The Harvest

Neji spared him a glance and nodded. "This is indeed an ultimate ninjutsu of S-rank difficulty. No one in Konoha today has mastered it. Back then, only a Jonin named Dan Katō ever mastered this technique."

"So it's like the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique. Both lines of succession have died out," Sasuke said, nodding.

After watching a little longer, Sasuke mused, "This seems to be a soul-based ninjutsu. It looks like it has something to do with Yin Release."

His words surprised Neji, who turned to him. "You can understand it? You have a feel for it?"

Sasuke nodded. "It's rather interesting. I just feel that this ninjutsu seems suited to shinobi like those of our Uchiha Clan, whose spiritual energy is particularly strong. Our clan's Sharingan also seems to have some connection to Yin Release."

"Not bad!" Looking at Sasuke, Neji thought he might actually be able to learn this technique.

"This thing seems like it could counter that snake's Cursed Seal..." Neji figured there might be some fun to watch in the future.

At that moment, Sasuke said, "Wind Release: Rasenshuriken is nearly finished. I've basically reached the final stage."

Neji understood what he meant. "You're planning to try this Spirit Transformation Technique once you finish the Rasenshuriken?"

Sasuke nodded. "That's right. That's what I have in mind. Since you're developing your Sealing Jutsu, I won't need to study it too. That way, our fields won't overlap."

Neji nodded. "Sure, but don't stop researching the Rasenshuriken. Keep trying to make Rasenshuriken with other chakra natures. You could even try using two chakra natures together."

"Don't worry, I won't stop. The more I practice the Rasenshuriken, the more I realize how much potential the Rasengan has for further development," Sasuke said with heartfelt conviction.

As they talked, Neji finished writing down the Spirit Transformation Technique and began recording the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.

After watching for a while, Sasuke's face filled with shock. He murmured, "This is an evil forbidden technique. It can actually summon souls that have entered the Pure Land back into this world to fight!"

"How could Konoha have a ninjutsu like this? Such an evil technique shouldn't exist in this world." Sasuke looked at Neji.

Even Sasuke considered this technique evil.

Neji gave him a meaningful smile. "This ninjutsu was invented by the Second, Tobirama Senju, Sasuke."

Sasuke was stunned. "The Second invented this technique?!"

"The genuine article." Neji nodded.

Sasuke fell silent. In his eyes, this technique was inherently evil.

"I really don't know what the Second was thinking when he invented something like this!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Neji did not care why Tobirama Senju had invented the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu. He said casually, "There's no need to worry about that. Whether it's evil depends on how it's used, who it's used against, and what purpose it serves."

"You have a point." Sasuke stopped dwelling on whether the technique was good or evil and began thinking about how it could be used instead.

The more Sasuke read, the more terrifying he found this ninjutsu.

Shinobi summoned through the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu could not be killed by ordinary means. Not only were these reincarnated shinobi unkillable, but they never tired and had limitless chakra. They were practically true monsters.

Sasuke imagined himself in the shoes of the Hokage's enemies, and his scalp prickled. The thought of facing a monstrous shinobi who could not be killed through conventional means, had infinite stamina and chakra, and retained a will of his own filled him with deep wariness toward the Second.

"What was the Second trying to do? Did he invent this ninjutsu to destroy the other countries and unify the entire Shinobi World?" Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"Stop overthinking it!" Neji spoke up. "The Second only created an early version of this forbidden technique. Before he could truly perfect it, something went wrong during his talks with Kumogakure."

Hearing Neji's words, Sasuke felt inexplicably relieved. This Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu was so absurdly powerful that it had made him want to study Sealing Jutsu in earnest.

"That really is a bit of a shame, then." Along with his relief, Sasuke felt a twinge of regret.

Before long, Neji had written down the entire technique.

Without pausing, Neji immediately continued on a blank scroll.

"The Five Elements Seal?! Finally, a proper Sealing Jutsu." Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. Those bizarre, inexplicable techniques had rather challenged his understanding of the world.

"An A-rank Sealing Jutsu!" Sasuke asked curiously, "Can a Sealing Jutsu of this rank deal with a tailed beast?"

"The Five Elements Seal isn't quite enough. Sealing a tailed beast with a technique of this rank would be very unstable. The tailed beast's chakra would leak, causing the jinchūriki to go berserk from time to time, and the beast might escape. At any rate, it's nowhere near enough to handle the Nine-Tails," Neji explained.

"What seal was used on the Nine-Tails? Can your Byakugan see the tailed beast sealed inside Naruto?" Sasuke asked with great curiosity.

Neji shook his head. "I have no way of knowing exactly which Sealing Jutsu the Fourth Hokage used to seal the Nine-Tails. And with my eye power, I can't see directly into the deepest part of the seal unless the Nine-Tails' chakra is leaking."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. He had secretly observed Naruto with his Sharingan more than once, but all he had seen was a lively troublemaker. There had been no sign whatsoever of the village's supposed strongest weapon—a jinchūriki.

After thinking for a moment, Sasuke looked at Neji. "We've never had a jinchūriki go berserk in Konoha. It seems the Sealing Jutsu the Fourth Hokage used on the Nine-Tails must have been incredibly powerful."

"Of course. The Fourth Hokage's wife was from the Uzumaki Clan. When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, Konoha must have gained more than anyone else. Most of the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu ended up in Konoha's hands," Neji said, revealing a little-known secret.

"After all, Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan had been close for generations," Sasuke said.

Neji merely smiled and said nothing.

The Five Elements Seal had considerably less material than the previous two ninjutsu. Neji soon finished writing it down and began the next technique, the Four Symbols Seal.

"This Four Symbols Seal also comes from the Uzumaki Clan. It's a very powerful Sealing Jutsu. Sealing a tailed beast with it would be no problem," Neji said.

"What about the strongest one, the Nine-Tails?" Sasuke asked.

Neji shook his head. "I've only just come across this Sealing Jutsu myself. I can't even make sense of it yet. What I said earlier was only speculation based on my own guesses."

Sasuke's expression darkened. After all that talk, it turned out he had been taken for a ride.

Seeing Sasuke's dark expression and the way he seemed to be holding back a retort, Neji found it hilarious.