blogombal Chapter 309 When soft methods fail, try hard ones, add some...
Chapter 309 When soft methods fail, try hard ones, add some...
Chapter 309 When soft methods fail, try hard ones, add some...
The Hidden Mist moved swiftly; that very night, the fleet stealthily approached within three kilometers of the coast.
Led by the Third Mizukage, all the Hidden Mist ninjas came out in full force and landed on the land of the Wind, wading through the water.
With a clear objective and without any hesitation, the ninja force of over a thousand men marched straight towards Linchuan City with overwhelming force.
Without warning or probing, the entire army was sent in. The defenders of Linchuan City couldn't even delay them, and the entire city fell.
Fortunately, the Hidden Mist Village hadn't gone so far as to slaughter an entire city, something that couldn't be compared to a hundred people from a village.
They looted all the strategic resources stored in the city by Sunagakure, leaving behind an empty warehouse, and then left.
Taiyi witnessed the entire battle of Kirigakure from a distance.
The operation was swift and efficient, with the entire process, from attack to looting and retreat, completed within half an hour.
Taiichi couldn't help but sigh, "They truly deserve to be one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. We shouldn't underestimate them just because they were badly beaten up before."
However, their actions tonight also show that Kirigakure is really planning to fight Sunagakure. The supplies stored in this city are something that even Taiichi was envious of just now.
Watching the Hidden Mist ninja disappear into the night, Taichi didn't linger any longer. He immediately sent a shadow clone to report to Jiraiya, while his main body returned to Tsunade's unit.
It was already late at night. Despite the rapid march, the Konoha troops did not set up camp. Instead, they were organized into small teams and distributed around the perimeter, allowing for quick reactions and better vigilance.
The sudden appearance of Tai immediately attracted the attention of the vigilant ninjas, and they secretly breathed a sigh of relief when they saw his face clearly.
Taichi made an apologetic gesture to the ninja he had startled awake, and quickly walked towards the largest fire pit in the center, where Tsunade and her advisors were.
At this hour, Tsunade was still awake. She sat by the fire, staring at the roaring flames, seemingly lost in thought. The firelight cast a rosy glow on her fair skin.
Taiyi's arrival woke her from her reverie, and as she watched his light steps, a slight smile appeared on her lips.
"It seems you have good news to bring."
As Tsunade spoke, the surrounding staff officers also turned their attention to Taiichi. Their superior was still awake, so naturally, they, the staff officers, wouldn't go to bed so early either.
In the distance, Fugaku and Hiashi saw the commotion and got up to come over. They were also very interested in the information Taiichi had brought back.
Seeing that most of the people who were supposed to come had arrived, Taiichi stopped dawdling and began to recount the attack that Kirigakure had launched on the Land of Wind that night.
"Lady Tsunade, the attack by Kirigakure was very decisive. After they finished, they did not return to the sea, but instead continued to advance into the Land of Wind. This is a sign that they intend to wage a long-term war."
As everyone listened to Taiyi's story, they looked at each other in bewilderment. Some showed joy, while others seemed particularly regretful.
Taiyi observed all of this and had a general idea of their thoughts.
"Lady Tsunade, the Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Sand Village have started fighting. Does this mean the war on our side is over?"
These are the people who are happy. Not everyone likes war. In fact, most people look forward to a peaceful life, and even ninjas are no exception.
A faint smile appeared on Tsunade's face. She nodded first, then shook her head, leaving the ninja who asked the question confused and not understanding what Tsunade meant.
"We're unlikely to be able to fight much here, but the Eastern Front should still be intact. Kirigakure is unpredictable; no one can guarantee that they'll attack Sunagakure today and then join forces with Sunagakure to attack us tomorrow."
That's true. Kirigakure's actions were unexpected. Even if a ceasefire agreement is signed with Kirigakure now, the Eastern Front will probably be preserved for a long time.
"Lady Tsunade, what should we do next? Are we just going to stay here and hold out forever?"
The one speaking was Uchiha Fugaku. He was one of those who looked regretful. He came to the front lines to hone his skills and make a name for himself, but after only three months of fighting, Kirigakure retreated. What should he do?
"That's all we can do for now. I'll report the situation to the village later, and then we'll see how the village arranges things."
Although he was still somewhat unwilling, he could only stop here for now. Fugaku looked at the several Jonin around him who had similar expressions and sighed slightly.
