Over the years, Jing Xiu had used his memories of the Shinobi World from his previous life to improve the Clone Technique, bringing the Shadow Clone Technique, which created solid clones, into the Shinobi World nearly ten years early.
Tobirama Senju, still hard at work practicing the fundamentals of ninjutsu, had no idea that one of his most important future inventions had already been plagiarized!
"Ryuichi, we've got a mission!"
Jing Xiu and Ryuichi headed toward the Land of Whirlpools under cover of darkness. Along the way, they left plenty of "subtle clues" that looked as though someone had tried to erase them, but were enough to identify them as ninja from the Land of Lightning.
Qingming, the leader of the Land of Crafts, was even more obedient to Jing Xiu's every command.
Carrying Kurama Natsuki, who had long since lost consciousness but still wore a smile, he followed behind Jing Xiu and the other person.
The two groups arrived one after the other at a small fishing village in the Land of Whirlpools.
"Is the intelligence reliable?"
Jing Xiu looked at Hatake Ryuichi beside him.
Hatake Ryuichi nodded. "There are at least three genin squads in this fishing village."
"There should also be a samurai squad. If I weren't so sensitive to sword intent, I wouldn't have discovered this place."
Jing Xiu made several hand signals, outlining the battle plan for their mission.
Hatake Ryuichi understood. He and Jing Xiu each created a shadow clone, then used the Transformation Technique to form a four-man squad from the Land of Lightning with their original bodies.
After two years, Jing Xiu's physical conditioning was almost complete. As a young boy, he had virtually no room left to improve his physical abilities.
In terms of Chinese martial arts, he had reached the "overt force" stage, where he could command the strength of his entire body and concentrate it into a single explosive point.
What still held Jing Xiu back was his age. He was only eight.
To break through to hidden force, his body would have to mature until he was at least twelve.
Several months earlier, he had already begun practicing chakra extraction.
However, the method he practiced was an improved version developed through years of observing Izuna extract chakra.
The chakra he extracted combined mental and physical energy, but also incorporated faint traces of natural energy.
Using Naruto's senjutsu training method at Mount Myōboku as a benchmark,
Mount Myōboku's senjutsu chakra was formed by combining mental, physical, and natural energy in equal thirds-a ratio of one to one to one.
In Jing Xiu's chakra extraction method, mental and physical energy remained at a one-to-one ratio, while the ratio between those two energies and natural energy was roughly a hundred to one.
In other words, the chakra Jing Xiu extracted possessed extremely faint qualities of senjutsu chakra. Not only was it far denser than that of ninja at the same level,
it also had the remarkable effect of nourishing his body and soul while slowly improving his constitution.
This might have been difficult for ninja born and raised in the Shinobi World, but for an extraordinary practitioner who sought immortality and transcendence, it was merely a foundation.
Daoist cultivation emphasized developing all three treasures together: essence, qi, and spirit.
Although the chakra system offered powerful combat abilities, it cultivated only essence and spirit. Without innate qi to harmonize and replenish them, a shortened lifespan was inevitable.
It was not that the cultivation method Jing Xiu had devised could not increase the proportion of natural energy.
It was simply that neither he, Izuna, nor Madara had reached the prime of their lives at twenty-five.
After twenty-five, a ninja's chakra reserves would scarcely increase any further. That would be the ideal time to raise the proportion of natural chakra.
The small fishing village had only a dozen or so households. Jing Xiu and Ryuichi held back their strength, fighting the village's genin and samurai for a long time.
Only then did they slaughter the entire village.
Qingming surveyed the devastated village and tossed Kurama Natsuki to Jing Xiu. "Such a fine girl, and you're actually willing to sacrifice her. I really don't know what you're thinking!"
Jing Xiu cast Qingming a sidelong glance, and that single look scared him out of his wits.
He had discovered that Jing Xiu's pupils were a bloody red, just like the fishing village at that moment.
Qingming blinked. When he looked at Jing Xiu again, he found that Jing Xiu's eyes were no different from his own. His black pupils reflected the fishing village stained red with blood.
Carrying Kurama Natsuki, Jing Xiu descended into the cellar, then took Uzumaki Qingzhi's corpse out of the Devouring Pouch Orb.
After making the arrangements, he returned to the Land of Crafts with Ryuichi and Qingming.
At daybreak, a chunin squad from the Uzumaki Clan followed the barely perceptible trail to the vicinity of the fishing village.
The captain of this chunin squad was Mito Uzumaki, the eldest daughter of the Uzumaki Clan's leader, Uzumaki Ashina.
Mito looked at the little boy trailing at the rear of the squad. "Ashina, once we get back to the village, I'm going to make you copy the Complete Guide to Sealing Jutsu a thousand times."
"Not even Father can save you! You have my word."
Fear filled Ashina's eyes when he heard his eldest sister's declaration.
Reading the Complete Guide to Sealing Jutsu just once would leave him half-dead, let alone copying it a thousand times.
But then he thought of his cousin, who had been missing for days-the cousin who would take him to the seaside to collect shells and dig for crabs.
The fear in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by resolve and determination.
Seeing the change in Uzumaki Ashina's eyes, Mito Uzumaki felt a little surprised, but even more gratified. Ashina really does have the makings of a leader.
With him here, I won't have to worry about the Uzumaki Clan!
Lately, she had heard hints that her father intended to arrange a marriage alliance with the Senju Clan.
Naturally, she, Mito Uzumaki, was the first choice for that marriage.
Uzumaki Ashina had never mistreated her and had always showered her with care. For the clan's continued survival and prosperity, she was willing to sacrifice herself.
That was also why she had turned a blind eye to Uzumaki Ashina sneaking out.
She wanted to see how the future Young Clan Leader of the Uzumaki Clan would respond to the disappearance of his closest cousin.
Soon, a few inconspicuous, charred grains on the beach caught Mito Uzumaki's attention.
Anyone else would probably have assumed that the sand had simply darkened after becoming soaked.
But Mito Uzumaki had been born with an Uzumaki constitution far superior to the norm. Through her Mind's Eye of the Kagura, she could clearly sense dust-sized traces of Lightning Release chakra lingering on those charred grains.
Without Mito Uzumaki's extraordinary perception, their party would probably have lost the trail long ago.
Mito picked up the few charred grains of sand and examined them carefully, frowning slightly. "These must have washed ashore with the seawater. Did those ninja from the Land of Lightning fight someone out at sea?"
She closed her eyes and focused all her attention.
She reduced the fine detail of her Mind's Eye of the Kagura's perception, expanding its range.
Soon, her closed eyes snapped open.
Uzumaki Ashina had never seen his sister look so terrifying.
Mito Uzumaki looked in a particular direction, several hundred meters away, toward the fishing village where Jing Xiu and the others had attacked earlier.
Her eyes blazed with fury as she turned to her squad members. "I've found traces of those beasts' attack up ahead. Lia, stay here and watch Ashina."
"Everyone else, follow me!"
She pointed toward the fishing village. "There's a small fishing village eight hundred meters that way! Prepare for combat!"
Uzumaki Ashina broke free of Uzumaki Liya, his face set with stubbornness. "I'm going too! I've already extracted chakra. I'm not an ordinary child anymore!"
Mito Uzumaki looked intently at Ashina. Seeing the insistence in his eyes, she crouched down and placed both hands on his shoulders.
"The cruelest truth of the Shinobi World is over there. I don't want my little brother to see it so soon!"
"But I forgot. One day, Ashina is going to become a great hero admired by everyone."
"Can you forgive your sister for being selfish?"