No matter how great one's talent was, once the ceiling had been welded shut, that was the limit.
Akira didn't feel much regret about it. After all, that was just how the world worked—some people's fates were decided the moment they were born, impossible to rewrite.
At the center of the arena, Rock Lee and Gaara's battle was nothing short of earth-shattering. The ground looked as if it had been plowed over, shattered beyond recognition.
Even from a distance, one could feel the sheer ferocity crashing toward them.
Unfortunately, after all that struggle, the dark-ringed boy with the gourd still came out on top.
A jutsu like the Eight Gates—trading a thousand damage to the enemy for eight hundred to oneself—meant that once its duration ended, Lee was instantly swallowed by the backlash of excruciating pain, his body utterly wrecked.
Akira folded his arms, a faintly amused smile curling at his lips. "So far, that's the only fight that's managed to interest me."
He then turned to the one-eyed man beside him. "Kakashi-sensei, that thing on Sasuke's neck—what exactly is going on?"
Kakashi sighed, his gaze darkening. "Orochimaru's handiwork. That Cursed Seal is having a huge impact on Sasuke."
Akira's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes deepening. "I don't think it's that simple. Orochimaru risked sneaking into Konoha this time—causing chaos might just be a side objective. Taking Sasuke is probably the real goal. That guy is practically obsessed with the Sharingan."
Kakashi's brows knit tighter beneath his mask. "You're saying… he's after the Sharingan?"
"But he should already have quite a stockpile of Sharingan, shouldn't he?"
After all, Orochimaru had defected because of human experimentation—everyone knew his background.
Back then, Yamato had been the only survivor among countless test subjects.
If Orochimaru dared to experiment with something as difficult as Wood Style, there was no way he'd ignore the Uchiha's Sharingan.
Logically speaking, he must have collected quite a few already.
Akira shook his head, his gaze drifting into the distance. "Kakashi-sensei, do you remember I mentioned before that Orochimaru mastered a forbidden jutsu that lets him change bodies?"
Without waiting for a response, Akira dropped another bombshell.
"That jutsu forcibly takes over someone else's body, completely replacing them—even perfectly inheriting the host's kekkei genkai."
"So my guess is, what Orochimaru wants this time isn't just the eyes—it's Sasuke's living Uchiha body."
"Only with a pure Uchiha body, combined with those eyes, would he get the perfect vessel he's always dreamed of."
"Look at this time—he specifically targeted Sasuke, while completely ignoring Naruto, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. His intentions couldn't be more obvious."
"Logically speaking, Naruto—the equivalent of a nuclear deterrent—should be far more valuable."
"That alone proves it. Orochimaru came back for Sasuke."
"To be precise—he's craving Sasuke's Uchiha blood."
"As for the Cursed Seal he planted on Sasuke, it's probably similar to the one on Anko's neck. When it flares up, the pain is unbearable—but I think there's more to it."
"It's about controlling natural energy. I can clearly sense it—the seal acts like a pump, constantly drawing in natural energy from the surroundings."
"If Sasuke can control it, it's basically a shortcut to using natural energy."
"And compared to Anko's defective version, Sasuke's seal is on an entirely different level in terms of precision."
"Anko's just causes pain. Sasuke's does too—but it also comes with a boost in power."
Kakashi was stunned, his lone visible eye filled with shock. He had never considered any of this.
He only knew Orochimaru had ulterior motives—but as for what exactly those were, he hadn't been able to figure it out no matter how much he thought about it.
Now, after Akira's breakdown, everything suddenly became clear.
"At the moment, Sasuke is probably still resisting this power. But the moment he uses chakra, the seal will activate automatically—like a shark smelling blood."
Hearing this analysis, Kakashi felt a growing headache. "Looks like we'll have to find a way to seal it first."
Akira glanced at him and chuckled. "That won't work. Conventional sealing jutsus are useless against it. The Cursed Seal runs on natural energy—ordinary chakra can't suppress it."
