Inventory of Gains

Sunlight slanted through the window lattice, and the air was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant.

Mo Jingxian leaned against the headboard, waves of pain radiating from his wounds from time to time.

He had been unconscious for three days.

He still remembered several figures rushing toward the spot where he had collapsed before he lost consciousness.

He wondered if he had managed to deceive the higher-ups of Konoha; the eruption of Nine-Tails chakra must have struck a sensitive nerve for the Hokage.

He hoped his final arrangements would prove effective.

He was still too weak and could not withstand a deep investigation by those with ulterior motives.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A knocking sound echoed.

"Please, come in."

The door was pushed open, and Minato Namikaze walked into the ward with a warm smile.

"Jingxian, it's truly great to see you're alright."

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Minato. I feel quite well now."

"You kid have been out for three days. Kushina was incredibly worried about you; she even wanted to come visit in person, but as a result..."

Minato sat by the bedside like a friendly older brother.

When he mentioned Kushina, he deliberately shrugged, wearing an expression that suggested the boy should understand.

Ever since Minato entered the room, a faint smile had remained on Mo Jingxian's face.

The smile was not feigned; he was genuinely grateful to the couple.

This was also the reason he had worked so hard to cling to this powerful ally; if Minato hadn't stood in front, the ones arriving today would likely have been the Anbu.

Or perhaps the Root.

Being targeted by those two departments was never a pleasant experience.

Thinking of this, he felt fortunate for his own foresight and felt his gratitude toward Minato Namikaze deepen from the bottom of his heart.

"Brother Minato, tell me about what happened afterward. You know how it is."

Mo Jingxian gestured toward his own head.

Minato looked him over, and seeing that he was in good condition, he felt much more at ease.

"Sunagakure has declared war on Konoha."

Minato dropped a bombshell first, and Mo Jingxian cooperated by putting on a look of shock.

"On the day of the declaration, the Hokage was discussing countermeasures with the two advisors when Sunagakure spies lurking in Konoha suddenly launched an attack.

According to later intelligence, there were also ninjas from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure involved in the assault. In short... the situation was extremely chaotic at the time, but fortunately, it was finally quelled."

"I see. So, the ones who attacked me were also enemy spies."

Minato Namikaze nodded, his expression quite serious.

"That is one of the reasons I came to see you. There is some classified information I cannot disclose to you, but..."

Minato paused here, then continued:

"Jingxian, do you trust me?"

What had to come would come eventually; hiding was no solution. Fortunately, it was Minato who had come to ask.

Jingxian admitted that he had utilitarian motives when he first approached Minato, but through their interactions over these days, he had come to deeply respect him. This was a man against whom it was impossible to harbor hostility.

"Of course I trust you, Brother Minato. You wouldn't harm me, would you?"

Minato stared into Mo Jingxian's eyes, seeing sincerity, composure, and the spirit of a youth.

Minato smiled.

He trusted his own judgment, and he trusted the boy lying in the hospital bed.

This was not arrogance; from the very first moment he saw Mo Jingxian, he had sensed that this boy was different.

Different from everyone else.

Of course, the most important factor was that Kushina had not detected any malice from Mo Jingxian through her Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

"Jingxian, tell me about the situation when you were attacked. Think carefully, and it would be best not to leave out any details."

Mo Jingxian tilted his head slightly, as if recalling the event.

Then, he began to describe the situation at the time.

"After parting ways with you, Brother Minato, I headed back, passing through..."

He described the entire process in detail, without adding any personal emotions, keeping the narrative strictly objective.

Of course, he omitted everything that happened after his transaction with the Balance of Fate, stating only that he had lost consciousness after being struck.

Minato lowered his head, lost in thought for a moment.

"Describe the appearance of their weapons in more detail."

"One was a long, needle-like blade that moved without a trace, incredibly fast. The second could discharge lightning, and the tip of the blade split into fangs..."

Now, Minato finally confirmed that the attackers were two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

He looked up and scrutinized Mo Jingxian for a long time, leaving the boy feeling somewhat bewildered.

"What is it, Brother Minato? Is something wrong?"

"I don't even know how to tell you this; I can only say that you are truly lucky to be alive, kid."

"Did you discover something, Brother Minato?"

Minato smiled and shook his head.

"Kushimaru Kuriarare and Raiga Kurosuki—elite ninja from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure. I honestly don't know how you survived them; perhaps it was just luck."

Even Minato found it hard to believe that Mo Jingxian could have preserved his life while being targeted by two hostile elite ninja, especially with the Nine-Tails chakra incident thrown into the mix.

Mo Jingxian must have been dragged into the conflict by accident and knocked unconscious at the very start. As for why the enemies didn't finish him off, he assumed they had been distracted by a more important opponent: the wielder of the Nine-Tails chakra.

That was Minato's line of reasoning.

The incident was convoluted, and he had been excluded from it from the very beginning.

Mo Jingxian feigned shock, remaining speechless for a long time.

"Alright, you don't need to worry. This matter wasn't specifically targeting you, so... you understand."

Mo Jingxian rolled his eyes; even Minato Namikaze was cracking jokes now.

At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to bluff his way through this hurdle.

"Brother Minato, about the Uchiha..."

"The Hokage's intention is for this matter to end here. I know you might feel aggrieved, but we must prioritize the big picture."

