Sasori's appearance was outside Kyoichi's expectations, but in the end, the outcome wasn't much different.
Kakuzu was no weakling.
Kyoichi had used some psychological tactics, and combined with Kakuzu's lack of understanding about him, he completely disrupted the man's rhythm—Kakuzu didn't even manage to display half of his full power.
However…
Even so, Kakuzu still managed to escape.
Unless Kyoichi used Flying Thunder God, catching up wouldn't be easy.
And that was after Kakuzu suffered a blow right at the start when Kyoichi destroyed his Earth mask—had Kakuzu been at full strength, he would have been a real pain to deal with.
What was truly unfortunate was—
Sasori had been too cautious. His real body never showed up, not even giving Kyoichi the chance to plant a Flying Thunder God seal on him.
If he'd gotten a seal on both of them, tracking them would've been far more convenient.
Still…
In the short term, it wasn't ideal to continue pursuing Kakuzu and Sasori.
After suffering a chase once, they were bound to be even more cautious and unlikely to meet up with Madara or Zetsu anytime soon. Kakuzu's first priority would probably be to replenish his lost Earth mask.
Though honestly…
Given the nature of the Earth Spear technique, it was questionable whether Kakuzu could even find a suitable replacement.
Sorting through his thoughts, Kyoichi let out a long breath. The Kakuzu situation was a long game—there wouldn't be any returns in the short term.
But Sasori's unexpected appearance actually made explaining things to Takigakure a lot easier.
That said…
He still couldn't afford to idle.
During this time, he had ordered the Anbu to quietly gather some wandering ronin and samurai from the Land of Rivers and teach them the basics of kenjutsu and how to use chakra with their blades.
Even if Kakuzu didn't plan to absorb these people into his underground organization, Kyoichi could at least use them to monitor his movements.
After that…
They stayed a few more days in the Land of Rivers.
The changes here were quite significant.
Having a shinobi village versus not having one were two entirely different things. With Amegakure's assistance in laying a solid foundation, security in the northern region of the Land of Rivers had improved noticeably. The streets had become much more lively.
The only issue was—
The local environment was still pretty terrible.
It wasn't quite as rainy as Amegakure, but it was still very humid and saw far more rainfall than other places.
"Sensei, are we heading back to the village now?"
Asuma asked, a little unwillingly.
After finally getting out on a mission, it seemed they were returning after what felt like a defeat.
"What else would we be doing?"
Kyoichi smiled. "That's how missions go. Not every mission ends in perfect success—and besides, our goal this time was never really to capture Kakuzu."
"Yes… I just feel like… I was totally useless."
Asuma sighed.
Even though he knew enemies like Kakuzu and Sasori were way beyond his ability to handle, the overwhelming sense of helplessness still left him deflated.
Kurenai and Shisui were feeling similarly.
Though…
Their ability to process and regulate their emotions was clearly a bit better than Asuma's—
At least they hadn't shown it so openly.
Kyoichi chuckled quietly.
He kept walking, with Shisui trailing behind. After a while, Kurenai suddenly blinked and asked, "Sensei, are we going the wrong way? This isn't the path back to the village."
"Who said we're heading back?"
Kyoichi looked genuinely puzzled.
He had never said they were returning to the village—those three had just assumed it.
This trip…
Besides dealing with Kakuzu, Kyoichi also had a personal objective:
To find the village of Jūgo's clan.
Jūgo and his people naturally possessed an incomplete form of Sage Transformation. This wasn't a kekkei genkai but an innate ability developed after generations of living in a region rich in natural energy.
Kyoichi wanted to harness that kind of environment to accelerate his own training.
And anyway, with a half-completed version of Flying Thunder God at his disposal—
Given his chakra reserves, returning to the village was just a matter of snapping his fingers.
Asuma scratched his head in embarrassment.
It was him who first mentioned going back…
"You were curious earlier about what I've been training in. Now that our official work is done, I'll give you a proper explanation."
Kyoichi began with natural energy.
In the shinobi world, few people knew much about natural energy or Senjutsu Chakra. Even the Sarutobi and Uchiha clans didn't have many records on the topic.
Only the Three Great Sage Lands possessed the means and methods to train in Sage Mode and senjutsu.
And so…
Asuma and the others were captivated. Before they knew it, they'd walked quite a long way and ended up in a remote wilderness.
"Sensei, mixing natural energy evenly with physical and spiritual energy… That sounds incredibly hard, doesn't it?"
Kurenai finally understood why even someone like Kyoichi had made such slow progress with it.
In her experience—
Kyoichi might not always perfect a jutsu, but once he started practicing something, he could usually master 70–80% of it in just a few days.
Yet this time, even after several days of research, his progress on "Senjutsu Chakra" was still minimal.
This Isn't Scientific!
"It's not quite like that. I can barely synthesize senjutsu chakra with my current ability, but the training method I'm using starts with adapting my body to natural energy first…"
Kyoichi explained the difference between senjutsu chakra and the Sage Mode of Shikkotsu Forest.
Only then did the three of them begin to understand.
But…
Soon after, another question arose in their minds.
