Please wait here for a moment.
In the main hall, Zōkai spoke to Aoki Tsuki, then turned and went to the secret vault, where he retrieved two enormous scrolls.
"This is a secret technique passed down in our temple. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."
This change in attitude was so drastic that it left Aoki Tsuki completely bewildered; he had been prepared for bloodshed at the temple.
He took the scroll of secret techniques but didn't rush to open it. Instead, he asked, "Master, if you have anything to say, please speak frankly."
Zōkai smiled slightly, his old face full of wrinkles. "You seem to possess a special power, very much in line with the Senjutsu power recorded in our temple's ancient texts. I wonder..."
Aoki Tsuki nodded. "That's right, I did use Senjutsu, but I have no connection with the Three Great Sage Lands. I mastered them by chance."
It is precisely because of a lack of systematic knowledge that I have come to your temple to seek further guidance.
"Your Excellency is truly blessed, to have been able to embark on the path to immortality through your own efforts."
Zōkai, with an expression of "I knew it," continued, "Our temple's secret techniques can be traced back to the era before ninjas, when the power of nature was abundant and the tradition was passed down without interruption."
Since the emergence of ninjas, the world has undergone tremendous changes, making it increasingly difficult to perceive the power of nature. It took generations of exploration and improvement to finally achieve the ' Gift of the Sages ' that everyone can cultivate today.
"Is this really true? Then this is..."
"This is the real Senjutsu, the original version; this one is the improved version," Zōkai explained, pointing to the two scrolls.
"The master is indeed meticulous."
Aoki Tsuki knew perfectly well what the other party's purpose was—nothing more than an exchange of benefits. He didn't care and directly opened the original scroll, which began with a huge image of the Thousand-Armed Kannon.
Besides the ' Thousand-Hand Kill ' and ' Wrathful Wisdom King ' techniques that Chiriku has used, there are also the perception-based ' Heavenly Eye ' and the barrier-based ' Boundless Mind Domain '.
The description of the Heavenly Eye " technique perfectly matches Aoki Tsuki's spiritual perception and super-visual capture abilities, which he already possessed.
Zōkai deduced that he had mastered Senjutsu through this technique, since no one except for pupil techniques could do that.
As for ' Boundless Mind Domain ', it is a mental Barrier Ninjutsu, and also an auxiliary technique. It relies on mental power to create a barrier, and is suitable for defending against enemy sneak attacks or fighting in conjunction with the Heavenly Eye.
The protective barrier can be controlled by silently reciting the Six-Syllable Wisdom King Mantra: Om Mani Padme Hum.
After memorizing the secret technique, Aoki Tsuki looked at the revised version of ' Gift of the Sages,' which could be activated solely with Chakra, and immediately felt overwhelmed.
The content is several times more complex, and its power is greatly reduced, Chakra consumption is doubled.
I only glanced at it briefly and lost interest.
"Thank you for your selfless gift, Master. I will briefly share my cultivation journey, hoping it will be helpful to you."
Having received the benefits, he naturally wanted to reciprocate; after all, he wasn't a bandit, but someone who was simply borrowing the books.
Zōkai, deeply moved, performed a Buddhist salute and said, "You're too kind, sir. I'm just glad I could be of any help..."
Then he stared longingly at Aoki Tsuki.
The latter recounted his cultivation process in detail, including the cultivation environment, how he captured Natural Energy, and the characteristics of each step.
There's no need to keep anything secret.
The Natural Energy has been absorbed too much by the God Tree of that time. Apart from the Three Great Sage Lands, it is extremely difficult for ordinary people to take this step in the outside world.
Based on the relevant traditions of the Fire Temple, Zōkai confirmed the authenticity of Aoki Tsuki's words.
"Thank you for your frankness, I am very grateful."
"Likewise, I won't bother you any longer."
Aoki Tsuki got up and left the Fire Temple. He still had to go to the Land of Hot Water to guard the area, and he had already been delayed for several days.
Not long after he left, Chiriku entered the main hall, bowed to Zōkai, and said, "Abbot, that person has left?"
"Hmm, this person has a connection with my Fire Temple. Tell everyone not to harbor resentment."
Although Chiriku was puzzled, he still replied, "I understand. The battle with him made me realize my own shortcomings. I want to travel for a while to broaden my horizons."
Zōkai, Chiriku had been hit hard, nodded and said, "That's good. Cultivating Buddhism is about cultivating the mind. Only by experiencing certain things can one understand what one's true inner pursuit is."
I've heard the Daimyo is recruiting Guardian Ninja nationwide. Why don't you give it a try?
"Hi!" Chiriku Xinran replied.
Meanwhile, it was a week later when Aoki Tsuki arrived at Akatsuki's base in the Land of Hot Water, three days later than expected.
He spent the entire journey studying the newly acquired secret technique, not intending to copy it directly, because this technique was a pure Senjutsu, while Sage Mode was a hybrid, a mixture of Natural Energy Chakra.
It still needs to be improved based on the actual situation, transforming into a mobile combat form and creating a completely new Senjutsu.
Preliminary estimates suggest it will take several years to complete.
However, he gained some inspiration from this theory regarding the higher-level application of spiritual energy.
For example, if you are trapped in the spiritual world, you can summon the Buddha to break free. The Buddha represents light and suppresses evil. The ultimate Sealing Jutsu, Chibaku Tensei, seems to resemble the Buddha.
Regarding Yin Release techniques, he has only explored a Uzumaki trajectory called ' Heart Wheel Illusion Breaker '.
We need to develop a higher level of Yin Release, such as the ability to condense the Buddhist swastika symbol to dispel Genjutsu.
