The instant the courtyard gate closed, Rinto's fingertips stirred, sending out three chakra threads so faint they were almost invisible. The sensory anchors he had arranged on the courtyard walls activated at once. Pale blue-green sealing patterns spread around the base of the walls, then silently faded away.
They were not there to guard against ambushes, but to keep any commotion from damaging the experimental records inside when trouble came knocking.
He went straight through the main house and entered the side room in the rear courtyard that he had converted into a temporary laboratory. It was even messier than the underground laboratory in the Land of Whirlpools. The crystalline jade and starfall iron he had just bought lay piled in a corner, unwrapped blank scrolls were scattered across the table, and several half-finished sketches of Yin Release frameworks covered the floor. He even had to pick out empty spots to step on.
Rinto had no interest in tidying up. He locked the door behind him and inscribed two fixed configurations for soundproofing and blast protection onto it before taking the half-scroll of charred silk from the Land of Whirlpools out of his inner pocket.
Outside, the wind swept grit against the window paper with a rustling sound, but he seemed not to hear it at all. Pinching the edge of the silk manuscript, he brought it under the oil lamp and first carefully examined the sealing patterns on its surface.
Three nested layers of seals. The outermost was a moisture-proof, tamper-proof lock common in the Land of Whirlpools. The middle layer was a triggered self-destruct seal, while the innermost core was a mental anchor seal that locked away the contents. No wonder the sealing specialists he had sought out before had all failed-the seal shared its underlying logic with the Land of Whirlpools' Martyrdom Formation. Brute force could not dismantle it. Touch one wrong node, and the entire silk manuscript would explode into ash.
Had this been ten years ago, he might have needed to put in some effort. Now, however, he could even thoroughly modify distributed seals on the level of the Martyrdom Formation. To him, this small nested seal was no different from a child's building blocks.
Rinto did not begin immediately. He first pulled over a blank sheet of scratch paper and, charcoal pencil in hand, reproduced the seal's structure from his memory of the patterns he had just examined. The tip rustled across the paper as he broke down the connections between the three layers, their trigger nodes, and their energy transmission routes, clearly marking even the direction of chakra flow at every turn.
Only a quarter of an hour later, he put down the charcoal pencil and picked up the diamond engraving knife he had just bought.
The knife was a little lighter than the one he was used to. He rolled it half a turn between his fingers to adjust to its weight, then lowered the blade toward the outermost sealing patterns on the silk manuscript. Rather than forcibly breaking them apart, he used exceedingly fine incisions to alter the seal's transmission routes, first dismantling the links between the three nested layers-like defusing a bomb by cutting the connection between the fuse and the explosives before slowly dismantling the core.
His hand was absurdly steady. The oil lamp's flame swayed in a draft slipping through the window, but his fingertips did not tremble in the slightest. The knife passed over the manuscript's surface, leaving marks finer than hair as it precisely severed the connection between the outer seal and the middle self-destruct structure.
The first layer was undone.
For the second layer, he set aside the knife. He condensed an extremely faint thread of chakra at his fingertip and sent it along the newly altered route. The middle self-destruct seal's trigger logic was "chakra other than the owner's forcibly touching the core." He simply followed the patterns and altered the entire seal's trigger anchor, changing it from "explode on contact" to "completely locked down," turning it into a useless shell.
In less than ten minutes, the two most troublesome layers had been dismantled completely, leaving only the mental anchor seal at the core.
This was also the most difficult layer. A sealing specialist from the Land of Whirlpools had locked the manuscript's contents with their own mental imprint. Forcibly breaking it would only annihilate the writing inside. Most of the people who had failed to undo the seal before had stumbled at this step.
Rinto stared at the mental patterns, so faint they were almost invisible, and unconsciously tapped his fingertips against the edge of the table.
Mental energy, the core of Yin Release. Until now, his understanding of this aspect had remained theoretical. This seal was the perfect opportunity to probe the practical logic behind Yin Release's operation.
He did not force his way in. Closing his eyes and settling his mind, he compressed his mental energy to its limit, wrapped it around a thread of chakra, and let it seep like water through the gaps in the sealing patterns. Rather than forcibly striking the anchor, he followed the sealing specialist's mental imprint, gradually mapping out its structure.
The sensation was extraordinary. It was completely different from controlling chakra flow. Chakra circulated through routes and configurations, while the fluctuations of mental energy were intangible and followed no fixed trajectory, yet could anchor themselves precisely to matter and lock down the entire silk manuscript.
So that was it.
