"The curse mark... it just vanished? I'm free? I no longer have to be dominated like a slave by the Main House?"
Neji touched his forehead, now devoid of any markings, as he spiraled into a state of disbelief and intense emotion.
The Caged Bird was a terrifying seal rumored to be absolutely irreversible, except through death. This was precisely why, for so many years, there had never been a successful case of anyone forcibly taking a Byakugan from a member of the Branch House.
Yet now, it had been purged by a tiny bottle of liquid, leaving not a single trace behind. If the other members of the Branch House were to learn of this, they would go mad with desire for such a potion.
"Yes. You are free. Now, let's talk about how to get stronger quickly. After all, in a few days, I have to leave the village again for a mission. For a long time after that, you'll be on your own," Allen said significantly.
"Leaving for a mission again? I thought you were planning to defect?" Neji set down the mirror and turned to ask.
Allen nodded with a smile. "I am. But before I leave, there are still things I must do. Additionally, I suggest you keep a low profile. If the Hyuga Main House discovers your Caged Bird is gone, it will cause massive trouble."
"I don't need you to remind me of that. I'll be careful."
Neji was no fool, and he certainly wasn't an idiot with a lacking IQ like Naruto. The early death of his father had made him more mature than his peers; he understood all too well how terrifying the dark side of human nature could be.
With the disappearance of the Caged Bird, there was no turning back. If the Main House found out, he would have no choice but to defect. Compared to the attitude of the Hyuga clan, the Konoha higher-ups wouldn't care about the life or death of a mere Genin, they might even help capture him for interrogation and judgment.
"Since you know the consequences, let's get straight to the point. Here, this is a ninjutsu scroll. It contains some ninjutsu and taijutsu that I've personally modified. As for the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist... you'd best give it up sooner rather than later. That garbage won't even scratch a true powerhouse, even if you master it to its limit."
As he spoke, Allen tossed a pre-prepared scroll to him. His voice carried a raw, undisguised contempt for the Gentle Fist.
Aside from the final boss's devastating Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack, the Gentle Fist lacked any significant presence throughout the entirety of the Naruto storyline. That specific technique, similar to the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, required a body surpassing human limits, immense chakra, and perfect control, things a normal human simply couldn't achieve.
"You think the Gentle Fist is garbage?" Neji frowned instinctively.
"Exactly. At least in terms of chakra application and the destruction it causes, it can only serve as a supplementary tool at best. If you pour too much energy into it, you'll soon find yourself at a dead end. Of course, if you think you have the ability to transform the Gentle Fist into a style like the Hidden Cloud's Nintaijutsu, capable of comprehensively boosting physical stats and offensive/defensive power, then ignore everything I just said," Allen explained nonchalantly.
"Understood."
Neji took the scroll, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure. Deep down, he still considered himself a Hyuga; hearing someone use the word 'garbage' to describe the Gentle Fist, a source of pride for his clan, was emotionally difficult to accept.
Allen, however, didn't care much. He believed that after the young man experienced a thorough beating from a truly powerful opponent, he would quickly change his mindset and accept the cruel reality that the Gentle Fist held no place in the upper tiers of combat.
Having obtained what he wanted, Neji quickly chose to leave. He needed time to process the fact that he was about to become a rogue ninja and to sever ties with his past.
After seeing off his second visitor of the night, Allen secured the doors and windows again. He teleported directly into a Dungeon instance, and as he opened the Scroll of Seals to read the recorded forbidden techniques, he chuckled with admiration.
"Tandem Paper Bomb! Multi-Shadow Clone! Reanimation Jutsu! Spirit Transformation Technique! Eight Inner Gates! Flying Raijin Technique! Tobirama Senju really was an absolute genius. A pity he's dead now."
"Do you plan to learn them all?" Vaelastrasz suddenly asked.
"No. I only intend to learn a few. Reanimation Jutsu, Tandem Paper Bomb, and the Spirit Transformation Technique clearly don't suit me. My goals are the Multi-Shadow Clone and the Flying Raijin Technique. Imagine if I carve the formula onto my arrows. By using high-speed arrows to switch positions at will, I could vanish completely from my opponent's sight and strike from a blind spot. How many people do you think could block an arrow I fire?" Allen asked with a half-smile.
"I see. Spatial teleportation would indeed significantly increase your combat power." Vaelastrasz poked her head out from the necklace and nodded thoughtfully.
"Not just that. The Flying Raijin Technique has a very broad range of applications. Combined with God's Accomplice, no one will be able to dodge my attacks. Now, enough talk. Help me master this spatial ninjutsu." Allen urged impatiently.
"As you wish!"
Vaelastrasz quickly transformed into armor covering his body, beginning her task of monitoring the flow of chakra within him.
With her assistance, Allen finally began to analyze this complex ninjutsu that demanded an inherent spatial talent. According to the Scroll of Seals, its original inspiration came from various Body Flicker Techniques, but it incorporated the concepts of space and distance, allowing the user to teleport instantly from one point to another.
This meant that to learn it, one first had to fully understand the Body Flicker Technique, specifically the spatial variants.
Naturally, the process was extremely dangerous. After just a few attempts, the health bar on Allen's Hunter class interface nearly dropped to zero. A single mistake could result in terrifying damage exceeding 1,000 health points. Without the protection of his class interface, he would have lost an arm or a leg on the spot.
At this moment, Allen finally understood why, after the Second and Fourth Hokages, no third person in Konoha had mastered the Flying Raijin Technique. Aside from the difficulty of learning it, the level of danger was a major deterrent. If a teleportation failed, a part of the body could be severed by space itself. Even with a medical ninja standing by, the chance of instant death was high.
Furthermore, during the transit, though it lasted only a fraction of a second, the user would still suffer a temporary loss of spatial awareness and distance perception. Constant practice was required to ensure that the moment the teleportation was complete, an attack could be launched at the enemy's vitals.
Simply put, the second stage of the Flying Raijin Technique involved a lot of intuition. Since the thrown ninja tools were in high-speed flight, the user couldn't be 100% certain of their exact position relative to the opponent the moment the transfer finished. One had to commit to the attack motion before teleporting to ensure a seamless strike that left no time for a reaction.
To achieve a 100% hit rate, one had to rely on accumulated experience and a natural "feel" for space and distance, the so-called spatial talent.