For a ninja to be recognized as a "powerhouse," they must possess certain defining traits—abilities that grant them an unshakeable foothold in the shinobi world.
For Yūshin, neither the three White Zetsu abilities he'd accidentally acquired nor his current mastery of Water and Fire Release were sufficient to serve as such a foundation.
Just as his enemy had pointed out, without adequate fundamental strength, auxiliary techniques like the Mayfly Technique truly amounted to nothing more than parlor tricks.
As for Yūshin's Water and Fire Release, their applications were rather limited. Could his mastery of these elements truly surpass other ninja?
The answer was straightforward—one need only observe his mediocre chakra reserves to know such dominance was impossible.
Water Release at Tobirama Senju's level? Fire Release matching Madara Uchiha's prowess? Utterly inconceivable.
Fundamentally, it wasn't that Tobirama Senju's Water Release was inherently superior, nor that Madara Uchiha's Fire Release was unmatched by nature.
Rather, because Tobirama bore the Senju name, his Water Release could dominate the shinobi world; because Madara carried the Uchiha bloodline, his Fire Release could tower above all other fire-style practitioners.
Without that physical foundation, without such bloodline inheritance, one shouldn't dream of achieving transcendent jutsu mastery with ordinary chakra.
In essence, for Yūshin, if he sought an ability that would allow him to stand firm amid the shinobi world's chaos, then a chakra-fusion Kekkei Genkai was virtually his only option.
What about Sage Jutsu?
Frankly speaking, for a ninja at Yūshin's level, pursuing Sage Jutsu was akin to chasing an unattainable goddess—far too ethereal, so unrealistic it bordered on pure fantasy.
Setting aside the challenge of finding a master to guide his training... Mount Myōboku's gates weren't easily opened... The very foundation of Sage Jutsu required massive chakra reserves.
This basic prerequisite alone was enough to bar Yūshin at the threshold.
Even if, by some miracle, Yūshin gained the opportunity to study Sage Jutsu, the outcome would be predictable... The shinobi world would lose one virtuous ninja, and some sacred ground would gain another cold, lifeless toad statue.
Better to remain realistic and keep one's feet firmly planted on solid ground.
After mastering the nature transformations of both Fire and Water chakra, Yūshin naturally considered "fusing" these elements, hoping to achieve a Kekkei Genkai.
The problem was that such fusion was far from simple.
Consider this: if merely combining two different chakra natures could create special jutsu with effects far exceeding "1+1>2," then the shinobi world would be overrun with Kekkei Genkai users.
Even chakra-based Kekkei Genkai represented the culmination of countless predecessors' accumulated experience through relentless chakra development, achieved only under extraordinarily rare circumstances.
To a large extent, such developmental knowledge was irreproducible—encoded almost exclusively in ninja DNA, passed down through bloodlines and manifested throughout history.
This was essentially what "Kekkei Genkai" meant.
Yūshin attempted repeatedly to fuse Water and Fire chakra, but pursuing a Kekkei Genkai proved incredibly arduous—his experiments yielded virtually nothing... Water and Fire chakra were naturally antagonistic; what good could come from reckless mixing?
Blazing an unconventional path might theoretically lead to breakthrough, but only in theory.
Unable to achieve chakra nature fusion with his own body, Yūshin tried partially transforming into White Zetsu while keeping the other half normal, channeling Water chakra on one side and Fire chakra on the other—a forced combination.
Not only did he fail, but he nearly inflicted severe self-injury due to the conflicting natures.
Now, at this desperate moment, through sheer coincidence, Yūshin suddenly experienced an "epiphany"...
Well, not truly an epiphany—more like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.
Yūshin had never realized that compared to his naturally frail, mediocre body lacking any talent, the White Zetsu form, though equally lacking in raw strength, was actually an exceptional "vessel."
Humans processed by the Divine Tree were at minimum equivalent to "ginseng"—extraordinarily special "medicinal materials."
Because much of Yūshin's body had suffered severe trauma, and to alleviate and heal these wounds, most of his form was undergoing "White Zetsu transformation"—driven by unprecedented maximum chakra output—the transformed cells displayed remarkable vitality.
Under several coincidental factors, certain dormant properties within his White Zetsu cells were activated.
It seemed the White Zetsu body contained pre-existing "channels," and when the White Zetsu cells became hyperactive, these "channels" were stimulated into manifestation.
At this moment, when Yūshin guided his two chakra natures, they naturally flowed along these "channels" and merged.
Honestly, if asked how he managed to fuse the two natures, Yūshin still couldn't provide an answer.
The fusion process remained a "black box" to him—it simply happened to be buried within his body, allowing him to utilize it.
Regardless, by once again leveraging White Zetsu's hidden characteristics, Yūshin, cornered and desperate, suddenly underwent a metamorphosis.
Steam rising around his half-dead form on the ground made Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear grow wary.
Yet he wasn't wary enough.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the top floor of the keep instantly spider-webbed with cracks. The tremendous force transmitted downward through the lower levels and deep into the foundation, the violent impact causing the entire fortress to shudder.
Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear narrowed his eyes, his expression filled with shock.
He'd been watching Yūshin continuously, yet now found his opponent's figure had simply vanished.
Movement beyond imagination stirred the surrounding air currents, and Ryo's gaze instinctively followed the violently swirling steam...
Another deafening crash—Yūshin's feet struck the room's side wall.
He appeared even more battered and wretched than before. One arm hung uselessly as if broken, and his wall-perched posture looked awkward—almost like squatting over a toilet, utterly undignified.
But Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear had no mind for Yūshin's posture now; his eyes were locked on Yūshin's other arm.
That right arm had pierced into the wall.
Looking closer, his fingers formed a blade, the tips having penetrated a pale mask.
Beneath the mask lay a beating heart; the foreign intrusion made it pump faster and faster until it finally lacked strength for another beat.
Massive amounts of chakra from the heart flowed through Yūshin's arm into his body—part continuing to repair his injuries, the rest becoming "fuel" for his new jutsu.
The Kekkei Genkai formed by combining Water and Fire chakra should be Boil Release.
Boil Release could elevate the user's chakra to a boiling state, granting explosive power far beyond imagination... Right now, Yūshin resembled a pressure cooker—as long as chakra sustained him, he could unleash monstrous strength.
In a sense, Yūshin had finally realized his aspiration...
This was the "deceptively simple" technique he'd always pursued—that kind of "basic attack interwoven with normal strikes."
🔥 Want to read the next 20 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]