Just as Aoki Tsuki was thinking of going into seclusion to focus on researching his new technique, his assistant, Butsushura, brought him some bad news.
"Lord Azure Dragon, this month the Kumogakure's attacks on us have suddenly intensified several times over. I suspect it's because they've stopped fighting with Konoha and have been able to spare manpower for reinforcements."
These men who came down from the front lines are experienced and formidable; we are no match for them at all.
"Didn't I tell you to avoid their sharp edge before I left? Who disobeyed my orders and became a sacrifice for the Jashin Cult?"
These rogue ninjas are extremely lacking in organization and discipline, making them very difficult to manage.
Butsushura then revealed an important piece of information, saying:
"My lord, during your absence, some people succumbed to temptation and secretly joined the Jashin Cult, committing murder and sacrifices everywhere; their behavior is extremely insane."
"What?!"
This enraged Aoki Tsuki. How dare someone imitate him? This was outrageous!
If you can imitate him today, you can replace him tomorrow.
They really have the ambition of wolves...
Just then, Butsushura thoughtfully produced a list. "I've compiled it. This group, led by the Tachikawa Three Siblings, is the ones who started the trouble."
Barnard, Dulin, and Belle are well-known roaming ninja active in the Tachikawa area of the Land of Lightning, and are said to come from a small ninja faction.
Because of his cruelty and bloodlust, he was hunted down and, with nowhere else to turn, joined the Akatsuki for protection.
"Yes, thank you for your kindness. I'll handle it. Is there anything else?"
Aoki Tsuki put the list in his pocket, starting to plot how to get rid of these unruly troublemakers.
"Someone has commissioned an S-level mission from us on the black market and has already paid a deposit of 5 million taels. It may require your personal intervention, sir."
"Oh, tell me more about it..."
We must serve such a big client well; we can put our cultivation aside for now.
A ninja fighting casino has recently appeared in the Shinobi World, attracting countless nobles and merchants who bet high prices on the bloody battles between ninjas in the arena to satisfy their perverse desires.
The unchecked growth of these underground illegal organizations may have aroused discontent among some people.
The goal is to completely destroy the fighting casino.
"Reply to the customer: We'll accept this order."
"Hi!"
That night, Aoki Tsuki changed into a set of Jashin Cult clothes, wore a mask, and summoned the members of the Jashin Cult.
"Believers, I have recently received a revelation from Jashin. He is angry about the impending peace, and we may need to hold a grand ceremony to appease the Lord Jashin's wrath."
"Thank you, Lord Jashin..."
"We will spare no effort to complete this sacrifice..."
The moment these lunatics heard they could go out and kill people, their eyes lit up with excitement.
" Daisuke Priest, I heard that a new group of followers has recently joined?" Aoki Tsuki asked, turning his head.
The Daisuke priest nodded and said, "A group of believers with great potential and unwavering loyalty to the Lord Jashin have joined us, offering sacrifices to the Lord Jashin dozens of times within a month."
Good heavens, they must have killed several groups of people in one day.
It seems that after suppressing it for too long, they finally found a way to release it and completely let loose.
"This is truly gratifying. Why don't we entrust this sacrificial ceremony to these people and see just how far they can go?" Aoki Tsuki suggested.
Without much thought, Daisuke agreed, "It's time to give newcomers a chance to shine."
After the prayer ceremony, Aoki Tsuki met privately with a group of people led by the Tachikawa Three Siblings.
"A new arena has recently appeared, where merchants and nobles pay money to watch ninjas fight. This is a natural place of worship for us."
On the night of this month's anniversary, I want you to kill your opponents in the arena and offer them as sacrifices to the Lord Jashin on the spot. Can you do it?
"Hey, offer your heart to the Lord Jashin!" the crowd shouted in unison.
The thought of holding the ceremony in front of so many people made every cell in their bodies want to cheer.
The Lord Jashin will absolutely love it.
"The Moon Festival is in three days. Go and prepare well. I look forward to your performance."
The group left the secret hideout with great excitement, and Barnard, Tōrin, and Beri began to dream about the future.
"Brother, once we complete this grand ceremony, we can become core followers," Tōrin said happily.
The yellow, explosive hairstyle paired with the herringbone-shaped face paint exudes a strong sense of adolescent delusions and mental illness.
Beri, with her short pink hair, stuck out her tongue and licked the Senbon in her hand, saying with a smile, "I heard that the core followers' monthly sacrifice quota is three times that of us ordinary followers. I'm really envious."
"You two are really short-sighted. My goal has never been to be a core follower, but to become a deacon, or even replace the Grand Deacon, and become the next him," Barnard said ambitiously.
Here, he found a sense of belonging; the feeling of not having to suppress his nature and being able to unleash his desires without restraint was simply amazing.
Despite his muscular appearance, he is actually quite shrewd and ambitious, striving to climb the ranks and become a high-ranking member of the church.
Tōrin cautioned, "Brother, I heard that this Grand Steward rose to his position by killing countless people. We should be careful."
Anyone who can rise to a high position in such a perverse church is undoubtedly a ruthless person.
"Hmph, when it comes to killing, we're the real professionals. This time, I'm going to sacrifice everyone in the arena and let our name resound throughout the Shinobi World."
Barnard revealed his plans.
"Ah... isn't this too crazy!" Tōrin exclaimed.
Beri reached out and patted Tōrin on the shoulder. "Haha... Second brother, your vision is still too narrow. I think eldest brother's idea is very creative and worth a try."
"Alright, let's pull off a big heist and make sure everyone remembers our name."
The three of them extended their fists and clashed together; the brother and sister were of one mind, and their strength could break metal.
Make a name for yourself in the Shinobi World on the Moon Festival!