The morning fog in the rainforest has not yet dispersed, and the water vapor clings to the grass blades, causing fine water droplets to fall.
Rinto squatted on the bluestone at the mouth of the gorge, not hiding his body, nor deliberately constricting his breath. He held half a freshly picked fern leaf with his fingertips, and a very faint trace of Chakra seeped into it, following the water in the veins of the leaf, touching it The water-locking logic of plant cells - Takigakure's Yang Release is always tied to water. He walked along and touched the life cycle of dozens of rainforest plants, which was much more useful than deducing in a cave.
He came here on his own initiative. The fragments in the dragon scales couldn't piece together a complete cultivation path. He was hiding and waiting for Takigakure's people to come to the door. It was better to go directly to the door of the defense line to avoid detours and avoid being endlessly harassed by patrols on the road.
The footsteps behind him were very light, almost silent when stepping on the rotten leaves, but with more than a dozen taut Chakra fluctuations. Rinto didn't look back, and his fingertips were still scratching on the fern leaves, until the old voice stopped three meters behind him.
"Outsider, you broke through my three outer barriers and are just squatting here playing with leaves?"
Rinto then threw away the leaves in his hands and turned around slowly.
The leader of the old man was holding a black wooden staff. His hair and beard were all white, his eye sockets were sunken, but his eyes were very bright, staring at the half of a golden dragon scale exposed on his waist. Behind him were seven ninjas, all with their hands on their ninja tool bags. His steps were steady, and he was trapped in a semi-arc, but he didn't move forward rashly - he was able to pass through the three-layer security barrier silently, and he still dared to squat at the door of the defense line in a swagger. This person was either crazy, or he was so capable that he didn't care at all.
He is the great elder of Takigakure, the person who has been in charge of Yang Release's secret technique for almost forty years. In Ochiai Town's tavern, Rinto heard a business traveler mention that this old man was Takigakure's Dinghai Shenzhen and the last complete inheritor of Yang Release's secret technique.
"The barrier is too rough." Rinto patted the grass clippings on his hand, and his tone was as calm as if he was saying Tenten was not feeling well today, "The anchor points are all tied up in water vapor, and they will become chaotic when the wind blows. If I don't change it, sooner or later someone will follow it and get in."
He didn't say "I'm not here to fight", nor did he say soft words. He opened his mouth to find faults with the barrier, like a passing researcher who casually pointed out low-level mistakes in other people's experiments.
As soon as these words came out, a ninja with a scar on the left side of his face suddenly fell into a frown. His hand had already been on Ninja Blade, but the elder raised his eyes and glanced at him, forcing him to hold back his movements.
The great elder's eyes fell on the dragon scales on his waist. He paused the wooden staff on the ground, and the tip of the staff was embedded in the soft mud. "That is the sacred object of my clan, the dragon scales condensed from the bones of my senior brother. Did you steal it from the laboratory of the ruins?"
"Borrowed it." Rinto raised his hand, pinched the corners of the dragon scale with his fingertips, raised it and shook it, the scales glowed with a light gold in the morning mist, "I'll give it back to you after use."
"Borrow?" the elder laughed angrily, the wrinkles on his face squeezed together, "If you don't ask for it, you are stealing it. My Takigakure things, when will it be the turn of a foreign Konoha traitor to borrow it?"
"I want your Yang Release secret biography." Rinto did not answer his words and directly explained the purpose, "The complete cultivation path, the whole process from entry to cell stimulation."
These words were like pouring water into a frying pan.
The surrounding ninjas exploded in an instant. The scar-faced ninja who had been stopped just now couldn't help it anymore and shouted sternly, "Are you crazy?! Can you read the core secrets of our clan? You stole a sacred object and you dare to slap your face on it. Do you really think we don't dare to kill you?"
Rinto's eyes did not fall on him, and he still looked at the great elder. In his eyes, only those who can make the decisions are worth talking to. Talking nonsense to these young ninjas who can't make the decisions is a waste of time. He even lowered his head, took out the book full of formulas from his backpack, and flipped through two pages. His fingertips rubbed the ink stains blurred by the rain forest moisture, as if he didn't hear the scolding.
This kind of complete disregard made people even more angry than fighting back. Just as the scar-faced ninja was about to rush forward, he was stopped by a low voice from the elder. "Stop."
The Great Elder's eyes did not leave Rinto, and the surprise in his heart outweighed his anger. He had seen countless arrogant young people, but he had never seen anything like this - breaking through the defense line, taking the sacred object, opening his mouth to secretly teach, but there was no murderous intention at all, and he did not even pay attention to the people who were surrounding them, as if the tense situation in front of him was not as important as the half formula in his notebook.
