"If I master the nature and form transformations of Water and Wind Release to their extremes… could I fuse them into the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai?"
Umino Yoru hadn't traded for those Wind Release jutsu from Ruri just to expand his arsenal or strengthen his allies like Uchiha Shun and Hagane Kotetsu.
No—this was all preparation for unlocking a Bloodline Limit.
After two months of grueling training—and consuming vast amounts of high-level summoning beast flesh (specifically, desert falcon meat)—his Wind Breathing had advanced dramatically.
His chakra reserves had finally surpassed 0.5 Kage-level units, reaching the standard of a true elite Jonin.
Now, with Tobirama Senju's Water Release secrets and Ruri's advanced Wind techniques, mastering the dual transformations was within reach.
And with shadow clones accelerating the process, fusing them into Ice Release wasn't just possible—it was probable.
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Yoru didn't crave this Kekkei Genkai for its raw power.
He wanted it to shatter his biological limits.
Unlocking a Bloodline Limit would rewrite his DNA, triggering an explosive surge in chakra reserves—potentially pushing him into Kage-tier capacity without decades of grinding.
Compared to the slow crawl of Wind Breathing, this was evolution at warp speed.
And unlike Senjutsu or tailored Bijū sealing, fusing elements had precedent.
The Tsuchikage's Particle Style (Dust Release) was artificially mastered, proving it could be done.
With the strongest Wind and Water techniques in history at his disposal, Yoru had better odds than most.
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Perched on a makeshift river raft, Yoru practiced Wind Release, using the gusts to propel them downstream.
After annihilating Ebizō's forces, the Sand ninja had grown cautious, too wary of ambushes to pursue recklessly.
Seizing the opening, Yoru's unit vanished.
To mislead the enemy, he'd even ridden Big White east into the Shinano Forest Mountains, using Hidden Mist techniques to eliminate Sand patrols silently.
The feint worked perfectly.
Convinced the Konoha team was attempting a mountain breakout, the Sand redirected forces eastward—while Yoru's real group floated south on the river.
With Sonic Radar sensing and Shun's three-tomoe genjutsu, they slipped past every scout.
By the time Sand command realized their mistake, the Konoha team was already deep in southern River Country.
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As villages grew denser along the riverbanks, genjutsu alone wasn't enough.
So, they posed as a tea merchant caravan—a cover bolstered by looted tea cakes from bandits they'd eradicated.
River Country's rugged mountains bred tea farms, not grain, making trade caravans common in peacetime.
But war had birthed tax-hungry militias, bandit warlords, and desperate refugees.
Most "bandits" were just starving farmers turned outlaw; the real predators were nobility-backed thugs or corrupt garrison troops.
Yoru wasn't playing hero.
Bribes worked for minor stops. For stubborn ones?
Step 1: Shun's genjutsu made them kill each other in paranoid rage.
Step 2: Intel squad erased memories.
Step 3: Inuzuka Ryō scrubbed the evidence.
But official checkpoints were trickier.
Bridge taxes were small, but River Country had too many damn bridges.
No wonder their tea sold for dirt prices locally but became luxury goods in Fire Country—graft inflated costs at every turn.
Then Yoru had an idea.
He had part of his team pose as a Sand ninja escort.
Instantly, checkpoint thugs bowed like whipped dogs.
To them, a caravan guarded by Sand elites meant "backed by hidden powers."
After that?
Smooth sailing.
Only major government bridges demanded fees now.
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At last, the disguised Konoha team reached River Country's southern "capital."
A puppet city, really—just a Sand-occupied stronghold.
The true capital still stood in the Shinano Plains, far to the north.
But here, in this glittering mirage of power, Yoru's next move would begin.
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