Spirit Transformation Technique

Kato Xu thought that he had completely accepted this magical world, but he did not expect an even more astonishing scene to appear before his eyes.

It was late afternoon in Konoha, and the sky was growing dim.

Close to the forest, the entire small courtyard was filled with the subtle chirping of bugs. This was the Kato Clan's training ground, once a lively place, but now it held only Kato Xu and the man before him.

The man before him was missing a leg.

However, his gaze was not on the middle-aged man.

A gentle breeze stirred the wind chime under the eaves, and its crisp sound seemed to awaken Kato Xu.

His gaze lingered on the slightly glowing, nearly transparent phantom before him.

Out-of-body experience?

He concentrated and earnestly watched this magical scene, his eyes gradually brightening.

"This is the family's secret technique, the Spirit Transformation Technique..."

Mentioning the name of the Spirit Transformation Technique always seemed to bring a few more traces of melancholy to the man before him, his uncle—Kato Yuan.

Without saying any more, the translucent phantom simply floated up slowly.

The middle-aged man sat in silence, his once-sharp eyes seeming to lose their focus along with the Spirit Transformation Technique.

Perhaps the weather had grown a bit chilly, but the evening wind in the Konoha forest carried a few fallen leaves, passing right through the nearly transparent phantom and scattering them across the ground.

Kato Xu followed the direction where Kato Yuan's spiritual body was gazing.

That was the mountaintop in the distance—carved with the stone images of the village's successive Hokage, the spiritual symbol of the entire Konoha.

Uncle Kato Yuan always gazed at that mountaintop like this, in silence.

Ever since his youngest brother, Dan Katō—the Kato Clan's last remaining decent Jonin—died a few years ago, he had grown more and more silent.

"Xu..., train hard..."

Behind Kato Yuan was a wheelchair. He pulled back his spiritual body, slowly bent his legs, and sat in the wheelchair, his entire figure appearing somewhat petite as he shrank into it.

"Xu..."

Kato Yuan turned the wheelchair around, with his back to Kato Xu. He seemed not to know how to begin, only silently watching the empty little bamboo building.

Under the eaves of the door, a smiling teru teru bozu swayed in the gentle breeze.

Kato Xu acknowledged this with a hum, slowly walking behind Kato Yuan to push him back. Kato Yuan's health had never been very good.

However, Kato Yuan pressed a hand down on his.

Kato Yuan's hand was very rough, covered in thick calluses, yet it made Kato Xu feel a special warmth.

"Xu, you are only five years old..."

His voice had an inexplicable tremor to it, making Kato Xu feel that something was not quite right. He disliked this trembling voice that seemed tinged with a hint of sorrow.

"Uncle Yuan..."

"Xu, live well, survive..."

Kato Yuan's voice was very deep. Kato Xu silently gave an affirmative response.

There were now almost no people left in the Kato Clan. Aside from him and Kato Yuan, only his cousin Shizune, who was taken in by Lady Tsunade's side, possessed ninja talent.

Princess Tsunade of Konoha had once been the lover of his uncle Dan Katō, but now Dan Katō was dead, and taking cousin Shizune in was already doing the utmost benevolence.

Apart from them, there were only a few ordinary commoner households in name only; nearly all the other ninjas had perished on the battlefields of Konoha.

Perhaps in the future, other children with ninja talent would emerge from commoner families, but for now, Kato Yuan as clan head was already long dead in all but name.

The sky gradually grew gloomy, and speckles of dim starlight began to slowly dot the starry sky.

"Xu, you must live well..." The journey back to the room was merely a very short distance, but Kato Yuan kept repeating this sentence.

"Uncle Yuan, don't worry..., I will definitely work hard to survive."

Since I've come to such a magical world. Kato Xu muttered the second half of the sentence in his heart.

Perhaps due to the magic of the Spirit Transformation Technique, or perhaps because Kato Yuan's heavy tone made him feel an inexplicable crisis, the next few days were spent by Kato Xu studying the family's secret technique without sleep or rest.

Although the training to extract chakra had been completed half a year ago, he had not expected that compared to chakra extraction training, the difficulty of the Spirit Transformation Technique would be vastly different.

