The office on the top floor belonged to the Jōnin in charge of the fortress.
Everyone enjoyed privileges, and the Iwa-nin Jōnin was no exception. This privileged mindset helped Yōkō quickly locate the Iwa-nin battalion commander.
The Iwa-nin battalion commander immediately formed hand seals.
Yōkō saw that the seals were so familiar – weren't those the seals for Earth-Style Rising Spears?
Yōkō instinctively formed the same seals.
However, to Yōkō's surprise, this Iwa-nin battalion commander used only one hand seal to execute Earth-Style Rising Spears, beating him by a step.
This Iwa-nin is particularly skilled at Earth-Style Rising Spears; he actually improved the hand seals for it?
This Earth-Style Rising Spears is good, interesting. I rather like your Earth-Style Rising Spears.
Just as Yōkō's Earth-Style Rising Spears emerged from the ground, the Iwa-nin's Earth-Style Rising Spears had already stabbed into his chest.
Such strong Earth Release prowess!
In the next instant, the Iwa-nin battalion commander was dumbfounded.
The hard Earth-Style Rising Spears had actually shattered upon impact!
The enemy's skin was as hard as red copper, easily breaking the Earth-Style Rising Spears.
His proud mastery of Earth-Style Rising Spears, although it struck the enemy earlier, failed to kill him.
Seeing that his Earth Release was no match for the Iwa-nin, Yōkō immediately switched ninjutsu.
He also had quickly executable ninjutsu.
He charged rapidly towards the Iwa-nin Jōnin, secretly forming a single hand seal along the way.
The Iwa-nin Jōnin was just about to punch the Suna-nin away, his fist raised high, when he suddenly found he couldn't move.
The distance between the two was very close. With Yōkō's feet as the center, sealing patterns appeared, and the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal crawled up the Iwa-nin's feet and then onto his body.
A knocking sound came from outside the door; the Iwa-nin in the fortress had detected the anomaly in the top-floor office.
Yōkō used an Earth-Style Wall on the doorway.
The improved Earth-Style Wall blocked the door, preventing anyone outside from entering for a short time.
Yōkō quickly searched the office for intelligence.
He soon found a Defense Layout Map, clearly showing how many defense squads were on each floor of the stronghold fortress.
He saw the location of the Barrier Squad on the Defense Layout Map.
The Barrier Squad was directly downstairs from this office.
Yōkō lifted his foot, forcefully stomped through the floorboards, and jumped down to the third floor.
Three Iwa-nin were maintaining a barrier. Yōkō swiftly killed the three Iwa-nin.
Before dying, the Iwa-nin squad leader's last glance was towards a certain scroll on the wall.
This was the most genuine reaction before death; it couldn't be faked.
He was looking at the most important scroll.
Yōkō rushed to the scroll rack and grabbed that key scroll.
Opening the scroll, Yōkō discovered it was the fortress's barrier scroll.
Within a two-hundred-meter radius around the stronghold fortress, the Barrier Squad had set up an Earth Vibration Barrier.
Any vibration, whether on the surface or from underground travel or digging, would be detected by the barrier.
Yōkō's traces were discovered by this barrier.
He memorized the barrier setup method in his mind and began learning this barrier technique.
A few minutes later, Yōkō heard a loud crash behind him.
The Iwa-nin battalion commander had finally broken free from the seal's control and jumped down to the third floor.
"Suna-nin! The war is over! Do you intend to start a war between nations?"
An Earth-Style Rising Spear stabbed towards him. Yōkō didn't turn around but heard the sound of it cutting through the air first.
He consciously deactivated the instinctively triggered Absolute Defense: Copper Light.
The Earth-Style Rising Spear pierced through Yōkō's throat.
[Detected that the host has died. Mochizuki's Arc is activating...]
--
His vision shifted. Yōkō appeared five days earlier, watching the four squads practicing their feint attack and escape maneuvers.
Last time, I encountered an Earth Release expert, but I also scouted important intelligence about the stronghold fortress.
