Chapter 367: Flying Thunder God Technique

Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Flying Thunder God Technique

Hyuga Kagami didn’t waste any words, nor did he deliberately try to keep Shisui in suspense. He directly explained, in full, both the benefits of transplanting First Hokage’s cells and the corresponding risks involved.

Shisui was somewhat surprised. "Transplanting the First Hokage’s cells can really restore the ocular power of my Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"Theoretically, yes."

Hyuga Kagami didn’t make the claim too absolute.

After pondering for a while, Shisui asked, "Senpai, then how high is the success rate?"

After learning about both the benefits and risks of transplanting First Hokage’s cells, what Shisui cared about most was naturally the probability of success.

Hyuga Kagami slowly replied, "As far as I know, the bloodline of your Uchiha clan seems to possess some kind of ability to counterbalance the First Hokage’s cells. Because of that, when it comes to transplanting his cells, the Uchiha clan possesses a unique natural advantage."

Hearing this, a trace of hope appeared on Shisui’s face.

No one would willingly become a blind man who had lost his sight. Much less Shisui, who was one of the pillars of the Uchiha clan and carried many responsibilities on his shoulders.

Hyuga Kagami continued, "Moreover, this advantage is related to the ocular power of the Sharingan. The stronger an Uchiha’s ocular power, the higher their chances of successfully transplanting the First Hokage’s cells. You awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan through your own ability when you were barely in your teens. Whether it’s your talent or your ocular power, you’re among the very best in the Uchiha clan. So if you’re willing to transplant the First Hokage’s cells, your chances of success shouldn’t be low."

Among the volunteers who had participated in the village’s previous First Hokage cell transplantation experiments, there probably hadn’t been any members of the Uchiha clan.

After all, given the pride of the Uchiha clan, there was no way they would cast aside their dignity to covet the power of their old rivals, the Senju clan. Furthermore, the vast majority of Uchiha hadn’t even fully figured out their own Sharingan yet, so there was absolutely no reason for them to risk their lives chasing after the elusive Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.

Without thinking for long, Shisui nodded heavily. "Senpai, I’m willing to give it a try!"

Hyuga Kagami shook his head. "Although the success rate isn’t low, it’s still not one hundred percent guaranteed. This is a matter of life and death. You don’t need to give me an answer right away. Take a few days to think it over."

"No, I’ve already decided." After answering resolutely, Shisui turned his gaze toward the window. "The village’s current predicament was caused by my own actions. I can’t afford to lose my combat ability at a time like this and push the responsibility onto someone else."

Clearly, the deterioration of his eyesight had already begun to seriously affect Shisui’s combat ability. And given his personality, there was no way he could simply abandon his responsibilities and wash his hands of the matter.

So he had no other choice.

Hyuga Kagami stared at Shisui for a moment before sighing. "All right. But before a cell transplant, there’s a very complicated verification process that needs to be carried out, especially when it comes to transplanting the First Hokage’s cells. So I’ll need some time to conduct the pre-transplant experiments. Until then, try not to use your Sharingan. Don’t consume any more of your ocular power."

Shisui replied somewhat awkwardly, "But the village is currently conducting special tactical drills against the members of Akatsuki, and there are some parts where they need my cooperation!"

Hyuga Kagami’s gaze sharpened.

"Special tactical drills?!"

The reason Shisui had arrived at Hyuga Kagami’s home so late was precisely because the village had been conducting special tactical drills designed specifically to deal with the members of Akatsuki.

Although the previous surprise attack had ended in failure, they had obtained a great deal of intelligence on the members of Akatsuki. After compiling all of this information, the village immediately mobilized the ANBU squads, Intelligence Division, Sealing Team, and a large number of elite jōnin to begin conducting specialized tactical drills.

Take Hiruko, one of Akatsuki’s members, for example.

Based on the intelligence they had gathered on Hiruko, the village devised a specialized strategy specifically designed to counter him. The tactical team consisted of four people: Might Guy from ANBU Team 11, a jōnin from Root, and two shinobi from the Sealing Team.

The main fighting force was Guy, a taijutsu specialist who had mastered the Eight Gates. By unleashing the explosive power of the Eight Gates, he would confront Hiruko’s Swift Release Kekkei Genkai head-on.

The Root shinobi on the team possessed a moth summon capable of spraying mucus.

The mucus sprayed by this moth summon was not only extraordinarily adhesive, making it extremely difficult to break free once it stuck to the body, but it also contained no chakra whatsoever. It was entirely a natural substance produced within the moth’s body, meaning it wouldn’t be countered by Hiruko’s Dark Release Kekkei Genkai.

The remaining two members of the team were both elites of the Sealing Team, capable of completing a localized seal within one minute and a complete seal within five minutes. As long as Guy and the Root shinobi succeeded in restraining Hiruko, the two of them would be able to seal him away with ease.