"Do you know what will happen if you covet the secret in Takigakure?" the great elder said slowly.
"I know." Rinto closed the book and looked up at him, "But there is something wrong with your secret technique."
He finally said this, but instead of pouring out all the flaws like an endorsement, he just threw the dragon scales over casually. The dragon scales drew a gentle arc in the air and landed on the stone in front of the great elder without any mud on it.
"Your senior brother, you will collapse before you reach forty, right?" Rinto squatted back on the bluestone, unconsciously picking at the moss on the stone with his fingertips, "You practiced secret arts, and your cells were exhausted in advance, and you couldn't even stand up in the end, right?"
The elder's pupils shrank suddenly, and he bent down to pick up the dragon scales. His fingertips touched the familiar lines on the scales, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed. The senior brother was only thirty-nine years old when he died. In the past two years, Jonin, who could still resist Iwagakure with Yang Release, suddenly collapsed, and his body declined frighteningly fast. The medical ninjas in the clan were helpless. Only a few people in the Elder Council knew that it was the backlash of the secret technique. It was impossible for outsiders to know about this.
"How do you know?" The great elder's voice was a little tighter.
"I can see it." Rinto raised his chin and motioned for him to look at the dragon scales in his hand, "The cells in the scales are all damaged, and the activity that is forced out has been exhausted. Your secret technique is to trade life for strength. The harder you practice, the sooner you will die."
He didn't talk about those textbook terms, didn't talk about meridians or telomeres, he just talked about the most straightforward results, as if he was talking about the reason why an experimental sample was scrapped.
The ninjas around were all quiet. Most of them had been practicing the secret technique for more than ten years. Who didn't have any old injuries? The whole body ached after exerting too much force, and the joints were stiff and painful on rainy days. The master only said that they were not practicing well, but they knew in their hearts that after practicing this secret technique for a long time, their bodies were really breaking down.
The elder's hand holding the dragon scale is shaking. He is fifty-six this year, and the knuckles of his left hand have been deformed for a long time. He can't even hold the wooden stick steadily on rainy days, and he often coughs up blood at night. The fate of the senior brother is right in front of him. He knows better than anyone else where the Achilles heel of this secret technique is. Generations of people have been trying to find ways to fix it, but the more they are changed, the more severe the backlash becomes, and the root cause cannot be touched at all.
He was silent for a while, then looked up at Rinto: "What do you mean by this?"
"Make a deal." Rinto said bluntly, "I will help you solve the problem of backlash. It is not a relief, but a radical cure - change your method of 'squeezing the cells' to follow the rhythm of the cells. The more you practice, the stronger you will become, instead of the more you practice, the more you will collapse."
He paused and added, without any negotiation skills in his tone, but with all the straightforward truth. "In exchange, I will read the original secret text once. I will not copy it, take it away, or pass it on to others. I will leave after reading it, and the dragon scales will be returned to you."
"That's it?" The great elder was stunned for a moment. He had imagined countless possibilities. The other party wanted the secret technique, either to practice it, to sell it, or to deal with Takigakure, but he never thought about it and just "looked it over".
"Otherwise?" Rinto frowned, as if he thought his question was unnecessary, "What I want is the cultivation logic inside, not your moves. It's useless even if you take them."
In his world, there is only "can you perfect my configuration", other powers, strength, and secret moves are all useless garbage.
The gorge fell silent, with only the sound of the stream flowing and the morning breeze rustling through the leaves. Several ninjas looked at each other, no one dared to speak, they all looked at the great elder. On one side was the iron rule passed down by their ancestors - secrets should never be passed on to others, on the other side was the Achilles heel that had trapped generations of people, and the young man in front of them seemed to be able to really solve it.
The Great Elder was in a state of confusion. He had guarded the secret for his whole life and knew better than anyone else what this thing meant to Takigakure. However, he also knew better than anyone that the backlash could not be solved. In a few generations, no one would dare to practice this secret technique. The better they practiced, the faster they would die. Who would dare to touch it?
Just when he opened his mouth to speak, Rinto suddenly tilted his head and frowned, not out of caution, but out of annoyance.
"Your defense is really weak." He raised his eyes and looked at the rainforest outside the mouth of the gorge. "The two groups of flies that followed me came over."
The great elder's expression changed, and he tensed up instantly. The ninjas behind him immediately turned around, and Hand Seals raised their hands. They didn't even notice at all?