"At best, you can temporarily restrain it. As long as Sasuke stays calm, it might hold. But if he gets emotional or exhausts his chakra, the seal will break through in minutes."
"On the other hand, if he can endure it, this seal could actually become a massive power-up for him."
"Of course, when it activates, the pain feels like your soul is being torn apart. Not something most people can endure—and it's pretty damaging to the body too, since natural energy is so violent."
Natural energy and the human body were inherently incompatible. It required immense mental strength and physical energy to balance it.
If perfectly fused, it would become the legendary Sage Chakra—but the difficulty was far too high. Sasuke definitely wasn't capable of that yet.
Akira kept that last part to himself.
Forcing the transformation into Sage power was like dancing on a razor's edge—one mistake and you'd either turn into stone or explode into pieces.
At worst, Sasuke would just suffer pain for now. But true Sage training? That could kill him.
Even Orochimaru himself hadn't fully mastered it—let alone Sasuke.
Kakashi found the explanation hard to follow. Even the concept of "natural energy" felt beyond him.
Minato had once mentioned it to him, but back then, he had been too young and arrogant to take it seriously.
"In that case, we'll just have to treat a dead horse like it's alive—seal it temporarily. At least stop him from rolling around in pain every time he uses a bit of chakra."
Akira nodded casually. "That's manageable."
By then, the match below had ended. Kakashi looked at Lee being carried away on a stretcher, frowning deeply. "That kid Gaara… went way too far."
Akira glanced at the unconscious bushy-browed boy, and at Guy rushing over in tears. His tone was eerily calm.
"Can't be helped. As long as the referee didn't call a stop, anything he did within the rules—even killing—would've been justified."
"Still, Kakashi-sensei, didn't you notice something strange about Gaara's power?"
Kakashi froze, staring for a while but finding nothing unusual—aside from the fact that Suna ninja using sand wasn't exactly surprising.
Well… except for carrying around a giant gourd full of sand everywhere.
Akira didn't explicitly mention Shukaku.
"I can't pinpoint it, but something feels off. It's like there's a beast sealed inside him. Even his sand feels unnaturally alive. Probably some special bloodline or secret jutsu."
Kakashi relaxed slightly after hearing that. The Kazekage's son having unique abilities wasn't unusual.
Akira chuckled inwardly. Kakashi was still too straightforward—he hadn't even considered the possibility of a jinchūriki.
Akira didn't intend to say more either. He didn't want his "butterfly effect" to alter the course of the Chūnin Exams.
In his view, the Third Hokage's eventual "heroic death" while protecting the village was actually the best outcome.
When Tsunade returned to take over, life would be much more comfortable for him.
At the very least, he wouldn't have to deal with the Third Hokage's calculating gaze all the time.
Tsunade's leadership style was more open—and more human.
So Akira made up his mind: he wouldn't interfere with how events unfolded.
After a long and exhausting day, the preliminary matches finally came to an end. Aside from Akira, everyone else was worn out and injured to varying degrees.
As the crowd dispersed, Akira remained as calm as ever. Meanwhile, after announcing the finalists, the Third Hokage cast him a meaningful glance.
The old man was under immense pressure. Orochimaru's sudden reappearance—his intentions unclear—was like a sword hanging over Konoha's head.
In his eyes, Akira's unfathomable strength was one of Konoha's hidden trump cards.
Right now, Konoha's high-end combat power was stretched thin. There were only a handful of truly capable jōnin.
Kakashi, Asuma, Guy, Kurenai, and Yamato—at most, five people who could hold the line.
The rest were either clan heads coasting through life, long since retired to the background…
Or special jōnin with niche abilities, who wouldn't stand up in real combat.
And on top of that, there was still Danzō—the old schemer—to keep in check.
The Third Hokage had very few cards left he could actually play against Orochimaru.
