Torifu and Koharu Utatane had been examining Hoshiyomi's back for quite some time, frowning deeply. They had never seen a pattern like this before—it carried the feel of a sealing jutsu, yet they couldn't identify any typical sealing formulas.
It looked, at a glance, like an ordinary tattoo.
Despite their thorough inspection, they couldn't make sense of it. They didn't dare recklessly inject chakra to probe further, fearing that the flames described in the scroll might suddenly ignite and cause Hoshiyomi even more pain.
After some deliberation, the two elders decided to call for a member of the Hyūga Clan to examine the anomaly using the Byakugan.
Once the Hyūga shinobi arrived and activated the Byakugan to inspect Hoshiyomi's back, he let out a soft exclamation. Koharu quickly asked,
"What did you see?"
The Hyūga responded, "His chakra network has gone completely dormant—there's not a trace of chakra circulating through his meridians. All of it has been pulled into the pattern on his back.
Actually, to say it was merely gathered there isn't accurate—it's more like it's been bound inside that pattern.
Also, the two eye sockets of that skull design—they seem... alive. They're absorbing and releasing his chakra in a rhythmic way, almost like breathing."
"Absorbing and releasing?"
"Yes. Much like how we refine chakra regularly. Those eyes made of flame are constantly refining his chakra, keeping it in a perpetually active state."
Torifu and Koharu were both baffled. In their nearly three decades of experience as shinobi, they had never encountered anything this bizarre.
They debated for a while but couldn't reach any definitive conclusion. Eventually, they turned to Hoshiyomi and said:
"This... curse or jutsu on your back is too strange. We can't risk tampering with it blindly. Maybe once we find the headquarters of the Kaga Cult, we'll uncover a way to undo it.
For now, all we can do is use a sealing jutsu to prevent your chakra from leaking further and causing additional harm.
We'll have to wait and see if the mission to eradicate the Kaga Cult yields results. If not, don't worry—we can always ask Lady Mito for help.
Until then, you shouldn't use any chakra at all. So in the third round of the Chūnin Exams, do not push yourself.
You've already made a great contribution to the village. Even if you lose in the third match, we'll make sure the village recommends you for Chūnin anyway."
Hoshiyomi had to admit—it made sense. He didn't care much about ninja ranks to begin with. Honestly, not becoming a Chūnin was fine by him. Everyone knew that in Konoha, Genin were scarier than Elite Jōnin anyway.
So he let Torifu inscribe the Five Elements Seal onto his back. But Koharu, feeling that this seal was only effective at suppressing tailed beast chakra and might not work on the curse, added a Evil Sealing Method on top of it.
Now, Hoshiyomi's back was thoroughly covered in seals—he'd become a walking tapestry. Encountering a timid enemy? No need to fight—just take off his shirt and scare them off.
After the seals were applied, Hoshiyomi calmly returned to his room, leaving Torifu and Koharu full of admiration.
"It's rare, truly rare. For someone so young to be this composed."
"Honestly, even at my age—if someone told me all my chakra had been sealed and rendered useless, I'd have a breakdown."
"Exactly. 'Fear surpasses death.' His name couldn't be more fitting. For a shinobi, losing the ability to use chakra while also risking chakra backlash at any moment—that is a fate worse than death."
"Sigh... Let's hope we find something in what's left of the Kaga Cult. The kid has talent leagues beyond us. It would be a shame to let it go to waste."
But they were overthinking it.
Hoshiyomi honestly didn't take it that seriously.
Sure, losing chakra hurt. But it wasn't a death sentence.
Without chakra, his secret techniques—Assault and Cresent Moon Slash—were unusable. But those only enhanced his burst and agility.
In sustained close-range combat, his combat effectiveness hadn't dropped all that much. This was the payoff for dedicating himself to swordsmanship.
And there was an unexpected upside—he discovered he could still use Swallow Return (Tsubame Gaeshi), his signature move.
Swallow Return was a god-speed sword technique that pushed beyond human limits. It drew on his physical strength, not chakra.
Adding chakra to it could reduce the physical toll and increase piercing power, but the move was still deadly without chakra.
In other words, Hoshiyomi still had his trump cards. In a real fight, he wouldn't lose to any of his peers.
Besides, this chakra issue was just temporary. It wasn't going to haunt him for life. He could already think of five ways to resolve it.
They'd just take time. He needed someone like Orochimaru to grow into a proper scientist.
Give him ten years... Heck, clinging to Orochimaru's leg would eventually get that cursed thing off his back. Worst case, he could help Orochimaru develop Reanimation Jutsu early.
Or wait until Hashirama cells became available—that'd work too. There were countless solutions. No need to lose sleep over this.
Rather than brooding about chakra, he might as well focus on training Lob or improving his swordplay.
Speaking of Lob—the ninja wolf's bones and claws had fully developed. It was time to start training him for combat.
While Hoshiyomi couldn't use chakra, Lob could fill the gap with ninjutsu and support.
Lob had exceptional talent for ninjutsu. Even the Inuzuka Clan Head admitted that Rob had the potential to surpass all Inuzuka ninja hounds.
A well-trained Inuzuka dog could take down a Chūnin without backup. Lob's talent exceeded theirs.
In short-term battles, Hoshiyomi could rely on Lob to handle ranged jutsu while he went in for the kill.
Same principle: there were always solutions—no need to wallow in despair.
While Hoshiyomi remained unfazed, Tsunade and the others seemed even more anxious than he was. As soon as he returned, they swarmed him with comfort and encouragement:
"Don't get discouraged."
"You'll be okay."
"You might still pass the third exam."
It was starting to annoy him.
He finally pointed at Tsunade and said,
"It's just a combat test. If Tsunade makes a bet that I won't face a ninja from Yugakure, then I could pass the exam with my eyes closed."
Tsunade: "...I don't know why, but I feel personally attacked."
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