Yin Release's so-called "creating form through mental energy" was, in essence, using mental fluctuations to establish a fixed configuration framework for chakra, allowing formless energy to become a tangible jutsu in accordance with that framework. Fundamentally, it followed the same logic as the patterns he engraved onto a medium-except that he engraved his frameworks onto black iron and crystalline jade, while Yin Release engraved them directly into mental energy.
The thought struck like a beam of light, instantly clearing the block in the Yin Release framework he had drawn countless times but always felt was wrong.
Following the mental imprint's structure, he gradually dismantled the anchor's locking logic. He did not damage the original imprint, only added a "bypass" that allowed his mental energy to reach the contents inside without obstruction.
An hour later, Rinto opened his eyes and withdrew the chakra from his fingertips.
The mental anchor seal at the core was undone.
He picked up the silk manuscript, brought it beneath the oil lamp, and carefully unrolled it. Its charred edges were extremely brittle, and he moved with the lightest touch, afraid of crumbling the remaining third of its contents.
Ancient seal script from the Land of Whirlpools densely covered the silk. Although most of it had burned away, the surviving contents addressed precisely what he lacked most. It contained detailed records of the Land of Whirlpools' secret foundational Yin Release methods, techniques for refining mental energy, and the basic logic of Yin Release configurations. There were even several pages breaking down the underlying principles of genjutsu.
Rinto's eyes lit up, and even his breathing grew lighter. He pulled over some scratch paper and picked up his charcoal pencil, rapidly taking notes as he read. He broke the manuscript's contents down into the configuration logic he knew, gradually filling in his previously incomplete framework.
Previously, when replicating Kekkei Genkai, he could only dissect chakra samples and reverse-engineer their structures, knowing how they worked without knowing why. Only now, after understanding Yin Release's underlying logic, did he grasp why Ice Release's dual-track interlocking structure had to take that form, and why Scorch Release's particle entanglement ratio was 7:3-in essence, the configuration frameworks established by the mental energy behind the nature-transformed chakra were different.
He became completely absorbed. The sky outside slowly darkened, and the oil lamp was refilled twice without him noticing. The scratch paper piled ever higher on the table, covered with basic Yin Release configurations, models of mental energy fluctuations, and optimization ideas he worked out along the way.
Only when a sharp pang of hunger struck his stomach did he abruptly come back to himself. Looking out the window, he realized that the sky had long since gone completely dark. It was already deep into the night.
He casually reached for the untouched rice balls Kabuto had brought that morning, sitting at the edge of the table, and wolfed them down in a few bites with the thoroughly cold water in the kettle. When they caught in his throat, he merely gulped down some more water. Setting down the kettle, he lowered his head to study the silk manuscript again, not even bothering to trim the blackened wick.
Just as he held his charcoal pencil ready to work out his first fixed Yin Release configuration, an exceedingly faint vibration suddenly came from the sensory anchors on the courtyard walls.
It was no accidental contact. Someone was deliberately dismantling the perimeter warning seals he had laid. Their movements were highly professional, their chakra suppressed to almost no fluctuation, and their understanding of sealing jutsu far surpassed that of the wandering ninja he had encountered before.
Root.
Rinto's brows immediately furrowed. The charcoal pencil paused against the paper, leaving a dark dot.
Annoying.
He had only just reached the threshold of Yin Release, and his thoughts were flowing smoothly. This was the most crucial moment, yet these persistent pests had chosen precisely now to come knocking.
He did not rise, or even lift his head. His fingertips stirred, and he checked the situation outside through the sensory anchors' links. Six people in total, all elite Root Jonin. Their chakra fluctuations were steady and carried the standard characteristics of Root's sealing jutsu. They had already laid a containment barrier on all four sides outside the walls, with sensory traps even underground. They clearly intended to catch him like a turtle in a jar and take him back alive.
The leader's chakra carried a faint trace of Sharingan fluctuations. He was probably one of Danzo's elites equipped with a Sharingan from a member of the Uchiha clan.
They certainly thought highly of him.
Rinto clicked his tongue and patiently finished the key framework nodes of the Yin Release configuration sketch he had just begun. Only then did he set down his charcoal pencil and slowly stand.
He did not take the engraving knife beside the table or prepare any of the ninja tools he had engraved with fixed configurations in advance. To him, as long as he still had chakra, his fingertips were engraving knives and the air was a medium. Hand seals and ninja tools were all unnecessary.
Outside the courtyard walls, the Root squad had completed its encirclement.
The Jonin leading them was named Kazama, an elite directly under Danzo. He had a one-tomoe Sharingan implanted in his hand and specialized in difficult capture missions like this. Watching the courtyard wall, he gestured to his teammates and lowered his voice. "The barrier is locked down. He can't escape. Lord Danzo's orders are to take him alive. Prioritize protecting his hands and brain. Don't damage anything vital."