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold laughter came from the rain forest, and Kakuzu's voice came through the shadow of the trees. "Uchiha Rinto, you have good ears. Last time Ochiai Town let you run away, this time, I'll see where you hide."
Almost at the same time, several Kunai with sealing patterns shot out from the shadow of the tree crown. Instead of heading straight for Rinto, they first blocked all escape routes at the mouth of the gorge, even Takigakure The ninja's dodge space was locked together. Immediately afterwards, the black Earth Grudge Fear tentacles sprang out like poisonous snakes, carrying corrosive venom. Wherever they passed, even the tree trunks were eroded into black holes.
It was Kakuzu, and there was the Root ninja hiding in the dark. They followed Rinto all the way here, waiting for him and Takigakure When people confront each other and both sides suffer, they reap the benefits of the fisherman - they can not only win Rinto, but also steal Takigakure's Yang Release secret, killing two birds with one stone.
"Damn it, you dare to break into my Takigakure territory!" the scar-faced ninja cursed, and immediately Hand Seals, Water Release's barriers instantly erected, blocking the incoming Kunai. But Earth Grudge Fear's tentacles had already broken through the canopy of the tree, heading straight for Rinto and the great elder.
The scene was instantly chaotic. The roar of Water Release, the muffled sound of tentacles hitting the barrier, and the crisp sound of Sealing Jutsu exploding, all mixed together, making people's brains hurt.
Rinto did not move, still squatting on the bluestone, frowning even more tightly.
What bothered him was not the danger, but the noise. The deal that was about to be concluded was disrupted by this group of people. His ears were filled with the sounds of fighting and killing, and the structural logic that had just been half settled in his mind was completely disrupted.
A tentacle of Earth Grudge Fear broke through the Water Release barrier and headed straight for the book in his hand. The venom splashed on the bluestone and eroded the sizzling white smoke. Rinto finally raised his hand. It was not Hand Seals, but a trace of pale golden Chakra popped out from his fingertips.
The tentacle with teeth and claws froze in mid-air for an instant. The living cells inside were necrotic at a speed visible to the naked eye. The originally tight tentacle softened into a piece of rotten flesh, fell to the ground, and soon turned into a puddle of black water.
Rinto stood up and patted the grass clippings on his pants.
He ignored the Takigakure ninjas and Gen's people who were fighting in the melee. He looked beyond the shadow of the tree and landed on Kakuzu who was hiding behind. The impatience in his tone almost overflowed. "I didn't kill you last time because I thought it was troublesome. Now, get out. Don't delay my talk."
Kakuzu sneered behind the tree. The sutures on his body cracked, and four monsters with attribute masks came out. The four attributes of Chakra surged at the same time. "This is not a small talk. Today I not only want your life, but also the configuration technology in your brain, and Takigakure's Yang Release secrets. They are all mine."
Before he finished speaking, Fire Release and Wind Release's stacked fire storm, carrying Lightning Release's electric light, came overwhelmingly, and the entire gorge was enveloped. Within the attack range, the Takigakure ninja's expression changed drastically, and he quickly stacked the Water Release barrier, but this was the ultimate move that Kakuzu had been saving for a long time. How could the temporary barrier block it?
Rinto clicked his tongue.
He took a step forward and stood in front of the barrier. There was no Hand Seals, no Ninjutsu, but the structure of Yang Release was gently spread out. A layer of warm light that was almost invisible spread out over a dozen meters with him as the center.
The violent fire, wind, and thunder hit the warm light, like the tide hitting the rocks, and dispersed in an instant. They were not crushed, but were dismantled into the most basic energy from the roots of Chakra. Following the warm light, they were sucked clean by the surrounding vegetation. The leaves that had been wilted by the heat wave instead sprouted new buds.
The entire gorge fell silent instantly.
The ninjas who were fighting all stopped and looked blankly at Rinto standing in the middle. They even forgot to tie the seals in their hands.
Kakuzu's eyes are widened. He has lived for nearly a hundred years and has fought against countless strong players. He has never seen this kind of play - without Ninjutsu, without Kekkei Genkai. Just so lightly wiped out his combination Ninjutsu?
Rinto's gaze fell on him. There was no murderous intent, but it made the hairs on Kakuzu's back stand up instantly.
"I told you, don't delay me."
He moved his fingertips, and a few Chakra Threads, which were so thin that they were invisible, followed the Chakra trajectory that Kakuzu released just now, and went in the opposite direction. Kakuzu He was shocked and immediately controlled the Earth Grudge Fear tentacles to block him, but those Chakra Threadss were not here to attack him at all. They followed the tentacles and penetrated into the Earth Grudge Fear core in his body.