If that's the case…
Why did they come here?
Could it be that somewhere within the Land of Rivers, there was a place unlike any other?
They were curious but didn't ask further, choosing instead to quietly follow Kyoichi. At first, he had to stop from time to time to sense the flow of natural energy.
But soon enough, that wasn't necessary anymore.
The natural energy in this area had become dense enough that he could perceive it at all times, and the deeper they went, the thicker it became.
"Do any of you feel a little off?"
Kyoichi came to a stop.
Normally, people wouldn't react strongly to natural energy; it only subtly alters the body over time. But those especially sensitive—or naturally compatible with Sage Mode—might feel it more acutely.
However…
All three shook their heads.
Looks like…
They weren't the one-in-a-hundred prodigies.
Kyoichi wasn't surprised. He began teaching them how to sense and guide natural energy—albeit a stripped-down version he'd developed over the past few days.
This method wouldn't give them much control. But as long as they didn't actively try to fuse it into senjutsu chakra, there shouldn't be any real danger to their lives.
If they were reckless and brought disaster on themselves… well, that was on them.
They continued walking as Kyoichi instructed them.
Before long…
He spotted a village.
The area was remote, far from the nearest town. While the natural energy here wasn't at its peak concentration, it was still very close to the core.
Kyoichi narrowed his eyes.
Could Ryūchi Cave be nearby?
Forget it…
Those snakes aren't easy to deal with. Plus, their Sage Mode came with overly visible transformations—Kyoichi wasn't like Orochimaru or Kabuto, who didn't care how monstrous they looked.
He still had some pride.
So he wasn't interested.
As they approached the village, but before they could get close—
"Outsiders, if you don't have any business here, I suggest you turn back now."
A voice echoed from within the forest.
Kyoichi sensed it. The speaker didn't seem to use chakra, but their body pulsed with an extremely powerful energy—on the verge of losing control at any moment.
They'd found it…
This was Jūgo's clan.
Of course…
Jūgo himself hadn't been born yet.
"Outsiders…"
"There are actually people living in a place like this? Your clan probably doesn't have it easy, huh? Do some of your people tend to go berserk?"
Kyoichi spoke directly.
There was a pause.
Several seconds passed without a response. Then the voice replied, "Who are you? How do you know about these things?"
"Kanda Kyoichi. A ninja from Konohagakure," Kyoichi said calmly.
"Konoha? That big village? What are you doing here? If you're targeting our village, I'll kill you!"
The speaker stepped out of the forest.
Kurenai gasped quietly. The man's body was covered in twisted, grotesque markings—he looked more like someone suffering from a terrible illness than a normal person.
But…
She could feel it. The man's energy was incredibly strong.
He was a terrifying opponent.
"I didn't know there was a village here. But now that I do… I, Kanda Kyoichi, acknowledge you all as the strongest. To live in a place like this year-round? That takes guts."
Kyoichi gave a sincere thumbs-up.
He knew.
You couldn't communicate with someone in that state through reason.
Only by going straight for the pressure point—maybe even trading blows—could you knock some clarity into them.
Sure enough…
As expected, the man's cursed seal flared up violently, his body beginning to mutate.
"Die! All of you must die!"
With a roar, he charged forward, fists swinging. Horns sprouted from his forehead, and his transformation neared full cursed-seal form. But compared to true Sage Mode, there was still a clear gap—
They couldn't control it.
He was strong, yes, but…
Whoosh—
Kyoichi sidestepped.
Then—
BAM!
With a single punch, Kyoichi slammed the beastlike man into the ground, leaving a massive crater.
The man wasn't injured.
"What insane defense… and he doesn't even use chakra!"
Shisui, with his Sharingan active, was stunned.
He'd never seen power like this.
Could this be…
Senjutsu chakra?
That must be it…
Now he understood why their teacher had brought them here, asked such strange questions, and even taught them how to guide natural energy.
This place's natural energy far exceeded that of the outside world.
And this man was likely a descendant of those who'd lived here for generations. But under prolonged exposure to such energy, his body had mutated.
"Haa… haa…"
The man was growling low in his throat. By this point, he was no longer human—his mind consumed by slaughter and madness.
"Can't absorb it? Tch… troublesome."
Kyoichi frowned, forming hand seals. Then he pressed his palm to the man's chest, releasing a stream of sealing marks into his body.
Four Symbols Seal!
All the chaotic energy was slowly gathered and contained.
Eventually, the man's struggles weakened.
"H-huh… Who… Who are you people?"
"Once again, my name is Kanda Kyoichi. I'm a ninja from Konoha. I came here while following a trail of natural energy," Kyoichi explained.
The man blinked in surprise, then said, "My name is Shibukawa. I'm from this village… May I ask, what was that jutsu you just used to subdue me? Could I possibly learn—"
"I'm afraid not. It's a secret jutsu of our village, and a very advanced one. Most people wouldn't be able to learn it."
"I see… Forgive me for asking something so inappropriate."
Shibukawa stood up and gave a deep, formal bow.
Asuma stared in shock.
That personality shift was way too extreme!