Gathering Strength

Chakra was transforming toward an elemental state; Mo Jingxian roughly estimated that he could convert about 0.5% per day.

To have all the energy within his body converted into elements, an optimistic estimate would be seven months.

By then, his Water Element Mastery would also naturally advance to the advanced level.

Hmm, if he put in the effort, the Wind Element might also have a chance.

He currently spent one hour each day on erosion and conversion, using the remaining time to nurture the new elements.

This was because the newly converted elements were still unstable and prone to reverse reactions.

It wasn't that he didn't want to spend more time on the conversion.

His own strength limited him; after the Star Cross eyes were activated for nearly an hour, obvious signs of discomfort would appear.

He didn't want to go blind in his youth, so it was best to respect the feedback his body provided.

He would just have to lie low for a while.

Mo Jingxian pondered silently.

This kind of progress, visible every single day, was extremely gratifying.

At the same time, he felt expectant, much like waiting for a promising and delightful surprise.

He tossed the cloth bag in his hand and whistled happily.

Inside the bag was a piece of chakra metal the size of a child's fist, bobbing up and down with his movements.

He and Ayako had exchanged it from the Konoha supply management department using the points from three A-rank missions, plus their military merits.

It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it.

It was not yet ten o'clock when they left the supply office, and the two walked along the wide, neat streets of Konoha, bathed in the morning sun of early autumn.

"What tune are you whistling?" Ayako tilted her head, listening. "It's quite cheerful."

"Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse."

"Oh."

The two youths passed by a bustling commercial street, drawn in by the dazzling array of goods in the shop windows.

When they emerged, Mo Jingxian held a three-colored dango in his left hand and stuffed grilled squid into his mouth with his right, eating with uninhibited flair.

Ayako, by contrast, was much better; even though the young girl liked the food, her manners remained relatively refined.

Crossing the lively street and turning two corners, the pair arrived at the commercial street in Konoha dedicated to ninja tools.

In the middle of this street stood a blacksmith shop named Yitie Feng.

It was said that the owner had come to Konoha from the Land of Iron, and his craftsmanship in weaponry was highly sought after by ninjas.

Mo Jingxian looked up at the sign hanging above the entrance and stepped inside.

Ayako Hyuuga followed by his side, and from time to time, he could hear her muttering things like, "Too expensive, what a rip-off..."

He smiled, finding it quite amusing.

He hadn't expected Ayako to have a talent for being a housekeeper; it was a stark contrast to the personality she usually displayed.

"Customers, please feel free to look around."

A shop assistant came up to greet them, not slighting them in the least because of their young age.

"Is your master blacksmith here? I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with him."

Mo Jingxian's words stunned the assistant, who then gave him a once-over.

"Please wait a moment, the master doesn't usually come to the front hall. I will go inform him for you."

Mo Jingxian nodded; the assistant's behavior told him that this shop was quite professional.

He didn't blame himself for being overly cautious; after all, chakra metal was a high-end commodity that was priceless and rarely available.

Being extra careful was never a mistake.

After a short wait, the assistant hurried back. "Please come in, the master is in the back hall."

Mo Jingxian and Ayako followed the assistant all the way to the backyard.

Before they even saw anyone, the sound of "bang, bang" hammering vibrated against their eardrums.

Beside a high-legged furnace, a shirtless, burly man swung his hammer so fast it left afterimages, each strike landing precisely on the glowing red iron block upon the anvil.

Red-hot iron sparks flew, and the burly man's rhythm was steady and powerful.

As the final hammer fell, the burly man took a towel to wipe the sweat from his body and walked out of the workshop.

"You were looking for me?"

"I would like to ask the master to help me forge a piece of ninja gear." Mo Jingxian handed over the blueprint and added, "Money is no object."

The blacksmith took the blueprint and examined it carefully.

"The bow arms aren't difficult; wrapping iron with purpleheart wood will suffice. As for the bowstring..."

The master glanced at Mo Jingxian: "Sorry, I don't have any chakra metal on hand."

"I do." He opened his cloth bag and took out the metal: "But can you meet the requirements on my blueprint?"

The master didn't take it immediately, instead carefully checking the blueprint once more.

"Using beast tendons mixed with chakra metal wire to braid the string is not difficult." Recalling Mo Jingxian's earlier reminder, the master continued:

"The bow body requiring chakra conduction is also simple; I just need to mix chakra metal into the ear-crown joints."

The master looked up at the two of them, then swallowed his questions.

Regardless, as long as he followed the client's requirements, whether it worked well or not was their own business.

Finally, the master quoted a price: "I'll provide the remaining materials. Come back in a month to pick it up. The total is two hundred thousand ryo."

"Five days." Mo Jingxian gave an unreasonable deadline.

The master frowned, though he wasn't angry: "Five days, four hundred thousand ryo."

Mo Jingxian's heart gave a sharp twitch, and Ayako, standing beside him, tugged on his sleeve.

Profiteer, he vented in his heart.

But there was no help for it; who told him to be in such a rush?

Mo Jingxian looked up and stared directly at the boss.

"Fine, four hundred thousand it is." He patted the back of Ayako's hand comfortingly: "It shouldn't be a problem to make a few arrows with the remaining chakra metal, right?"

"Agreed." The boss was a straightforward man and quickly signed the contract.