Then there was the specialized strategy designed to counter Obito.

Based on the characteristics of Obito’s space-time ninjutsu, the Sealing Team had designed an enormous net woven from specially manufactured steel wire. The entire net was covered in special sealing formulas and small, sensitive bells.

Once the net was deployed, any fluctuation of enemy chakra within the area it covered would instantly activate both the sealing formulas and the bells attached to it.

The sealing formulas on the net could instantly activate a B-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu called Electric Flash, paralyzing the intruder’s body, while the bells would ring at the same moment, serving as an alarm.

In addition, the Aburame clan possessed a particularly unusual type of kikaichū. The moment these insects were invaded by foreign chakra, their bodies would immediately explode. If these kikaichū were scattered throughout the surrounding area like landmines, they could also effectively restrict Obito’s elusive space-time ninjutsu.

As for the other members of Akatsuki, such as Shinichi, Sasori, Kakuzu, Jūzō Biwa, and the others, the village had also devised corresponding specialized tactics. However, whether those tactics would actually prove effective could only be determined through practical drills.

The problem was that there weren’t many shinobi in the village capable of simulating Akatsuki’s members.

This was especially true for someone like Hiruko, who possessed five different Kekkei Genkai, or Shinichi, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. Aside from Shisui, renowned as the Body Flicker, there was no one else in the village capable of properly simulating them.

Because of this, Shisui had spent the entire day today simulating Hiruko and assisting the village in testing the specialized tactics they had designed to counter him.

After learning the details, Hyuga Kagami grinned. "How effective was it?"

Shisui thought for a moment before replying, "Hiruko’s combat experience and adaptability are only around the level of an ordinary jōnin. Although he also possesses the Sharingan, as long as Guy-senpai can keep him occupied, there should still be a good chance of succeeding. However, this places extremely high demands on Guy-senpai. Not only does he need to be able to keep up with Hiruko’s speed, but he also needs to be able to resist the genjutsu of Hiruko’s Sharingan."

Hyuga Kagami smiled.

"It won’t be that easy."

In terms of pure speed, Hiruko was even faster than the Fourth Raikage. After all, the Fourth Raikage had to push his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its fullest before he could match the speed granted to Hiruko by his Swift Release Kekkei Genkai.

And Guy’s speed with the Sixth Gate opened probably hadn’t reached that level yet.

At the very least, he would need to open the Seventh Gate.

However, Guy possessed neither any flashy secret techniques nor any messy body modifications. Every bit of his taijutsu prowess had been painstakingly forged through his own training, step by step.

As a result, his foundation was extraordinarily solid, something that Shinno’s half-baked Eight Gates could never compare to.

But at the same time, this also meant that Guy’s progress was relatively slower.

At present, he had only just barely touched the threshold of opening the Seventh Gate, the Gate of Wonder. There was still a considerable distance to go before he could fully master it.

At this thought, Hyuga Kagami suddenly smiled. "Has the village designed any specialized tactics to deal with me?"

Shisui shook his head. "Not yet. The village doesn’t possess much intelligence about you, so they can’t formulate an effective counterstrategy in such a short period of time."

Hyuga Kagami’s smile disappeared as he said seriously, "But Akatsuki has probably already started working on one."

During the previous surprise attack, Hyuga Kagami had revealed nearly everything in his arsenal. Not only had his Tenseigan Chakra Mode been exposed, but techniques such as Wheel of Will, Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, and even the Truth-Seeking Balls had all been revealed one after another.

So at this very moment, Akatsuki was undoubtedly devising specialized tactics specifically to counter him.

Hyuga Kagami’s eyes flickered as he secretly thought, "Hopefully Shinichi can pull his weight this time and uncover some useful intelligence!"

This was also why, after realizing that he couldn’t kill Nagato, Hyuga Kagami had subtly warned Shinichi not to act recklessly.

As Hyuga Kagami’s influence on the shinobi world continued to grow, the advantage granted by his foreknowledge was becoming smaller and smaller. Because of this, Shinichi’s importance as an undercover agent was becoming increasingly apparent.

Whether Nagato had truly transplanted the First Hokage’s cells, what actions Obito would take, and how Akatsuki intended to respond to the alliance between Konoha, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure—Hyuga Kagami needed Shinichi’s intelligence to answer all of these questions.

If he lost Shinichi as an undercover agent, Hyuga Kagami would truly be left completely in the dark regarding Akatsuki.

While Hyuga Kagami was momentarily lost in thought, Shisui said, "Senpai, I heard that the Hokage specifically selected several young shinobi to attempt to learn the Fourth Hokage’s Flying Thunder God Technique. He hopes to use space-time ninjutsu to counter space-time ninjutsu."

After the Fourth Hokage’s death, the Flying Thunder God Technique had not been lost to the village.

