Chapter 60: The Hunt Begins
"Tell me, who is that child?"
Facing the direction Li Yao had escaped toward, Uzumaki Mito's tone was calm. She wasn't in a rush to order the Third Hokage to pursue him.
Li Yao had burst forth with a level of chakra beyond Kage-class in just an instant. It was clearly the result of some kind of forbidden jutsu—much like the Eight Gates technique.
From the way his skin had scorched like charcoal, it was obvious: even if he had escaped Konoha for now, his life was nearing its end.
Barring surprises, his fate was already sealed.
What Mito now wanted more than anything was to understand what had truly happened.
The Third's heart tightened, and his thoughts spun rapidly.
He knew what he said next could decide everything.
A single misstep—and his time as Hokage could come to an early end.
This was not an exaggeration.
As the wife of the God of Shinobi and a legendary figure in the ninja world, Uzumaki Mito carried a powerful influence of her own.
If she expressed dissatisfaction with Sarutobi Hiruzen continuing as Hokage…
The people of Konoha, the major ninja clans, even the daimyō of the Land of Fire—none would dare ignore her.
Even most of the Sarutobi clan would likely yield to her, and Hiruzen would be forced to step down.
"Lady Mito, that child's name is Kimura Yao. But the one currently controlling his body is the soul of a man who calls himself Li Yao," the Third began. "Six years ago…"
To avoid being blamed, Hiruzen chose to reveal everything: how Minato discovered something was wrong with Kimura Yao, how he suspected possession through the Spirit Transformation Technique, how he confirmed it was someone named Li Yao, and how he had ultimately handed the matter over to Danzo—everything, from start to finish.
"A powerful practitioner of the Spirit Transformation Technique…"
Mito frowned deeply after hearing it all, falling silent in thought.
She scoured her memories but couldn't recall any powerful figure who used such a technique matching the name Li Yao.
"Perhaps… a strong one I've never heard of."
She sighed inwardly. She had no reason to doubt Hiruzen's words.
In fact, the moment he mentioned possession, she remembered sensing an intense spiritual presence in Kimura Yao's chakra when her Adamantine Chains pierced him.
It truly did feel like the essence of someone who had transformed into a spirit.
But Li Yao's Spirit Transformation Technique was far more unusual—it felt as if he had completely shed the shackles of the body, becoming something like a chakra-based lifeform… akin to a Tailed Beast. His soul had fully merged with chakra.
"Maybe that's how he overcame the drawbacks of possession," Mito mused. "If his soul is already integrated with chakra, like a Tailed Beast, then physical death won't destroy him."
Just like a Tailed Beast—when its jinchūriki dies, it dissipates temporarily, only to reform somewhere else later.
Li Yao might possess the same trait.
And even if he didn't, he could always possess someone else.
"No… I can't let him possess another body."
The moment she thought of that, Mito grew anxious.
If Li Yao switched hosts again, it would become exponentially harder for Konoha to locate him.
"Monkey, don't send anyone to hunt him just yet," she said.
"Hm? Why not?" The Third looked confused.
He had just been preparing to create a plan based on Mito's intel and organize a pursuit.
Earlier, he hadn't immediately ordered a hunt because Li Yao's strength was overwhelming. After seeing what Li Yao had done against Mito, even he doubted he could take him on directly.
Sending ANBU without solid intel would just be a suicide mission.
But that didn't mean he wasn't planning to kill Li Yao.
If they didn't take him out now—before Kimura Yao's body fully matured—then Li Yao would be even harder to eliminate in the future.
What if he suddenly changed hosts again?
The mere thought of someone strong enough to fight Mito and escape—lurking in the shadows against Konoha—sent shivers down Hiruzen's spine.
"That man may already be a chakra lifeform like a Tailed Beast," Mito explained. "He can't be killed—only sealed."
She voiced her theory. Against someone like Li Yao, physical destruction was meaningless. He needed to be sealed—just like a Tailed Beast.
But the problem was… Li Yao was a sealing expert himself. Capturing him would be even harder than sealing a Tailed Beast.
To seal Li Yao, it would take a one-shot kill-style sealing technique—something that left him no room to resist.
Which meant… until such a jutsu was found, they couldn't push him too far.
If they sent pursuers now, they might only provoke him into abandoning his current body.
That would make finding him later much harder.
It was best to let him continue living inside Kimura Yao's body for now. As long as he did, they could locate him.
"I understand. I won't act recklessly," the Third nodded.
"But we also can't ignore him completely," Mito added. "After tomorrow, assign a team to pursue him—but focus on probing his abilities. Before we attempt to seal him, we need to fully understand his power."
From Hiruzen's earlier description, Mito knew Li Yao had to possess more than just his black sealing chains. A shinobi of his level would never rely on a single technique.
"Yes, Lady Mito," the Third bowed.
…
"No good… huff, huff!"
"I'm at my limit!"
In the midst of a hilly, forested terrain, Li Yao leaned heavily against a large tree, gasping for air thick with blood. The burnt stench on his skin only grew stronger.
"I can't run anymore… or I'll be reduced to pure charcoal."
After scanning the area with his chakra sense to ensure no one was nearby within several kilometers, he retracted his black iron chains and collapsed against the tree.
With a thought, he converted all the chakra in his body—including that in the chains—into Wood Release chakra.
Inside his body, his internal organs looked like smoldering coal—blackened and red. His muscles were just as charred.
If not for his unique lifeform state, with his soul fully merged into his chakra, he'd be long dead.
Even if he had survived, he'd be a vegetable.
His nerves were completely burned, and even his brain's nerve cells were emitting a scent like roasted meat.
Fortunately, his memories and cognition were stored within his chakra-soul fusion.
Because of that, he miraculously remained alive.
Now, infused with Wood Release chakra comparable to Hashirama's, his charred flesh slowly began regenerating.
Wood chakra truly was formidable.
Its vitality far exceeded that of any medical chakra technique.
An hour later, Li Yao's body had rejuvenated like a tree in spring—returning to the youthful form of a twelve-year-old.
However, though his body had recovered, his chakra reserves were now minimal—barely enough to form two three-meter-long black iron chains.
Li Yao stood up, completely naked.
He no longer had enough chakra to form even his protective cloak.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Kira1997