Chapter 53: Enma's Transformation Technique
"Li Yao, you've hidden yourself well. I didn't expect you to be from the Uzumaki Clan."
The Third Hokage was trying to provoke Li Yao into revealing more about his true identity.
Unexpectedly, Li Yao clearly froze for a second when he heard those words. Then, noticing that the Third's gaze was fixed on the black iron chains behind him, he realized the Hokage had mistaken his chains for a form of the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains, and thus believed he was one of them.
Li Yao smiled but made no effort to correct him.
He glanced up at the completely sealed Four Violet Flames Formation and used his chakra sensing ability to probe it.
As expected, the formation blocked chakra sensing—his perception couldn't extend beyond it.
A flash of delight crossed Li Yao's eyes.
Clang!
Li Yao frowned. The ground was sealed too—his black iron chains couldn't pass through it.
The purple flame wall appeared thin but was extremely tough. It could even burn his chakra-infused chains.
Though the chakra burned was minimal—
Li Yao didn't want to waste any more chakra than necessary.
He tried condensing the same chakra used in the barrier to see if he could break through.
When his chain had touched the purple flame wall earlier, he had already analyzed its chakra properties and transformation with his sensing ability.
He could instantly recreate the exact same chakra used for the formation.
"Hmm… no good."
Li Yao was surprised. It seemed barrier techniques were different from sealing jutsu—replicating the chakra alone wasn't enough to pass through.
The chakra properties in a barrier jutsu were linked to the caster's mental state and had strong subjective will.
Even if Li Yao reproduced the exact same chakra, he couldn't bypass the caster's technique.
It was as if the barrier itself could recognize people.
In short, Li Yao had only two options to escape.
One: break the barrier with absolute force.
Two: keep attacking it until the casters ran out of chakra and could no longer maintain the formation.
Then he could get out.
But when he had tested the underground barrier with his chains earlier, it became clear: at his current chakra levels, and under the drain from the flame wall's burning effect, he couldn't outlast the Four Violet Flames Formation maintained by four ANBU jonin.
Not to mention, inside the barrier were also the Third and four more ANBU jonin.
They wouldn't just sit back and let him attack the barrier repeatedly.
In other words—Li Yao wasn't getting out.
"Heh, you still think you can escape at this point?"
The Third had sensed Li Yao's actions underground and mocked him.
The Four Violet Flames Formation had been developed to contain even the Nine-Tails. How could someone like Li Yao possibly break it?
Li Yao's fate was sealed. Still, when it came time to kill him, the Third couldn't suppress his greed.
"You all leave first," the Third suddenly told the four ANBU inside the barrier.
"Yes, Lord Hokage." The four ANBU didn't hesitate and obeyed immediately.
The four ANBU maintaining the barrier quickly opened a small gap to allow their comrades inside to exit.
Li Yao didn't interfere, nor did he try to slip out.
This was a little suspicious—but the Third didn't notice.
Soon, only Li Yao and the Third remained inside.
With trees all around and the barrier obscuring both sight and sound, no one outside could see or hear them.
However, the four ANBU maintaining the barrier could still sense the chakra fluctuations inside.
So they weren't worried about the Third getting hurt.
After all, he was "The Strongest Hokage in History!"
"Li Yao, if you tell me the secret behind the modified Spirit Transformation Technique, I'll let your soul go free."
Inside the barrier, with no one else around, the Third finally gave in to the temptation of immortality and asked Li Yao about the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Hearing those words again, Li Yao's body trembled instinctively. Deep in his eyes, an inky black hatred almost broke loose.
Everything he had suffered began with that technique.
Yet to this day, Li Yao hadn't remembered anything about it. He didn't even know how it worked.
Even now, seeing the Third still obsessed with it made Li Yao curious.
What exactly was this Spirit Transformation Technique?
Why had the Third pursued it so relentlessly?
"Do you still have hope or something?"
The Third suddenly frowned. His gaze at Li Yao grew uncertain.
"No… something's wrong."
Li Yao didn't look worried at all.
Even trapped inside the barrier, he remained calm and composed from start to finish.
That... wasn't normal.
The Third quickly reviewed everything that had happened since he saw Li Yao above the Root base.
"Heh."
Li Yao smiled faintly, giving the Third no time to think—he struck first.
Clang clang clang!
Three black iron chains burst from the ground and lunged at the Third.
If they pierced his body, even the Hokage would be rendered helpless.
Once his chakra was sealed, he couldn't use jutsu. He'd be done for.
But of course, the Third wasn't a normal jonin.
With a light step back, he swung his adamantine staff and knocked all the incoming chains away.
"No... something's definitely off."
"There's something I missed."
Effortlessly parrying Li Yao's chains, the Third mentally reviewed the entire pursuit.
As attack after attack was deflected by the Third's adamantine staff, Li Yao's brow furrowed slightly. He focused on the staff, transformed from Enma.
"This guy's transformation technique is unusual…"
"It's like he's actually become a real staff, completely unaffected by the chakra-sealing effect of my chains. He stays in that form no matter what."
Normally, when someone's chakra was bound by Li Yao's chains, any active jutsu would be disrupted.
Like that Nara ninja from Root—when his chakra was sealed, his Shadow Imitation Technique immediately broke.
Transformation techniques, like Shadow Imitation, required continuous chakra output to maintain.
So when Li Yao's chains passed through the adamantine staff, in theory, Enma's transformation should have been canceled.
But Enma's transformation wasn't affected at all. He stayed in staff form, unaffected by the chakra-binding.
It was like Enma really had turned into a staff—no chakra needed to maintain it.
This wasn't transformation—it was more like shape-shifting.
"This is really similar to the perfect transformation technique Kimura Yao's father was trying to develop…"
Li Yao's eyes lit up. While attacking the Third with his chains, he began carefully analyzing the chakra signature of Enma's transformed state.
He wanted to remember it—to study it later.
Enma's current form was only a step away from being a true perfect transformation.
The only flaw was that he still emitted chakra—it couldn't be completely concealed.
Otherwise, Enma would be a literal, indestructible staff.
"Maybe the breakthrough to the perfect transformation technique lies with Enma."
Li Yao stared hungrily at the adamantine staff in the Third's hand, eyes blazing with obsession.
Clang clang clang!
Inside the barrier, both the Third and Li Yao seemed to be deliberately dragging things out.
But Li Yao could afford to stall.
The Third couldn't.
"Enough. I'll just kill him."
After thinking for a while and still unable to figure out what was wrong, the Third finally accepted that he would never get the secret to the Spirit Transformation Technique from Li Yao.
He realized he might make the same mistake Danzo did—hesitating to kill Li Yao when he had the chance.
He wouldn't make that mistake again.
The Third stopped holding back—and struck with full force.
(END CHAPTER)
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