all."

Shiraishi Yoshijo's voice sounded strained, and his expression turned strange.

He had always acted as if he didn't care much about the clan, but the man before him was the last relative he had in this world. If he died too...

Then he would truly be all alone.

"It's not a joke, it's a fact."

Shiraishi Eizo smiled and reached out to pat his head. "But death doesn't mean the end; it's just a change in the form of life."

Dead is dead. As someone who had already died once, Shiraishi Yoshijo felt a deep fear of death.

A change in the form of life? Don't think you can fool me just because I'm a child.

He remembered the time he spent waiting for death in his past life, and a myriad of emotions flooded his heart.

"Is it because of Danzo?"

A voice filled with extreme malice escaped his lips. Shiraishi Eizo was startled, and his gaze turned complex.

"It has nothing to do with Danzo. I used this Sealing Jutsu myself after I deserted the battlefield."

"I was already severely wounded, and the Butterfly Seed inside me began to stir. Sensing a life-threatening crisis, it started frantically draining my life force. I had no choice but to use this technique."

"I thought I could at least hold on until you came of age, but who knew the effects of the Sealing Jutsu wouldn't be ideal."

"I didn't intend to let you know, but you really have no talent for ninjutsu, and the clan's secret arts cannot be cut off. I had no choice but to teach you some things in advance."

"As for your age and lack of chakra, I will transfer chakra to you every night from now on. You don't need to worry too much."

"Won't transferring chakra to me make your condition even worse? And are you really a deserter? How did my parents actually die? You never used to drink, but now that your body is like this, you get dead drunk every day. Are you really not planning to tell me anything?"

After firing off a barrage of questions, Shiraishi Yoshijo wanted to continue, but Shiraishi Eizo stopped him.

"This really isn't like you. You never used to ask about these things on your own. Just keep being yourself."

"Grow up safely in the peaceful environment of Konoha, then marry and have children to pass on the secret arts. That is your responsibility. Everything else is already over."

"And if I refuse to do that?"

"What you want to do has nothing to do with me. From the moment I deserted the battlefield, my responsibility became you. This was also your parents' dying wish."

"My parents' dying wish... so you really didn't desert."

"That depends on how you look at it. Whether it was for duty or something else, it doesn't change the fact that I abandoned your parents and fled back alone."

The two looked at each other, then fell into silence.

After a long while, Shiraishi Eizo finally spoke: "If I transfer chakra to you every day, I probably have about five years left. I will pass everything about the clan to you during this time."

"If you don't transfer chakra, how long can you live?"

"Eight years."

"You don't need to transfer chakra. I will work hard on my training from now on."

Shiraishi Eizo frowned. "I should have told you that the Butterfly Seed in the larval stage only acts on instinct. Right now, don't even talk about training; staying alive is the most important thing."

"Besides, there are things I haven't finished saying. The clan's secret arts don't just have benefits; they have many drawbacks as well."

Shiraishi Yoshijo remained silent.

Shiraishi Eizo sighed helplessly. "I'm letting you know this now just so you can be mentally prepared. And death is not the end."

"When I passed the secret arts to you, you must have heard your mother's voice. I will become an existence like that in the future, so don't be sad. You should be happy."

It was true; he had heard his mother's voice during the inheritance of the secret arts, but that was a butterfly. Could it be...

Thinking of a certain possibility, the expression on Shiraishi Yoshijo's face became incredibly vivid. But could a person really turn into a butterfly? Into a summoning beast?

Taking a ninjutsu scroll from his robes, Shiraishi Eizo handed it to him and said, "Memorize this ninjutsu. It must never fall into the hands of outsiders."

Cocoon Binding Technique!

After reading it carefully from start to finish, Shiraishi Yoshijo's mouth twitched. "A suicide technique?"

That's right. In his eyes, the Cocoon Binding Technique was nothing more than a suicide technique.

It involved transferring all the chakra within one's body to the Butterfly Seed inside in a very short period, while simultaneously forming a thick cocoon on the surface of the skin.

After the Butterfly Seed absorbs all of the user's chakra, it breaks out of its cocoon within the body and proceeds to devour everything the user is.

Shiraishi Eitaku nodded and said, "This is the final destination for our clan."

He was insane. He never imagined that the first ninjutsu he would come into contact with would be a suicide technique.

"Our clan's concept of life and death differs from that of ordinary people. We have our own Pure Land where every deceased clansman is reborn. You might not understand it now, but you will in the future."

The more he spoke, the more absurd it sounded. Shiraishi Yoshijo felt his brain struggling to keep up; he couldn't comprehend what Shiraishi Eitaku was talking about at all.

He knew that a Pure Land existed in this world and that the dead went there.

But did the Pure Land have different territories?

As for being reborn, did they really think they were the biological children of the Sage of Six Paths?