[Mochizuki's Arc activated!
The host has only one resurrection opportunity per month, reviving on the night of the previous full moon after death.
Reward: One lottery draw opportunity:
1- Jōnin-level Chakra Reserve (stackable);
2- Earth Release: Rock Fist (Beginner);
3- Earth Release: Earth-Style Rising Spears (Mastery).]
Yōkō ruled out the first option, Jōnin-level Chakra Reserve.
His physical constitution's natural growth would bring an increase in chakra reserve. He would rely on the system to enhance it only after his chakra reserve reached its upper limit.
The second option, Earth Release: Rock Fist.
This was an Iwa-nin Earth Release nin-taijutsu, covering the fist with rock to increase taijutsu power.
This technique was rather useless; Yōkō's Copper Light fist was far stronger than the Rock Fist.
The last option made Yōkō's eyes light up.
Finally, I've encountered a second technique at the 'Mastery' level.
When the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal went from Proficient to Mastery, the hand seals reduced from three to one, greatly increasing the casting speed and making it a core ability for Yōkō.
After selecting the third option, new knowledge flooded Yōkō's mind.
By circulating earth attribute chakra along a specific pathway, he could reduce the hand seals by two, releasing it with just one seal.
Yōkō formed a single hand seal, and instantly, four Earth-Style Rising Spears appeared in front of him, intersecting at a single point.
Purple Cat, standing nearby, was startled, wondering why Fox had suddenly used a ninjutsu while watching the training.
A moment later, Purple Cat suddenly realized Fox had used the ninjutsu with just one hand seal?
This?
Fox truly was an Earth Release genius, having actually improved the Earth-Style Rising Spears technique.
Yōkō said to Purple Cat, "I'm going on a reconnaissance trip. Train well until I return."
"Understood, Captain."
After Yōkō left, he found a secluded spot and summoned the Stone Pandas Hakuji and Hakuyū.
"Hakuyū, use Reverse Summoning on me to Uzumaki Yuka's location. I need to discuss something with her."
When Yōkō looked at Hakuji, Hakuji immediately said, "I understand. I'll hide here, hardening into stone to conceal myself. I'll wait for your contract chakra signal, then Reverse Summon you back here."
Yōkō nodded repeatedly. Having the Stone Panda clan was really convenient.
Yōkō was Reverse Summoned to a remote rainforest in the southwest of the Land of Rain.
The sudden shift from the dry highlands to the drizzly rainforest was a bit disorienting.
He found himself outside the tree hollow where he secretly met Uzumaki Yuka.
Uzumaki Yuka rushed over and hugged him: "Fox, are you free again?"
Holding Yuka, Yōkō said, "Not exactly that free, Yuka. I need your sealing talent to help me crack a barrier technique."
Hearing that Yōkō had serious business, Yuka took Fox's hand and led him into the tree hollow.
Hakuyū scratched his head nearby and chose to leave. His father and mother always shooed him away when they were... doing that.
Inside the tree hollow, Yōkō told Yuka everything he remembered about the Earth Vibration Barrier.
Barrier techniques were a special type of sealing technique, both using chakra to form complex patterns to achieve specific purposes.
Based on the barrier patterns Yōkō drew, Yuka spent three hours roughly figuring out the principles of the Earth Vibration Barrier and created an inferior imitation.
After another two days, Yuka invented a cursed seal that could be inscribed on the soles of the feet to dampen vibration transmission.
During these two days, whenever Yuka felt tired, she would use Yōkō for... amusement.
Mental fatigue required hormonal stimulation.
For the sake of the mission, Yōkō had no choice but to repeatedly offer up his... charms, succumbing to Yuka's... demands.
"Earth Vibration Damping Cursed Seal. This seal will allow you to easily bypass the Earth Vibration Barrier."
Yōkō kissed Yuka's cheek and said, "Excellent! As expected of the Uzumaki genius girl. Having you is truly a blessing for the Iwa-nin Barrier Squad."
***
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(End of Chapter)