A tall building rises from the ground; its sturdiness depends on its foundation.
Even the greatest ideas must be grounded in reality; otherwise, they will vanish like a mirage.
Aoki Tsuki took stock of her basic qualifications.
Beginner Lightning Release Body Activation Technique, Sage Mode, exceptional Chakra control, microscopic mental manipulation (Yin), and intermediate Medical Ninjutsu (Yang).
The goal is to Body Activation using Senjutsu Chakra.
It's not just a simple enhancement that comes with Sage Mode; it's a further subdivision of this enhancement, specifically targeting the physical body with second- and third-stage enhancements.
Simply put, it means choosing a track, exploring it to the extreme, and thus creating your own signature style.
This involves cellular-level manipulation. Sage Mode fuses Natural Energy and Chakra into Senjutsu Chakra, which flows through the meridians.
This enhances physical strength, speed, and Ninjutsu.
Just as water flows through rivers to nourish the land, the river channels are limited and some places are blocked, not to mention those places far from the river channels.
What he needs to do now is to implement 'drip irrigation'.
This requires microscopic mental manipulation. In addition, through repeated impacts from the Tidal Method, he has opened up 80% of the tiny meridians in his body.
This solid foundation made subsequent operations possible.
If we compare the first stage of Sage Mode enhancement to the main road and tributaries, then the second stage involves the cellular level, and the third stage is like most cells.
The people in the ninja world have 130 trillion cells; even gods couldn't control that many cells.
Therefore, he set his goals very low; even if he could only penetrate a small portion of his cells with Senjutsu Chakra for deep enhancement, it would bring enormous benefits.
Princess Tsunade has in-depth knowledge of the cellular field, as can be seen from her various S-rank Kinjutsu.
I once consulted this person about Chakra, and we talked about the energy conversion efficiency of cells. A powerful ninja's cells are more powerful than those of an ordinary person.
He still remembers Tsunade's analogy: other people's bowls are like Dawan of water, while his ordinary self is like Xiaowan water.
Now he wants to get Dawan too.
Although he's a medical ninja, he hasn't researched the cellular level yet. What can he do?
Tsunade couldn't possibly teach him. He only managed to get a few general questions because the other party was short of money.
"We still need to get Jūgo to study cell manipulation..."
He had considered this idea before and listed it as a target, because he thought the other party's ability to absorb and excrete cells would be very useful.
Orochimaru wants to study anything he doesn't understand, while he wants to get his hands on anything good he sees.
Therefore, he often felt that he and Orochimaru were the same kind of people.
Because they share many similarities, even if they are not very familiar with each other, they can accurately grasp each other's needs.
Don't waste time on empty talk when dealing with Orochimaru; it's useless.
If you want something, just say it out loud, and then offer something of equal value in exchange; the transaction will go very smoothly.
He wanted to obtain cellular-level knowledge, especially Jūgo's abilities. Orochimaru must have detailed research data on this, involving one of Orochimaru's core technologies: the Cursed Seal.
"This is so frustrating! What should I offer in exchange?"
He has already traded the White Zetsu Clone to the other party, and Orochimaru may have already cultivated a clone and begun to unravel the secrets.
Sage Mode?
Orochimaru passed the test at Ryūchi Cave, but refused the White Snake Sage's Chakra injection because of the high risk.
He then sought out Jūgo and researched the Cursed Seal.
Swordsmanship? Breathing techniques?...
These things were only created to target his own abilities; Orochimaru didn't really care about them.
After thinking it over, I realized there wasn't a single matching equivalent.
"Let's change our perspective. Don't think about it from my point of view; try to see it from Orochimaru's point of view. What's his biggest headache?"
It seems he was instantly killed by Itachi using his Sharingan, which became a disgrace.
Orochimaru is, after all, one of the ' Legendary Sannin,' doesn't he have any pride? He must be holding a grudge.
Furthermore, the Kinjutsu of One's Own Life Reincarnation also results in the loss of spiritual energy due to the transfer of the vessel, causing Orochimaru to be unable to maintain his peak combat power and greatly reducing his resistance to Genjutsu.
Snap...
Aoki Tsuki slapped his fist. "Hasn't that solved the demand analysis? My Secret Mind Technique and Kinjutsu are a perfect match!"
The Single-Point Gazing Method is used to condense spiritual energy; the Listening to Rain Mind Technique can improve the sensitivity of the spiritual body; and the Telepathy is for contactless, long-distance communication.
The three secret techniques progress step by step, forming a complete set used to train and enhance mental energy, ultimately achieving a level of microscopic control.
It is also one of his core skills, and unlike other Ninjutsu, this technique has a relatively high degree of originality.
So he gave it to many people.
Konan, Kikuno Momo, Karin, Ajisai, plus Orochimaru doesn't seem like much.
If I only offer the first stage of the secret technique, he might not be willing to accept it. Giving it all away is also impossible; he wouldn't be happy with that.
After much thought, I decided to use Single-Point Gazing Method and the Listening to Rain Mind Technique; these two sets would be more than enough.
