Chapter 541: Selecting the Kekkei Genkai

Chapter 541: Chapter 541: Selecting the Kekkei Genkai

After everyone had laid their cards on the table, Danzo stopped concealing his intentions and directly revealed the Kekkei Genkai he had his eye on, listing them one by one during the meeting.

Among his preferred Kekkei Genkai were Dark Release and Swift Release, two bloodline abilities that Hiruko had also selected.

Both Dark Release and Swift Release were highly versatile Kekkei Genkai.

Once someone possessed Dark Release, they would essentially become immune to the vast majority of ninjutsu attacks. Meanwhile, possessing Swift Release would grant them the ability to evade most taijutsu attacks.

Possessing just one of these abilities might not produce particularly remarkable results, but possessing both simultaneously would greatly enhance one’s survivability. Hiruko was a perfect example of this.

Apart from Dark Release and Swift Release, Danzo also proposed another Kekkei Genkai that even Kagami found somewhat surprising.

Crystal Release!

Crystal Release was a relatively rare Kekkei Genkai in the shinobi world.

Not only did it possess both offensive and defensive capabilities, but it also allowed its user to control large areas of the battlefield.

Furthermore, it could create reflective surfaces that exploited optical refraction to obstruct the perception of dojutsu users, preventing them from directly casting genjutsu through eye contact.

As such, it had a distinct advantage against dojutsu users possessing abilities such as the Sharingan and Byakugan.

"He actually chose Crystal Release? Is he treating dojutsu users as his hypothetical enemies?"

Behind his flame-patterned mask, Kagami pondered this without betraying any emotion.

On the other side, Orochimaru’s gaze sharpened.

Of everyone present, he was the most familiar with Crystal Release, because one of his subordinates was a Kekkei Genkai user who possessed precisely that ability.

Danzo then said, "Of the three Kekkei Genkai I’ve selected, Dark Release represents Water Release chakra, Swift Release represents Wind Release chakra, and Crystal Release represents Earth Release chakra. As for the remaining two Kekkei Genkai representing Fire Release and Lightning Release chakra, I haven’t made a decision yet. Do any of you have suggestions?"

Kagami said bluntly, "There’s no need to deliberate over the Lightning Release attribute. Storm Release is the most versatile Kekkei Genkai of that category."

Hiruko’s talent for ninjutsu was extremely poor. Even after undergoing the bloodline fusion ritual, merging five Kekkei Genkai, and completing his transformation, he still had obvious shortcomings when it came to performing ninjutsu. As a result, he had never come close to bringing out the true power of Storm Release.

Or rather, no one in the current shinobi world had truly managed to unleash Storm Release’s full potential.

This was because Storm Release was a Kekkei Genkai with an extraordinarily high ceiling in terms of power, yet it was also extremely difficult to wield.

Not only did it require the user to possess enormous chakra reserves, but it also demanded exceptionally precise chakra control.

Individuals who possessed both qualities were exceedingly rare, even across the entire shinobi world. Consequently, no Storm Release user with such outstanding aptitude had emerged thus far.

Orochimaru also offered his opinion. "Considering that you’ve chosen Crystal Release, Boil Release might be a good choice among the Fire Release Kekkei Genkai."

With Crystal Release, Danzo could easily create enclosed spaces. Naturally, Boil Release, which could unleash its greatest destructive power within confined environments, would make an excellent combination.

After pondering for a moment, Danzo nodded. "Indeed. Storm Release and Boil Release are undoubtedly the best choices!"

As though something had suddenly occurred to him, Orochimaru added, "However, that would create a problem with the balance between the various chakra natures."

Boil Release consisted primarily of Fire Release chakra, with Water Release as its secondary attribute. Storm Release, which Kagami had proposed, consisted primarily of Lightning Release chakra, with Water Release as its secondary attribute.

Furthermore, the Wood Release possessed by the First Hokage’s flesh and blood implanted into Danzo’s body consisted primarily of Earth Release chakra, with Water Release as its secondary attribute.

This meant that among the Kekkei Genkai Danzo intended to fuse, he would possess not only Dark Release, whose primary attribute was Water Release, but also three additional Kekkei Genkai—Boil Release, Storm Release, and Wood Release—all of which had Water Release as their secondary attribute.

The proportion of Water Release chakra would suddenly far exceed that of the other chakra natures, disrupting the balance.

Danzo said, "I’m quite satisfied with these Kekkei Genkai and have no intention of changing them. Is there another way to resolve the imbalance between the chakra natures?"

Kagami pondered for a moment before replying, "Then we’ll have to approach the problem through the fusion ritual itself. We can choose a location near a lava field to conduct the ritual, using the power of the surrounding environment to suppress the excess Water Release chakra."

Orochimaru gave a sinister smile. "We could also select a relatively weak Dark Release user to further reduce the proportion of Water Release chakra. For example, we could find a child who possesses Dark Release."

...

Inside Orochimaru’s Base

Having finished his training for the day, Naruto took advantage of his break to ask Kabuto, who was beside him, "Big Brother Kabuto, why is Orochimaru-sensei ignoring me? Did I do something to make him angry?"

Naruto might appear careless and thickheaded, but he was actually quite sensitive. He could easily sense who treated him well and who treated him poorly. Naturally, he had noticed the change in Orochimaru’s attitude toward him.

Kabuto shook his head. "Lord Orochimaru isn’t angry with you. He’s just rather strict."

After defecting from Konoha, Orochimaru had taken in numerous war orphans. However, the only ones who truly interested him were exceptional talents like Kimimaro and Haku.

As for the other children with mediocre aptitude, Orochimaru regarded them all as disposable tools. He would never develop any feelings toward them beyond their usefulness as tools.

That was simply who Orochimaru was—a shinobi whose cruelty had become second nature. Only geniuses could earn his favor and make him willing to invest his time and energy into nurturing them.

Naruto lowered his head and muttered, "Did I disappoint him?"

Kabuto said nothing. He merely let out a soft sigh.

As the child of the Fourth Hokage and the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto would naturally have extremely high expectations placed upon him. This was unavoidable.

However, Naruto was not the kind of shinobi who possessed exceptional natural talent. At least at this stage, he had yet to display any extraordinary aptitude.

Consequently, the higher the expectations placed upon him, the greater the disappointment when he failed to meet them. And Orochimaru had absolutely no patience for mediocrity.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Suddenly, alarm bells rang throughout the cavern!

Hearing the alarm, Kabuto stood up and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, asking in confusion, "Who triggered the alarm?"

After forming a hand seal, Kabuto carefully extended his senses. A moment later, his brows furrowed.

Through his sensory ninjutsu, he detected four powerful chakra signatures rapidly approaching the cavern from the distance.

"Is it Akatsuki? I didn’t expect them to find this place!"

After a brief pause, Kabuto shifted his gaze toward the depths of the cavern and thought to himself:

"Looks like we’ll have to take the risk and hide in that place!"