Chapter 65: Cost-Effective Legendary Technique, Slug Sage's Abnormal Behavior
"I have a mission to complete now. Follow my shadow clone first—he'll make arrangements for you."
Yoru teleported with Konan to a tree hollow in Fire Country. After creating a shadow clone, he retrieved a kunai and pressed it into Konan's hand, instructing: "You must always carry this kunai. Once I finish my urgent business, I'll find you this way. Understand?"
"Mm-hmm..." Konan nodded repeatedly, appearing utterly obedient.
Yoru smiled as he patted her head, then used several teleports to return to Tsunade's side.
At this moment, Yoru couldn't help but marvel at the Flying Thunder God Technique's chakra consumption.
This technique's teleportation principle somewhat resembled the Summoning Technique.
As long as you could sense the Flying Thunder God seal, regardless of distance—near or far—the consumption remained a fixed amount, provided you weren't teleporting with people or transferring objects of astonishing volume and mass.
If consumption calculated by distance, let alone Yoru's limited Space-Time chakra—even combining all his regular chakra, he'd exhaust it before leaving Fire Country.
From separating from Tsunade, to reuniting with and arranging things for Konan, to returning to Tsunade's side—only about ten minutes had passed.
In that brief time, Yoru had already made a round trip between Fire Country and Rain Country.
Including the earlier teleport from Konoha to the western border base, Yoru had teleported eleven times total. One involved bringing Tsunade along, yet this only consumed two-thirds of his Space-Time chakra.
By contrast, using intangibility, Yoru's genin-level Space-Time chakra could maintain full-body intangibility for less than ten minutes at most.
That duration might not even escape the olfactory range of Tokiya's sensory rat.
Yet the Flying Thunder God Technique could span multiple countries.
Such cost-effectiveness truly befitted one of Shippuden's three legendary techniques.
"You caught up in an instant. No wonder when Second Grandfather still lived, he was praised as the shinobi world's fastest shinobi." Tsunade sighed slightly, the sensation completely different from their earlier teleport.
Previously, when instantly appearing in Rain Country, Tsunade's first reaction had been savoring that long-missed feeling—as though returning to childhood when Hashirama and Tobirama Senju still lived.
Now she simply marveled at the Flying Thunder God Technique's power.
She'd used full-speed Body Flicker for nearly ten minutes, covering who knew how many miles. Yet Yoru could catch up instantly.
Thinking how Flying Thunder God seals could also attach to people's bodies, Tsunade couldn't help pitying Yoru's future enemies.
Once Yoru marked someone with a Flying Thunder God seal, unless they could instantly carve out that flesh and create distance, it proved no different from a death sentence.
Yoru smiled, proactively suggesting: "Tsunade-sama, my Body Flicker speed is fairly fast. How about I infiltrate Amegakure first to leave a Flying Thunder God seal, then come back for you?"
"That wasn't even full speed?" Tsunade's eyes widened, her gaze filled with disbelief.
Rather than answering, Yoru transformed into black lightning, rapidly vanishing from Tsunade's sight.
Tsunade's expression now matched Jiraiya's reaction to the Flying Thunder God Technique—mouth agape, too shocked for words.
Due to excessive shock plus rain sound interference, Tsunade didn't even notice that despite Yoru's exaggerated Body Flicker speed, it produced no sonic boom whatsoever.
This represented Yoru's recent training results.
Lightning Release chakra stimulating cellular activation + Space-Time chakra.
The talent enhancement from his first evolution already made Yoru's Body Flicker talent outstanding. Regular chakra fused with Space-Time chakra to develop ghostly silent movement made even Body Flicker specialist ANBU members feel inferior.
After mastering Lightning Release nature transformation, Yoru's Body Flicker speed became even more astonishing.
Regarding speed, only someone similarly skilled in Body Flicker and Lightning Release could barely keep pace with Yoru.
Those faster than Yoru existed only among powerhouses who'd trained Lightning Release to extremely high levels.
Such powerhouses proved rare throughout the shinobi world.
Moreover, when these people moved, they invariably produced piercing sonic booms.
Only Yoru's movement combined both speed and silence. During close-range movement, he resembled a horror film's high-intensity jump scare.
Moving at full speed, Yoru took only minutes to see Amegakure's silhouette.
To avoid sensory ninja detection, Yoru preemptively used Earth Body Flicker to burrow underground while using intangibility to hide his presence, smoothly infiltrating Amegakure.
After leaving a Flying Thunder God seal in a sewer tunnel, Yoru teleported back to Tsunade. "The Flying Thunder God seal has been planted. Tsunade-sama, let's go."
"Alright."
Tsunade nodded, allowing Yoru to rest his hand on her shoulder.
The next second, the scene before them instantly changed from rain-shrouded wilderness to a cramped sewer with only drainage sounds.
"Is this the central district?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes. I worried the outskirts might have heavy defenses, so I chose this type of location."
"Well done."
Tsunade praised him, then bit her thumb and formed seals, crouching to slap the ground. "Summoning Technique!"
With a poof, white smoke dispersed.
A massive slug whose head nearly touched the sewer ceiling appeared out of nowhere.
"Katsuyu-sama, summoning you in such an environment—I apologize." Tsunade first apologized for her actions, then respectfully continued: "Katsuyu-sama, I need your help."
"Tsunade-sama, it's been a while."
The gentle-natured Slug Sage not only didn't mind but even greeted Tsunade using an honorific.
Suddenly, as though discovering something, Katsuyu's head shifted slightly.
Standing beside Tsunade, Yoru somehow sensed the Slug Sage seemed to be observing him.
Katsuyu's next words confirmed his suspicion.
Before Tsunade could state her summoning purpose, Katsuyu suddenly lowered slightly, asking Yoru: "Honored one, do you already have a summoning beast?"
Tsunade—well aware that Shikkotsu Forest contained only one slug, all others being its divisions—looked utterly dumbfounded.
"Ah..."
Yoru also froze slightly before answering truthfully: "I've already signed a contract with Ryuchi Cave."
An even more worldview-shattering scene immediately unfolded for Tsunade.
The Slug Sage—who spoke gently to everyone without exception—actually muttered irritably: "Damn it. That stinking snake struck gold."
After speaking, Katsuyu returned to normal, continuing in a gentle tone: "If you ever terminate your contract with Ryuchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest welcomes your arrival."
"Al... alright." Yoru smiled courteously in response, though his heart grew cautious.
The Slug Sage's abnormal behavior clearly indicated it had perceived something special about Yoru.
The only special thing about him was the Space-Time chakra in his body with its inherent higher-dimensional screening.
Even his shadow clones couldn't sense the original body's Space-Time chakra, yet the Slug Sage discovered it immediately.
These Three Great Sage Regions' sages were truly formidable!
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