Yin Release

This time, the soul within the scroll seemed even more impatient. Not long after Chiba Shun activated his sensory jutsu, it pounced on him.

Chiba Shun was prepared this time and was not frightened. Instead, he observed it.

It really was a soul. That chilling sensation was likely Yin Release.

And...

This time, its presence seemed weaker than yesterday's?

Chiba Shun was not sure whether his perception was accurate, so he tried several more times.

Just like the second time, each time he had barely activated his sensory jutsu before it pounced on him, eventually interrupting his sensory jutsu.

After enough attempts, Chiba Shun confirmed that his judgment was correct. Its strength was weakening with every pounce.

Its pounces could be considered attacks on the seal. I am outside the seal, while it is inside.

Its power was being consumed each time it struck the seal.

With that thought, Chiba Shun came up with a guess.

Perhaps if he used this method to wear it down to a certain point, he could cultivate using the method Danzo had given him.

Half a month passed like this, and the soul sealed within the scroll finally no longer had the strength to attack the seal.

After resting for several days, Chiba Shun finally entered the scroll using the method Danzo had taught him.

He cautiously sensed his surroundings within the sealed space, searching for that soul while remaining ready to flee at any moment.

However, it truly seemed to have run out of strength. The sealed space remained calm.

A moment later, a blurry shape appeared within Chiba Shun's perception.

Chiba Shun first cautiously touched it with the power of his soul, but it seemed to be asleep and gave no response.

Then Chiba Shun expanded his perception and first examined its overall shape.

The soul was curled into a ball. Though he could not see it clearly, it seemed to be some kind of animal.

Taking a deep breath, Chiba Shun followed the method written in the scroll and launched a full-force attack at it.

Boom—

The collision had actually been silent, but Chiba Shun felt as if someone had shouted beside his ear, leaving him with a ringing sensation.

After the impact, Chiba Shun rapidly withdrew his perception.

Sure enough, his attack had awakened that soul.

It quickly found Chiba Shun's location and pounced directly at him.

However, Chiba Shun escaped the sealed space before it could catch him.

Letting out a long breath, Chiba Shun rubbed his head.

This kind of insane cultivation method was far too terrifying.

That was enough for today. He would rest for a day and adjust his mindset.

Chiba Shun did not know that the proper way to use this cultivation method was to find a shinobi whose soul level surpassed that monster's and cultivate under that person's protection.

Konoha had quite a few experts in that regard, but Kumogakure did not. So even if Chiba Shun had known, he would not have been able to do it.

Danzo had recognized that point before handing this useless thing over to the Kumogakure shinobi.

The next day, Chiba Shun entered the scroll again and attacked that soul.

In this way, using the scroll's special properties, Chiba Shun repeatedly used the power of his soul, and his Yin Release level did indeed slowly improve.

Every time he left, the soul would fall asleep. Once Chiba Shun woke it, it would actively attack him, yet it could never catch him.

It looked dangerous, but everything was actually under control.

This soul definitely lacked intelligence. It acted entirely on instinct and had no idea how to set a trap for Chiba Shun.

This cultivation method could indeed improve Yin Release. Its principle was likely to strengthen the soul through the use of Yin Release.

However, this cultivation method had a limit, and Chiba Shun felt that he had reached it now, because he had not sensed any improvement for several days.

That day, he gritted his teeth and decided to take a risk.

The last time he had taken a risk was when Yozuki A had forced him into it. That time, he had completed the cultivation of his A-rank Jutsu, and his chakra level had reached the Jonin tier.

This time, Chiba Shun was taking the risk voluntarily. He felt that he was becoming more and more like a Kumogakure shinobi.

As he had done countless times before, Chiba Shun first woke it with an impact, then swiftly retreated. But this time, instead of immediately escaping the sealed space, he stopped beside the seal and charged back toward the soul.

The soul seemed not to have expected Chiba Shun to return. It did not open its mouth and swallow him, instead colliding with him head-on.

Boom! Chiba Shun was sent flying by the impact and used the momentum to leave the sealed space.

Once his soul returned, Chiba Shun felt dizzy all over.

It took him quite a while to regain his senses.

He stood up and watched the Elite Jonin slowly walk over to him before asking, "Are you all right?"

Chiba Shun shook his head to clear it, then said, "I'm a little dizzy, but I should be fine."

Hearing that, the Elite Jonin nodded.

Yet Chiba Shun found that scene somewhat strange.

The other's nod seemed a little slower than usual.

But Chiba Shun's head was still muddled, and his thoughts were a mess.

After a while, once he had calmed down, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He seemed to understand something.

With that thought, Chiba Shun crouched down and pressed one finger to the ground.

That was right. This time, Chiba Shun was not pressing on the scroll.

He was normally activating his B-rank Sensory Jutsu.

The next moment, Chiba Shun opened his eyes in delight.

His sensory range had increased. It had risen from the original 300 to 500 meters to more than 700 meters.

This meant that his soul had advanced!

When that Elite Jonin had walked toward him earlier, it was not that the man had been moving slowly. Chiba Shun's soul level had risen, making his perception sharper.

"Haha! I won the bet!" Chiba Shun said with a laugh.

The Elite Jonin's expression shifted, and he understood that Chiba Shun had found the correct cultivation method.