By the time the two of them stepped out of Yitie Feng, Mo Jingxian had less than one hundred thousand ryo left in his pocket. Money really didn't last long.

Ayako whispered: "I'll pay you back once I have money."

"Hey!" Mo Jingxian waved his small hand: "Why are we being so formal with each other?"

Ayako Hyuuga's face flushed red; she snuck a glance at him before immediately looking away.

A smile gradually crept onto the girl's face.

"The weapon is ordered, now let's talk about the problem here." Mo Jingxian pointed to her forehead.

Seeing the girl listening intently, he continued:

"I thought about it all night yesterday; your Cursed Seal is quite troublesome."

"Mm." Ayako acknowledged this statement; if it weren't troublesome, someone would have broken it long ago.

"It's fine if it can't be broken. At worst, I just die. I'm mentally prepared."

"Who said it couldn't be broken? I said it was very troublesome."

Being interrupted like that, Mo Jingxian even forgot what he was going to say next.

He glared at her crossly: "Don't interrupt, listen to me first."

As he turned to look ahead, Ayako stuck her tongue out at him and made a face.

"The Caged Bird Cursed Seal is a dual-gate activation; the seal is connected to the eyes, the brain, and the soul.

I am confident in clearing the seal on the body, but I know nothing about the soul.

In other words, the seal must be destroyed from both aspects simultaneously, or the soul of the person under the jutsu must be separated from the body to avoid the connection with the seal."

Ayako Hyuuga didn't understand these technical terms, but she trusted Mo Jingxian.

"You've thought of a way, haven't you?"

Mo Jingxian nodded: "I have thought of two methods for now: the Spirit Transformation Technique and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Both methods carry different risks."

"I'm not afraid. You decide."

"Don't be in such a hurry to decide." He then explained the risks of both methods to Ayako:

"The Spirit Transformation Technique is, as the name implies, the soul leaving the body. The risk is that it easily triggers a backlash from the Caged Bird seal."

As he had explained earlier, this seal was a dual-gate activation; if the soul left the body, the seal might mistake it for death and trigger the jutsu.

"But the Dead Demon Consuming Seal is different. The strength of this sealing jutsu lies in its ability to maintain the sealed soul in its original state. This is a power of the rules, which overrides the Caged Bird, so there is no need to worry about the jutsu activating."

"You said there were risks for both, right?" Ayako grabbed Mo Jingxian's hand, full of worry.

She wasn't stupid; she could hear that Mo Jingxian leaned more toward the second option.

But every jutsu had its risks. The first one was a risk she bore herself.

As for the second one... it was clear who would be bearing the risk.

"Don't worry." He comforted her gently: "I am confident, otherwise I wouldn't have brought up this plan."

"However, the troublesome part is that these two jutsus are S-rank ninjutsu, so whether in terms of acquisition or learning, they cannot be mastered in a short time."

Mo Jingxian recalled the plot as he walked. In the entire Hokage series, only three people had ever used this jutsu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze, and Orochimaru.

The path by which Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze learned this jutsu should both be related to Kushina.

Another option was to trade with Orochimaru, but his method of using this jutsu was different; he needed the Uzumaki clan's Death God Mask to perform it.

Perhaps he could try to obtain this sealing jutsu from Kushina first, he thought.

No sooner had the thought occurred than he decided to act. He had time today, and it was about time he visited big sister Kushina.

Mo Jingxian, bringing Ayako Hyuuga along, bought gifts and knocked on Minato's door.

Kushina opened the door as usual. "Yo, you finally decided to show your face."

"It's not my fault. As soon as I got back, the Hokage threw me in prison. So... I came to see big sister as soon as I got out."

"Serves you right," Kushina said with schadenfreude. "Who told you to cause trouble? For your little girlfriend's sake, come in."

Kushina stepped aside, and Ayako Hyuuga greeted her with a blush. "Senior Kushina, my name is Ayako Hyuuga. It's nice to meet you. Please take care of me."

"Sure, I'll look out for you from now on," Kushina said, pulling Ayako into the house. "If that brat dares to bully you, I'll deal with him for you."

Mo Jingxian rolled his eyes and followed the two, taking off his shoes before entering.

The three chatted happily for a long time. It was clear that Kushina had been lonely for a while and seized the opportunity to talk someone's ear off.

This was all Minato's fault.

As dinnertime approached, Kushina enthusiastically insisted they stay.

In the end, the two younger ones went into the kitchen, while she just waited to eat.

Mo Jingxian seriously suspected she was just too lazy to cook, and they had even brought the ingredients themselves.

The meal was a delightful affair for all involved. As they were leaving, Kushina didn't forget to remind Ayako, "Come visit me when you have time, sis."

Walking home in the evening breeze, the two strolled along the road.

"Kushina-sister is really nice."

"She is quite nice." Mo Jingxian didn't mention the "Reaper Death Seal."

Currently, Kushina's contribution of reputation points was still 20, and her attitude towards him was akin to that of a senior appreciating a junior.

There was no need to mention anything that would make her dislike him, as their relationship wasn't that close.

This way... there was only one path left.

Mo Jingxian touched the scroll in his bag, which contained the Third Kazekage Puppet.

He wondered if Orochimaru would be interested in it.