"Everyone go back and rest. We'll head to the outpost as planned tomorrow."
"Taiichi, you don't need to monitor Kirigakure anymore. Come back and get some rest."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
The following day, the troops on the eastern front arrived at their destination around noon, and new camps were being rapidly set up.
Now that he was free of his mission, Taiyi felt incredibly relaxed and could finally settle down and do his own thing.
Not far from the camp, Taiyi found a scenic spot and sat cross-legged.
Yesterday I took such a big risk to finally unlock the Sage Mode skill, so of course I need to seize the time to train hard now and not waste the 1 point of spirit attribute I lost.
Taiyi closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and tried to communicate with the energy of nature.
One minute.
Two minutes.
three minutes.
Nothing happened.
The sky was still so blue, the air was still so fresh, and you could still hear birds chirping, but there was no vibrant, colorful natural energy.
Taiyi scratched his head and glanced at the panel again, still not believing it.
【Sage Mode Lv0 (4/100)】
This row of data is so clear it's as if it's part of the whole thing.
How could this be? The skill has already been generated, so why can't I still observe the natural energy?
Undeterred, Taiyi changed his approach. This time, he switched to meditation, which he was quite familiar with. He simply closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
Unfortunately, an hour passed, and meditation remained meditation; he did not observe natural energy again.
He opened his eyes again in despair, his eyes filled with confusion and disappointment.
It seems that this Sage Mode and the ability to observe natural energy are similar to what I learned when I first learned Flying Thunder God Technique.
Although he possessed the Flying Thunder God technique, he was stuck at the last point and unable to break through because he lacked space-time talent.
Although he had experienced natural energy three times due to various coincidences, he seized the opportunity on the third time and generated the Sage Mode skill.
However, under normal circumstances, he still cannot meet the conditions to sense natural energy, let alone cultivate the Sage Mode based on it.
Having figured all this out, Taiyi felt relieved.
Since the soft approach isn't working, we'll have to resort to the hard approach.
He's even got the Sage Mode skills out, so what's there to be afraid of? He originally wanted to work hard and gradually max out his experience points so he could naturally reach Sage Mode.
Now, he's stopped pretending; Matsushita Taichi has a cheat code.
Isn't this exactly the time he needs to use all those skill points he's stockpiled?
Concentrating his mind on the Sage Mode skills, the panel immediately changed as soon as he thought about it.
The dazzling Lv0 of the Sage Mode slowly disappeared, and Lv1 (0/100) appeared in its place.
A flood of information immediately filled Taiyi's mind, and at the same time, he could feel his body undergoing unseen changes.
It seems lighter, more transparent, and more in harmony with the natural environment.
At this moment, Taiyi realized that the conditions for everyone to cultivate Immortal Mode were different.
Even with the same physical attributes and the same amount of chakra, everyone's compatibility with natural energy varies greatly.
Some, like Jugo, are naturally attuned to natural energy; others, like Jiraiya, still need the assistance of Fukasaku and Shima even after mastering the art; and still others, like ordinary people, never grasp the essence of natural energy in their entire lives.
Tsunade's physique and chakra reserves are definitely much better than Jiraiya's, but Jiraiya was able to learn Sage Mode while Tsunade could never learn it. That's the difference.
Now, with the system's modifications, Taiyi's body has also been adjusted to a mode that best aligns with natural energy.
He closed his eyes slightly, his spirit radiating outwards. The natural energy that he had not been able to sense before was clearly reflected in his perception. This process was so smooth, without any obstacles.
Just like when I first learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, it came naturally, as if I was born with it.
Unlike before, the previous times I sensed natural energy, except for the time when my swordsmanship advanced, the natural energy interacted with my body.
On the other two occasions, it seemed as if there was a magnetic field around his body, isolating him from natural energy. Apart from the occasional natural energy that entered and exited his body with his breath, he was almost completely isolated.
Now, Taiyi stretched out his palm and looked at the natural energy floating in his palm, which was intimately attached to his body like a lover.
The difference between the two is truly like night and day.
Recalling the memories in his mind, including the descriptions of Sage Mode, Taiichi concentrated his mind and tried to adjust the flow of chakra within his body in a specific way.
Doing this is easy for Taiyi right now. Even though the difficulty of manipulating chakra is no less than that of an S-rank ninjutsu, Lv13 chakra control is no joke.
