Yunchuan Hyuga showed gratitude at just the right moment, while Hiruzen Sarutobi wore the same kindly expression. It looked like a warm scene between elder and junior. In reality, Yunchuan Hyuga's heart was completely still, like stagnant water, as he watched Hiruzen Sarutobi perform with cold detachment.
He had always known that he was different from Naruto Uzumaki. He could never call him "Third Grandpa." Hiruzen Sarutobi would never agree, and he himself would never be willing.
But it did not matter. This was already enough.
Hiruzen Sarutobi played the role of the benevolent elder, and Yunchuan Hyuga played the role of the devoted junior. Hiruzen Sarutobi's pot of "kindness" had been aged for decades, and Yunchuan Hyuga's cup of "filial respect" was warmed to just the right degree. Both of them were skilled performers.
The difference was that Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his head lowered, watching the board, unaware that he was already a piece on it, while Yunchuan Hyuga had arranged the board in advance and now watched Hiruzen Sarutobi step into the game. When it was over, Yunchuan Hyuga left.
But he also took many things with him.
Name: Yunchuan Hyuga Age: 15 Bloodline: Otsutsuki Clan (9.9%) Chakra Capacity: S Rank Chakra Attributes: Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Yin, Yang Ninjutsu: Wind Release Pressure Harm (B Rank), Fire Release Great Fire Annihilation (B Rank), Fine Affliction Extraction Technique (B Rank), Summoning Jutsu Ro Gate of Life (A Rank), Lightning Release Lightning Cutter (S Rank), Yin Seal (S Rank) Taijutsu: Front Lotus (B Rank), Reverse Lotus (A Rank) Secret Techniques: Shadow Strangulation, Adamantine Sealing Bloodline Inheritance: Tenseigan Second Stage (30.3%) [Abilities: Mental Puppet, Chakra Beads] Achievements: ...
Remaining Reality Points: 18094
"Quite a harvest indeed."
His figure leaped across rooftops as the panel appeared before his eyes, and a smile spread across Yunchuan Hyuga's face. He had already been only one step away from fully mastering Lightning Cutter, so completing it through studying the Scroll was only natural.
In his view, the true gains were Yin Seal and those two secret techniques. Thinking of this, Yunchuan Hyuga raised his left hand and looked at his palm. There was a black mark shaped like a diamond, still faint in color, but enough to prove that he had already mastered Yin Seal.
With Yin Seal, there was no longer a need to hide in advance like last time in the Land of Hot Water to refine chakra before unleashing the full power of ninjutsu. Even so, what surprised Yunchuan Hyuga the most was the strange sense of familiarity he felt toward Yin Seal. It was not familiarity from having seen it before, but something that came from deep within his bloodline.
"Otsutsuki Clan..."
Yunchuan Hyuga's gaze flickered slightly as he looked at the mark on his palm, the sense of familiarity growing stronger. Suddenly, realization struck him.
"Karma?"
The word escaped his lips in a low voice, his heart stopping for a moment before beating violently again. Yes, that was it. This was the source of that familiarity.
"Karma" was a unique ability of the Otsutsuki Clan. They could digitize and copy themselves, then implant that data into another person, who would then be called a "vessel." A black diamond-shaped mark would appear on the vessel's palm, and that mark was what was known as "Karma."
Simply put, "Karma" was a compressed backup of an Otsutsuki, a file that would slowly "unfreeze" over time, or accelerate through combat. When all the data had been fully released, the vessel's body would be replaced by the Otsutsuki's data, and the vessel's own existence would completely disappear, completing the Otsutsuki's resurrection.
Thinking of the similarities between Yin Seal and "Karma," Yunchuan Hyuga subconsciously pressed his dry lips together. If the term data felt too abstract, it could also be called genes. The essence was packaging one's own genes and transferring them into another body, gradually overtaking that individual.
While people in the Ninja World were still playing with organ and cell transplants, the Otsutsuki Clan were already cutting and pasting their own genetic data. If Yin Seal was used to store chakra, then "Karma" was used to store one's own genetic data, both operating on the principles of storage and release. Although their effects were vastly different, the underlying logic was the same, and "Karma" also had the ability to absorb ninjutsu and release chakra.
In fact, Orochimaru's Curse Seal had similar effects, though even Orochimaru himself likely had not developed it to that level yet. If he could truly master "Karma," an authority unique to the Otsutsuki, even a weakened version, the possibilities would multiply. Just thinking about it made Yunchuan Hyuga's eyes grow serious.
After a brief moment of thought, he raised his head and silently willed, "Manifest. A method that allows me to cultivate the complete 'Karma.'"
Insufficient points.
"As expected."
Yunchuan Hyuga's eyes shifted slightly, without any surprise. "Karma" was, after all, an ability that allowed the Otsutsuki Clan to surpass death, and it likely had extremely strict requirements regarding Otsutsuki bloodline purity. At the very least, Otsutsuki Kinshiki and Otsutsuki Urashiki had never displayed it.
Only Otsutsuki Momoshiki, whom even Urashiki had to respect, and Otsutsuki Isshiki, who was qualified to come to the Ninja World to plant a Divine Tree, possessed the power of "Karma." Yunchuan Hyuga lowered his standards and silently willed again, "Manifest. A method suited to my current cultivation of 'Karma,' based on 'Yin Seal' and 'Curse Seal.'"
Spend 8000 Reality Points. Confirm manifestation.
A smile appeared on Yunchuan Hyuga's face, and without hesitation he thought, "Manifest!"
The villagers of Konoha were already enjoying the first snowfall of the year.
At the same time, Land of Rain was still filled with the endless sound of rain. The lead gray clouds hung low in the sky like a heavy shroud, pressing down on the land and refusing to let even a trace of sunlight through. The sky seemed stingy, giving nothing but gloom.
Compared to the light drizzle from earlier days, the rain had turned cold and unbroken, as if it wanted to wash all of Land of Rain into mud. Only stray dogs without homes lay low in corners, biting at something unknown.
pata… pata…
Hearing a sound, the dogs pricked up their ears and bared their teeth, staring into the blurred curtain of rain. In the distance, several figures ran out of the mist, stepping through puddles in a desolate stretch of land, their faces briefly lit beneath raincoat hoods.
At the front, Kakashi Hatake suddenly raised a hand, and the people behind him stopped at once. His voice was calm as he said, "We have entered Land of Rain. Make sure you hide your identities."
His gaze swept over Yunchuan Hyuga in the middle of the team, and he added, "Next we will go where people gather to collect information. Remember, listen more and speak less." Yunchuan Hyuga knew this reminder was meant for him, and he nodded with a serious expression.
"Disperse."
With a single order from Kakashi Hatake, the team split into groups of three and scattered to gather information. Yunchuan Hyuga stayed beside Kakashi Hatake, as instructed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, which also served as a form of protection.
Including him and Kakashi Hatake, four people slipped into the capital of Land of Rain without drawing any attention. No one looked at them because of their clothes or behavior, and no one showed any sign of alertness.
There were few pedestrians on the streets, and those who passed by hurried along with their heads down, wrapped in dark raincoats. They moved through the rain like shadows, silent and distant.