The teammates beside him all nodded. Each held sealing tags specifically designed to target chakra flow, along with binding chains capable of suppressing instantly cast ninjutsu. Before they set out, Danzo had specifically warned them that Rinto's abilities were strange: he could unleash Kekkei Tōta without forming hand seals. They absolutely could not give him a chance to act. They had to lock down his chakra circulation immediately.
"Move."
At Kazama's command, all six moved at once. A sharp wind blade split the courtyard's wooden gate to pieces. At the same time, the containment barriers on all four sides instantly tightened. Pale purple sealing patterns lit up in the air, enclosing the entire courtyard so tightly that not even a fly could escape.
Five figures rushed into the courtyard together, flinging sealing tags toward the side room's door and windows. The paper tags unfurled in the air, dense sealing patterns spreading instantly as they attempted to seal the entire room and prevent Rinto from releasing even his chakra inside.
But just as the sealing tags were about to touch the door, something changed.
The tags bearing sealing patterns abruptly stopped in midair, as though they had struck an invisible wall. Then the patterns on them visibly unraveled and dissipated bit by bit. Their chakra glow instantly went out, leaving useless scraps of paper that drifted gently to the ground.
The two Root ninja at the front instantly stiffened and stopped short, their eyes filled with shock.
Lord Danzo had specifically ordered the Sealing Squad to prepare these tags to counter chakra transmission. Even a Jonin's chakra would instantly become sluggish if one stuck to them. Yet now they had been rendered useless without even touching the door?
In the instant they stood stunned, the side room's door opened on its own.
Rinto stood inside, still wearing his coarse cloth jacket washed pale with use. He did not even hold anything. He simply watched them calmly, his eyes showing neither anger nor tension, only undisguised impatience, as though he were looking at a few buzzing flies.
"Rinto, surrender." Kazama stepped forward, his Sharingan slowly turning as he watched Rinto's every movement. "Lord Danzo is giving you an opportunity. Come back to Konoha with us. Only in Konoha can your talents be put to use. Stubborn resistance won't do you any good."
"I'll say it one more time." Rinto's voice was level, but carried a bone-chilling coldness. "Get out. Don't interrupt my work."
"It seems you refuse to cooperate." Kazama's gaze turned cold, and he raised a hand in a signal. "Attack! Lock down his chakra pathways!"
Before his words had finished, the other five Root ninja struck simultaneously. Binding chains bearing sealing patterns flew toward Rinto's limbs as several restraining ninjutsu activated together. Earth Release stone pillars shot up from the ground, a Water Release Water Prison Technique closed in on him, and paralyzing Lightning Release currents spread across the ground, blocking every direction he could dodge.
Their coordination was exceptionally smooth. Accounting for Rinto's ability to cast ninjutsu instantly, they first used wide-area ninjutsu to seal off the space, then sealing chains to restrict his movements, leaving him no opportunity to act.
Dust instantly billowed through the courtyard, and the glare of ninjutsu was so dazzling that it was hard to keep one's eyes open.
But in the next second, every attack stopped half a meter in front of Rinto.
The rising stone pillars instantly disintegrated into fine sand and dirt; the surging water prison scattered into puddles across the ground; the spreading electrical currents vanished without a trace, as though they had struck an insulator. Even the chains bearing sealing patterns stopped in midair. Their patterns crumbled bit by bit, and their iron links instantly rusted into powder.
Kazama's Sharingan abruptly constricted, and his composed expression shattered.
How was that possible?!
He could clearly see that Rinto had not even raised a hand. There had not even been a large-scale chakra fluctuation. He had simply stood there, and all their ninjutsu had silently become useless? This defied the very logic of ninjutsu!
"Is that all you can do?" Rinto frowned. He had thought they might last a few exchanges, but they could not even break through the defensive configuration he had casually placed at the door. They were purely a waste of his time.
His fingertips moved slightly.
There were no hand seals, no brilliant light, only a nearly invisible ripple of chakra spreading outward. The six Root ninja in the courtyard instantly felt the chakra in their pathways fall into chaos.
The chakra that had been circulating smoothly through their pathways seemed to have suddenly taken a wrong turn. An invisible force rerouted its original course, sending it crashing wildly through their pathways. They grunted in pain, their muscles instantly locking up. The ninja tools in their hands clattered to the ground. Unable even to stand steadily, they fell straight to the ground.
The chakra control they took such pride in was as laughable as children playing house before Rinto. He did not even need to attack them. Simply rewriting the configurations of their chakra circulation was enough to render them unable to fight.
