Essence of the Sixth Sense

On the way home, Ye Fan glanced at Kiba Inuzuka walking beside him.

"How are you feeling now?" There was a trace of concern in Ye Fan's voice.

"Much better." As Kiba spoke, he stared at Ye Fan with eager eyes. "Brother Ye Fan, do you have any more of that 'recovery potion'?"

Ye Fan slowed slightly. Guessing what his younger brother was after, he said, "Not for now. But if you need it, I can prepare more next time."

Although Ye Fan had begun cultivating the Five Spirits Gold-Seeking Formula and could prepare some ordinary potions, medicinal ingredients were hard to come by. Besides, the bottle of "recovery potion" Kiba had drunk had merely been a newly prepared test version. That was why Ye Fan did not have any more on hand.

"Yes, I need it!" Kiba said anxiously.

Having experienced it firsthand, he naturally understood how miraculous the "recovery potion" was. Once swallowed, it was like a sweet spring nourishing every cell in his body. Though it could not restore depleted chakra, it made his body feel much lighter.

"If you are not in a particular hurry, you can wait a while. After all, the newly prepared 'recovery potion' is not very good yet." Ye Fan looked thoughtful.

The "recovery potion" might have seemed incredibly miraculous in Kiba's eyes, but in Ye Fan's eyes, it was no different from trash. The minimum standard that would satisfy him was for it to restore chakra. Otherwise, it would go against his original purpose for preparing such a potion.

Ye Fan was desperately short of money now, so he had thought of preparing potions to sell. The "recovery potion" was his first experimental product.

Because the medicinal ingredients he had found were limited, and he could not leave the village, the first batch of "recovery potion" had turned out so unsatisfactory.

As they spoke, the two had already returned home.

Once inside, Kiba impatiently asked about the test. He had not figured out how he had fallen for it the whole way back.

"Do you want to know why I forbade you from using that fighting style?" Ye Fan suddenly grew serious.

Kiba nodded, staring fixedly at Ye Fan. He actually felt a little nervous. He was truly afraid that this fighting style had some irreparable flaw. If that were the case, not only would he fail to learn a new taijutsu, but he would lose one as well.

"That fighting style is still beyond your ability to control perfectly. If you encounter an experienced opponent, you will be the one who suffers in the end," Ye Fan said.

"I still can't control it perfectly?" Kiba looked confused.

Ye Fan did not want to beat around the bush any longer. "Although you increased your sense of smell tens of thousands of times by concentrating chakra, the dangers of your sense of smell increased as well."

To make Kiba understand, Ye Fan took out a small wooden box and placed it on the table before him.

Kiba's gaze was immediately drawn to the little wooden box.

Before he could ask, Ye Fan said, "The powder inside is what made you collapse back then."

As he spoke, he opened the small wooden box, revealing pale green powder inside.

"Th-This is poison?" Kiba instinctively pressed down Akamaru's head as it poked out from his collar, afraid Akamaru might sneeze.

"No, this is not poison." The corners of Ye Fan's lips curled slightly. "More precisely, it is a scent-masking powder. To ordinary people, it is odorless. But to people or animals with especially keen senses of smell, it is extremely irritating. That irritation was what made you lose your ability to move."

The moment the box was opened, Akamaru inside Kiba's collar became restless. He immediately pulled his head back and kept twisting his body, making uncomfortable noises.

"Akamaru, what's wrong?" Kiba asked, lowering his head.

"I think Akamaru smelled the powder," Ye Fan said as he put the lid back on the box.

Sure enough, once the small wooden box was closed again, the agitated Akamaru gradually calmed down.

Kiba raised his head and stared at Ye Fan in disbelief. Who could have imagined that such a tiny box of powder would be the nemesis of Ninja Hounds?

Huh?

Why was Dark Shadow beside them unaffected?

At that moment, Kiba noticed that the little Ninja Hound Dark Shadow lying by Ye Fan's feet had not been affected by the powder in the box.

"Brother Ye Fan, why is Dark Shadow fine?" Kiba asked in surprise.

"That is what I'm about to tell you." Ye Fan looked mysterious. After pausing for a moment, he continued, "As long as you master a special technique, you can ignore this kind of olfactory irritation. Dark Shadow is fine precisely because of that."

"A special technique?"

"That's right. It is also what I plan to focus on teaching you next." Ye Fan's expression turned serious as he continued, "Once you master this technique, it will not only enhance your sense of smell, but directly affect all five of your senses, allowing you to grasp the Essence of the Sixth Sense."

Although Kiba still did not fully understand, his curiosity had been thoroughly aroused. His eyes gleamed as he asked, "Brother Ye Fan, what is the 'Essence of the Sixth Sense'? Is it powerful?"

"How should I explain it?" Ye Fan put on a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he suddenly looked up. "You know about the Hyuga Clan's Bloodline Limit, right?"

Kiba nodded. The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was renowned far and wide. Besides, Hinata Hyuga was on the same team as him, so it would have been hard not to know.

"You can understand the 'Essence of the Sixth Sense' as an ability no weaker than the Byakugan," Ye Fan said thoughtfully.

"What?" Kiba was startled and sprang directly to his feet.

After all, Bloodline Limits could only be inherited through a clan's bloodline.

"The Byakugan's ability should be X-ray vision, mostly used for reconnaissance. The Essence of the Sixth Sense is more like a form of perception. In that regard, it will not be weaker than the Byakugan. In fact, it will grow stronger as your strength increases." Ye Fan smiled. This was exactly what he wanted: to make Kiba take it seriously.

"I want to learn it. Teach me quickly!" Kiba could no longer wait.

He had only wanted to learn a taijutsu, yet Ye Fan had given him something akin to a Bloodline Limit.

Because he understood and trusted Ye Fan, Kiba's heart was filled with anticipation. It felt as though the blood throughout his body had begun to burn.

"You need to be mentally prepared. The Essence of the Sixth Sense is not so easy to master. Without enough perseverance, you will only give up halfway."

Ye Fan narrowed his eyes slightly.

A preliminary training method had already formed in his mind.