First Encounter with "Akatsuki"

Ice Release is formed by the fusion of Wind-style and Water-style chakra.

However, not just any Wind and Water chakra can synthesize Ice Release.

Otherwise, Kekkei Genkai would not be so rare and precious in the Ninja World.

No one has ever calculated how many nature transformations each type of chakra possesses.

Even less is known about the structural logic—or rather, the access permissions—of each chakra nature transformation.

To obtain Ice Release, one must input the corresponding secondary chakra at the exact point of each nature transformation and structural logic of the primary chakra.

With the infinite paths of trial and error required for such a combination, those without the bloodline cannot force it.

This is the rule of the Ninja World: if you aren't born with it, you will never have it.

Except for various eyes; those are cheats.

Yet, Mo Jingxian broke this perception; he took a different path, bypassing chakra permissions entirely.

Using sealing runes, he forcibly imposed three restrictions—"sluggishness," "inertia," and "isolation"—upon his own chakra.

His chakra became like an old tortoise, losing its vitality.

Conversely, the water elements contained within became active.

A Water Dragon appeared in his palm once more, its color several shades deeper than before.

Wind elements gradually merged in; this time, the two elements combined and fused together.

The surrounding temperature began to drop, and Mo Jingxian released his chakra restrictions.

Calling it the Water Dragon Technique was no longer appropriate; a massive Ice Dragon meandered across the grassland.

Wherever it passed, the wild grass turned into ice sculptures.

Mo Jingxian had created a world of ice sculptures in the middle of summer.

The Ice Dragon seemed to sense his joy, circling once before returning to its master's side.

It raised its head, waiting for its master's touch.

Mo Jingxian reached out and placed his hand on its head; he was not harmed by the low temperature, feeling only a faint chill.

Since he created this technique, he could naturally control the temperature at will.

As he continued to input chakra, the temperature around the Ice Dragon grew lower and lower.

Gradually, the range of the ice sculptures began to expand: one meter, two meters...

He stopped the chakra input once it reached a ten-meter radius.

Mo Jingxian had tested the limit of the Ice Dragon.

The core temperature was approximately minus 80 degrees, the effective radius was about ten meters, and it consumed nearly half of his chakra.

He dispelled the ninjutsu and recovered in place for a while.

As it stands, Ice Release can serve as a trump card, significantly increasing his survival rate.

There are still many nature transformations to develop for Ice Release, which will require a great deal of time and is limited by his understanding of Water and Wind elements.

This cannot be rushed.

The power of the Ice Release is sufficient for now; if he wants to lower the temperature limit further, he needs a deeper understanding of elements, especially Wind, to urgently address his shortcomings.

Finally, there is the naming; the starting point of this ninjutsu was the "Water Dragon Technique," and he was too lazy to change it, preferring to keep the name for its commemorative significance.

There was nothing else left; in his bag lay the one million ryo he had extorted from Long Yunzhi, enough to replenish his supplies in bulk once he returned.

Money is important; before, he had to calculate every single Explosive Tag he used, as he was incredibly strapped for cash.

Now, he could finally achieve "Explosive Tag freedom"—if he encountered Sand Ninja again, he would throw them by the handful.

If he couldn't blow them to death, he would scare them to death.

Thinking of this, Mo Jingxian suddenly felt a sense of nostalgia for Long Yunzhi.

What a good man!

Long Yunzhi, of course, could not refute this, as he was currently lying inside Mo Jingxian's sealing scroll, wondering if he could be exploited once more after returning to the base camp.

After all, waste is shameful.

The inventory of his gains was complete; he had struck it rich in one fell swoop.

His physical attributes were now approaching those of a Jonin, and his repertoire of methods had become much more diverse.

In terms of combat power, he didn't know which category he would fall into within the current ninja system.

He should have the combat power of a Jonin; if the conditions were right, it would be quite easy to ambush and kill a few hostile Jonin.

He should also be able to trade a few blows with an Elite Jonin, at the very least, his chances of survival had risen sharply.

If it were a "Kage"...

He couldn't think any further; Mo Jingxian felt he was already courting death.

Having sorted out his combat strength, he rested his hands behind his head and gazed at the sky with contentment for a while.

A few white clouds drifted leisurely, and a gentle breeze brought waves of coolness.

The wild grass nearby was wrapped in a transparent coat of ice, with beads of melting water hanging from it, refracting the colorful sunlight.

"Counting the days, I've been out for quite a while. If I don't go back soon, I'm afraid I'll be branded a missing-nin."

Before the voice had even faded, the person had already vanished from the spot.

Land of Rain, Amegakure.

On a street not far from the office building of the Ninja Demigod, Hanzo of the Salamander, Mo Jingxian held the brim of his bamboo hat and looked up.

Towering buildings rose from the ground, and Hanzo usually resided on the top floor, which was constructed in the shape of a demon's head.

Most of the surrounding buildings were similar, only shorter and without such unique styling.

Upon first entering Amegakure, Mo Jingxian had briefly thought he had arrived in a wasteland world.

The high-rises shooting up into the sky stood like giants, possessing a distinct cyberpunk flavor.

The sky was perpetually overcast, and the curtain of rain never ceased.

Walking through streets that alternated between steel jungles and old-fashioned wooden structures, Mo Jingxian felt a sense of temporal displacement.

The Ninja World was not large, yet it felt as if it had been pieced together, with each nation possessing a drastically different style.

He actually quite liked the weather here; even the chakra within his body felt a few degrees more active.

Mo Jingxian headed toward the outskirts of Amegakure; he had no desire to invite unnecessary trouble.

At this time, Hanzo had not yet been toppled from his throne by the Akatsuki; he was still the demigod who had suppressed an entire era.

