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Seeing that the Outer Path Jade was on the verge of collapsing, a trace of disappointment flashed in Uesugi Shinji's eyes. He knew this attempt had failed.

However, this failure wasn't unacceptable to him. At least he was certain his original idea could work; he was simply missing a key element that could sustain the Outer Path Jade's Sealing Jutsu.

Uesugi Shinji took several steps back, moving beyond the sealing array, and quickly formed Hand Seals.

As he finished, the four enormous scrolls spread across the ground all rose into the air, then coiled around the Outer Path Jade, which was about to erupt, like snakes wrapping around their prey.

The seals on the scrolls had an extremely powerful ability to absorb chakra. Under Uesugi Shinji's control, they glowed pale blue once more.

But this time, rather than releasing chakra, the light absorbed all the chakra it touched into the scrolls.

As the scrolls frantically drew chakra from the Outer Path Jade, the sphere, which had been on the verge of erupting, immediately fell silent. Its dazzling white glow quickly dimmed, and it visibly shrank.

In just over ten seconds, the scrolls had completely drained the chakra-filled Outer Path Jade, and it dissipated into the air.

Uesugi Shinji swept his right hand, and the four floating scrolls rolled themselves up before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

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

He strolled over to Uesugi Shinji, a look of regret on his face. "My, my, looks like the experiment failed. What a shame. But what's even more disappointing is that you don't seem very upset. I was really hoping to see what a guy like you would look like with a defeated expression!"

Uesugi Shinji ignored Kisame's teasing as usual and calmly replied, "I never had much confidence in this attempt. It was only a theoretical experiment."

Kisame raised an eyebrow. "So, what did you conclude?"

A gleam flashed in Uesugi Shinji's eyes. "The theory behind this Sealing Jutsu is sound. But if I want to contain an Outer Path Jade holding a truly massive amount of chakra, I'll need one crucial thing."

Kisame stared intently at Uesugi Shinji, waiting for him to reveal what this so-called "crucial thing" was. But after several seconds, Uesugi Shinji still said nothing. Clearly, he wasn't planning to tell him here.

Kisame shook his head helplessly. His captain really was a man of few words.

Just then, Uesugi Shinji looked toward the depths of the nearby woods.

"Rin, how long are you going to watch from there?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a shadow darted out of the woods and appeared beside Uesugi Shinji and Kisame in an instant. It was their other teammate, Rin Onodera.

"As if I'd want to spy on your weird jutsu. I'm only here to deliver a message," Rin said with a derisive snort.

"What message?" Uesugi Shinji asked.

Rin curled her lip. "The village higher-ups sent that woman who's been making waves lately. Apparently, she's temporarily taking over the Assassination Squad to carry out a special mission. She's summoning everyone to gather at the base."

It was obvious from Rin's tone that she wasn't fond of the "woman who's been making waves" she'd mentioned. But Uesugi Shinji thought that was only natural. Like repelled like; sometimes, outstanding women were more likely to find themselves at odds with one another.

"Terumi Mei? She's certainly a formidable woman," Uesugi Shinji said slowly.

Seeing Uesugi Shinji praise the woman she secretly regarded as a rival, Rin let out an unhappy snort. "I've delivered the message. I'm heading back!"

Without waiting for Uesugi Shinji to reply, Rin turned and walked into the depths of the woods. She was heading toward the Mist Assassination Unit's base in the area.

Watching Rin's retreating figure, Uesugi Shinji said mildly, "Next time, you can just give us the message. There's no need to wait off to the side for half an hour before showing yourself."

Although it hadn't taken Uesugi Shinji long to form the Outer Path Jade, preparing the sealing array had taken quite some time. The whole process had lasted nearly an hour.

Kisame grinned at that and rubbed his chin. "Half an hour? Then you must've been watching us for a while, Rin. We invited you to join this experiment earlier, but you turned us down yourself. And now you—"

At Uesugi Shinji and Kisame's words, Rin's upright figure suddenly stumbled, but she quickly regained her balance.

"Bastard, shut up!"

She shouted over Kisame and threw a Kunai at him. Kisame dodged it with a slight tilt of his head.

Kisame was about to tease her some more when he realized Rin had vanished. It looked like she'd used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

Glancing at the sun that was about to set, Kisame turned to Uesugi Shinji. "It's getting late. We should head back to base, too."

"Terumi Mei's come here to take over the Assassination Squad. Looks like the village is planning a major operation!"