Items in hand, next target

Chapter 246 Items in hand, next target

"Your companion, the one named Izumi." Yotsuba slowly placed a huge arm on his knee.

He tapped his fingertip lightly on the rock, the sound dull and muffled like a drumbeat. "He wants to study the regeneration mechanism of the tailed beasts. Do you know what that means?"

"He wanted to pursue some form of immortality," Shisui said. "But he told me that what he wanted was not immortality, but the ability to be re-formed after death—like a tailed beast, with complete memories and consciousness."

"Complete." Yotsuba repeated the word, his lips slightly parted to reveal two huge canine teeth.

That wasn't laughter; it was savoring the weight of the word. "Does he even know what 'whole' means?"

"The resurrection of a Tailed Beast does indeed come with complete memories and consciousness. But with each resurrection, something is lost, something that humans may not be able to perceive."

"For example, feelings towards the previous generation of humans. For example, the shape of a volcano that you particularly like. For example, a trivial remark you made with the Sage of Six Paths."

"These things will become blurry when they are resurrected, like paper that has been soaked in water for too long."

"We don't care because we've lived too long and don't care about these details."

"But humans are different. Once human memories are lost, they can never be regained. Your souls are too short."

Shisui went over this information in his mind; Izumi hadn't told him about it.

Perhaps Izumikawa knows, perhaps Izumikawa doesn't, perhaps Izumikawa knows but doesn't think it matters.

But the detail Yotsuba mentioned was far more important than he had anticipated.

The fading of memories and the dilution of emotions are subtle losses inherent in the resurrection of tailed beasts.

So, how much of the original self-awareness will Izumikawa retain after his resurrection as the "complete self" he pursues?

This is a question that needs to be verified. But not now.

"I will pass this on to him," Shisui said. "However, given his personality, he will probably conduct the experiment first and then consider the risks."

"Just tell him." Yotsuba placed his other arm on his knee as well, with both arms resting on his knees at the same time.

His posture became more like that of an old man sitting on a park bench chatting.

"I have lived for a thousand years and have seen more than just you as an Uchiha."

"Your people all have a special quality: once you've made up your mind about something, nothing can change it."

"If your companion also has this kind of personality, then I can understand why you are willing to follow behind him and help him clean up the mess."

Shisui did not deny it. He thought of Itachi, Sasuke, and the old men in the clan's territory who never bowed their heads.

The Uchiha clan's stubbornness was ingrained in their blood, and he himself was no exception.

"Alright." The Four-Tails stretched out one of its huge hands, palm up, in front of Shisui.

That hand was as big as a table, and the skin on its palm was rough like the surface of a rock.

But at the very center of the palm lines, a ball of dark red chakra was slowly gathering.

That chakra was different from the one that Rōshi had previously condensed in the real world.

It is purer and more original, without being filtered and transformed by the Jinchuriki's meridians; it is the primordial chakra directly separated from the core of the Tailed Beast.

Its color is the dark red of magma, but quite restrained, as if magma is breathing.

The surrounding air was violently distorted and deformed under its radiation, and Zhi Shui could feel the rock and soil beneath his feet getting slightly hot.

"Here's your chakra. Consider it a thank you for keeping me company during this chat." The Four-Tails slowly lowered its hand, presenting the ball of chakra in its palm to Shisui.

Chakra swirled slowly in the lines of its palm, like a miniature star. "It's been a long time since I've talked to a human for this long."

"Old Zi is a good companion, but he doesn't talk much. You don't talk much either, but what you say doesn't bother me."

The scorching air within the sealed space dissipated the instant the seal was severed.

Shisui opened his eyes, and the dark red light of the crater flooded his vision again, along with the smell of sulfur, the hot wind, and the rough texture of the volcanic rock beneath his feet.

All his senses in the real world reactivated at the same moment, and his right hand remained in a palm-up position.

The chakra brought out from the sealed space was hovering three inches above his palm, slowly rotating.

Its temperature had become much lower than when the Four-Tails was given to him, and its dark red light flickered rhythmically, as if it were breathing.

Old Purple's own light landed on the ball of chakra, lingered for two seconds, then he slowly nodded, his expression not changing much, but the fingers resting on his knees loosened slightly. "The Four-Tails gave it to you. What did it say to you?"