For most people of the Kato Clan, the most difficult hurdle of the Spirit Transformation Technique was "Spirit Awakening"—a process with no specific operational method, different for everyone, where one had to rely purely on talent to perceive one's own soul.

It sounded like nothing more than an Arabian Nights tale, but to Kato Xu, it was exceptionally simple. Having already died once, it was hard for anyone to understand the nature of a soul better than he did. Like an instinct, it did not take him long to complete the first step of cultivation, yet it was also the most crucial step.

"Xu, you are a genius... A genius in every sense of the word..."

Kato Yuan's gaze was filled with admiration and fondness, but it could not conceal the deep pain within. Watching Kato Xu, whose figure slowly faded into a phantom and then gradually returned to his body, he seemed to grow even more silent.

He had already explained every detail of the Spirit Transformation Technique thoroughly to Kato Xu. The accumulated experience of generations of Kato ancestors made Kato Xu know every detail of the technique like the back of his hand. As long as Kato Xu completed the hardest first step, the Kato Clan's Spirit Transformation Technique would surely reappear in the Shinobi World—provided that Kato Xu could survive.

The small bamboo building was lit by only a few small lamps, casting a somewhat dim glow. Kato Xu gradually calmed from the joy of a successful "Spirit Awakening," sat down opposite Kato Yuan, and raised his head to look at the still-silent Kato Yuan.

Under the dim lamplight, he could only barely make out Kato Yuan's expression clearly, and he always felt that Kato Yuan had been acting somewhat unusual these past few days.

Perhaps possessing the consciousness of an adult, or perhaps the overlapping fusion of two souls, caused certain perceptions in Kato Xu to become sharper than those of ordinary people.

Kato Xu did not know whether this was a perception unique to him when he was brought into this world, or some special ability he did not know about that inherently existed in this magical world.

He could faintly sense some special emotional fluctuations, such as the complexity of Kato Yuan's current emotions.

His spirit and soul seemed to be constantly churning, like a volcano erupting with Chi-hot magma enveloped by boundless ice descending from the sky, the wildness containing violent enthusiasm unwillingly extinguishing in the gloomy cold.

The man sitting opposite him, who was only in his forties yet looked as old as a man in his sixties or seventies, was simply looking at him with a tangled and dazed gaze, and even a bit of reluctance and pity.

It was hard to imagine that an iron-blooded man who had fought hard on the battlefield for a lifetime would have such rich emotions, his will tempered like steel in blood and fire seemed to be constantly tortured by a certain decision, perhaps a passive decision.

Xu, sometimes we must learn to endure. A ninja is one who can endure—endure piercing pain, endure the torment of fate, endure the loneliness of the soul, and finally achieve what he wants and become a true ninja.

Although you have been very smart since childhood, you haven't suffered much. Sometimes your thoughts are very special, but sometimes your thoughts are also very naive. No matter where you go in the future, remember to watch your words and actions, think more and speak less about everything, and no matter what you do, survival is the priority.

Kato Yuan paused, as if he hadn't spoken this much in a long time, and as if he had a thousand words to pour out completely at this moment.

His expression was unfathomable as he looked at Kato Xu sitting upright and listening to him carefully. Seeming to feel that this was a bit too serious, he smiled gently, except that a smile on such a weathered face made him look a few shades more aged.

As if thinking of something, he fell silent for a long while.

Xu, you might not understand some truths now, but you must keep these words firmly in your heart. There will come a day when you understand.

Yes, Uncle Yuan...

Kato Xu knew that something unusual must have happened, most likely concerning him, his future, and his life.

In the profession of a ninja, no matter what you do, there is always the threat of death; the only difference lies in whether the risk is high or low.

The small bamboo building was somewhat dim, and the flickering candlelight reflected on Kato Yuan's face, making him look even more aged.

Those born in the Warring States period have witnessed the melee of ninja clans, and have also witnessed the peerless might of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha.

Only then will one truly understand that whether it is Konoha or the Land of Fire, or other major powers and ninja villages, they are essentially no different. No matter what kind of rhetoric they use—be it the Will of Fire or the Will of Sand—they are all just a means to gather people's hearts.

The village was merely a product of ninja clans huddling together for warmth, and nothing more than a tool to maintain rule. He had to think about his own will.

The Will of Fire is someone else's will. Before you understand your own will, do not easily believe anyone else's will.