Mo Jingxian nodded.

"I will listen to Brother Minato."

"Of course, I won't let you suffer a loss; there must be compensation. Think about it... what do you need? I will go communicate with Team Leader Fugaku."

He wasn't sleepy anymore hearing that. Back when he was with the Uchiha, even after pledging loyalty to Yashiro, he had only obtained a few generic, low-level ninjutsu.

He had long coveted Uchiha genjutsu; how could he let such an opportunity slip by?

"Hmm, I'm not greedy. I'll just take a few ninjutsu... Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, and Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique."

He counted them off on his fingers, leaving Minato unable to laugh or cry.

"You think Uchiha clan genjutsu are cabbages? You're even ordering them off a menu! Just wait... I'll go talk to them."

"If I don't take them, they'll go to waste. They owe me."

Mo Jingxian spoke with righteous indignation, and the two shared a smile.

Minato left.

The hospital room fell silent once more.

He had passed this hurdle easily thanks to Minato, but what about the next one?

He hadn't forgotten that he had staked almost his entire life to escape a certain death.

Was it worth it?

Of course it was. What use was this golden finger if he were dead?

He silently opened his personal status panel.

[Host: Mo Jingxian]
[Life: 31]
[Nature: 15]
[Skills: Uchiha Swordsmanship, Water Dragon Technique, Water Substitution Technique (Modified), Water Body Flicker Technique (Modified), Mist of Vitality, Wind Release: Vacuum Blade, Principles of Sealing Jutsu]
[Talent: Water Element Mastery (Intermediate)]
[Tradable: Luck, Soul, Water Substitution Technique, Water Body Flicker Technique, Wind Release: Vacuum Blade]
[Reputation: 32]

"Mist of Vitality" and "Wind Release: Vacuum Blade" had successfully logged onto the panel, and his Water Element Mastery had risen to the intermediate level.

There is great terror between life and death; he had often heard people mention it.

He hadn't expected to experience it himself.

None of that mattered as much as the "Principles of Sealing Jutsu."

Although the experience card had only lasted for one minute, the memories had remained in his mind—that was his greatest harvest.

Looking at his current self from the perspective of a Kage-level powerhouse, he naturally possessed a much broader and more profound vision.

This is also the reason why he could master two ninjutsu in such a short time.

The benefits went far beyond that.

Looking back at sealing techniques, the obscure and difficult parts were now easily understood.

Although he could not yet perform specific techniques due to his chakra attribute and volume, the principles remained the same, and he could completely find another way to integrate them into his own ninjutsu.

With Water Element Mastery reaching the intermediate level, he was one step closer to refining all the waters under heaven.

Mo Jingxian waved his hand gently.

A few meters away, the clear water in a vase was summoned and landed in his palm.

It was not much water, only the size of a pencil.

Yet, this was a qualitative breakthrough.

It was not a ninjutsu; no chakra was involved. Relying solely on his understanding of the water element, he could control the pool of water in his palm.

The water flow rotated rapidly in his palm, forming a small vortex.

Mo Jingxian added a bit of chakra bit by bit.

The water vortex changed, and a miniature water dragon evolved from it.

The water dragon had a single horn on its head, its scales were arranged more densely, and it had four claws on its ribs, manifesting a divine aura.

This technique was the "Water Dragon Technique," an upgrade from the "Water Python Technique."

Compared to before, this technique had more variations and was easier to control.

There was no need to detail the increase in offensive and defensive strength; the most critical point was... the casting was completely free from the control of hand seals, allowing him to cast as his heart desired.

It could be called a seal-less ninjutsu.

The miniature water dragon coiled around his finger, flicking its tongue, looking incredibly lifelike.

Mo Jingxian controlled the water dragon to perform several difficult movements, then a thought crossed his mind.

The water dragon turned into water vapor, dissipating to fill the entire hospital room.

"Mist of Vitality."

The transition between the two ninjutsu was extremely smooth, with chakra utilization approaching one hundred percent.

This was a talent brought about by Water Element Mastery reaching the intermediate level, and for him, who was about to step onto the battlefield, it was crucial.

On the battlefield, every bit of chakra would become a trump card for survival.

The harvest was gratifying, but the price was very heavy.

Mo Jingxian had only one year of life left.

It was laughable; he had once felt smug about securing a year of stable cultivation time for himself.

Who would have thought his words would become a prophecy.

So this was what that one year meant.

Fate seemed to have played a big joke on him.

He did not want to wait for death, nor was he resigned to it; no matter what, he had to fight for a way to survive.

Idea after idea emerged from the bottom of his heart, only to be rejected by him.

In the end, he set his target on the Hashirama Cells.

Knowing the plot, he was aware that Obito, who would incite the Fourth Great Ninja War in the future, relied on Hashirama Cells to prolong his life.

As long as he used Yin Release chakra to suppress the devouring nature of the Hashirama Cells, he could achieve his goal.

As for how to obtain Yin Release chakra.

Since the Balance of Fate could trade for Water Element Mastery, it must also have mastery over the Yin and Yang attributes.

He silently listed the items in his heart.

Hashirama Cells, Yin Element Mastery, and a large amount of reputation points.

He had to collect them all within a year!

It was extremely difficult, but did he have any other choice?