Pakura lay slumped over the edge of the large bed created by Wood Release, despairingly realizing that Fox's prowess was all-encompassing.
"Didn't you want to give the little fox a hard time? What's wrong? Don't you like 'hard' things anymore?"
Yōkō grabbed Pakura's ankle, pulling back the woman who was trying to escape.
"It seems it's time for special training. Your strength is too weak..."
Hearing there would be more 'special training,' Pakura felt a mix of anticipation and concern about whether she could withstand it.
A while later, Pakura discovered with disappointment that Fox was genuinely going to give her special training.
Staring at the hollow lozenge-shaped cursed seal on the back of her hand, Pakura asked, "Fox, what is this?"
There were eight curse lines in total. Besides a cross-shaped seal, there was also a lozenge-shaped seal.
"This is the Lozenge Seal I developed," Yōkō said:
"I once developed a sealing technique called the Cross Seal, which stored chakra that could be released for five full-powered ninjutsu.
This new seal is based on the Cross Seal, but incorporates a new Four Symbols Seal, transforming it into the Lozenge Seal.
The chakra stored within the Lozenge Seal can be used for ten full-powered ninjutsu.
Your base strength is roughly at the Elite Jōnin level.
That means you can unleash ten ninjutsu at an Elite Jōnin level of power.
At a critical moment in battle, the chakra for ten such techniques is enough to reverse a disadvantage and become your trump card."
Yōkō had already upgraded his trusted Anbu subordinates—White Ram, Antelope, Leaf Monkey, and others—to this new Lozenge Seal.
Yōkō said, "Stimulating your own body with large amounts of your own chakra allows for the gradual pushing of your physical limits through repeated trauma and repair.
Elite Jōnin is not your limit. The offensive power of your Scorch Release is very strong, even overpowered.
As long as your chakra reserves can keep up, you can quickly become a Kage-level ninja."
Anbu ninja like Black Gorilla, who had reached their limits, were all using the Lozenge Seal for limit-pushing training.
Black Gorilla's strength had risen from its initial Special Jōnin level to Jōnin level within a few years.
Given another five years, Black Gorilla could reach Elite Jōnin level too.
Pakura stared in amazement at the back of her hand. This sealing technique was so powerful? It could both store chakra and stimulate the body to break through its limits?
"I can currently create four Scorch Release fireballs at once. If I use this seal, wouldn't I be able to create forty Scorch Release fireballs?"
Pakura couldn't even imagine how an enemy could dodge a sky-full of Scorch Release fireballs.
Yōkō quickly interjected, "The Lozenge Seal is a one-time-use sealing technique. It can only be used in a life-or-death situation, like when you're fighting Rasa to the death."
Pakura was taken aback.
Right. Perhaps she would inevitably clash with Rasa, even if he was the Fourth Kazekage.
Yōkō said, "You've also joined the Three Gods Religion. Your soul is pledged to the Evil God. I will help you use the Evil God's power to increase your soul's strength.
The Lozenge Seal stimulates your physical limits; the Evil God's sacrificial pact stimulates your soul's limits.
We must grasp both, and both must be strong!"
Hearing 'grasp both,' Pakura's thoughts drifted to something less appropriate, and her face flushed.
Yōkō didn't notice Pakura's wandering thoughts and proudly declared, "The strength growth system I've developed can help anyone become a Kage-level ninja!"
He added in his mind, Both of these power-enhancing methods are under my control, ensuring the absolute loyalty of my subordinates.
Following Fox's instructions, Pakura channeled chakra into the Lozenge Seal, feeling the state of the sealed chakra.
It took her a whole day to fully charge the Lozenge Seal with chakra.
Afterwards, Yōkō instructed Pakura on how to efficiently release large amounts of the sealed chakra, converting it into combat power.
Exhausted from the day's work, Pakura couldn't fight off sleepiness. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell asleep early.
Yōkō gently stroked Pakura's back, contemplating how to deal with the Third Great Shinobi War.
On the Sunagakure front, once Pakura returned to the village with the Bunpuku Tea Kettle, she would have enough leverage to challenge Rasa.
The troublesome ones were Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure.
The next day, when Pakura woke up, she found Fox fully dressed, sitting at the table.
Pakura felt a pang of sadness.
Fox was leaving.
Fox was the Head of Konoha's Anbu; he couldn't stay in the Land of Wind for long.