"It said a lot." Shisui carefully put the ball of chakra into his sleeve, his movements very gentle, as if afraid of breaking something fragile. "It said you don't talk much, but it doesn't find what you say annoying. Those are its exact words."

Old Purple paused for a moment, then a very faint smile appeared on its lips. "It rarely praises people."

He stood up from the volcanic rock, brushed the volcanic ash off his monk's robe, and said, "You've obtained the chakra. You've also fulfilled my conditions. As agreed, this matter ends here."

Shisui nodded, then turned to Izumi. "The Yotsuba asked me to tell you something."

He repeated exactly what the Four-Tails said about the memory becoming blurred after being resurrected.

The dilution of emotions, the loss of details, those memories softened by time.

Izumi leaned against the volcanic rock, listening intently, his expression gradually shifting from nonchalant to a more focused silence.

After Zhishui finished speaking, he did not respond immediately, but simply lowered his hands from his chest, his right hand unconsciously rubbing the fabric at the edge of his sleeve.

"My memory is hazy." He repeated the word, as if savoring its weight, and then the same unchanging smile returned to the corners of his mouth.

But this time the smile was a little shallower than usual, and it didn't reach his eyes. "It doesn't matter if a thousand-year-old tailed beast loses a few details—"

"Human lifespan is only a few decades, and we already have limited memories. If we lose even a little, we'll have nothing left. That's a problem."

He straightened up from the volcanic rock, removed his hands from his sleeves, and his tone returned to its usual nonchalant tone. "But problems are meant to be solved. I'll write this down and talk about it later."

Masami didn't press the matter. He knew that when Izumi said "write it down first," it meant that the question had already been added to the huge information database in his mind, and would be brought up again and scrutinized repeatedly some night.

Izumi is a man who never makes promises to solve anything lightly, but he also doesn't easily forget any details he considers worth noting.

Izumi walked towards Old Purple. Old Purple was still sitting on that volcanic rock, his hands forming a cultivation mudra, his posture exactly the same as when Shisui first saw him.

Izumi stopped three steps in front of him, took out a sealing jar from his sleeve, and transferred the ball of Four-Tails chakra in Shisui's hand to the jar and sealed it inside.

The crimson light flickered on the transparent jar wall for a moment, then settled down, like a lamp that had been dimmed.

"The Lava Release chakra has a very high degree of attribute complexity." Izumi looked down at the slowly rotating chakra in the jar, his tone as if he were evaluating the quality of a piece of ore.

"The fusion of fire and earth is not a simple superposition, but rather produces new chemical properties—high temperature, high pressure, and fluidity."

"This combination method is different from Dust Release. Dust Release is a balance of three nature transformations, while Lava Release is a deep fusion of two nature transformations. Interesting."

He put the sealing jar into his sleeve, then looked up at Rōshi. "Was your Lava Release granted by the Four-Tails, or did you develop it yourself?"

Old Zi remained silent for a moment, seemingly surprised by the question, but quickly regained his old monk-like composure.

"The Four-Tails gave me the foundation for Lava Release's nature transformation, but the specific techniques—such as the Scorching River Flame and the Granite Wall—were developed by myself. The Tailed Beasts give you seeds; how you plant them is your own business."

"Hmm." Izumi nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Izumikawa put the sealing jar into his sleeve, turned around and took a few steps toward the skeletal dragon, then suddenly stopped.

He turned his head, his white hair slipping down his shoulder, revealing half of his profile, and his Byakugan and Sharingan gazes simultaneously fell on Rōshi.

"By the way, there's something I wanted to ask you." His tone was casual, as if he were chatting about everyday things. "Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. How much do you know about him?"

Old Zi was about to sit back on the volcanic rock when he heard this name and paused for a moment.

He slowly straightened up, his gaze lingering on Izumi's face for a few moments, then sat back down and spoke calmly, "Han. Is he your next target?"

"Yes." Izumi didn't deny it. "There are two tailed beast jinchūriki within the Land of Earth. The Four-Tails is you, and the Five-Tails is Han."

"Intelligence indicates that he is also active outside the village, and his whereabouts are uncertain, but we have some clues. Since you are from Iwagakure, you should know something about him."

