Kekkei Genkai?

After Dongfang Mao finished arranging everything one by one, the sense of urgency in his heart dissipated somewhat.

Returning to his residence in the Desolate Village, he could finally afford some leisure time to study the ninjutsu he had recently acquired.

Taking out the Great Fireball Technique, the most classic ninjutsu from Konoha, Dongfang Mao opened the scroll, browsed through it, and after imprinting every step clearly into his mind, he began to attempt it.

With Dongfang Mao's mental strength, he could clearly sense the flow of chakra within his body and control it with precision, as easily as moving his own arm—this was something every genin, and even chunin, dreamed of.

As Dongfang Mao performed the standard hand seals, the chakra within his body began to flow swiftly along the required pathways, and a scorching sensation began to surge into his chest.

This is actually quite simple, isn't it?

The thought rose in Dongfang Mao's mind, and he subconsciously accelerated the speed of his hand seals.

Given his memory and his control over his body, there was no chance of the hand seals becoming disordered.

Soon, a complete set of seals was finished.

The heat within Dongfang Mao's body surged upward once more, reaching his throat.

Oh no!

Only then did he remember that he was inside his room, but it was too late; the itching and swelling sensation in his throat caused his cheeks to puff out instantly.

The next moment!

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

BOOM!

A fireball as thick as a water vat erupted from his mouth, the scorching heat instantly draining the air from the room.

The wooden window frames twisted and burst under the high temperature, brick and wood debris scattered like a rainstorm, and the intense waves of fire rolled outward, carrying smoke and dust.

"Big Brother!"

Yasuke, who was currently leading a group of new recruits toward the mess hall for a meal, froze for a moment upon seeing thick smoke and raging fire pouring from Dongfang Mao's room, then immediately led his men to rush over.

However, before he could arrive, Dongfang Mao kicked open the overburdened wooden door and walked out from the scorching flames.

Looking at the house behind him that was now completely uninhabitable, Dongfang Mao curled his lip and casually brushed a burning wood chip off his shoulder.

"Big Brother, what are you doing?"

Seeing that Dongfang Mao was unharmed, Yasuke finally set his heart at ease, then stepped forward and asked with some confusion.

"I was practicing a ninjutsu and didn't manage to contain it."

Dongfang Mao sighed helplessly, then looked at Yasuke.

"By the way, how is your progress with chakra?"

Yasuke scratched his head upon hearing this.

"Big Brother, you know how it is; I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to study it carefully, but..."

As he spoke, Yasuke raised his palm, and suddenly, a layer of pale yellow light began to appear, coating his hand.

"I've memorized all the hand gestures, and I can feel the chakra and control it barely well enough."

Seeing this, Dongfang Mao's eyes lit up, and he laughed and scolded.

"You rascal Yasuke, you're even joking with me now."

Although Yasuke was not as talented as Dongfang Mao, the fact that he could master it using only the limited time available in these past few days meant his talent was definitely enough to surpass a large portion of ninjas.

"That is your innate earth-attribute chakra; this is an Earth Release ninjutsu. Remember to practice it when you have time."

Dongfang Mao took out two books on Earth Release ninjutsu and handed them to Yasuke, then added.

"By the way, find some time to take that Chakra Refinement Technique and let the brothers from the village try it. If there are many with talent..."

The corners of Dongfang Mao's mouth lifted slightly.

"I will let you command the ninja squad."

The hundred or so people who had followed him from the village on Mount Yoshino, including the wounded, were his foundation.

They were the basis of his status and power, and they were all obedient to him; naturally, Dongfang Mao had to find ways to increase their strength.

Yasuke's breath hitched at these words—a ninja squad, under his command?

"Thank you, Big Brother!"

The sudden surprise left Yasuke at a loss for what to do; he could only drop to one knee, his voice trembling with excitement.

The new recruits behind him, having heard the conversation, were now in disbelief; they had not expected that Yasuke and Dongfang Mao, who were training them, were actually legendary ninjas.

The crowd began to stir, their gazes shifting from shock to an even more fervent worship.

Facing the reaction of this group, Dongfang Mao was also a bit stunned; he hadn't expected that a botched ninjutsu attempt would yield such an unexpected harvest, establishing his prestige in their hearts once again.

But upon second thought, he felt it made sense; with the methods ninjas possessed, they were indeed considered gods in the eyes of these refugees.

"Alright, get up. Take them to eat first, and go back to practice diligently. If you don't meet my requirements when the time comes, don't say I didn't keep my promise."

"Don't worry, Big Brother, I will definitely practice diligently."

Yasuke scrambled up from the ground, promising with an excited look on his face.

After Yasuke led his men away, Dongfang Mao was just about to find another room to stay in when he suddenly noticed Luzhen, who had followed the sound earlier, standing blankly before the charred house. He was staring at the burn marks, silent, his brows slightly furrowed.

"What is it, Luzhen?"

Dongfang Mao felt a bit strange.

"Lord Mao, I grew up in Konoha and know the Great Fireball Technique better than anyone, but your version seems different from the ordinary ones. It doesn't seem to contain only pure fire-attribute chakra; it seems to have..."

"The power of Yang?"

Dongfang Mao guessed it instantly, raising an eyebrow.

Luzhen was stunned upon hearing this, then looked at Dongfang Mao in disbelief.

"Lord Mao, are you saying you combined the fire attribute with the power of Yang?"

Dongfang Mao nodded, then shook his head.

"I wouldn't call it a combination, would I? It seems more like I stumbled into it, causing the Great Fireball Technique to take on some characteristics of the power of Yang?"

However, Luzhen said with a hint of excitement.

"No, Lord Mao, these are the signs that precede the combination of two attributes. In other words, you are very likely to become a ninja who possesses a Kekkei Genkai!"

Kekkei Genkai?

Hearing this, Dongfang Mao could not keep his heart calm.

"If Lady Tsunade knew that you, Lord Mao, had attempted to combine two attributes in just these few short days—and that one of them was the power of Yang—she would probably be overjoyed!"

Luzhen looked at Dongfang Mao with some envy. This was a Kekkei Genkai, after all; apart from those oddballs in Kirigakure, who in the entire ninja world wouldn't want to possess one?

Dongfang Mao also nodded. He could almost foresee the scene where, upon hearing this news, Tsunade would drag him into those two despair-inducing, firm towers to interrogate him relentlessly.

"Don't spread the word about this for now; I will tell her myself. Go back and rest."

Dongfang Mao waved his hand.