He waited for a while until Chiba Shun had calmed down, then had him leave behind the cultivation method.

Chiba Shun wrote down the scroll's method of use in detail, noted the dangers within it, then left with 150,000 ryo.

Cultivating with this scroll had taken him a total of three months.

During those three months, he had consumed soul power every day, so his expenses had remained as high as ever.

He still owed the Ninja Academy 150,000 ryo.

That was right. Since he had been in a hurry this time, he had not borrowed money from Aoki Yuyi. Instead, he had directly embezzled the Ninja Academy's public funds.

He had authority over a sum of money meant to cultivate students he favored.

To cultivate Yin Release, he had appropriated 150,000 ryo from that fund.

He did not dare take too much. The reason it was 150,000 ryo was because the Elite Jonin had promised that once Chiba Shun found the correct cultivation method, he could receive the reward for an A-Rank Mission—150,000 ryo.

Now that he had received the money, he could use it to cover the deficit.

With his Yin Release having achieved a Breakthrough, Chiba Shun no longer needed to use this scroll for cultivation.

He rested for several days, then began cultivating his sensory jutsu and A-rank Illusion Technique, both of which had stalled at crucial points.

The A-rank Illusion Technique progressed smoothly. He had already been fully prepared; all he lacked was the final push.

In a prison outside Kumogakure, Chiba Shun quietly approached an imprisoned Jonin with Yuichi Nishida's assistance.

Chiba Shun nodded to Yuichi Nishida, then rapidly formed twenty-eight hand seals.

Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death.

The next moment, in Yuichi Nishida's eyes, the Jonin's expression suddenly changed. His entire body froze, and he stared in terror as Chiba Shun emerged from the shadows and slowly walked toward him.

He watched helplessly as Chiba Shun reached the cell covered in special seal markings, drew his long blade, and thrust it toward his neck.

Slash—

The long blade stopped beside the man's neck. Chiba Shun smiled faintly, sheathed the blade, and dispelled the Illusion Technique.

Only then did the Jonin react. He quickly stumbled backward and looked at Chiba Shun with lingering fear.

Yuichi Nishida took a deep breath, walked over to Chiba Shun, and said, "Congratulations. You finally succeeded."

Chiba Shun nodded. The fact that his Illusion Technique could affect a Jonin showed that he had finally crossed the threshold.

Chiba Shun said, "I also have to thank you, sir. I need to rest for a while. After some time, I'll work with you again and use Illusion Techniques to interrogate these people."

Yuichi Nishida smiled and nodded.

After leaving the prison, Chiba Shun went to find Maki Uzumaki again. This time, Maki Uzumaki was not treating anyone. She was on a date with someone Chiba Shun did not recognize.

When she saw Chiba Shun approach, Maki Uzumaki whispered a few words to that person before walking over to him. She shot him a look that said he had no sense of timing, then said, "You want to practice Mind's Eye of the Kagura again? You still haven't given up?"

Chiba Shun smiled. "My Yin Release has advanced. The chances of succeeding this time should be pretty good."

Maki Uzumaki did not understand Yin Release. Her ability to develop Mind's Eye of the Kagura relied entirely on talent.

She nodded, then glanced back at her boyfriend. Seeing that he was still waiting, she urged, "Hurry up, hurry up."

Chiba Shun rolled his eyes, then began practicing Mind's Eye of the Kagura under Maki Uzumaki's guidance.

The two had tried this many times before, and every previous attempt had ended in Chiba Shun's failure.

But this time, Maki Uzumaki discovered in surprise that Chiba Shun was much faster at mobilizing soul power for perception.

After a while, Chiba Shun stood still with his eyes closed, using the air to sense his surroundings.

Sure enough, this feeling was different from pressing his finger to the ground.

A massive chakra source was very close to him. There was no need to guess that it was Maki Uzumaki.

Chiba Shun frowned. Without opening his eyes, he said, "Senior Maki, could you move farther away from me, or restrain your chakra fluctuations a little? Your chakra is too massive. It's interfering with my perception."

Maki Uzumaki took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to punch Chiba Shun in the head.

Her boyfriend was nearby. She had to be ladylike!

Without bothering to see whether Chiba Shun had learned it, she went straight back to her boyfriend, grabbed his hand, and left.

As she walked away, she complained about Chiba Shun's shameless behavior of crossing the bridge and then tearing it down.

Naturally, Chiba Shun sensed Maki Uzumaki leaving. He also sensed her boyfriend, and the two were walking very close together.

As he expanded his perception further, one distant chakra source after another entered Chiba Shun's senses.

One hundred meters, three hundred meters, five hundred meters, one thousand meters, fifteen hundred meters, two thousand meters... It was not until he exceeded three thousand meters that Chiba Shun began to struggle.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, his face filled with excitement.

Ten times!

His sensory range had expanded by a full ten times!

This Mind's Eye of the Kagura was definitely an A-rank Sensory Jutsu!

Perception on this level could already rival the Byakugan.

Of course, only in terms of distance.

The Byakugan's uses were not limited to range. It also possessed x-ray vision, a 360-degree field of view with no blind spots, and most importantly: speed!

Chiba Shun's sensory ability was still far inferior to Maki Uzumaki's terrifying range of more than ten thousand meters, but he was already very satisfied.