Kazama was the only one still standing. Relying on his Sharingan's perception, he barely stabilized the chakra in his pathways, but cold sweat had already soaked his back, and the hand gripping his kunai shook violently.
He finally understood why the several squads sent before had never returned. The young man before him was no ordinary rogue ninja. His understanding of chakra had reached a level they could not even comprehend.
"You... what did you do to us?" Even Kazama's voice trembled.
Rinto ignored him and simply stepped forward. For every step he took forward, Kazama involuntarily retreated one step, unable to conceal the fear in his eyes.
"Go back and tell Danzo." Rinto's gaze swept over him, so indifferent it held not a trace of warmth. "Stop sending people to bother me. Next time, it won't be as simple as disabling your chakra."
He had not killed them. It was not softheartedness; he simply could not be bothered. If he killed them, Danzo would only send more people, creating more trouble. Better to let them return alive and deliver his message, so Danzo would know that however many people he sent, it would be wasted effort, and stop interrupting his experiments.
Kazama gritted his teeth, looking at his teammates sprawled across the ground, then at Rinto's utterly unruffled eyes. In the end, he did not dare utter another threat. Gritting his teeth, he called to the others and scrambled out of the courtyard with them, even forgetting to remove the barrier they had set up.
Quiet instantly returned to the courtyard, leaving only the mess covering the ground and the shattered wooden gate.
Frowning, Rinto glanced at the broken gate and the scraps of paper and rust scattered on the ground. His irritation grew.
More time wasted cleaning up. More delays to his experiments.
He ignored the mess, turned back into the laboratory, and closed the door behind him. His fingertips swept across the door, instantly forming a new fixed configuration several times stronger than the previous defenses. Whatever riffraff was out there, if they dared barge in again, their chakra would disintegrate on the spot.
Back at the workbench, he picked up the silk manuscript. Just as he was about to resume reading, the sensory anchor at the courtyard gate vibrated again.
Rinto's brows instantly knotted, and he nearly snapped the charcoal pencil in his hand.
Again? Was there no end to this?
Just as he was about to rise, a gentle voice with a hint of a smile came through the door. It maintained an impeccable sense of propriety, without the slightest offense. "Hello, Mr. Rinto. I'm a steward of the black market. My boss asked me to deliver your invitation to the underground auction in three days."
Not someone here to cause trouble.
Rinto let out a breath and suppressed his anger. With a movement of his fingertips, the configuration on the door disengaged, and the door opened on its own.
A man in a long black robe stood outside, his manner exceedingly respectful, holding a gold-stamped envelope in both hands. Upon seeing Rinto at the open door, he bowed slightly and offered the envelope. "This is your exclusive invitation to the auction. Present it for admission. Also, the boss specifically asked me to tell you that the details of the lots you wanted to know about are all in the catalog inside the envelope."
Rinto accepted the envelope and casually opened it. Besides the gold-stamped invitation, it contained a thin catalog listing all the auction's lots, with their starting prices and origins clearly marked.
His gaze swept quickly over it. Sure enough, the catalog read: Lot Two, an incomplete manuscript of the Second Hokage's sealing jutsu leaked from Root; Lot Seven, an incomplete scroll of secret Six Paths Yin-Yang Release teachings.
Exactly the same as the information he had previously heard in the black market.
"Understood." Rinto nodded, put away the catalog and invitation, and said nothing more.
The steward was perceptive as well. He asked no further questions and did not linger. Bowing once more, he turned and quietly withdrew, even closing the courtyard gate behind him.
Rinto closed the door, casually tossed the invitation onto the table, and returned his gaze to the silk manuscript from the Land of Whirlpools.
There were still three days until the auction, just enough time to thoroughly digest the manuscript's contents and refine his basic Yin Release configurations. As for whatever riffraff would be at the auction, whether Danzo or Orochimaru's people, he did not care.
He only wanted those two scrolls of crucial material. If anyone dared compete with him for them at the auction and delay his research, he would not mind letting them experience what it felt like to have their chakra configurations rewritten.
The oil lamp's flame flickered, casting his shadow onto the wall. He sat down again, picked up his charcoal pencil, and continued working out Yin Release configurations on the scratch paper. The encirclement just now seemed no more than a speck of dust brushed away, leaving not the slightest ripple in his heart.
Outside the window, the night deepened. Falling Sand Town's black market remained noisy. Curses from the taverns and the sounds of weapons in the streets drifted faintly over, yet none of them penetrated this small laboratory.
To Rinto, nothing in the vast world mattered more than the research in his hands.