The days and nights of recent madness had given Pakura a sense of release she had never experienced before.
Yōkō said, "Pakura, let me teach you one last technique—a top-tier Wind Release.
With this technique, the weakness of your Scorch Release will be compensated for."
"Weakness?" Pakura asked, "What weakness does my Scorch Release have?"
Yōkō waved his hand. The house created by Wood Release slowly deconstructed, sinking back into the sand.
"Come, Pakura. Attack me with your Scorch Release fireballs."
Pakura raised her hand, and a searing Scorch Release fireball materialized above her palm.
The Scorch Release, a combination of Wind and Fire Release, made the dry desert even more scorching.
The Scorch Release fireball flew forward but was easily dodged by Yōkō.
No matter how Pakura maneuvered the fireball, it couldn't come close to matching Yōkō's speed.
Yōkō said, "Pakura, your Scorch Release fireballs are powerful, far more destructive than regular Fire Release.
However, Scorch Release shares a similar problem with Fire Release—its projectiles are too slow.
Against lower and mid-level ninja, it's fine; Scorch Release is a great tool for area-of-effect attacks. But against speed-type ninja, Scorch Release isn't very effective.
While you can make multiple fireballs explode, using attack range to compensate for lack of speed, that causes the power of Scorch Release to diminish.
I'll teach you a combined ninjutsu. Use a top-tier Wind Release to make up for Scorch Release's lack of speed."
"A top-tier Wind Release?" Pakura said,
"The top-tier Wind Release techniques in the shinobi world are either in Sunagakure, or they are the ones mastered by Konoha's former advisor Danzo. Could it be..."
Pakura immediately guessed that Fox was going to teach her the Wind Release techniques of Konoha's Danzo.
"'Former advisor' is a good way to put it. He is indeed a former advisor," Yōkō said.
"This technique is called Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets. I believe it can help you."
After handing Pakura a scroll, Yōkō said, "I've been away from Konoha for too long and must return soon.
Pakura, once you return to Sunagakure, you must use Shukaku and the tea kettle to prevent the village from joining the anti-Konoha alliance."
"Alright, Fox."
Pakura wanted to say more, but Fox had already vanished in an instant.
Pakura opened the scroll Fox left for her, studying Vacuum Bullets as she made her way back to Sunagakure.
It took five days to reach the vicinity of Sunagakure. She lingered outside the village for another five days, finally mastering Vacuum Bullets.
A Scorch Release fireball hovered before Pakura. She formed the hand seals and used Vacuum Bullets.
Vacuum Bullets was a top-tier Wind Release technique. It compressed air with chakra, infused it with a sufficient amount of Wind Release chakra, and then expelled wind projectiles like bullets.
The Vacuum Bullets shot into the Scorch Release fireball, instantly producing a stream of Scorch Release bullets.
The Scorch Release bullets were far more destructive than the original Vacuum Bullets while retaining their greatest strength: speed.
Over a dozen Scorch Release Vacuum Bullets pierced through a thick sand wall.
And this was against a wall. If they hit a person, the effect was unimaginable.
Pakura named this technique Scorch Release: Scorching Jade.
If she continued developing it, merging the two steps of creating the Scorch Release fireball and performing Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets into one, directly expelling Scorching Jade from her mouth, the lethality of this technique would increase further.
Once she completed its development, the Scorching Jade technique would possess destructive power no less than an S-rank forbidden technique.
Coupled with the chakra stored in her Lozenge Seal, she truly had hope of breaking through the Elite Jōnin level and becoming a Kage-level ninja!
And don't forget, she also had an immortal body. Among Kage-level ninja, she wouldn't be weak.
Pakura stood at the narrow passage entrance to Sunagakure, the Bunpuku Tea Kettle on her back. She said to the guards:
"Notify the Kazekage Building. I have sealed Shukaku. Have the village elders decide quickly whether I am permitted to enter the village."
Not long after, many people emerged from the Kazekage Building.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. The three elders: Chiyo, Ebizō, and Matsu.
Elder Matsu, Rasa's confidant, leaned in and whispered, "What do we do, Lord Kazekage? Pakura actually has the strength to seal Shukaku alone?!"
Rasa frowned.
There were too many geniuses in Sunagakure. One misstep, and someone emerged who could threaten him, and was even younger than him.
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