He went all out to upgrade his Sage Mode.
"I can't just foolishly go and make a deal. I need the right opportunity, or for Orochimaru to come to me on his own initiative."
Therefore, it is necessary to first prove one's own value, or rather, the practical value of Secret Mind Technique.
Orochimaru should know that he can break the Sharingan Genjutsu's genjutsu, because he fought Shisui before, although Sasori was there to assist him at the time.
It requires a re-examination with eye power at the level of the Mangekyō Sharingan to prove this.
"Itachi is a perfect candidate, and he's also Orochimaru's Achilles' heel. If we reveal this information to him, there's a high chance it will work."
Aoki Tsuki's mind raced with thoughts of obtaining the cell technology he so desperately desired.
Itachi's strength goes without saying. He appears low-key, hiding many trump cards, but once he makes a move, it's a fatal blow.
He was a ruthless character who slaughtered his entire clan.
Unlike Shisui Uchiha, Shisui would hold back, Itachi would not.
Even in a regular sparring match against such an opponent, if they seize an opportunity, they might resort to ruthless tactics.
If Itachi wants to kill someone, he will always find an opportunity, seize their weakness, and kill them if he can, or cripple them if he can't.
If Orochimaru hadn't mastered the body-swapping technique, he would have been useless. How could Hand Seals without his left hand?
"We need to find an opportunity... and before that, we need to do some preparation."
To fight a true master, you must prepare in advance, because your opponent won't give you time to prepare your ultimate move, such as Sage Mode.
Judging from Itachi's fighting style, victory or defeat, or even life or death, can be decided in a very short time, within one or two moves.
A formidable opponent.
His advantage lies in his extensive knowledge of Itachi, including his various killing moves and trump cards.
However, Itachi is unreasonable and seems to have an inexhaustible supply of trump cards. He can always come up with a new Ninjutsu to finish off his opponent, and it is Ninjutsu that is effective against them.
That makes absolutely no sense.
Developing a powerful technique would be incredibly difficult for a normal ninja, requiring countless hours and immense effort.
Aoki Tsuki relied on stealing and copying other people's techniques to take shortcuts, and over the years he only had a few powerful moves, which were often not matched with the enemy and thus could not be used effectively.
"We need to develop several tactical plans to ensure a safe outcome."
This matter isn't urgent; once we've finalized our plans for future strength enhancement, we can relax.
However, another matter worried him.
He has a rich history of watching movies and understands the culture of everyday life. Sakura Woman believes that 'love only exists in school and after marriage'.
A common scenario is that an incompetent husband goes to work, and an unsatisfied woman finishes her housework and then starts cheating on her husband.
Aoki Tsuki took out the Thunder God Mask and sighed, "I've become stronger, but also crippled."
The more powerful a technique, the more uncontrollable the associated risks.
"Forget it, I'll avoid Sister Mimoto for now and get along with her properly after I recover."
It wasn't until dark that Aoki Tsuki returned, and he immediately announced that he would go into seclusion to study Ninjutsu, refusing to see anyone.
"Phew... I hope they stop torturing me."
Kikuno Momo secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the news; she didn't have time to talk about any nonsense about feelings with men right now.
She only wanted to focus on her career. From Izumi, she learned that besides the Konoha High Command, there was another mysterious person involved in the Uchiha Clan Massacre. She speculated that this person might be related to the Nine-Tails Incident.
Itachi and this person joined forces to Uchiha, and Itachi subsequently joined Akatsuki, which means this person was also in Akatsuki.
Now that she's temporarily in charge of the Jashin Cult's and Akatsuki's intelligence networks in the Land of Water and the Land of Fire, she'll figure this out sooner or later.
"Moon's stance is unreliable, shifting between left and right; Izumi is even less dependable. I can only rely on myself."
Kikuno Momo handled her work while gathering intelligence.
While Aoki Tsuki appears to be in seclusion researching Ninjutsu, he is actually secretly waiting for his opportunity.
The couple, each with their own agenda, both set their sights on one person: Uchiha Itachi.
In the dark jungle of an island nation.
"Ah..."
The Samehada bit into the enemy's body, completely draining his Chakra before finally retracting it, satisfied.
"Heh... you're getting gluttonous more and more," Kisame chuckled.
"Speaking of which... why are there so many more missions lately? You've noticed too, haven't you, Mr. Itachi?"
"Yes, the workload is three times what it used to be, and tensions between smaller countries are escalating."
"It seems the person behind this is instigating a war. I've seen this kind of thing many times. You used to be in Konoha's Anbu, so you should be very familiar with this process."
Itachi shook his head; the war was nearing its end when he debuted.
Furthermore, the dirty work in Konoha is handled by Root, while the Anbu under the Hokage, rarely does such things.
"Let's go once you're done. There are still two tasks ahead."
"Sigh, has Kirigakure fallen so low? S-rank missions are one thing, but now they're even outsourcing A-rank missions."
"There's nothing we can do about it. This village has just emerged from the Bloody Mist and needs time to recuperate."