Half an hour later.
Araki arrived at the area where Dan Katō was standing.
Even he had to admit that he had run too fast, creating such a large gap that even a soul chasing after him would be exhausted.
Within his sight.
Dan Katō was bound by vines, lying quietly as if asleep. He had been poisoned with the paralyzing drug, and could feel his even breathing through his nose, so he was indeed still alive.
Instantly.
Araki took out Kunai without hesitation and stabbed it straight at Dan Katō's heart.
The action was incredibly decisive.
Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.
Araki showed no mercy just because the other party was drugged and asleep.
"Pfft!"
With a piercing sound, blood flowed from Dan Katō's chest, quickly staining his Jonin uniform. The last breaths from his nostrils suddenly disappeared, and he had lost his last breath of life.
That concludes the discussion.
Dan Katō is dead!
This is real death!
Buzz!
Almost simultaneously.
Araki's head trembled violently.
Images began to play out in his mind, like illustrations in a comic book.
Miscellaneous.
confusion.
Blurry and unclear.
These images flashed by in an instant.
There was absolutely no record of it.
only...
Araki still managed to glean some fragments from it.
It includes snippets of his childhood, images of his parents, and some events from Dan Katō's perspective.
It's like two souls' images shattered memories.
I wonder if it has anything to do with a torn soul.
This feeling is incredibly strange!
Just when Araki thought the strange phenomenon had ended, a very strange thought emerged in his mind.
That's a way of using Ninjutsu.
There was no learning process.
There are no records of Ninjutsu.
There was only this strange feeling, as if it were directly engraved into the soul and could be used immediately.
"This is..."
Araki felt a strange fluctuation rising in his soul, and the feeling of being suddenly forced into it. He seemed to have vaguely mastered a Ninjutsu that did not originally belong to him.
" Spirit Transformation Technique?!"
Chapter 26 I Have Two Teachers! (10,000-word update, please subscribe and vote!)
Araki, sensing his own sensations, had a very strange thought emerge in his mind.
What is this thing?
Why did I suddenly gain the Spirit Transformation Technique?
Does this thing actually work?
Araki frowned deeply. He felt that he had learned a method of using the soul, but it didn't seem to be complete. Moreover, there were no specific instructions, and he was unclear about the details in many aspects.
"Why don't you give it a try?"
Araki's heart skipped a beat. After all, it was nighttime in the forest, and since they had run for so long, they were already on the edge of Konoha, and no one could see them.
Thinking about this...
Araki suddenly had a thought.
Suddenly.
He began to Hand Seals.
A very peculiar feeling suddenly surged up; I suddenly felt incredibly energetic, yet my body also felt extremely drowsy.
This completely opposite feeling appeared precisely on Araki.
Buzz!
Suddenly.
Araki felt his body suddenly tremble.
Following this rhythm, Araki found his field of vision had increased; he felt as if he were floating in mid-air, and looking down, he could see "himself" standing on the ground.
This feeling was extremely strange.
This was the first time Araki had ever felt this way.
Even during his battle with Dan Katō, it was only after Dan Katō's soul touched his body that his soul was forcibly drawn into the other's consciousness space.
But...
This phenomenon is a completely different feeling from an out-of-body experience.
"I can't feel any breath."
Araki's soul frowned slightly, then quickly retreated back into his body, completing the experiment.
After returning to the body.
That feeling of realism and humanity has returned.
Araki could once again sense the rhythmic airflow around him.
Having this feeling, he regained his sense of security, which allowed him to roam freely in the forest.
"I still prefer the feeling of my own body!"
Araki clenched his fists to make sure he was alright, and then began to deal with Dan Katō's body.
Dan Katō absolutely cannot be allowed to live!
After all, in the future, Dan Katō will be summoned by Kabuto Yakushi using the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, and at that time, Dan Katō might be able to reveal things about him.
Although Araki was confident that he could master Wood Release Ninjutsu during the Fourth Shinobi World War and no longer need to hide his strength in such a low-key manner, there's always a chance of something going wrong. Now that he had the opportunity to deal with Dan Katō, he had to handle it properly.
Araki had indeed observed the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu carefully, as there were many issues he had paid particular attention to when watching the anime.
The Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu has two essential conditions. One condition is a living human sacrifice, which becomes the least valuable item later in the Impure World Reincarnation. However, the other condition is extremely important: the individual's genetic material, or DNA, must be present.
We need the flesh and blood of the dead!
Such a situation could only occur if the body was not properly handled.
Araki has only killed two people so far. The first was Sora Hyuga, whose ashes have already been scattered by him. The other is Dan Katō, so he is extremely cautious in dealing with Dan Katō.
"We should use up the rest of this Corpse-Dissolving Water!"
Araki looked down at Dan Katō. The Transformation Water was incredibly precious to him and had to be used sparingly. It should never be used unless absolutely necessary, but now was such a desperate moment.
Even burning it wouldn't feel safe.
All the DNA must be destroyed using chemical methods.
Instantly.
Araki removed all of Dan Katō's clothes and placed the ninja tool bag aside.
The entire ninja tool bag was his spoils of war.
There's no rush to take a closer look at the loot.
The most urgent task was to dispose of the body to avoid any unforeseen complications. After arranging Dan Katō's body properly, he dripped the Corpse-Dissolving Water onto Dan Katō's body.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."
Almost instantly, streams of air began to rise from Dan Katō's body. At first, they were white, but they gradually turned into black, filled with a pungent odor and the smell of protein.
Not long after.
Dan Katō's body completely dissolved.
but...
It still left a black mark on the ground that resembled a "human" shape.
Araki wasn't surprised by this. The Corpse-Dissolving Water only dissolved the corpse, not completely made it disappear. The ninja world didn't have that kind of technology yet.
Immediately afterwards.
Araki picked up Dan Katō's ninja tool bag, opened it immediately, and found some money, a few Explosive Tag, and some Military Rations Pill, but nothing else of note.
"I'm so poor!"
Araki sighed helplessly. Of course, he also knew that this might not be all of Dan Katō's belongings. There was a key in the ninja tool bag, which should be the key to Dan Katō's house.
A gentleman loves wealth, but he acquires it in a proper way.
Araki now has a way to make Explosive Tag, and the money will accumulate slowly. Taking Dan Katō's money and Explosive Tag is enough; taking anything else would be a burden for him.