The Land of Iron.
Kisame and Itachi trudged through the snow, having just completed an assassination mission.
Xiao's reputation has grown considerably, and he's receiving more and more commissions and tasks. Things that the peripheral members can't handle, they all have to step in.
They haven't been in the organization long enough to master the skills of "slacking off" yet, so they can only honestly do the tasks. Therefore, the more capable they are, the more tasks they have to do.
Orochimaru's mentality has always been one of basic security: as long as he doesn't get fired, he's fine.
"Mr. Itachi, have you heard? That guy Azure Dragon has become the leader of the Jashin Cult, while the two of us are still doing errands here."
I heard he's also a ninja proficient in Water Release techniques.
After spending some time together, Itachi found that Kisame was actually quite easy to get along with, just a bit talkative.
"Yes, he's a ninja from Amegakure. Besides Water Release techniques, he's also skilled in swordsmanship, and seems to have strong resistance to Genjutsu."
"Looks like I've met someone in the same line of work. I'll have to spar with him sometime," Kisame said with a smile.
"Be careful of his hair; your Samehada might not work on him."
"Really?! We'll only know after we fight."
In the Land of Hot Water, on a cliff overlooking the sea, seagulls soar over the water.
Splash... splash...
The waves rhythmically lapped against the coastline, one wave after another.
Upon hearing this rhythm while meditating with his eyes closed, Aoki Tsuki subconsciously began circulating his Chakra to mimic the frequency and expand his meridians.
The effect was surprisingly good; after several years of experimentation, he no longer coughed up blood easily.
" Sage Mode "
Natural Energy surged into his body, comprehensively enhancing his physical resistance. With the increased resilience of his meridians, he could withstand more intense tidal impacts.
This is a little trick he's mastered.
His Chakra capacity has increased from a Xiaowan to a Dawan, which has shortened the time it takes him to enter Sage Mode.
Perhaps only someone with a massive amount of chakra like Hashirama could achieve such instantaneous opening.
The increase in Sage Mode varies depending on the base value. For example, Hashirama Senju, with his large base value, has a terrifyingly high increase in power.
Secondly, Jiraiya, because he was already very strong, plus the assistance of two Sage Toad, and with the amplification and high-level Senjutsu Techniques, he was also terrifying.
For someone like him who uses unorthodox methods, his own Chakra are not very high, so the amplification effect is not as significant.
With a thought, the golden Thousand-Armed Kannon was projected outside his body. He tried to Hand Seals with all his arms at the same time and release Water Clone to see if five hundred clones would appear simultaneously.
However, after only two hand seals were formed, his Chakra was instantly drained.
Buzz...
The Thousand-Armed Kannon and Sage Mode could not be maintained and were automatically deactivated.
As expected Chakra is the foundation of everything. Naruto's numerical advantage of 100 chakra is enough to defeat 99% of his opponents.
The Multiple Shadow Clone was used to its fullest extent, and in most cases, it was used to wear down the opponent.
"It seems that this approach won't work for now; we need to change our strategy and try a more skillful one."
After resting for half a day and replenishing his Chakra, he released the Thousand-Armed Kannon again and began compressing the air.
His last fight with Might Guy left a deep impression on him; Guy's killer move, " Daytime Tiger," involved compressing air and releasing it, which nearly killed him.
Although he can't open the Eight Gates, he has the Sage Mode buff.
What would happen if a thousand arms compressed air simultaneously?
"Damn it, if you have no talent, what are you doing? I'm from the Panda Country, my talent is knockoffs."
Might Guy has already paved this road; we just need to follow it.
Follow other people's paths, leaving them with nowhere to go.
It has to be said that copying other people's models is fast and the results are immediate. After some trial and error...
Buzz... Buzz...
With the combined force of a thousand hands, a transparent white sphere appeared.
Release this highly compressed air mass towards the sea surface in front of you.
Rumble!!
A terrifying gas erupted instantly, hurling seawater hundreds of meters ahead and exposing the underwater silt.
The shape of the attack resembled a large bite taken out of it.
"As expected, I'm a genius at copying homework, hahaha..."
Since it was performed by the Thousand-Armed Kannon, Aoki Tsuki simply used a Buddhist term.
Void Realm - Greedy Wolf!
The next step is to study the size and direction of the opening in the sphere, as well as the time and density of air compression, in order to maximize the power of this move.
"I wonder how Pain is doing with my Thunder God Mask research?"
He wouldn't dare use something as sinister as the Jashin Mask.
In the ninja world, Chakra connects everything!
One can summon a clone of a god using Chakra and then borrow its power, but summoning a god always comes at a price.
Shinigami wants souls, Jashin love to drink blood, but what does Thunder God want? It's hard to say.
Since Aoki Tsuki succeeded as the leader of the Jashin Cult, large-scale construction was inevitable, and a new mountain was selected to build the headquarters.
The goal is understated luxury, allowing others to immediately perceive the wealth of the Jashin Cult.