Moreover, the Third Hokage knew Orochimaru's strength all too well. Even with his own aging body, he wasn't confident he could win. Having someone like Akira—who possessed jōnin-level combat power—would significantly increase their odds.
At this point, all he could do was hope that Akira would rapidly grow through this crisis. Only now did he truly feel the painful weight of losing the Fourth Hokage.
Surprisingly, both the Third Hokage and Kakashi shared the same thought—they hoped Akira could become the next Minato Namikaze, someone who could quickly step up and hold the crumbling sky over Konoha.
Otherwise, relying solely on Kakashi—the strongest jōnin at present—to face a monster like Orochimaru was practically sending him to his death.
As for the legendary Tsunade and Jiraiya—who knew which casino or bathhouse those two free spirits were wandering in now?
Jiraiya was elusive as ever, appearing and disappearing like a phantom, while Tsunade suffered from hemophobia. In a real fight, she'd be reduced to a super healer with near-zero combat capability.
So the Third Hokage had placed all his hopes on Akira. In fact, his expectations for him now even surpassed those he once had for Kakashi.
Looking across all of Konoha, the only one with a real chance of reaching Kage-level in the near future was this single "seedling"—Akira.
If the Third Hokage were ten years younger, he wouldn't be this anxious. But at 69, even forming hand seals would soon become difficult for him.
If Konoha still lacked a Kage-level powerhouse by then, it would become easy prey in the eyes of surrounding villages—something everyone would want to take a bite out of.
Even if they survived Orochimaru this time, without that level of deterrence, internal and external crises would inevitably erupt.
Kakashi, for all his strengths, had one flaw—his growth had slowed. Despite being in his prime, his strength was stuck at the elite jōnin bottleneck.
That level was more than enough for a squad leader, but to serve as Hokage and stabilize the village? It fell just short.
Forget repelling foreign threats—whether he could even keep the village elders in check was questionable.
That was why the Third Hokage had long trained Kakashi as a successor, yet never handed him the Hokage's hat.
Back then, Minato had risen to power in his early twenties—not just because of his achievements, but because he possessed undeniable Kage-level strength. Who would dare object?
Even so, Minato had struggled under pressure from the higher-ups, let alone Kakashi now.
But Akira gave the Third Hokage a glimmer of hope in the midst of despair—this kid had actually mastered the Flying Raijin Jutsu.
That was the signature jutsu of the Yellow Flash. With that ability alone, Akira was guaranteed to reach Kage-level within five years.
At that point, Kakashi could temporarily serve as the Fifth Hokage while Akira gained experience as his aide. Then the position of Sixth Hokage would be secure.
After all, Akira was Kakashi's direct disciple—politically clean and perfectly legitimate.
These kinds of long-term plans were something only an aging Third Hokage would dwell on. He had no choice but to pave the way for Konoha's future.
No sooner had the Third Hokage left than Akira was immediately grabbed by Kakashi.
Kakashi had just clashed with the bespectacled spy Kabuto on the rooftop and was still simmering with frustration.
Carrying the unconscious Sasuke, the two headed straight for the deepest part of the ANBU headquarters—the sealing chamber, where a powerful barrier was already in place.
Performing techniques there would double their effectiveness.
Inside the dimly lit sealing room, Akira stood quietly behind Sasuke, staring at the grotesque three-tomoe mark on the back of his neck.
He tilted his head slightly. "Kakashi-sensei, are we really sealing it completely?"
Kakashi nodded helplessly. "We have to. That thing's like a ticking time bomb. It causes intense pain whenever he uses chakra—how is Sasuke supposed to train otherwise?"
Akira shrugged. "Alright then. I'll handle the Evil Sealing Method."
"And while I'm at it, I'll clean up that filthy fragment of Orochimaru's soul hiding inside."
Kakashi didn't think too much of it and agreed immediately.
Sasuke was still unconscious, his face pale—clearly just dragged out of the hospital.