The next second, Kakuzu suddenly let out a scream, and several sutures all over his body burst open in an instant. Chakra in his body was completely messed up. of the four masked monsters The core of Chakra, as if crushed by invisible hands, instantly became mute. Earth Grudge Fear, which he was so proud of, looked like a leaky rag doll in front of the other party. He didn't even see what the other party had done, and completely lost control.
"You... what did you do to me?!" Kakuzu covered his chest and staggered back two steps, his eyes full of horror.
"Your Earth Grudge Fear relies on the forced fusion of foreign cells to survive. The cells are all tied together by Chakra, and the structure is very brittle." Rinto said in a calm tone, as if explaining a simple experimental principle, "I just dismantled the bound nodes."
He had no intention of killing anyone. Killing Kakuzu would only attract more people from Akatsuki and cause more trouble. He just wanted to let these flies know, don't get in the way and get out of here.
"Get lost." Rinto said again, "If you don't leave, I will dismantle all the fusion structures in your body and let you rot in the rain forest."
Kakuzu gritted his teeth and stared at him, but did not dare to take another half step forward. He knew very well that the other party was not saying harsh words, but he could really do it. If he stayed here, let alone grabbing things, his life would be lost. He spat bitterly, turned around and ran deep into the rain forest, not even daring to pick up the remains of the mask on the ground, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The remaining Root ninjas turned pale. Even Kakuzu was beaten away with one move. With their little ability, they would die if they went up. They looked at each other and did not dare to stay any longer. They withdrew quietly when no one was paying attention, without even daring to say a harsh word.
In less than a minute, the two menacing groups of people ran away.
The gorge was quiet again, with only the sound of the wind blowing the leaves and the heavy breathing of the Takigakure ninjas. They looked at Rinto's back with awe and a little disbelief in their eyes.
The legendary Akatsuki's Kakuzu, an S-class rebellious ninja who has lived for nearly a hundred years, couldn't survive even a single move in this person's hands? And he didn't fight seriously at all, he just dismissed him because he was too noisy?
The hand of the great elder holding the wooden staff was still trembling slightly. He could see clearly just now that what Rinto used was Yang Release from beginning to end. It was the most original control of life energy. It was not some weird Kekkei Genkai or some forbidden technique. This kind of understanding of Yang Release has exceeded his knowledge in this life.
Rinto turned around and looked back at him, his brows still furrowed, as if he was complaining. "Look, I said, your barrier is not good. Now that it is clean, can we continue talking?"
From the beginning to the end, what he cared about was not the fight, nor the prestige, but the deal that was interrupted just now, and whether he could get the secret and hurried back to perfect his configuration.
The great elder looked at him and was silent for a long time. Finally, he let out a long sigh, moved the wooden stick in his hand to the side, and stepped sideways to get out of the way behind him.
"The secret is taught in the ancestral hall in the village." He looked at Rinto, with a hint of exhaustion in his tone, but also a hint of determination, "You follow me into the village. As long as you can really solve the backlash of the secret technique, let alone read it once, even if you just copy a copy and take it away, it's not impossible."
The surrounding ninjas were stunned, but no one dared to refute. The scene just now had shattered all doubts.
Rinto's eyes lit up. This was the first time since he entered the rain forest that he showed such obvious emotions. It was not the pride of winning, but the excitement of finally getting the information he wanted.
"Okay." He nodded, put on his backpack, and walked forward, "Go now. The sooner the better."
He didn't even ask if there would be an ambush or trap when entering the village. He only saw the secret book hidden in Takigakure. To him, as long as he could get what he needed for research, nothing else mattered.
The Great Elder looked at his impatience and couldn't help but smile bitterly. In his lifetime, he has seen countless people fighting for the secret knowledge, but he has never seen anything like this - he broke through the defense line, defeated the powerful enemy, and opened his mouth to ask for the secret knowledge, but from the beginning to the end, there was no greed at all, and he only saw logic and formulas that no one could understand.
He turned around and led Rinto towards the mouth of the gorge. The ninjas behind him quickly followed up. Looking at Rinto's back, the previous hostility in their eyes was no longer there, only cautious awe remained.
The morning fog gradually dissipated, and the sunlight passed through the gaps in the tree canopy and fell on the path in the rain forest, stretching the shadows of the two people very long. Rinto walked beside the great elder, his steps were fast, and his mind was already thinking about which part of the logic should be verified after getting the secret transmission, and how to optimize his Yang Release configuration.
As for Takigakure's rules, he didn't take it seriously whether other people in the village would object or whether there would be new troubles.
Nothing in the world is as big as his research.