Taking turns resting like this wouldn't tire the cells too much. Although this method slowed down chakra refinement, it kept the pace at a decent level.
Since Yashui was only using half his body to refine chakra, he could also focus more intently on the process. Just then, he discovered many cells full of chakra that he'd never refined chakra from before.
Overjoyed by his discovery, Yashui spent the whole day searching his body for the cells he'd been overlooking.
You didn't know until you looked—and when he did, he was truly startled.
Once he'd activated every cell capable of refining chakra, his chakra reserves had increased by more than half.
Yashui was gradually growing confident in his abilities. Having read the original Naruto series, he knew this training wasn't a mandatory lesson for everyone. That meant a considerable number of ninja didn't even know there were so many undeveloped parts of their bodies.
Yashui didn't intend to share this training, either. It wasn't that he was selfish; in the world of Naruto, each family's secret techniques couldn't be taught to outsiders. It was just like how martial arts sects in Chinese wuxia passed down their techniques.
Look at how powerful Sage Mode was. Hadn't Jiraiya still kept its training method from the Konoha he loved? That was because Jiraiya's Sage Mode had been passed down through the Toad Sage's lineage.
Yashui's theories and training had also been passed down through the Hundred Bird Nest's lineage. Without the Three-Legged Golden Crow's permission, he naturally couldn't teach them to anyone else.
The twenty days were up. According to his agreement with the Three-Legged Golden Crow, it was about time to return to the Hundred Bird Nest.
Yashui formed the hand seal for the Reverse Summoning Technique and went to the Hundred Bird Nest.
The Three-Legged Golden Crow had already been waiting at the Sun Palace for quite some time.
"Yashui, has your Sharingan activated against your will at all these past few days?" The Three-Legged Golden Crow was more concerned about Yashui's health than his training progress. Warmth welled up in Yashui's heart.
"Ever since you placed a genjutsu trap on me last time, my Sharingan hasn't activated again," Yashui replied respectfully.
"That's good." The Three-Legged Golden Crow spoke with some regret. "I'm afraid I can't do anything about your condition now, either."
"?!" Yashui felt a little disappointed, but then he reconsidered. Maybe he'd simply expected too much in the first place. Sealing away these eyes with Sealing Jutsu couldn't possibly be that simple.
"I asked the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave, and the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest. None of them had any good ideas." The Three-Legged Golden Crow changed tack. "But I heard from the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku that the Fourth Hokage of your Konoha, Minato Namikaze, knew many kinds of Sealing Jutsu. Perhaps his Sealing Jutsu could help you."
"Minato Namikaze has been dead for a long time." Yashui regretted not telling the Three-Legged Golden Crow about the Nine-Tails rampaging through Konoha. "More than ten years ago, the Nine-Tails caused widespread destruction in Konoha, and the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to seal it."
"I know," the Three-Legged Golden Crow said. "When I was at Mount Myōboku, the Toad Sage told me everything that happened that night. I also learned a little about the Fourth Hokage."
"The Fourth Hokage learned Sealing Jutsu from his wife, Kushina Uzumaki. In other words, it belonged to the Uzumaki Clan. I'm not asking you to find the Fourth Hokage; I'm telling you to seek out the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu that he used." The Three-Legged Golden Crow spoke regretfully. "The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu was so powerful that even I respected it. Unfortunately, the clan was wiped out in the war, and its Sealing Jutsu was lost."
"If it's already lost, who am I supposed to ask for help...?" Yashui fell into despair again. He'd finally had a little hope, only to learn that the Sealing Jutsu that might help him had been lost.
Some of the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu still survived. There was the technique Naruto used right after defeating the Nine-Tails, the one Kushina Uzumaki used to restrain the Nine-Tails, and the one Karin Uzumaki used against the Wood Style: Thousand-Armed Kannon during the Fourth Shinobi World War. But these techniques were less like ordinary ninjutsu and more like the Uzumaki Clan's kekkei genkai. Even the clan members themselves didn't know how to activate them, let alone outsiders.
"Yashui, don't lose heart." Seeing how dejected he was, the Three-Legged Golden Crow seemed to feel for him. "Once you become a powerful ninja and make more connections, someone will naturally tell you who knows the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu."
"Mm..." Yashui nodded. To put the Three-Legged Golden Crow's long reassurance simply, it came down to four words: "Leave it to fate."
"Yashui, how is your training going?" the Three-Legged Golden Crow asked.
"I've got it." Yashui took out two jin of rice wine and, using the method he'd thought of, soon brought it to a boil.
"Very good." The Three-Legged Golden Crow nodded with satisfaction. "You understand the principle behind it, right?"
"Mm, I understand." Yashui nodded. It turned out the Three-Legged Golden Crow had known what to do from the start, but his teaching style seemed to favor letting students figure out how to meet his expectations for themselves.
"Try using your Uchiha Clan's Fire Release and see how it differs from before."
At the Three-Legged Golden Crow's words, Yashui felt a pang of alarm. He didn't know any Fire Release Ninjutsu. The only jutsu he could use were the ones required to graduate from the Ninja Academy. But from the original Naruto series, it seemed that the Uchiha Clan started learning Fire Release Ninjutsu at a very young age.
Most members of the Uchiha Clan didn't even bother with a Chakra Paper test. They just rolled up their sleeves and started learning Fire Release.
As soon as Yashui thought about Fire Release, something strange happened again: his Sharingan activated on its own. But this time, he had no intention of opening it at all.
As his Sharingan activated, the genjutsu trap embedded in Yashui's brain triggered as well. He was struck by the genjutsu and collapsed to the ground. He only came to some time later.
Fortunately, the genjutsu could still suppress his Sharingan, which hadn't fully developed yet. After he was hit by the genjutsu, the Sharingan disappeared too.
At that moment, Yashui somehow learned three basic C-rank Fire Release techniques from the Uchiha line: Great Fireball, Phoenix Sage Fire, and Dragon Fire Technique.
Furious, Yashui slammed his fist against the floor. Even with the genjutsu trap suppressing it, his Sharingan still activated on its own, against his will.
"Yashui, what happened just now?" the Three-Legged Golden Crow asked.
"My Sharingan opened on its own again, and then it triggered the genjutsu trap," Yashui answered honestly.
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