Yako picked up a stone from the shore.
Dust Release chakra slowly appeared.
It was not Earth, Wind, and Fire chakra appearing one after another. Instead, the three chakra natures directly synthesized into an entirely new form of chakra.
He deliberately slowed the process down, allowing the synthesis to unfold gradually.
First came the characteristic of Fire Release chakra, heating the stone and making the molecules within it extremely active.
Then came the characteristic of Earth Release chakra. The stone began to crumble.
Finally came the characteristic of Wind Release chakra. The crushed stone powder—even the molecules themselves—vanished.
Dust Release chakra possessed the characteristics of all three chakra natures at once. A layer of the stone's surface peeled away.
Yako tried applying the three chakra natures to the stone separately.
Fire Release could scorch and crack the stone. Earth Release could crush it. Wind Release could blow away the dust.
Although Yako could rely on his powerful three-nature chakra to forcibly make elemental ninjutsu achieve a destructive effect similar to Dust Release, the casting speed was far too slow.
Dust Release chakra needed only one kind of chakra to disintegrate everything.
"I see…"
Sensing Dust Release again, Yako discovered its secret.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū, and the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, were not father and son or close blood relatives. That master and disciple had researched a method for deep chakra fusion.
It did not require bloodline inheritance. It relied on secret technique training.
By endlessly cutting Fire, Earth, and Wind chakra into finer and finer pieces, one obtained chakra in a particle state. Those three kinds of particles were then combined, forming a new chakra at an extremely small scale—
Dust Release chakra.
The secret of Kekkei Tōta was to particleize chakra, then recombine it.
For example, particleizing Earth-nature chakra allowed the particleized chakra to seep into an object and control its density.
Increase the density, and a rock fist became harder.
Decrease the density, and an object became lighter.
In that case, the secret behind Ōnoki's ability to fly was particleized Earth Release chakra acting on his own body, reducing his body's density until he became as light as air, allowing him to float.
Yako had obtained Dust Release through the system. Now, he began reversing the Dust Release chakra, sensing the particleization of Earth Release chakra.
Very quickly, he caught the trick.
Yako's body floated up. His feet left the ground, the tops of his feet naturally drooping downward.
He hovered in the air.
Ōnoki's flight technique was nothing special.
Was this Orochimaru's pleasure?
Constantly researching ninjutsu, constantly analyzing secrets, that sense of achievement…
If Ōnoki could see this, wouldn't it feel even stronger?
The sea breeze blew over, and he nearly drifted away. This kind of flight technique required quite a bit of skill. Even Ōnoki constantly adjusted his position up and down in the air.
Aside from Ōnoki's flight technique, Yako could also replicate techniques such as the Added-Weight Rock Jutsu and Light-Weight Rock Jutsu.
All of these techniques were manifestations of Earth Release chakra particleization.
Yako continued attempting to particleize Wind-nature chakra.
He possessed all five chakra natures, as well as Yin and Yang chakra. Among the five natures, the one he had the highest proficiency with—or rather, the best chakra control over—was Earth.
He had completed Earth-nature chakra particleization casually, but the other natures were somewhat difficult.
After a long while, relying on the reverse assistance of Dust Release, he barely completed the particleization of Wind-nature chakra.
When particleized Wind-nature chakra acted on the stone, it produced a weathering effect.
Particleized Fire-nature chakra manifested as flameless high heat.
There was no flame. It was like microwave heating—the stone rapidly became so hot it burned the hand.
Earth-nature chakra particleization had rich and diverse abilities because the Second Tsuchikage and Ōnoki had continuously developed it.
Wind and Fire-nature chakra particleization should also be very powerful.
It was just that the Tsuchikage had never developed them.
For the current Yako, chakra particleization was one of the few methods capable of increasing his strength.
If he completed the particleization of all five chakra natures and then fused Yin-Yang Release into it, perhaps he could reproduce Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's Kekkei Mōra through mortal means.
As expected of the Second Tsuchikage, Mū.
He had actually researched such a powerful path.
The Second Kage of the shinobi world were all formidable.
The Second Hokage went without saying. Half of Konoha's Scroll of Seals consisted of masterpieces created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
The Second Kazekage was impressive too. Sand Release and puppetry were both important foundations of Sunagakure.
As for the Second Tsuchikage, he had figured out top-tier abilities such as chakra particleization and Dust Release. He was not much inferior to the Second Hokage.
Yako planned to spend the upcoming period fully digesting chakra particleization and strive to create a Kekkei Mōra with his own hands.
"Let's go. We're heading to Ryojō Port."
White Ram asked in confusion, "Lord Fox, aren't we going to the frontline command post?"
Only then did Yako react.
This was several days ago. White Ram and the others did not know that Yagura would command the Mist to attack Ryojō Port.
"The command post works too. Ryojō Port has a shrine anyway."
Several days later, when the Mist attacked Ryojō Port, Konoha ninja surged out of the temple and intercepted them.
Yako saw Ao going to the ship in the rear to awaken the Six-Tails, but he was in no hurry.
Instead, he said to Yagura Kokkuri, who stood on the ship:
"Poor Mist ninja. Ōnoki betrayed you. And you actually dared believe his words?"
Yagura snorted coldly.
"Fox, despite being so powerful, you still play petty word games to sow discord. You—"
In the next instant, Yagura was so shocked he could not speak.
He saw a white cylindrical barrier appear in front of the fox's palm.
That was…
That was Ōnoki's Dust Release barrier.
Was Fox telling the truth?
Had Ōnoki really betrayed Kirigakure?
Could it be that Ōnoki's attack on Konoha was fake, and that secretly joining hands with Konoha to purge every other ninja village was the real goal?
Divide the shinobi world after the war?
Ōnoki was truly bold, daring to ally with Konoha.
That was the only possibility.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why Konoha's fox had mastered Iwagakure's ultimate secret technique—
Kekkei Tōta: Dust Release.
"Ōnoki! You—"
Before Yagura could finish speaking, he saw the Dust Release barrier shoot toward him.
Yagura hurriedly jumped from the bow.
Under the effect of Dust Release, the entire ship turned into dust.
Yagura quickly undid the seal and released the Three-Tails.
After the giant sea turtle appeared, its three tails rapidly whipped toward Konoha's fox.
However, the Threefold Wood Golem appeared and grabbed one of the Three-Tails' tails.
Several dozen seconds later, the Three-Tails was firmly restrained by the wooden dragons and the Threefold Wood Golem, unable to move at all.
A Particle Release barrier appeared in front of Yako's palm once more.
"You know, Wood Release for capture and Dust Release for execution… these two jutsu actually pair quite well."
The Particle Release barrier expanded, swiftly swallowing the Three-Tails.
Even the Three-Tails' thick shell could not withstand the power of Dust Release and turned into turtle powder.
Yako thought to himself that his chakra natures, ranked by control, were Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, then Lightning.
For three-nature fusion, Earth-Wind-Fire was acceptable, but not as suitable as Earth-Water-Wind.
He wondered when he would be able to develop an Earth-Water-Wind three-nature Kekkei Tōta.
That would be the Kekkei Tōta most suited to him.