One minute later, a strange suction force emanated from Taiyi's body. This suction force did not stir up a single speck of dust in the surrounding area, but it created ripples on another level.
The natural energy around Taiyi seemed to be drawn in, first to the vicinity of his body surface, and then spreading to a meter.
Two meters.
five meters.
ten meters.
Gradually, the natural energy within a 3-kilometer radius of Taiyi was drawn in by this force. However, the further away from Taiyi, the weaker the force became, and it was almost negligible at a distance of 3 kilometers.
The natural energies that were drawn in flowed into Taiyi’s body like swallows returning to their nests, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, until his body seemed to reach a certain limit, at which point the influx slowed down.
Taiyi felt a surge of fear as he sensed an energy within his body that was completely different from chakra. He knew that if things went wrong, he might die here today.
Following the memory in his mind, Tai carefully remixed the natural energy, physical energy, and spiritual energy in a specific ratio.
At this moment, thanks once again to his superb chakra control, everything proceeded so smoothly. The three energies gathered in his lower abdomen, and a brand new energy was generated—this was Sage Chakra.
When the first burst of Sage Chakra is generated, the body seems to memorize this unique pattern, and subsequent synthesis becomes instinctive, without needing to be deliberately performed again.
Feel this Sage Chakra, which is different from ordinary chakra; it gives people a more profound and textured feeling.
He conjured an ice mirror with a wave of his hand and found that his immortal mode did not seem to have any obvious changes.
Of course, apart from those eyes, Taiyi's eyes were no longer white with black pupils, but seemed to radiate golden light from the depths of his pupils, dyeing his entire eyes gold.
Compared to Jiraiya's Sage Mode, there really isn't much of a change.
Unlike his relatively minor external changes, the changes inside his body were nothing short of earth-shattering.
With his fists clenched, Taiyi walked to a large tree and, with a single punch, snapped the tree, which was as thick as a person's embrace, in two.
Looking at his fist, apart from some wood chips, not even a layer of skin was broken.
The enhancement that Sage Chakra provides to the body is just too strong.
After calming himself down, Taiyi opened the control panel, which was the place that could most directly reflect his physical condition.
Constitution: 32 (Temporary +2)
Strength: 31 (Temporary +2)
Agility: 31 (temporary +2)
Spirit: 34 (Temporary +2)
All four physical attributes were temporarily increased by 2 points. This is not the 2 points that Taiyi had when he was a genin. Given Taiyi's current physical condition, each increase represents a qualitative transformation.
Moreover, judging from Taiyi's perspective, this is not the limit. As the level of Sage Mode increases, there is still a lot of room for improvement in this enhancement.
After assessing his physical abilities, Taiyi immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach the seaside, where he formed hand seals facing the ocean.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
This was Taiyi's most skilled and familiar fire jutsu, but he felt a distinct difference as soon as he used it this time.
Sure enough, the flames were neither orange-red nor the bright gold he was familiar with, but a blue-white flame on a higher level.
The moment the scorching heat came into contact with the seawater, a massive amount of water vapor rose up. That wasn't all; the seawater within the area covered by the flames evaporated rapidly, and the rate at which the surrounding seawater replenished it couldn't keep up with the rate of evaporation.
In just a few breaths, the shallow seawater had evaporated completely, revealing the sand underneath, which was then melted in the blink of an eye, turning into a glassy molten liquid.
As the ninjutsu ended, the seawater surged back up, hissing once more. The molten liquid transformed into a sheet of black glass, revealing the burn marks left by the ninjutsu.
Taiyi was also delighted. The power of this fire jutsu was at least twice as high as his normal level. At least the temperature of the blue-white flames far exceeded that of the bright golden flames.
An excited Taichi continued to try Wind Release, Water Release, Lightning Release, Earth Release, and Ice Release. Without exception, the power of all the ninjutsu was more than doubled.
This truly lives up to its reputation as Sage Mode; the boost it provides to a ninja's strength is simply too powerful.
Just as Taiyi was about to continue the experiment, a strong sense of emptiness swept over his body, and he blankly raised his arms to look at his hands.
That abundant power seemed to have left him in an instant, and the contrast before and after made it difficult for Taiyi to adapt for a short time.
This is my first time using Sage Mode!