Picking a Fight

Lin Chongshu was also specifically searching for all materials related to chakra reserves, sealing techniques, and the balance of natural energy.

As he flipped through them, he spotted an S-rank sealing technique among a pile of medical ninjutsu scrolls: the Yin Seal.

The Yin Seal originated from a sealing technique of the Land of Whirlpools. It was an S-rank medical sealing technique refined and developed by Tsunade.

Its core principle was to accumulate chakra daily, compress it, and store it within the diamond-shaped mark on the forehead. Tsunade later refined it into an advanced application system including the Strength of a Hundred Technique and Creation Rebirth.

Lin Chongshu spread the scroll flat and ran his fingers along the inked words.

Simply put, the Yin Seal was like a power bank. It stored chakra bit by bit in ordinary times, then released it when it mattered.

But to him, the technique's significance was not Creation Rebirth. What he wanted was the power bank itself. With a massive chakra reserve, he could use an absolute quantity of chakra to balance out natural energy.

He flipped to the last few pages of the scroll and glanced over the cultivation method in the appendix. It was blank. Orochimaru did not have this technique; the complete Yin Seal formula existed only with Tsunade herself.

Lin Chongshu rolled up the scroll, returned it to its original place on the shelf, and prepared to head back for some rest.

Not having the complete cultivation method was indeed a problem, but it was far better than having no direction at all.

He was bound to cross paths with Tsunade again sooner or later. After all, Tsunade was currently searching the world for him, wanting to kick him to death.

Halfway down the corridor, a sudden commotion interrupted his thoughts.

As usual, Princess Toki had gone out each night to fetch water for his bath. The sound of her basin hitting the floor, mixed with several people's shouts, came from around the corner.

When Lin Chongshu walked over, he found Jirobo, Tayuya, and several unnamed orphans surrounding Princess Toki.

A wooden basin lay overturned on the ground, water spilled everywhere.

These brats had often been disciplined by Kimimaro on the training grounds. They had long learned how to read the room, and they could tell that Kimimaro was displeased with Lin Chongshu.

Picking on Princess Toki was a way of taking sides, of venting Kimimaro's anger. It was also an indirect warning to Lin Chongshu: not everyone in the base respected him. When Lord Orochimaru was absent, he had better behave himself.

"What are you doing?" Lin Chongshu's voice came from the other end of the corridor.

The orphans turned around. Upon seeing him, their expressions shifted subtly, but since Jirobo and Tayuya did not move, neither did they.

Princess Toki hurriedly bent down to pick up the wooden basin. "I'm sorry. I didn't hold it properly just now and accidentally splashed them."

Her voice was soft. She kept her head lowered, not daring to look at Lin Chongshu, much less at the people surrounding her.

Jirobo glanced at Princess Toki, then at Lin Chongshu, and snorted through his nose. "It's fine. Just be more careful next time."

Lin Chongshu stepped forward and stopped in front of Jirobo. "You're looking for trouble, aren't you?"

Princess Toki quickly grabbed his sleeve. "It really was my fault." She could tell these people did not seem easy to deal with, and she did not want to cause Lin Chongshu trouble over something so minor.

Kimimaro approached from the other end of the corridor. "Lin Chongshu, just focus on helping Lord Orochimaru with his research. I'll handle everything else."

His tone did not sound like he was trying to mediate. It sounded more like he was drawing boundaries.

Lin Chongshu shot him a glance. "My mistake. I was wrong. I let you people live too comfortably! Now you actually dare to bully someone under my protection."

Tayuya frowned, her hand already touching the flute at her waist. "What are you trying to do?"

Lin Chongshu suddenly chuckled twice. "Do you know what the Will of Sand is?"

"Watch out!" Kimimaro shouted. Jirobo and Tayuya attacked almost simultaneously.

The instant they moved, Lin Chongshu's pupils turned orange-yellow, and several strands of hair before his forehead faded white.

Jirobo charged straight at him. Relying on his larger build, he intended to smash Lin Chongshu into the wall along with himself.

Lin Chongshu did not dodge. His right fist twisted out from his waist and slammed into Jirobo's breastbone. The crack of breaking bone exploded through the corridor. Jirobo's charge was forcibly stopped, and he was sent flying sideways.

Tayuya's eyes widened in disbelief. One punch! Just one punch! Wasn't this guy a researcher?

Kimimaro was equally shocked. He was stronger than both Jirobo and Tayuya, and precisely because he was stronger, he understood even more clearly what that punch meant.

Before Tayuya could even pull out her flute, sand surged from the ground, wrapping around her legs and pinning her in place.

It was not just her. Sand locked down the feet of all the surrounding orphans at the same time.

Lin Chongshu grabbed Tayuya by the throat with one hand and lifted her up. Her feet left the ground, her face flushing red as she clawed at his fingers, trying to pry them apart. But those five fingers did not budge.

[Detected that Tayuya has developed intense negative emotions toward the host: fear, pain. Reward extraction complete.]

[Obtained: Genjutsu: Demon Flute: Phantom Sound Chains +1.]

Kimimaro stood three steps away, two bone blades already protruding from his palms.

He took a step forward, but before he could swing them, sand surged from the ground and wrapped around him from his ankles to his chest, encasing him in a sand statue with only his head exposed.

Kimimaro was still too young. He did not even possess Cursed Seal Mode, while Lin Chongshu, standing opposite him, was an enhanced version of Gaara, equipped with Sage Mode and boosted by the system countless times.

Jirobo climbed up from the floor, blood streaming from his nostrils to his chin. He let out a muffled roar and charged at Lin Chongshu again.

Lin Chongshu forcefully slammed Tayuya's head into the wall, then sidestepped. His palm pressed against the back of Jirobo's head and drove his face into the floor. Sand wrapped around Jirobo's arms, wrenching them behind his back as his bones creaked.

Lin Chongshu did not stop. Green light from a Chakra Blade flashed at his fingertips, and Jirobo's shoulder joint was dislocated.

"Ah!" His body curled up like a shrimp as a warped scream squeezed from his throat.

The joint was reset, then dislocated again. The second time hurt even more than the first.

Veins bulged across Jirobo's forehead. His lips turned white, and his whole body began trembling uncontrollably.

[Detected that Jirobo has developed intense negative emotions toward the host: fear, pain. Reward extraction complete.]

[Obtained: Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling +1.]

"Lin Chongshu!" Kimimaro shouted, but Lin Chongshu ignored him.

[Detected that Kimimaro has developed intense negative emotions toward the host: resentment, rage. Reward extraction complete.]

[Obtained: Bloodline Limit: Shikotsumyaku +1.]

Lin Chongshu hauled Jirobo up from the ground, gripping his collar with one hand and lifting his entire body off the floor.

Jirobo's toes weakly scraped twice against the stone slabs, while his eyes began rolling back.

Lin Chongshu stared into those rolled-back eyes for two seconds, then released him and let him crash to the ground.

The sand around Kimimaro dispersed as well. He stood where he was, bone spikes still protruding, but he did not charge forward again.

Lin Chongshu dusted the wall grit from his hands. His gaze swept over Kimimaro, Jirobo, and Tayuya, then over the surrounding orphans.

"I should also properly instill my Will of Sand into all of you."

He picked up Princess Toki's fallen wooden basin and handed it back to her. Then he turned to the others.

"Tomorrow morning, everyone will wait for me in the dungeon. Anyone who doesn't show up dies!"