Even the household servants hadn't escaped. They all collapsed, unconscious.
That was what people meant when they said a secret should never be shared with a third person. Nara Dan had gone through a whole series of twists and turns just to obtain the Eight Inner Gates.
Hyuga, Danzo, and the Third had all tried to use it to control him. That showed just how important cultivation methods were.
And the Secret Technique Nara Dan was about to explain was even more valuable than the Eight Inner Gates.
He had to make absolutely sure no outsiders heard it—not even the servants, who had no foundation in cultivation.
Nara Shikaku's expression turned serious, his usual air of indolence gone.
Although Nara Dan had deliberately kept Nara Shikaku outside the range of his Life Magnetic Field,
Shikaku could tell from the changes in the surrounding energy and Dan's solemn expression that what he was about to pass on was undoubtedly a Forbidden Technique, a Secret Technique.
"As everyone knows, the human body always has its limits."
"Whether we're walking, sitting, lying down, training, growing old, or getting injured—"
"All of it damages the body's vital essence."
"And cultivating Chakra causes the greatest damage to that vital essence."
Nara Dan spoke at length about the ultimate secrets of the human body, and even the ultimate secrets of Chakra.
In the past, he had remained at the level of techniques. His understanding of the human body had been limited to simple things like muscles, bones, and internal organs.
But after becoming a Taijutsu Expert, he had gained a deeper understanding of the body's internal cycles and its interactions with the outside world—a truly fundamental understanding.
"Of course, where there's wear and tear, there's also repair."
"The human body naturally repairs its vital essence in various ways."
"Through breathing, drinking water, and eating—"
"We take in medicine, air, and carbohydrates."
"But the way of man is to diminish what is in excess and replenish what is lacking."
"The body's ordinary methods of replenishment aren't enough to repair the wear and tear of daily life."
"But the way of Heaven is to replenish what is in excess and diminish what is lacking."
"If you want the body to freely balance its losses and gains, you must seek the 'Heavenly Path,' not the 'way of man.'"
"So I created a technique that seeks the Heavenly Path through the way of man."
"Human Body Secret Art—Immortal-Eating Technique!"
Nara Dan then slowly explained how to cultivate the Immortal-Eating Technique:
How to draw more energy from the world around you through every movement and posture.
How to digest ingested organic matter more efficiently and turn it into nourishment for the body.
The method included a special way of breathing,
how to circulate Chakra to digest food more efficiently,
and how to use the extracted Chakra to nourish the body instead of simply squeezing out its potential.
The more Nara Shikaku listened, the more alarmed he became. This was almost the opposite of everything he knew about the way of the ninja.
The ninja's way was one of depletion, of squeezing out the body's limits. It was about exhausting the body as quickly as possible to reach the so-called "limit."
Just look at how children of only a few years old were sent to the battlefield, even though those were their best years for physical growth.
The Immortal-Eating Technique, by contrast, was about replenishment, nurturing the body, and building up reserves.
It restored the potential drained from the body, allowing it to expand its limits even further.
Together, these principles could broaden a ninja's talent ceiling, and even prolong their life and their years of combat service.
Of course, this Secret Technique alone couldn't steadily bring someone to Nara Dan's level, or even the level of a Kage.
To be honest, Metal-Devouring had played an indispensable role in Dan's achievements, preserving his vitality and giving him a physical limit far beyond that of an ordinary ninja.
But Dan had developed this Secret Technique after becoming an expert, using his inward perception to deeply understand how his Cheat System worked and draw conclusions from it.
From the perspective of God-Seeing Indestructibility, he had peeled back the layers to observe how his Entries functioned, how Chakra circulated, and what the ultimate laws governing the human body were.
So at the very least, with this Secret Technique's help, a ninja could easily expand the boundaries of their life and increase their potential.
Reaching the level of a Kage was probably impossible, since every Kage was the product of the right time, place, and people. But becoming a Jonin was well within reach.
And with ample food and tonics, plus careful selection of talent, it would even be possible to assemble a team of Taijutsu Jonin whose average member was at Guy's level.
Time passed slowly. The deeper Nara Dan went into his explanation, the more serious Nara Shikaku's expression became. Before long, sweat had begun to bead on his forehead.
It was a sign of intense mental exertion. Much of the material was difficult for Shikaku to understand,
but with the Nara Clan's exceptional intelligence and near-photographic memory, he could at least force himself to memorize it.
That was also why Nara Dan hadn't left behind a ninjutsu scroll. It definitely wasn't because he couldn't be bothered to write one.
By the time Dan reached the end of the Immortal-Eating Technique, Shikaku was drenched in sweat and swaying on his feet.
Only then did the Immortal-Eating Technique finally reveal its true nature—and why it was called "Immortal-Eating."
"When you've trained the body into its theoretical form through cultivation, nourishment, and eating,"
"you'll be light and strong, with tremendous power in every movement, and your years of peak combat ability will be greatly extended."
In other words, he would attain the Blood Energy Pillar Entry from Nara Dan's system.
"You'll be able to fight a Jonin using Taijutsu alone."
"But human strength has its limits. This is where the body reaches the Limit State."
"From here, it can advance no further."
"At this point, the body must seek something outside itself."
Nara Dan paused. What came next was the heart of the matter.
"There are two ways to seek beyond the body. The first is to modify it—"
"Change its form, or introduce the genes and bloodline of another powerful creature."
"But this method defies the 'Heavenly Path.' It doesn't accord with the natural laws of biological evolution, and is therefore the 'Outer Path!'"
Orochimaru, Hiruko, and even Danzo in the future were all experts in this approach.
They mainly relied on transplanting foreign genes to forcibly alter the body's structure.
But those who took this path were walking a tightrope, and usually met a grim end. It was all too easy to lose control of the different biological forces within the body and die when their genes collapsed.
"One who practices the Immortal-Eating Technique eats immortals."
"The Ninja World has Sage Creatures whose lives are long and whose vitality is abundant, far beyond that of ninjas."
"Take nourishment by eating their flesh and consuming their energy—take what is essential and discard what is useless!"
Senjutsu Chakra was a unique product of the ninja world, with all kinds of wondrous uses.
But borrowing it from the outside world for a short time, as Jiraiya and Naruto did—
In Nara Dan's view, that was better than nothing, but it was like picking up sesame seeds and throwing away a watermelon.
Just look at the Sage Creatures: every one of them lived for ages, long enough to outlast even the Sage of Six Paths.
Yet the ninjas who borrowed Senjutsu were no different from ordinary people.
Borrowing something and making it your own were two entirely different concepts.
The best approach was to directly absorb the traits that let those creatures harmonize with Senjutsu Chakra, since they had already fully adapted to it.
That was how one could fulfill the "Heavenly Path" of replenishment Nara Dan had described.
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