After taking several winding turns, he finally found a shantytown on the edge of the village—the destination of his trip.

Low houses huddled tightly in this small space, the streets were muddy, and the stench of refuse hung in the air.

Mo Jingxian arrived in front of a certain house and reached out to push the door.

The bottom of the door scraped against the ground with a harsh noise, and the firelight from inside spilled out.

He peered inside and raised his hand to knock twice more on the dilapidated wooden door.

Inside the room was only a girl of five or six years old, her face smeared with large patches of dirt, making it impossible to see her original features.

Only those eyes, at every moment, reflected the flickering glimmer of the flames.

The girl squatted beside the fire, staring blankly at him, showing neither hostility nor any intention to stand up and ask who he was.

"Kashima Yui!"

As Mo Jingxian entered the room, the little girl retreated a distance in defense.

Through the little girl's reaction, he knew he hadn't found the wrong person.

Kashima Yui's situation was somewhat unexpected; perhaps some accident had occurred with her father's arrangements.

But the fact that she was still alive was the best news.

As for other matters, Mo Jingxian had no intention of getting involved.

At worst, he would leave her some money before he left, which would be doing his duty to the fullest.

"Don't be afraid, I mean no harm."

After offering a word of comfort, Mo Jingxian squatted down and said in a gentle voice:

"I am a friend of your father's, here to retrieve an item."

As the words fell, the little girl seemed startled, stumbling back two steps.

Kashima Yui's reaction was somewhat beyond his expectations.

"You still dare to come?"

A threat laced with anger came from outside the door, and a girl of fifteen or sixteen blocked the entrance.

Mo Jingxian slowly stood up and turned to look at the newcomer.

Blue hair, a paper flower on her head, and the combat attire of an Amegakure ninja.

It was the White Tiger of the Akatsuki, Konan, who was highly recognizable.

It was just that she was still very young, and her strength was far from reaching its peak.

Mo Jingxian had long since noticed Konan's arrival, but judging by her tone, she seemed to harbor inexplicable hostility.

"I think there might be some misunderstanding here; I am merely here to retrieve something of my own."

This simple mission could no longer be described as having a few twists and turns.

Now, he just wanted to find the classified document quickly so he could extricate himself from this affair.

"There is nothing here that you want. Get out!"

Even a clay bodhisattva has three parts of temper; Konan's aggressive tone made him very unhappy.

"You want me to get out? Do you have the strength for that?"

Facing the mockery, Konan kept a sullen face the entire time and raised her hand to fire a kunai.

Watching the three kunai flying toward him, Mo Jingxian stood his ground without dodging.

Konan's attack this time was also a probe, but the result was quite unexpected.

When the kunai were only one meter away from Mo Jingxian, he raised his arm.

As if reaching into his own pocket, he caught one with great composure.

The remaining two passed through his body, embedding themselves into the wooden wall behind him with two dull thuds.

Looking at the paper kunai in his hand, he found it quite interesting.

"A very good ninjutsu, using chakra to alter the structure of matter. If I'm not mistaken..."

Mo Jingxian met Konan's gaze and nodded in approval.

"You are able to utilize a small amount of natural energy, am I right?"

"Kid, the tone you use when you speak is truly annoying."

"You'll get used to it after hearing it enough; just adapt."

Through this brief exchange, Konan realized she had misunderstood; the other party had nothing to do with those wicked servants of Kashima Yui.

Therefore, after one strike, she ceased her attack.

Mo Jingxian didn't mind, taking out one hundred thousand ryo and placing it on the only stool in the room after looking around.

"This is what your father left for you. I've delivered the money; give me the item. You know what I'm talking about."

Kashima Yui looked at Konan, and seeing that she had no intention of stopping her, she knew what to do.

The little girl ran out of the house and returned five or six minutes later.

She was clutching an oilcloth bundle in her arms, stopping abruptly when she reached Mo Jingxian.

"H-here."

Her voice was very small, and she kept her head lowered, not daring to look at his face.

Mo Jingxian took it and unwrapped the layers, revealing the secret document sealed with a lacquer stamp lying at the very center.

Sigh, he had traveled through three countries just for this, and now the item was finally in his hands.

In a good mood, he ruffled the little girl's hair and tucked the document away.

"Konan, I've been looking for you for ages; so this is where you were."

As the words fell, two boys about the same age as Konan walked in.

Mo Jingxian's guess was correct; it was indeed Yahiko and Nagato.

His gaze swept over the two of them, lingering for a brief moment on Nagato's red bangs.

Yahiko had golden hair and a friendly expression, naturally giving off a sunny, approachable vibe.

Upon entering the room and discovering another person, Yahiko took the initiative to greet him.

"Hello, friend. My name is Yahiko. May I ask who you are..."

"He is an insignificant person."

Konan interjected at the right moment.

Perhaps feeling that Konan's words were a bit hurtful, or wanting to offer an explanation for her, Yahiko started, "Um, she doesn't mean..."

Mo Jingxian nodded at Yahiko as a greeting, then flashed out of the room. Within a few breaths, his silhouette had vanished into the curtain of rain.

The current Akatsuki organization was a massive pit; being targeted by several old schemers of the Ninja World, it would be a miracle if things turned out well. He had no desire to wade into these muddy waters.

Yahiko scratched his head in embarrassment, feeling that something was off.

"Um, Konan, Nagato said he sensed your chakra fluctuations here. Did you just fight someone?"

Konan recalled the methods Mo Jingxian had used, feeling an indescribable sensation.

She answered with some hesitation, "A very annoying kid, but his 'technique' was strange. It didn't seem like conventional ninjutsu."

At this moment, Nagato, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up.

"What he used wasn't ninjutsu. It was actually somewhat similar to senjutsu."