"The Cocoon Binding Technique allows the Butterfly Seed to inherit everything from the user after it devours them, including their memories. Then, it will dispel the summoning contract and return to the summoning realm to live out its life."

"The memories are completely identical?"

"I just told you that the Butterfly Seed raised in your body is equivalent to your second soul. Even if it didn't inherit your memories, its entire consciousness would be identical to yours."

"Rather than saying it completely inherits memories, it's more like two identical souls merging. Once it returns to the summoning realm, isn't that effectively a rebirth?"

He was crazy. Shiraishi Yoshijo truly felt that his uncle was abnormal. Even if the memories were the same, how could a butterfly and a human be the same thing?

"A butterfly is a butterfly. A butterfly is not a human, and a human is not a butterfly. Can you please keep your head on straight?"

Shiraishi Eitaku didn't argue; he simply looked up at the sky and began to stare blankly.

Shiraishi Yoshijo continued, "So the Pure Land you're talking about refers to the summoning realm. But butterflies die too, and only when they die do they go to the real Pure Land."

"It's best that you think that way. It seems I don't need to worry about you doing anything rash. Well, such things are a matter of opinion; no need to dwell on it."

"I will absolutely never use this ninjutsu, and I won't die. If possible, I even hope to live forever."

"Hahaha!" Shiraishi Eitaku burst into laughter, laughing so violently that he began to cough heavily, tears streaming down his face.

"Immortality—if you can manage that, just go ahead and do it, and let me know when you succeed."

Once he finished laughing, he continued, "Let's end this topic here. I hope your thoughts don't change. Next, I want to tell you about the drawbacks of our clan's secret techniques."

"So there really are side effects?"

"Nothing in this world comes for free. You must pay for what you gain. Do you think it's possible to just take a nap and become invincible?"

"Fine, I understand. So, what are the drawbacks you're talking about?"

"Lifespan. During the Warring States period, the average lifespan of our clan's ninja was less than forty years old. Even after peace was established, it hasn't reached fifty."

Hearing this, Shiraishi Yoshijo could no longer sit still.

Are you kidding me? I'm aiming to live until the series finale, and you're telling me I won't even make it to fifty?

"If you had told me this earlier, I would never have learned any clan secret techniques, even if you killed me."

"That's why I'm telling you now."

"You're ruthless. What's the reason for the short lifespan?"

"The Butterfly Seed doesn't just absorb chakra; to form a soul, it must consume your life force. In the Warring States era, as soon as a clansman reached the rank of jonin, they had to raise a second Butterfly Seed. That is why they couldn't live past forty."

"Can you really raise more than one Butterfly Seed?"

"Of course you can, and the more you raise, the stronger you become."

"According to clan records, the person who raised the most was the eighth clan head. He raised four, possessing all five elemental affinities, and he was the strongest in the clan's history."

"How old was he when he died?"

"Twenty-seven."

""

It was obvious that the more you raised, the faster you died. That eighth head must have had a hole in his brain.

Shiraishi Yoshijo was frantically complaining in his heart.

Having all five elemental affinities sounded impressive. The Third Hokage also had all five and was called the strongest Hokage, though his combat performance was actually quite lackluster.

However, the Third Hokage in the story was old and frail, so that couldn't really be used as a standard.

Shiraishi Yoshijo thought for a moment and asked, "How does having all five affinities work? Can the Butterfly Seed actually grant elemental affinities?"

Seeing his good uncle nod, Shiraishi Yoshijo was shocked. His ancestors were so capable; they could play so many tricks just by raising a Butterfly Seed.

"Then what is my affinity right now?"

"You are Lightning affinity, and the Butterfly Seed is Water affinity."

"So I currently have dual Lightning and Water affinities. Why not raise a Wind-affinity Butterfly Seed?"

Water-style ninjutsu in the story were quite weak. If he could, he would prefer Wind affinity; after all, he had been coveting the Rasengan series for a long time.

"Water-affinity chakra can nourish the body and help you live a few more years. If you really like Wind affinity, wait until you have the chakra levels of a jonin and raise one yourself."

The more you raise, the faster you die. There was no way he would ever raise a second one in this lifetime.

Shiraishi Yoshijo rolled his eyes. "Water affinity is fine too. I'm not picky."

Shiraishi Eizo smiled and said, "That's good. You've learned just about enough of the clan's secret techniques; next, you need to study the theoretical knowledge. You'll have to learn this on your own. I'll organize the materials for you tonight, and you can take them to read tomorrow."

After saying this, Shiraishi Eizo stood up and walked toward his room.

Shiraishi Yoshijo watched his back, hesitating for a long time before finally speaking up.

"It's about time you quit drinking. If your health isn't good, don't push yourself."

Shiraishi Eizo didn't even turn his head, simply waving his hand as he entered his room.