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Seeing the Outer Path Jade on the verge of collapse, a flash of disappointment crossed Uesugi Shinji's eyes; he knew this attempt had failed.

However, this failure was not unacceptable to him. At the very least, he was now certain that his original hypothesis was viable; it was simply missing a key component capable of sustaining the seal of the Outer Path Jade.

Uesugi Shinji stepped back a few paces, exiting the range of the sealing formation, while his hands moved at maximum speed to weave hand seals.

As his seals were completed, the four massive scrolls previously spread across the ground all floated into the air, then wound forward like snakes to wrap and envelop the volatile Outer Path Jade.

The seals inscribed on these scrolls possessed an immense capacity for absorbing chakra. Under Uesugi Shinji's control, the seals on the scrolls began to glow with a pale blue light once more.

Yet this time, the light was not meant to release chakra, but to draw every ounce of chakra they touched into the scrolls.

Because the scrolls were frantically draining the chakra from the Outer Path Jade, the sphere—which had been on the brink of eruption—immediately went silent. Its blinding white exterior rapidly dimmed, and the sphere shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In a mere dozen seconds, the Outer Path Jade, which had contained a massive amount of chakra, was completely drained by the scrolls and dissipated into the air.

Uesugi Shinji flicked his right hand, and the four hovering scrolls automatically rolled themselves up before vanishing into white smoke with a soft "pop."

Seeing Uesugi Shinji put the scrolls away, Kisame knew that today's experiment had come to an end.

He walked slowly toward Uesugi Shinji, a look of pity on his face. "Aiya, it seems this experiment was a failure. What a pity. But what I find even more regrettable is that you don't look very disappointed at all. I was actually looking forward to seeing a guy like you wear a look of defeat!"

Uesugi Shinji ignored the teasing in Kisame's words as usual, merely stating with a calm expression, "I didn't have much confidence in this attempt to begin with; it was merely a theoretical experiment."

Kisame raised an eyebrow at this and asked, "And what is the conclusion of the experiment?"

A sharp glint flashed in Uesugi Shinji's eyes. "The theory behind this sealing technique is sound, but if I want to contain an Outer Path Jade with a sufficiently large amount of chakra, I still need one key item."

Kisame stared intently at Uesugi Shinji, waiting for him to reveal this so-called "key." However, after a few seconds passed without the other man continuing, it was clear he had no intention of telling him here.

Kisame shook his head helplessly; his captain was truly a man of few words.

Just then, Uesugi Shinji turned his gaze toward the depths of the nearby forest.

"Rin, how much longer do you intend to watch from there?"

The moment the words left his lips, a black shadow darted out from the woods, arriving beside Uesugi Shinji and Kisame in an instant. The newcomer was none other than their other teammate, Rin Onodera.

"Who would care to peek at your messy ninjutsu? I only came to deliver a message," Rin said with a cold snort and a tone of disdain after appearing.

"What news?" Uesugi Shinji asked.

Rin curled her lip. "The village high command has sent that woman who has been making such a splash lately. It seems she is to temporarily take over the Mist Assassination Unit for a special mission. Everyone is currently being summoned back to the base to assemble."

It was not difficult to tell from Rin's tone that she was not fond of the "woman making such a splash." However, to Uesugi Shinji, this was perfectly normal; as the saying goes, like repels like, and sometimes outstanding people of the same gender are more prone to standing on opposite sides.

"Terumi Mei? She is indeed a formidable character," Uesugi Shinji said slowly.

Seeing Uesugi Shinji praise someone she secretly viewed as a rival, Rin huffed with great dissatisfaction. "The message has been delivered, I'm heading back!"

Without waiting for Uesugi Shinji to respond, Rin turned and walked toward the depths of the forest, heading in the direction of the Mist Assassination Unit's local encampment.

Watching Rin's retreating figure, Uesugi Shinji said faintly, "Next time, you can just state the message; there is no need to wait on the sidelines for half an hour before showing yourself."

Although the time Uesugi Shinji spent condensing the Outer Path Jade was short, preparing the sealing formation here had taken quite a while—the entire process had lasted about an hour.

Beside him, Kisame smiled, rubbing his chin and smacking his lips. "Half an hour? Doesn't that mean you were already peeking from the sidelines, Rin? You were the one who refused when I invited you to participate in this experiment, and now..."

Hearing the words of Uesugi Shinji and Kisame, Rin's upright figure suddenly stumbled, though she quickly regained her footing.

"Bastard, shut up!"

She shouted to interrupt Kisame, simultaneously firing a kunai at him, which Kisame dodged by tilting his head slightly.

Just as Kisame was about to tease her further, he noticed that Rin was already gone; it appeared she had used the Body Flicker Technique to depart.

Glancing at the sun, which was about to set, Kisame turned to Uesugi Shinji and said, "It's getting late, let's head back to the base as well."

"With Terumi Mei coming here to take over the Mist Assassination Unit, it seems the village is planning a major operation!"