"What?!"
Tsunade shot to her feet, her expression twisting into something spectacularly complicated.
A human head—sealed directly inside a tank of nutrient solution—had been delivered straight to the ANBU Intelligence Division.
And the most terrifying part was—
It was still alive.
This was ridiculous.
Utterly absurd.
Tsunade simply couldn't reconcile this existence with any medical theory she knew.
"It's absolutely true," Ino said seriously as she stepped forward. "Yagyū Souma also left a note."
She handed it over.
Since mastering the Mind Body Disturbance Technique, Inoichi had begun grooming Ino for intelligence work, so she'd recently taken on more errand-like duties within the department.
Tsunade unfolded the note.
The content was brief and to the point:
Akatsuki member. Immortal body.
Body placed in the Forest of Death.
As long as nutrient solution is supplied, it will not die.
"…That brat."
Tsunade rubbed her temples.
Going off alone to pick a fight with Akatsuki—and coming back with experimental material to boot.
If she wasn't careful, this office desk might need replacing again.
Still—
Her gaze softened slightly.
That head… even from a medical standpoint, was priceless research material.
She exhaled slowly.
"Handle our own matters first," Tsunade muttered. "As for that kid…"
She glanced at the window.
"He's slipperier than a loach. He'll be fine."
Land of Rice Fields — Sound Village
Within the village, Yagyū Souma stood alone in an open training ground.
He raised both hands and formed seals.
A sharp column of water erupted from his mouth—
Slash!
Like a blade, it cut cleanly through every tree ahead.
Souma frowned slightly.
The power wasn't weak.
But it wasn't quite right either.
"It's still not suitable."
Large-scale ninjutsu simply didn't fit him.
Even if the range was wide, it still needed to hit.
He lowered his hands and fell into thought.
Recently, while experimenting with various enhancements, he'd noticed something subtle—almost easy to miss.
A faint feedback.
A direction.
Earlier, while working with the kikaichū and their chakra, he had unintentionally completed a step he'd never managed before.
Extraction of elemental nature.
His eyes narrowed.
"So that's it…"
Souma had never been able to naturally perform elemental transformation.
But through analysis → decomposition → absorption—
By breaking down external chakra and reconstituting it—
A new path had opened.
Not efficient.
Not large-scale.
But it existed.
And that alone was enough.
He recalled Kakuzu's masks.
Recalling the strange oil-based techniques from other villages.
"…Oil."
Fire Release combined with oil.
Cloud Village's lightning-enhancing oil-based body techniques.
And even certain niche techniques from minor villages.
Souma raised a hand again.
This time, instead of a large technique, he refined everything inward.
A faint, almost imperceptible change occurred.
Something warm.
Slick.
For a split second, he felt a strange sensation in his mouth—then it vanished.
But Souma's eyes lit up.
He immediately entered Sage Mode, synchronizing with the Insect King.
Then—
He visualized the Bodhi Seed.
On one of its leaves, a new pattern had appeared.
Not obvious.
Not dramatic.
But undeniably real.
"…So that's where the feedback went."
Souma let out a slow breath.
This wasn't a completed technique.
More like a progress bar stuck at ninety-nine percent.
Still—
It meant he was on the right path.
Oil-based enhancement wasn't meant for large-scale ninjutsu.
It was meant for—
Body techniques.
Sword techniques.
Close-range combat.
This fit him perfectly.
Behind him, the Nine-Tails tilted its head.
"Huh? Did you just get stronger again?"
"Maybe a little," Souma replied calmly.
"Oi! Don't say it like it's nothing!"
The Nine-Tails bristled.
Souma ignored it and turned, already making his decision.
He needed more data.
More reference material.
And—
More real combat testing.
"Next," he murmured, "I'll refine this using actual opponents."
Akatsuki.
Black market bounties.
And whatever came looking for him next.
His path was becoming clearer by the day.
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