Old Zi remained silent for a moment, then looked out over the edge of the crater and gazed at the distant loess plateau, which was tinged silver-gray by the moonlight.

A night breeze blew from the direction of the plateau, causing the hem of his monk's robe to sway slightly.

"Han." He repeated the name, his tone devoid of much emotion, but not entirely indifferent either; it was more like a distant recollection.

"I'm not very familiar with him. He's the Five-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, and he's a bit younger than me."

He is very tall and taciturn; he probably speaks less than I do all year round.

"When I was in Iwagakure, I only spoke to him a few times—mostly at the routine meetings of the Jinchuriki, or during the Tailed Beast training sessions convened by Onoki."

He paused, as if recalling a specific scene. "His fighting style is different from mine. My Lava Release is a wide-range, head-on crushing attack."

"His Boil Release is a point-to-point, instantaneous burst. Boil Release chakra can generate high-temperature steam on the surface of the body to accelerate."

"It's not the kind of explosive power like the Body Flicker Technique, but rather it uses steam jets to propel the body at extremely high linear speeds."

"He has a technique called Steam Crisis, which condenses Boil Release chakra into a single point and releases it instantly. Its power is no less than Lava Release's Scorching River Eruption, but it's more concentrated and doesn't spread."

"The steam from the Boiling Escape is accelerating." Izumi repeated the word, his right white eye slightly narrowed, as if he were drawing up some kind of mechanical model in his mind.

"The reaction force of the steam eruption propels the body, and the acceleration depends on the ratio of steam pressure to body mass. How much does he weigh?"

Old Purple glanced at him, somewhat surprised by this sudden technical question, but still answered: "He is very tall, probably a little over two meters, and his weight is considered heavy among the Jonin of Iwagakure."

"But the power of the Boil Release steam eruption was enough to propel his body to a speed exceeding that of the Body Flicker Technique."

"Beyond the Body Flicker Technique." Izumi's lips curled up slightly, the curve carrying a hint of finding an interesting toy. "In other words, he might be faster than you in straight-line acceleration."

"Much faster than me." Lao Zi frankly admitted, "My Lava Release emphasizes attack over speed, while Han's Boiling Release emphasizes both speed and explosiveness."

"If you're going to find him, you'd better be prepared for a high-speed battle."

"He's different from the Yugito you dealt with before. The Yugito is all-around, capable of offense, defense, and ranged attacks."

"Han's fighting style is more direct: close in at high speed, kill in one blow, and then escape at high speed. He won't fight a protracted battle with you."

Izumi nodded, storing all this information into his mind.

He quickly compared Han and Yugito in his mind. Yugito's fighting style was a combination of offense and defense. After fully transforming into a tailed beast, he was huge and suitable for crushing opponents head-on.

However, its large size also means slower turning speed, making it vulnerable to high-speed roaming tactics.

Han, on the other hand, is the opposite: highly mobile, high burst damage, and low sustained damage. His combat logic is to end the battle in the shortest time and in the most efficient way.

The weakness of this fighting style is its high energy consumption; the steam eruption requires a large amount of chakra to continuously heat the body's surface.

Once the battle becomes protracted, his boiling efficiency will drop sharply.

"What's his personality like?" Shisui asked seriously from the side. "Not his fighting style, but his character."

Will he listen to others? Or will he, like Yugito, fight first and then talk?

Old Zi remained silent for a while, this silence being longer than before, as if he was weighing how to phrase his words so as not to give the wrong guidance.

Finally, he slowly spoke: "I am not very familiar with Han, but I know that he is different from other Jinchūriki."

"Yugito is an elite of Kumogakure. He is very clear about his stance. If he rejects you, he rejects you without saying another word."

"Han—he's a man who wears armor. You can hardly know what he's thinking."

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"Armor?" Shisui frowned slightly.

"It's not a metaphor." Old Zi shook his head slightly. "He always wears a red steam armor that covers him from head to toe, including most of his face."

"That armor is a circulation device for Boil Release chakra, which can convert excess steam pressure in his body into defensive power."

,

"When I was in Iwagakure, I rarely saw him take off his armor. He wore it to meetings, training sessions, and even while eating. Some people said he didn't even take it off when he slept."

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