A New Idea

(There are so many people in the comments today. Did everyone come out of the woodwork after seeing Shinra Tensei? But using Shinra Tensei won't be that simple. I've already figured out how to improve it. Lastly, all your comments are the best birthday present. Hahaha, that's right—today's my birthday!)

First, he had to understand that Shinra Tensei was powerful, but using it came with risks. It was actually a two-way technique: it first affected the target, but if the repulsive force didn't crush them immediately, it would rebound and affect the user. It was like touching the surface of water with a finger. Ripples spread outward until they hit the shore, then bounced back.

In the original story, Nagato could use this technique to kill any god or Buddha in his way. But in Kanna's hands, that was probably doubtful. Of course, he'd have to test it himself to know for sure.

Following the usual steps, Kanna first circulated chakra and channeled it into the Highland, activating and manifesting the Flying Thunder God Technique's formula. Then he gradually inscribed the formula for Shinra Tensei over it, wrote in its true name, and overwrote the Flying Thunder God Technique.

In an instant, Kanna felt the whole world dim. The space-time coordinates he'd set up before suddenly became impossible to sense.

"I really am not used to this." Kanna touched his chest and gave a bitter smile.

Kanna could at least understand the Flying Thunder God Technique's formula through things like Sealing Jutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu, and the Body Flicker Technique. But Shinra Tensei was completely incomprehensible. Not because it was too difficult to decipher, but because it was so simple it was almost unbelievable!

Summoning water, spitting fire, calling wind, summoning lightning, creating earth—Shinra Tensei's formula turned out to be the five most basic nature transformations!

When chakra of these five elements was fully combined, it became Yin-Yang Release. Shinra Tensei was a true Rinnegan technique, genuine Yin-Yang Release, already at the level of returning to simplicity. This also aligned with the principle Kanna had realized before: all the mysteries of ninjutsu were hidden in the most basic chakra.

In other words, Shinra Tensei was far more difficult than the Flying Thunder God Technique. Yin-Yang Release encompassed everything; it was the origin of all things, naturally including Space-Time Ninjutsu. You could say Kanna had struck gold this time. If he could completely understand Shinra Tensei and fully decipher chakra, he could attain enlightenment on the spot and become a Six Paths being. But Kanna simply couldn't understand its mysteries.

There was no point in thinking too much about some things. After marveling at it for a while, Kanna quietly regulated his breathing. Once his chakra was completely replenished, he activated the Highland.

This time, the world looked different through Kanna's eyes. He saw everything around him connected by countless invisible lines, maintaining some kind of balance. He felt that if he severed those lines, he could break the balance and draw on the power of the earth to repel things beyond the world. Conversely, if he pulled on the lines, he could create a physical phenomenon like a collapse in space-time and draw things toward him.

Kanna tried reaching out and pulling one of the lines, but his hand passed straight through it. He couldn't affect it.

"As expected, gravity falls under Universal Pull and Planetary Devastation, right? This Highland really is rigid. Repulsion is repulsion. It absolutely won't interfere with other forces."

Since he couldn't touch gravity, he decided to try repulsion instead. Kanna narrowed his eyes, picked up a pencil, pointed it toward the window, then lightly flicked his hand and snapped the invisible line connecting himself to the pencil.

Whoosh! Half the chakra in Kanna's body was consumed, and the pencil was instantly repelled. In the blink of an eye, it flew out the window and disappeared into the distance.

"Whew." Kanna let out a deep breath and felt his chakra draining away. He couldn't help but laugh wryly.

It was only a pencil. It couldn't resist, and it didn't weigh much. Yet it had consumed half his chakra?

"First, I'm probably still inexperienced. I used too much repulsive force," Kanna thought. "Second, could it really be related to bloodline limits?"

In Kanna's view, bloodline limits should be like his Highland: a special organ that helped him perform techniques. They could reduce the user's chakra consumption, while also allowing them to perform certain bloodline techniques that even they themselves couldn't understand.

Now Kanna had proven that the Highland was astonishingly powerful. It could even use Shinra Tensei. But it still couldn't perfectly replace the Rinnegan, so its chakra cost was far greater than Nagato's. By that logic, if he drew any bloodline techniques in the future, they would probably be the same.