The Cursed Seal was like a virus, severely damaging the body's functions.
Standing behind him, Akira took a deep breath. His hands blurred through a rapid series of seals like fluttering butterflies.
"Evil Sealing Method—activate!"
As his fingers pressed firmly onto the center of the Cursed Seal, intricate black markings spread across the ground, writhing like living snakes as they slithered toward Sasuke's neck.
The moment the seal tightened, the intense pain jolted Sasuke awake.
"AAARGH—!"
His scream echoed through the chamber, but under the barrier's suppression, he couldn't move at all.
When three layers of sealing patterns fully formed and locked the Cursed Seal in place, Sasuke's pig-slaughtering cries finally ceased.
But Akira had no intention of stopping.
His gaze turned cold.
Freeing one hand, he formed a strange seal.
"Spirit Extraction Seal!"
His palm twisted into a claw-like shape, crackling with blinding blue-white lightning. The electricity writhed like living creatures as it burrowed into the Cursed Seal.
The next moment, a horrifying sight unfolded—
A slimy little white snake was forcibly dragged out from the seal by the lightning.
It writhed violently, struggling to break free, but to no avail.
Akira snapped his hand back, forming another set of seals, his voice low and sharp.
"Soul Annihilation Jutsu!"
Before the snake could escape, a cage of lightning materialized midair, trapping it completely.
It slammed itself against the electric barrier again and again, each time being scorched black and flung back.
"Hisssss—!"
The snake let out a venomous hiss at Akira, sending chills down the spine.
Even Kakashi—well-traveled and experienced—was stunned. "Th-This… is that the manifestation of Orochimaru's soul? Just looking at it makes my head spin…"
He had only glanced at it for a second before feeling dizzy, as if caught in a genjutsu.
This was actually a fragment of Orochimaru's soul infused with Ryūchi Cave's senjutsu chakra, carrying a powerful mental attack.
So Kakashi being affected was hardly surprising.
Akira, however, remained completely unfazed, continuing his hand seals expressionlessly.
The Soul Annihilation Jutsu was a ruthless move—designed specifically to destroy souls. Compared to the Reaper Death Seal, which merely consumed, this was outright annihilation.
Because of its immense power, the hand seals were extremely complex.
After a full ten seconds, lightning erupted from Akira's body, turning him into a blazing sphere of light.
The lightning cage resonated with the electricity surrounding him.
Akira's lips parted slightly as he uttered a single, cold word:
"Erase."
As if reality itself obeyed, the crackling cage exploded instantly. Countless bolts of violent lightning swallowed the white snake whole—leaving not even ashes behind.
Kakashi's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Th-This… you came up with this forbidden jutsu yourself?!"
He could hardly believe it—there existed a jutsu that could obliterate a soul outright.
Even across the entire history of the ninja world, there were barely any jutsu of this level.
When the jutsu ended, Akira exhaled deeply, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead. "Not something I just 'came up with.' I specifically developed it to deal with soul-based entities—especially freaks who like to play with souls."
"But it consumes an absurd amount of chakra, and the difficulty is hell-level. Even if others learned it, it'd be useless."
Seeing Akira slightly fatigued, Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. "I can tell. Aside from when you first started learning ninjutsu, I've never seen you this drained."
Akira couldn't help but complain internally—this jutsu was ridiculously demanding. It was even more troublesome than the Reaper Death Seal, and the chakra consumption was astronomical.
Fortunately, his soul strength was abnormal enough that he didn't have to sacrifice his life like with the Reaper Death Seal.
But the amount of chakra drained in that instant was at least ten times that of the Reaper Death Seal.
After all, one sealed—this one completely annihilated. The energy required wasn't even on the same level.
This jutsu had originally been tailor-made as a "welcome gift" for Orochimaru.
The only problem was the absurd cost—using it once could drain the entire chakra reserves of a Kage-level powerhouse.
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