Double Chapter Today!! Send in 'em power stones muhahaha
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At Shikkotsu Forest, Natsuro had returned once again and glanced at the still-slumbering Slug Sage.
Both he and the Slug Sage were already very familiar with each other.
In the past, whenever Natsuro arrived, even if the Slug Sage's main body didn't wake up, it would still split off a clone to greet him.
However, now that they were accustomed to each other, his arrival didn't affect the Slug Sage at all, it continued to sleep as usual.
He had no intention of disturbing it either. He went to his usual training spot, sat down cross-legged, and entered a meditative state.
In reality, training didn't require any specific posture, but since it was a serious endeavor, lying down just didn't seem right.So, he opted for the most common meditation posture often seen in TV shows and novels.
Moments later, Natsuro entered Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest and began recalling the Swift Release used by Hiruko.
A Kekkei Genkai combining Lightning Release and Wind Release.
Natsuro slowly gathered Wind Release and Lightning Release chakra within his body, then attempted to fuse them according to his perception of Hiruko's Swift Release.
Almost the instant the two natures fused, he felt a strong sense of rejection and tearing pain.
Fortunately, thanks to Sage Mode, this kind of injury wasn't a problem for him at all. His current regeneration rate was even faster than the damage caused by the fusion process.
Realizing this, Natsuro felt reassured. To accelerate the fusion of Swift Release, he steeled his resolve.
At first, he had only gathered a small amount of chakra to test the fusion process. But now, he transformed a large portion of his chakra into Wind and Lightning nature, forcing them to collide and merge.
Although his body could withstand it, the pain was still very real.
At this moment, Natsuro felt fortunate that he hadn't recklessly attempted to fuse a Kekkei Genkai when he was younger. While his mind might have endured it, his body definitely wouldn't have.
Besides, back then, would he have dared to use so much chakra for an experiment? Even if he had decided to study Kekkei Genkai, for the sake of safety, he would have only used a tiny amount of chakra for testing.
It wasn't that a small amount of chakra wouldn't work, it just would have taken an extremely long time. Who knew how many years it would take to successfully develop a single Kekkei Genkai?
That's why, even though young Natsuro knew that nearly any two chakra natures could theoretically combine to create a Kekkei Genkai, he still refused to experiment with it.
It wasn't that he didn't want a Kekkei Genkai, he just felt it would be a waste of time.With that time, wouldn't it be better to study something else?
Even a single-element nature, if researched to its absolute peak, wouldn't necessarily be much weaker than a Kekkei Genkai. At the end of the day, Kekkei Genkai only stood out due to their uniqueness. When it came to raw power, an underdeveloped Kekkei Genkai might not even compare to an element that had been mastered to its fullest potential.
Moreover, Natsuro could now sense that even if he used a large amount of chakra for direct fusion experiments, and even though he had personally experienced Hiruko's Swift Release, truly figuring out the technique was still not easy.
But that was expected. If Kekkei Genkai were so simple to create, then the number of Kekkei Genkai users in this world wouldn't be so low.
By nature, they were supposed to be extremely difficult and dangerous to obtain. The smartest approach was to only attempt it once the risks had been reduced to an acceptable level.
Of course, not everyone was rational. There were also lucky individuals who succeeded despite the risks.
Additionally, while attempting to fuse Swift Release, he had a realization, perhaps Kekkei Genkai weren't as limited as people thought.
Even if the same two elements were combined, the dominant element and the fusion ratio might produce entirely different results.
However, Natsuro had no plans to develop every possible Kekkei Genkai. For example, if he figured out Ice Release, it wouldn't really benefit him.
Instead, he planned to only focus on Kekkei Genkai that suited him or that he actually needed.
For example, Swift Release, which he had witnessed from Hiruko. And more importantly… Magnet Release, which he needed for his Railgun technique.
If he could directly use Magnet Release for the Railgun, then its power would likely increase even further.
The problem was… What elements did Magnet Release require?
....
Inside the Hokage's Office
Natsuro was reviewing paperwork when Shikaku walked in, holding a scroll.
"Hokage-sama, this is the information you requested," Shikaku said as he handed over the scroll.
"Thank you," Natsuro replied before opening it.
Inside was a detailed report on the Fourth Kazekage.
As he looked over the section detailing the Fourth Kazekage's chakra natures, Natsuro suddenly fell into silence.
"Is there something wrong?" Shikaku asked.
He had already found it strange that he wanted information on a deceased Kazekage. Now, seeing him go silent after reading the report, his curiosity grew even stronger.
"Yeah… Are we absolutely sure that the Fourth Kazekage didn't have Lightning Release?" Natsuro asked, unable to hide his doubt.
Shikaku was even more confused but still replied, "We can't say with absolute certainty, but based on our records, we've never seen him use Lightning Release jutsu."
"Alright." Natsuro rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. The scroll stated that the Fourth Kazekage's chakra natures were Earth, Wind, and Water…
But the Fourth Kazekage was the only ninja he clearly remembered having Magnet Release.So, he wanted to reference the Kazekage's data for insights.
Yet, he had always assumed Magnet Release was a Kekkei Genkai formed by combining Earth and Lightning attributes.
However, the records clearly indicated that the Fourth Kazekage likely didn't have Lightning Release.
Magnet Release? Without Lightning Release? At this moment, Natsuro couldn't help but feel like this was some kind of joke.
He fell silent for a while, deep in thought. First, he could immediately rule out the Earth + Water combination, it was known to create Wood Release or Mei Terumī's Kekkei Genkai.
And the Wind + Water combination was Ice Release…
So… could Magnet Release actually be a combination of Earth and Wind? The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. If Magnet Release truly didn't require Lightning Release, something just felt off.
But if it was true, it wasn't without benefits, the natural magnetism of Magnet Release could still be enhanced with Lightning Release.
In that case, the Railgun's power could be even greater than he initially expected.
It might even become a hidden trump card, especially when combined with Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu…
Just imagining the possibilities made Natsuro feel excited, a technique capable of both breaking through defenses and mowing down enemies with unparalleled efficiency.
"This still feels a bit abstract…" Natsuro muttered to himself before deciding to trust the intelligence gathered by Konoha.
After all, compared to his own speculation, official records were far more likely to be accurate.
If combining Earth and Wind didn't result in Magnet Release, then he would test his own theory, Earth and Lightning.
With that decision made, Natsuro set the Fourth Kazekage's records aside.
However, the actual experimentation was something his real body needed to handle. As a Spiritual Clone, there was no need for him to test it himself.
Even though a Spiritual Clone was almost identical to his real body, with even their thoughts linked, it lacked a physical form.
If a Spiritual Clone attempted to fuse a Kekkei Genkai, it would probably disperse instantly!
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Currently on Chapter 345 - Adamantine Sealing Chains