Especially do not throw away your life for someone else's will.

Kato Yuan's voice was low, yet also very powerful, his pair of eyes brimming with pain and confusion.

Kato Xu looked somewhat surprised at the man before him who had fought for Konoha his entire life.

He knew that Kato Yuan had his best interests at heart to bare his soul and tell him such 'rebellious' words, but there was always a sense of incongruity present.

It seemed that these words should not come from the mouth of a man who had stepped down from the battlefield, but looking at Kato Yuan's withered, tree-like face, it felt a matter of course.

Only those who had truly experienced the trials of life and death would truly begin to ponder the meaning of life.

However, inexplicably, a tiny shadow of gloom toward the unseen higher-ups of Konoha formed in his heart.

Uncle Yuan...

Kato Xu wanted to say something, but Kato Yuan opened his mouth and interrupted him.

I realized it too late. By the time I understood these things, Dan had already resolved to become the Hokage, guarding Konoha even at the cost of his life.

This is understandable in its own right, but I probably already understood the consequences if he truly gained prestige, only that he died in battle before this could happen...

Xu, I do not oppose any desire to become the Hokage, but I hope you make this decision genuinely after thinking for yourself, rather than being completely influenced by other people's thoughts before you truly understand this world.

Establishing an ambition you don't even understand out of ignorance, and then throwing your life away in vain.

Keep these words locked in your heart, and never speak of them to anyone in Konoha...

Xu, you are sensible, sensible since childhood. You can understand what I'm saying, right? There was even a hint of entreaty in Kato Yuan's gaze.

Kato Xu did not know why, looking at such an 'old man' with eyes full of entreaty and sadness.

A strange and inexplicable indignation seemed to be surging and churning in his heart, yet it had nowhere to vent.

He couldn't help but clench his fists, remaining silent, yet he merely gave a dull nod.

Mn...

Seeing Kato Xu solemnly nod, only then did a trace of a smile appear on Kato Yuan's wrinkled face. He gently patted Kato Xu's head and sighed again.

Perhaps he was rejoicing that the Kato Clan had such a junior, and perhaps he was lamenting it as well.

After a long time, he finally spoke.

Xu, in the village, there is a place called Root, which is the training camp of the... ANBU. Elder Danzo has decided to recruit you into Root for cultivation...

Kato Yuan took a deep breath, his tone carrying a trace of reminiscence and reluctance.

When you enter Root, you must not believe anyone's words, but you must also learn to disguise yourself. You must remember your uncle's words... think for yourself, and most importantly, survive first...

Kato Yuan's rambling words added a bit of trepidation to Kato Xu's heart. He roughly understood that this was no longer a matter he and the Kato Clan could decide.

Even if he were naive to the ways of the world, he knew that certain demands from violent institutions could not be refused, even in times of peace.

Let alone just a few years after the war had ended.

Kato Xu raised his head and smiled at Kato Yuan.

Mn, I will remember, Uncle Yuan...

You must survive...

Lying in bed and recalling the words of Kato Yuan, Kato Xu stayed awake nearly the entire night.

It was the first time Kato Xu had heard the name of this department.

He knew about the ANBU; when he had first come to this world, he was full of curiosity about it, and Kato Yuan had never fobbed him off like a child simply because of how sensible he was.

However, he had never known about Root before, and he roughly understood that this Root organization did not seem like a good place—he might even die there...

Someone who had died once only feared death all the more.

Yet when one was powerless, one could only accept the arrangements of fate.

His eyes were wide open, and his head swayed along with those two gently drifting teru teru bozu on the windowsill.

Kato Yuan said that the smiling teru teru bozu hanging on the windowsill had been made by his parents with their own hands, though he no longer had the slightest memory of them.

He did not know what hour it was when he finally fell asleep; with his hazy eyes, Kato Xu vaguely saw a faint fluorescent glow appearing over the two smiling teru teru bozu, yet he could not see it clearly no matter what.

Konoha in the deep of night was not lively; throughout the entire village, only scattered, dim yellow lights remained lit, as if everyone were enjoying this hard-earned peace.

Far from the center of Konoha, the small bamboo building had the night breeze passing straight through it, though it was not very cold. It gently brushed across Kato Xu's face, causing the smiling dolls on the eaves to sway gently.