Uzumaki Rika

Of course, he knew this was certainly impossible; the creator of this ninjutsu was untraceable, and its origins were incredibly ancient.

The key to the Spirit Transformation Technique lies in transmuting one's spirit into a spiritual body; once this step is completed, the technique is considered mastered.

After achieving this, the rest is merely a matter of flexible application and constant improvement of proficiency.

It is not much different from other ninjutsu in that regard.

"This ninjutsu is actually quite suitable for members of the Uchiha Clan who have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan," Uchiha Akira nodded with satisfaction after a brief attempt.

In his view, the Spirit Transformation Technique was indeed well-suited for members of the Uchiha Clan who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Undoubtedly, the Spirit Transformation Technique is a secret art of Yin Release, placing it in the same domain as the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

Moreover, after members of the Uchiha Clan awaken their eyes, their mental faculties receive a corresponding boost, though this is not the primary field of the technique.

Regardless, after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, members of the Uchiha Clan certainly possess mental capabilities far exceeding those of ordinary people.

Compared to other ninja, the Uchiha Clan has a much greater potential to master the Spirit Transformation Technique.

After Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage, although small-scale conflicts in the Shinobi World occurred from time to time, peace had generally been restored.

Although the Five Great Shinobi Nations of the Five Great Nations had not truly signed a peace treaty, large-scale warfare had ceased, and all had entered a stage of recuperation.

Time flew by, and it was the end of Konoha Year 50.

Through unremitting practice, Uchiha Akira had basically mastered the Strength of a Hundred secret technique, and after sparring with his clansmen several times, he had become very proficient in using it.

The learning curve for the Spirit Transformation Technique was steep, but Uchiha Akira had managed to enter the threshold, already capable of transmuting his spirit into a spiritual body.

Although he lacked finesse in its application, he could be considered to have barely mastered the technique.

Of course, he had not yet had time to master the applications of the Spirit Transformation Technique, such as spiritual body division, spiritual body regeneration, spiritual perception, and chakra endowment.

With the end of the year approaching, Uchiha Akira planned to head to Kusagakure to bring Uzumaki Rika back.

Uzumaki Rika was the name of the member of the Uzumaki clan in Kusagakure, according to intelligence from the Ninja Cat.

Uchiha Akira believed that Uzumaki Rika was, in all likelihood, Karin's mother.

Uchiha Mikoto's second pregnancy was already about three months along.

Karin was a month older than Sasuke, and according to the Ninja Cat's intelligence, Uzumaki Rika's pregnancy had indeed begun a month earlier than Uchiha Mikoto's.

Now, while she was still mobile, bringing her back to Konoha was the best course of action.

It would be extremely inconvenient to bring her back after the child was born.

Moreover, according to the Ninja Cat's intelligence, Uzumaki Rika's current situation was not good.

At first, her situation in Kusagakure was not too dire because her husband was a chunin of the village.

She had someone to look after her, and although she was treated as a human medicine kit, her life was at least passable.

However, two months ago, that chunin died in an accident.

Since then, her situation had deteriorated significantly.

Especially recently, her ability to heal others' wounds after they bit her had become known.

Now, Uzumaki Rika had effectively become a living blood bag in Kusagakure; if things continued this way, she certainly wouldn't live long.

Vitality does not appear out of thin air.

Uchiha Akira speculated that this ability was essentially a redistribution of life force.

An individual's total life force is limited; a small amount of distribution is fine, as it can recover.

But massive loss would certainly endanger the host.

Therefore, Uchiha Akira decided to intervene and bring her back.

With Minato Namikaze in power, the situation of the Uchiha Clan in Konoha was much better than it had been under the Third, with fewer constraints.

As Minato Namikaze gradually consolidated the power of the Hokage, Danzo's Root retreated across the board, and even their activities became far less frequent and less active.

It was impossible for Uchiha Akira to leave the village without alerting anyone; the high-ranking officials of Konoha all knew he had departed.

Without the transplantation of Hashirama Senju Cells, Kamui could not be used recklessly; if he wasn't careful, a few uses would render this eye useless.

Kusagakure was a small ninja village, far less prosperous than Konoha, and could be seen in its entirety at a glance.

The streets were very old, as if they hadn't been repaired in decades, giving the impression of being decades behind the times, with not a hint of modernity.

The people walking on the streets wore tattered clothes, their eyes dull, giving off a deathly, stagnant feeling.

Suddenly, a flurry of dense footsteps rang out as four ninja wearing Kusagakure headbands ran quickly into the village from the main gate, carrying several half-dead people on their backs.

Upon entering the village, they immediately shouted: "Quick, quick! Someone is injured! Go and bring that red-haired woman here!"

Accompanied by the commotion, pedestrians cast their gazes toward the shouting men.

"Injured again? They really are careless!"

"These injuries are nothing. With that woman here, a bite will heal these wounds completely in less than a minute!"

"Heh heh, ever since we got that woman, we don't have to be so cautious on missions anymore. As long as we don't die on the spot and can make it back to the village, we won't die!"

"Who could say otherwise? That red-haired woman is truly the treasure of our village!"

People walking on the street discussed this, casting their gazes toward a house in the corner of the street secured by a massive padlock.

After a flurry of chaos, those few men carried their wounded inside and unlocked the chained house.

Inside the room, a young woman with long red hair and tattered clothes sat on the edge of the bed.

Her face was numb, her eyes hollow and vacant, as if she had lost her soul.

A chain bound her hands and feet, tethering her to this room.

Her exposed, slender white arms were covered in bite marks.

Seeing people enter, the red-haired woman shuddered, curling backward in terror as if trying to shrink into the corner of the wall.

"What are you hiding from!? Huh!?" Seeing this, Daimon wore a cruel grin and roared, "Get over here already! Be self-aware and don't make us use force!"

Upon hearing his words, the red-haired woman rose tremblingly and shuffled toward them step by step.

"Hmph!" Seeing her state, a cold glint flashed in Daimon's eyes.

He reached out, grabbed the chain bolted to the wall, and gave it a violent yank.

"Ah..."

The red-haired woman let out a cry, was pulled directly to the ground, and dragged before the group.

The man grabbed the red-haired woman's clothes, pulling her arm out and thrusting it toward a wounded man sitting on the floor.

Just then, a plump orange cat leaped through the window, appearing brazenly before the group.

The orange cat's yellow eyes scanned the people present, its chubby face filled with disdain.

Just as the Kusagakure ninjas were about to shoo it away, the sound of rhythmic footsteps echoed.

Hearing the footsteps, the men hurriedly looked toward the entrance.

Then, a pair of scarlet Sharingan reflected in their eyes.

With a few thuds, the seven people in the room collapsed to the floor.