Nighttime. With painful growls echoing around them, everyone's mood shifted nervously.
Eventually, the growls faded into silence.
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Mizuki stepped out from the temporary medical tent.
Asuma rushed forward, scanning him up and down. "Huh? Why does it seem like you didn't get uglier at all? Could it be because you were already so ugly to begin with, making further ugliness less noticeable?"
Mizuki gave him a sidelong glare. "Fool! He's just an ordinary ninja who started halfway through life. Of course, the surgery results couldn't compare to Seiki."
Asuma stared dumbfounded. "So you're saying that Shimon Hiruko's monstrous appearance was entirely self-inflicted? Then the [Chimera Technique] probably doesn't actually have much of a disfiguring side effect?"
"Perhaps."
"What a shame!"
"If you really want modifications, since we're still in the middle of war, capture a few enemy Kekkei users and let Seiki work on you. But don't say I didn't warn you—what'll happen if you can't endure it? I can't guarantee!" As he spoke, Mizuki's eyes showed a trace of lingering fear.
Possibly due to prior Wood Release transplantation, the rejection during these two new Kekkei transplants had been abnormally intense. At the time, his body had nearly collapsed, causing even his immense endurance to cry out painfully.
Recalling Mizuki's earlier screams, Asuma immediately lost his enthusiasm.
He knew how strong-willed Mizuki was. If even he had almost failed to withstand it, Asuma's chances clearly weren't very promising.
"Indeed, this time I was somewhat reckless," Seiki emerged a few steps behind Mizuki, speaking gravely. "The rejection from transplanting one Kekkei is still within an acceptable range, but simultaneous introduction of two creates enormous physical burden. One misstep could lead to genetic collapse, turning you into something like Shimon Hiruko. It's only because Mizuki has Sage Mode that I dared attempt it at all!"
Kakashi touched his left eye, empathetically adding, "According to sempai's explanation, my Sharingan qualifies as perfectly compatible. Yet even so, there's still the flaw of being unable to shut it off voluntarily. That just goes to show how risky Kekkei transplantation really is!"
"Haha, then I think I'll pass," Asuma chuckled awkwardly, quickly changing the subject. "By the way, Mizuki, how do you feel now? Can those two Kekkeis function normally?"
"Perfectly!" Mizuki gazed at his own hands, eyes full of awe. "This feeling of power is truly intoxicating!"
He'd been holding back for far too long. He had a powerful Kekkei like Wood Release, but hesitated to use it. And despite possessing Sage Mode, its long activation time and short duration made it unreliable in battle—it had been difficult to apply effectively in warfare.
Now everything had changed—he finally obtained strength truly matching his aspirations!
While both Kekkeis were defensive in nature, at least they could buy him enough time to activate Sage Mode.
"While Kekkei powers are indeed formidable, don't become overly reliant on them," Seiki earnestly warned beside him. "[Yin Release] and Steel Release aren't passive abilities. If the enemy's attack surpasses your jutsu-casting speed, these Kekkeis would struggle to play any real role!"
Hearing Seiki's warning, Mizuki calmed down from his excitement.
Indeed, wasn't Shimon Hiruko himself the best proof of that?
When facing an unreasonable powerhouse like Seiki, even the most insoluble abilities could be cracked through brute force!
In the end, becoming stronger was the only thing that really mattered!
Mizuki solemnly nodded his head. "I understand. My current strength is still far from being able to help you, Seiki!"
Asuma's tone carried a slight sourness. "Even so, your improvement this time has been enormous. With these two Kekkei working together, most Jonin wouldn't stand a chance against you!"
"Don't exaggerate," Mizuki replied calmly and clearly. "At most I can only fight evenly with enemies; they can't do anything to me, but I can't easily defeat them either."
Shizune nodded thoughtfully. "That's true too. After all, your Sage Mode requires some preparation time. Once enemies realize they can't beat you, they won't foolishly stay around waiting for you to unleash big moves."
Kurenai smiled with her hands behind her back. "Still, it's not bad. At least now we've got someone like you to draw enemy fire—call it being the distraction, if you will. Makes missions way easier."
Mizuki's face darkened. Those powers he'd endured so much to gain weren't just for soaking up damage!
Kakashi spoke up beside them, "You now possess two Kekkei. To achieve the ultimate form Shimon described, you still need three more. You must hurry. If you miss this war, it'll be hard to find opportunities to capture enemy Kekkei users again."
No one seemed particularly surprised at Kakashi's words.
Just like Ao from Mist acquiring the Byakugan through transplantation, collecting spoils from the battlefield was perfectly reasonable behavior.
The main reason Shimon Hiruko was under bounty from Mist was because he had attacked fellow village ninja.
Three should have been correct... Mizuki muttered inwardly before calmly stating, "Achieving the ultimate form requires fulfilling the Heaven, Earth, and Humanity conditions mentioned by Shimon. Humanity represents five Kekkei Genkai, Earth refers to Mount Sumi, and Heaven corresponds to the astronomical phenomenon of the Golden Halo Eclipse."
"Although there are usually two to five eclipses each year, witnessing one specifically on Mount Sumi is an extremely rare astronomical event due to its unique position. The next opportunity won't arrive until more than a decade later."
"A whole decade?!" Rin exclaimed. "That long?"
Mizuki nodded. "Precisely because there's still plenty of time before the ritual, Shimon didn't take Kakashi away the first time, choosing instead to let him act as a cultivation host for nurturing the Sharingan."
"On the bright side, with such ample time, we can carefully select suitable Kekkei Genkai." Kurenai slightly nodded in agreement.
"Carefully selecting appropriate Kekkei, huh?" Asuma rubbed his chin. "If it were Old Man Hiruzen, he'd probably go with the Transparent Escape technique."
"The Transparent Escape technique?" Rin looked puzzled. "While invisibility is indeed powerful, shouldn't someone at Hokage-sama's level easily sense an enemy's presence anyway?"
Asuma winked suggestively. "Wasting Transparent Escape purely on fighting would be such a waste!"
"For intelligence gathering then?"
"Rin tilted her head sideways. 'But does Hokage-sama really need...'
Seeing Rin wanted to ask more, Kakashi coughed twice. 'Let's stop here. It's getting late. Everyone should go back and rest early.'
As he spoke, he shot a sharp glare at Asuma.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Asuma scratched his nose with an embarrassed smile. 'Haha, I guess I am a bit tired after all!'
'Eh? I haven't finished asking yet!' Rin muttered under her breath as everyone began setting up their tents for the night.
Seiki walked toward the tent where the surgery had taken place earlier. 'You guys sleep first. I'll go find a place to bury Shimon Hiruko.'
No one was worried; given Seiki's strength, there was no way he'd run into any trouble.
If he did run into enemies, the ones in danger would be his enemies.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>