Genma Shiranui, Raidō Namiashi, and Iwashi Tatami, for example, could jointly perform the Flying Thunder God Formation Technique, allowing them to teleport people and supplies across great distances.

However, there was no longer anyone in the village capable of using the Flying Thunder God Technique itself in actual combat.

"Oh!"

Hyuga Kagami’s interest was immediately piqued.

"Who did they choose?"

Shisui replied, "I only know that Kakashi-senpai is one of them. I don’t know who the others are."

Hyuga Kagami murmured, "Kakashi, huh..."

In terms of talent, Kakashi was unquestionably the strongest of their generation, completely overshadowing both Hyuga Kagami and Obito. On top of that, he had been the Fourth Hokage’s disciple and was no stranger to the Flying Thunder God Technique. Therefore, the Third Hokage choosing him to attempt to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, hoping to use Kakashi to counter Obito, was clearly a good move.

As for whether Kakashi could actually master the Flying Thunder God Technique, even Hyuga Kagami couldn’t say for certain at the moment.

After all, space-time ninjutsu was simply far too difficult to master. Even the Third Hokage, who was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, had failed to grasp the essentials of the Flying Thunder God Technique. Therefore, despite Kakashi’s outstanding talent, there was no guarantee that he would be able to fully master it either.

This was also why Hyuga Kagami had never coveted the Flying Thunder God Technique too much.

He had a very clear understanding of his own talents. His greatest aptitude lay in sealing techniques, followed by taijutsu, and then ninjutsu. As for genjutsu, his talent was an absolute mess. Even when using his Fire Release clone and possessing the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, his genjutsu was still crude and unsophisticated.

The difficulty of learning space-time ninjutsu far surpassed that of taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu.

Looking throughout Konoha’s entire history, among the tens of thousands of shinobi who had come and gone, only two people had ever managed to master space-time ninjutsu on their own—the Second Hokage and the Fourth Hokage.

As for Obito and Kakashi, they were only capable of using space-time ninjutsu because of the unique ocular ability granted by their Mangekyō Sharingan.

Furthermore, Hyuga Kagami was already so overwhelmed by his own Kekkei Mōra Project that he barely had time to breathe. He simply didn’t have enough energy to divert his attention toward learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.

And once his Kekkei Mōra Project succeeded and he stepped into the Six Paths level, mastering space-time ninjutsu afterward would be as easy as reaching into his own pocket.

Shisui asked, "Senpai, while you’re recovering from your injuries, do you need Itachi to protect you?"

Hyuga Kagami replied, "There’s no need."

Shisui hesitated for a moment before saying, "According to the Intelligence Division’s analysis, Akatsuki will most likely launch a fierce retaliation against Konoha in response to the previous surprise attack, both as revenge and as a warning to the Five Great Shinobi Villages. If Akatsuki launches their retaliation while you’re still recovering, I’m worried your safety won’t be guaranteed."

Hyuga Kagami said calmly, "Don’t worry. I’ve already made arrangements."

Seeing that Hyuga Kagami had already made preparations, Shisui said nothing more and took his leave.

After Shisui left, Hyuga Kagami returned to the bedroom on the second floor. He took out a storage scroll from the ninja tool pouch at his waist and gently pressed his palm against it.

Poof...

Along with a burst of white smoke, a human body appeared inside Hyuga Kagami’s bedroom.

This body was none other than Hyuga Kagami’s Fire Release clone—Uchiha En, who possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Hyuga Kagami had long since considered the issue of his safety while he recovered from his injuries, which was why he had been carrying his Fire Release clone with him in case of an emergency.

However, while storing a living body inside a storage scroll was fine for a short period of time, leaving it inside for too long would damage the cellular activity of the living body. Therefore, now that he had some free time, he took the Fire Release clone out of the storage scroll.

Glancing at his Fire Release clone, Hyuga Kagami swept his gaze around the bedroom before finally deciding to hide it beneath his bed.

The bedroom was already a private space. Aside from Rei, no one else would casually enter Hyuga Kagami’s bedroom, and there was no reason for Rei to suddenly look underneath his bed for no reason.

After pushing the Fire Release clone beneath the bed, Hyuga Kagami arranged sealing formulas around it that were sufficient to block even the Byakugan.

With this, there shouldn’t be much risk of exposure over the next few weeks.

And if Akatsuki really did retaliate against Konoha during this period and Hyuga Kagami happened to get caught up in the attack, he could immediately switch bodies and use his Fire Release clone to confront the enemy.

After settling the Fire Release clone into place, Hyuga Kagami took out another storage scroll. From it, he retrieved several pieces of experimental equipment, along with a small lump of white substance.

This lump of white material was none other than a small piece of tissue taken from the White Zetsu clone Hyuga Kagami had captured on the battlefield long ago...