Flesh Melting Furnace

To further perfect Mufeng Uchiha's Blood Style, Orochimaru used a few tricks to extend the duration of Mufeng Uchiha's mission.

Orochimaru bought himself plenty of time. By combining his knowledge with Tobirama Senju's, he had finally developed a new Blood Style jutsu.

Orochimaru now brought out the long-preserved corpse of a Hozuki Clan ninja. The Village of the Bloody Mist had let him collect quite a few corpses of ninja with Kekkei Genkai.

"This is the experiment we're conducting together. If it succeeds, Mufeng, the Blood Style you awakened will be powerful enough to turn the Shinobi World upside down."

Indeed, the ability to devour other Kekkei Genkai was truly world-shattering.

If Kumogakure found out, Mufeng Uchiha would become a prized asset. They'd stop at nothing to make sure he left descendants in their village.

"Blood Style: Flesh Melting Furnace."

Mufeng Uchiha sat cross-legged on the ground. A torrent of blood erupted in every direction from him. The blood, formed from Chakra, converged on the Hozuki Clan ninja's corpse, enveloping it in a pulsing cocoon.

"Flesh Melting Furnace. By absorbing the other person's blood, you extract their Kekkei Genkai and force it to fuse with your own, allowing you to use it as well. This is still only a theory, Mufeng. Can you really do it?"

Mufeng Uchiha's eyes were tightly shut. The Hozuki Clan ninja's corpse had disappeared, and then the blood flowed back over Mufeng Uchiha, encasing him in a sphere.

Only then did Mufeng Uchiha realize there was a problem. His body was rejecting the process. If he kept going, it might collapse and kill him.

There was no turning back now. As he persisted, his consciousness gradually sank into the Trans-Dimensional Space.

Only Hokage Mufeng, Jujutsu Mufeng, and Pokemon Mufeng remained in the meeting room. After Hokage Mufeng finished sharing his memories, Jujutsu Mufeng immediately offered his advice.

"Flesh Melting Furnace? I don't think it's a good idea. Rather than absorbing the bloodlines of these Kekkei Genkai users, you'd be better off absorbing members of the Uchiha Clan to purify your own bloodline.

"Or you could absorb descendants of the Otsutsuki, like the Hyuga, Senju, and Kaguya Clans."

As a user of Blood Manipulation, he understood better than anyone how dangerous this was. It was no different from treating his own body like a toy.

"Being able to use several Kekkei Genkai at once is just too tempting. I couldn't help wanting to try it, and I didn't expect to mess things up."

Hokage Mufeng tried to cover his embarrassment with a smile, but Pokemon Mufeng spoke up at once.

"Hmph! Those are nothing but crooked shortcuts. The only true path is to train tirelessly and persevere!"

Pokemon Mufeng spoke with righteous conviction, clearly looking down on Mufeng Uchiha's attempt to take a shortcut.

"There's no helping it. The Naruto world is all about bloodlines. Apart from the exception that is Minato Namikaze, the talents of commoners are all capped. And our future enemies are the Otsutsuki. They're beyond the point where effort alone can easily defeat them."

That was the reality. Just look at the powerful figures later on: every one of them relied on their bloodline or had a monster sealed inside them to give them a boost. Even if the Mangekyo would still be powerful in the future, it wouldn't be nearly enough.

"Don't say your brother never helped you. I've put all the Blood Manipulation I've learned here. You should be able to solve your problem by mastering it."

Jujutsu Mufeng shared all the Blood Manipulation he had researched during this time with Mufeng Uchiha. The meeting ended amid a flurry of arguments.

Crack—

The blood encasing Mufeng Uchiha shattered like an eggshell, revealing him inside. Not a drop of blood clung to him; instead, his skin was so smooth it seemed to shine.

Mufeng Uchiha seemed to have undergone a transformation. Orochimaru, standing nearby, could no longer sense his presence.

"Failed, huh? So all that's left is a corpse. What a gift from the heavens—this is the perfect vessel. Mufeng Uchiha, I'll gladly take your body."

Orochimaru transformed into a giant snake, opened his enormous jaws, and rose into the air, aiming for Mufeng Uchiha as he sat cross-legged. The snake lunged down to bite him.

"Orochimaru, you broke your promise after all."

As the snake opened its enormous jaws and pounced on Mufeng Uchiha, it passed right through his body.

Splurt—

The snake's body looked as though it had been chopped into eight pieces. Only chunks remained on the ground.

Looking closely, Mufeng Uchiha's body had actually turned to water. This was the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique.

"What a talent to envy. When I attacked, you used the Hydrification Technique to weave a net inside your body, and even gave the water the ability to slice.

"Blood Style truly is terrifying. You've managed this on your very first attempt at using it. Mufeng, are you sure you won't let me study it?"

Orochimaru's body trembled with excitement. Immortality—Mufeng Uchiha's condition might truly let him achieve it.

Only someone who had experienced it firsthand could know: Mufeng Uchiha's body was now in the best condition imaginable. It was just a shame he hadn't awakened the Mangekyo.

"Orochimaru, you just attacked me. Should I take that to mean you're making an enemy of me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Mufeng Uchiha became a puddle of water and wound around Orochimaru's back like a swimming dragon.

"Mufeng, that was just a little joke. Let me offer this as an apology."

Mufeng Uchiha saw Orochimaru take out Rasa's corpse. That was the bargaining chip he was offering.

"Mufeng, I also wanted to ask you for a favor. I hope you won't stop me from here on."

"If you don't stand in my way, I won't stop you."

The Konoha Crush Plan. He'd been away long enough. It was time to go back.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, a group of jōnin had gathered in the Hokage's office to discuss the participants in the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Just as in the original story, the Konoha 12 were all taking part in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Mufeng Uchiha wasn't counted as part of Team 7, though; he was participating alone.

After a long, dusty journey, Mufeng Uchiha returned to Konoha after negotiating with Orochimaru. Some people from Sunagakure had already arrived in the village ahead of him.

"Hey, you're finally back, Mufeng. Sign this first."

Kakashi Hatake spotted him as soon as he returned and immediately handed him the consent form for the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Mufeng Uchiha quickly signed his name. Kakashi Hatake patted him on the shoulder.

"Sasuke and the others have secretly been practicing a combo technique, and there are plenty of strong fighters from other villages in this year's exams. The Chunin Ninja Exams start tomorrow, so you'd better be ready."

A combo technique, huh? Those two frenemies... I wonder what they've come up with.

When Mufeng Uchiha got home, he happened to see Naruto Uzumaki's Rasengan and Sasuke Uchiha's Chidori being brought together in an attempt to fuse them.

They exploded in an instant, leaving a crater dozens of meters across in the ground.

"With power like that, I'll have to take these Chunin Ninja Exams seriously."