The style incorporates principles of mysticism in its layout, featuring numerous statues of Jashin, along with a set of subordinate pantheons such as the Shinigami and Great Goddess Amaterasu.
In this way, the Jashin was elevated to the status of a god-king.
As the saying goes, when you're out in the game, you earn your own identity.
In a newly built training ground, Kikuno Momo is sparring with Uchiha Izumi in Taijutsu, and the two are evenly matched.
He suffered a great loss because otherwise, Izumi might not have been a match for Kikuno Momo in terms of Taijutsu.
"Huff... huff... Sister Mimoto, I can't go on." Quan sat on the ground, panting heavily.
"Okay, let's rest for a while."
Kikuno Momo sat down next to her, took a sip of water, and said, "Izumi, did you really not receive any proper training in the clan?"
"Really, no. I didn't live in the clan before. I returned after the Nine-Tails Incident and spent most of my time at school. After I graduated, I started doing missions."
"By the way... I was hoping you'd teach me Shuriken throwing."
Both of them are Uchiha clan members of mixed bloodlines, learning from each other but remaining stagnant together.
"I don't even know how to use it myself, and no one has taught me how." Uchiha Izumi shook her head repeatedly in fright.
Kikuno Momo sighed, "Sigh, I'll just have to figure it out myself. You really aren't suited to be a ninja."
"Yes, the reason I became a ninja was to follow in Itachi's footsteps, but I never expected..."
Even though Itachi killed her mother, she never thought of seeking revenge against Itachi. She knew the situation in her clan and had nowhere else to turn.
She thought Itachi might have been under too much pressure, which is why he killed his entire clan and fled.
"Sister Mimoto, what are your plans for the future? I don't think this Jashin Cult is a good thing."
Kind child, you've overestimated these people.
Kikuno Momo, who is now involved in Akatsuki's intelligence work, has roughly figured out that the trash Akatsuki filters out is thrown into the Jashin Cult.
Spies will be sacrificed, trash will be thrown out to spread their teachings, and desperate people looking to get rich overnight will be lured in.
After all that turmoil, only the believers survived.
If Akatsuki consists of rogue ninjas and villains, then the Jashin Cult is a bunch of thugs and hooligans.
"There are no good people in this world, Quan. All we can do is keep improving ourselves and try to survive."
One thing to remind you: try not to talk to the leader; his ideas are poisonous.
Kikuno Momo solemnly warned.
"But I heard everyone privately regard him as a model of a commoner's rise to power, from a wandering samurai to a leader."
Everyone admires him.
"What wandering samurai? He's actually... never mind, you'll understand these things as you get to know more people."
In short, you should focus on your cultivation now.
The little girl was too well protected by her family and didn't know the wickedness of people. Now that she has lost her family's protection, she is nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter.
Only by hiding tightly under the wings of the dragon can one be protected from the dangers outside.
Kikuno Momo will not easily part with the Uchiha's legacy, otherwise she will completely lose her value.
Aoki Tsuki had been painstakingly refining his new technique, and more than two months had passed in the blink of an eye before he finally solidified it completely.
In contrast, if it were an original, novel technique, the research direction might not even be determined at this point.
If you can produce something by copying others in just two months, why would you have the motivation to create something original?
There is no such thing as intellectual property protection in the Shinobi World.
A sound of flapping wings came from the sky; it was a white dove.
"Ah, finally there's progress on the Lady Angel's side."
The Thunder God Mask has been handed over for so long, and I wonder what the outcome has been. But when I opened the letter, I realized I was overthinking it; it was just a call for members to meet.
"Could it be that a new member has joined?"
Since Kisame's last arrival was relatively low-key, with Pain meeting him alone, this time everyone was present, and the meeting place was a shrine on a mountaintop in the Land of Grass.
When Aoki Tsuki arrived at the foot of the mountain, he happened to run into Orochimaru, who was leisurely walking towards the summit.
'This guy always seems to be in a slow and unhurried manner.'
He caught up in a few strides and called out from afar, " Lord Orochimaru, what a coincidence! Haha..."
"Oh, Yue, your reputation is even greater than mine now. The Jashin Cult is growing stronger under your leadership."
Orochimaru turned to look at Aoki Tsuki, his eyes full of admiration. A young man with no famous teacher, no background, and no Kekkei Genkai, yet he had managed to make such a name for himself.
This intrigued him.
"It was just for fun. Those people can't do anything but cause trouble and make things worse."
"Making trouble? Creating trouble is also a skill, isn't it?"
"That's true. We're all rule-breakers; we need to keep creating trouble to have a chance to grow stronger."
"Hehe... Yue, you and I are actually kindred spirits." Orochimaru said happily.
"You are the pioneer who paved the way, the guide; I am merely a follower who treads in your footsteps. We are not comparable."
"I hope we'll have the opportunity to cooperate in the future."
"Please don't say that. I will always remember your help. I will be at your service at any time, Lord Orochimaru."
Aoki Tsuki made a solemn promise.
"That day will come."