At that thought, Kanna suddenly felt an urge to find out where the only pair of Rinnegan in the Shinobi World was. Nagato Uzumaki. Madara had entrusted his Rinnegan to this boy, who was only fifteen years old (Nagato died in Konoha's sixth year, at the age of thirty-five). At this point, Nagato was still resisting the Rinnegan's power and unwilling to use the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. He hadn't created the Six Paths of Pain, either. Could this be an opportunity?

Smack! Kanna lightly slapped himself and told himself, "Wake up! Nagato's at his peak right now! He has the Six Paths Power within him. Even if he isn't as strong as he'll be later, he's still far beyond you. And that's not even counting Madara watching him."

"Madara watching him... Madara?"

Kanna suddenly froze. He thought he'd realized something.

Sometimes, the human mind really was impossible to predict. Thinking of Madara led Kanna to remember how Madara had stolen Hashirama's power.

Madara Uchiha had lost his life-or-death battle with Hashirama, but he'd bitten off a piece of Hashirama's flesh and transplanted it into his own chest, thereby gaining Hashirama's power. Wasn't that remarkably similar to Kanna transplanting ninjutsu into the Highland?

If Madara could glimpse the secrets of Wood Release from Hashirama's flesh, could the Highland also analyze bloodline limits in the same way?

The bodies of people with bloodline limits were valuable precisely because their powers could be studied. If ordinary people could figure them out, why couldn't the Highland?

Taking the idea further, if the Highland could analyze bloodline limits, then...

Madara Uchiha! That man was now dragging his frail, decrepit body through a subterranean chamber, barely clinging to life. His existence undoubtedly held the Shinobi World's most precious secrets: the perfect body needed to awaken the Rinnegan! The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path! A piece of Hashirama's flesh! He was practically a treasure trove!

In the original story, Madara died after passing his name and various ninjutsu on to Obito. Then Zetsu hid his body, only to later deliberately lead Kabuto to it. So if Kanna wanted to get his hands on Madara, it wasn't entirely impossible!

Madara's body was the perfect vessel for the Rinnegan. In his prime, he could withstand Tailed Beasts with his bare body. When all nine Tailed Beasts attacked him together, they only managed to break one of his arms. By that measure, he wasn't much weaker than the Third Raikage. So even if Kanna couldn't steal some of the Rinnegan's power from him, he should still be able to greatly strengthen his body—and might even comprehend Wood Release through the Highland.

So, everything now came down to whether the Highland could analyze bloodline limits!

If it could, Kanna had found a road leading to boundless possibilities! If it couldn't, then he'd have to do what Obito and Kakashi did and transplant a Sharingan or Rinnegan.

To say nothing of elsewhere, within Kirigakure's territory alone, there were already two known bloodline limits passed down through families: Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku. The former had given Haku power surpassing Zabuza's (Zabuza had told Kakashi himself that even if Kakashi beat him, he wouldn't be able to beat Haku. The boy was stronger than him, though that was naturally also related to his talent). The latter was hailed as the strongest bloodline for close-quarters combat. It was incredibly powerful.

Take them! He had to take them! He'd go to the Kaguya Clan's territory and find Kimimaro. He'd use Kimimaro's flesh to test whether his theory was right!

But once his excitement passed, Kanna's head cleared.

Kimimaro? Haku? They hadn't even been born yet!

Kimimaro was the only known person in recent history to awaken Shikotsumyaku. Haku was different; his bloodline had been inherited from his mother, so there was at least some way to trace it. But the key problem was, how was Kanna supposed to know who Haku's mother was?

Was there no other way? Did he have to wait for years and waste all that precious time?

No! There was another way!

A person's genes weren't only in their flesh and blood. They were also in their hair and bones. The Kaguya Clan hadn't produced only Kimimaro as an awakened user. If Kanna's guess was right, the clan must have preserved the bones left behind by previous awakened members!

Those bones might be kept as symbols, used to make weapons, or put to some other use. But Kanna refused to believe the Kaguya Clan hadn't made use of bones strengthened by Shikotsumyaku. They were natural divine weapons!

"In that case..." Kanna narrowed his eyes and began transplanting the Flying Thunder God formula again.

I'll visit you as the son of the Mizukage Aide of Kirigakure. Using my father's name, I'll give you a Flying Thunder God Kunai as a symbol of friendship. Will you accept it or not?