Sage Art: Transmission of the Distant Shadow.
In the original story, this technique was wielded by Kabuto Yakushi. He had integrated the cells of Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and the Sound Five into his own body. Using Sakon and Ukon's Kekkei Genkai, Attack of the Twin Demons, he could manifest these individuals from his body, allowing their cells to travel freely and their limbs to strike from any angle.
More importantly, when combined with this Sage Art, it allowed Kabuto to use any technique or Kekkei Genkai belonging to the original owners of those cells. Theoretically, there was no jutsu he couldn't perform.
Of course, that was only in theory. Otherwise, Kabuto—who possessed the cells of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju—would have simply fused them all and become an unstoppable god during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The limitation lay in the mechanism of the technique itself. After thoroughly reading the contents of the Sage Art in his mind, Ren finally understood its true purpose.
This technique was created by the White Snake Sage for a single, dark reason: once it successfully cultivated the Yin-Release Senjutsu that surpassed ordinary snake arts, it would use this "substitution" method to steal the fallen body of the Ryūmyaku (Dragon Vein).
By uniting Yin and Yang, the snake would become a Dragon and ascend to godhood.
In other words, this was a sinister technique for "Body Snatching." It allowed the weak to replace or control the strong.
To perform it, one first needed a profound understanding of the target's body. Kabuto succeeded because his targets were Orochimaru's test subjects, and as Orochimaru's right hand, he had easy access to their data. Even then, fusing Hashirama's cells nearly killed him on the spot. Fusing with anyone stronger would almost certainly lead to a violent backlash.
Danzo, for example, had to literally "lock" his arm of Sharingan and Hashirama cells; the moment his focus wavered in battle, he risked turning into a giant oak tree. While discarding humanity could raise one's ceiling, in a world ruled by bloodlines, that ceiling still had a limit.
Kabuto's version of this Sage Art was essentially a loophole. He used science to fuse cells, the Sage Art to suppress the side effects, and the Twin Demons technique to manifest the power. It was a crude, imperfect imitation of the "master of all jutsu" state Orochimaru actually desired. This was why the resurrected Orochimaru immediately abandoned that path upon seeing Kabuto—it was a product of a twisted psyche, far removed from true mastery.
In Ren's case, the true effect of Transmission of the Distant Shadow was to suppress and control the "alienated persona" born from the side effects of using the Dragon-style Sage Art.
Of course, these were conclusions Ren could only draw because he had read the original story!
To anyone else, the White Snake Sage would seem like a benevolent grandmother, gifting him a technique to help manage his inner darkness.
Ren let out a cold, mocking laugh. He watched his left hand—still controlled by the "Dragon" persona—mechanically recording the technique on the desk.
"You specifically gave me this art so I would 'control' the darkness instead of killing it..."
"So, is it me controlling this Dragon persona, or is the persona slowly taking control of me? And this alienated personality born from Ryūchi Cave... who is really pulling the strings from behind the scenes?"
A deep, murderous chill flashed in Ren's eyes.
"White Snake Sage, you have already found your path to death!"
Ren might act like a hot-blooded idiot sometimes—and he often felt his own IQ was lacking—but that was because the people around him usually approached him with genuine intent. Hidan, Shinno, Terumī Mei, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Setsuna, and Shisui... it was their help that had brought him this far, and he repaid them with sincerity.
But for a "bad seed" who acted for his own good while harboring a stomach full of poison? Ren, who possessed the "dimensional strike" of future knowledge, saw right through it.
"Hmph!"
Ren snorted, instantly flaring the Curse Mark on his neck to refine Sage Chakra. He activated the Transmission of the Distant Shadow, his snake-slitted Sharingan flashing crimson.
In an instant, he reclaimed control of his left arm and suppressed the alienated persona within his mental landscape!
"It might be a low-class snatching technique, but I have to admit, it's quite effective at suppressing secondary personalities."
As a side effect of having an "extra brain" in his mental space, Ren realized he had gained a unique ability: [Dual-Tasking].
With full control of his body restored, Ren grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and used a brush to transcribe the full text of the White Snake Sage's secret art. He then sealed it in an envelope.
His plan to kill the White Snake Sage was simple. In layman's terms: he was going to snitch to his teacher! He was the student telling the principal that the substitute teacher was trying to steal his lunch money.
He would write a letter to his dear teacher, Orochimaru, detailing everything. In return, he would ask for one specific technique: Living Corpse Reincarnation (Fushi Tensei)!
As far as body-snatching went, Orochimaru's "True Immortality" was far more refined and brutal than the White Snake's Sage Art. The strong suppresses the weak and devours everything—body, memories, jutsu, and bloodlines. The winner takes all. In the original story, Sasuke used his Sharingan to defeat a weakened Orochimaru within his own mental world, seizing his power.
Ren smirked, touching his eyes and then glancing at the golden skill etched into his soul on his status panel: [Talent: Combat Intuition (S+)].
"You want to snatch my body, you old lizard?"
"Then come and try. Let's see who ends up devouring whom!"
Having a plan and the means to execute it brought a sense of calm. Ren licked his lips, his crimson snake-eyes narrowing. He had just realized a very interesting possibility.
If he defeated the White Snake Sage using Living Corpse Reincarnation and then used Transmission of the Distant Shadow to control the resulting power with his [Dual-Tasking] ability, he would gain a legendary skill:
[External Incarnation]!
He would have a secondary body with immeasurable Sage Chakra—a Sage Snake avatar as massive as a Tailed Beast!
"It seems the time-honored ninja tradition of 'killing the master' is something I simply must experience!"
Ren's lips curled into a freezing smile.
"White Snake Sage... let's play for a bit."
"I'll pluck your scales one by one before I'm through with you. I'll show you what it really looks like when the weak overcomes the strong!"
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