Seeing the ice on the training ground grow thicker and the aura it emitted stronger, the Third Hokage couldn't help but ask,
"Is this how all kekkei genkai awakenings are?"
"This old woman doesn't know either," Mito shook her head and said.
"This old woman is seeing it with her own eyes for the first time. However, Tobirama did record what Hashirama looked like when he awakened his Wood Release. It's said that trees sprouted instantly and a dense forest appeared, but the specifics are unknown."
The Third Hokage nodded upon hearing this and said nothing more, merely looking through the barrier jutsu and the ice at Kyuushin, who was sitting cross-legged within.
At this moment, Kyuushin, though enveloped in pain, remained mentally stable in his Gene Lock state, completely unmoved by the suffering.
As time passed, the pain intensified, but he could clearly feel that the vitality of every cell in his body was also increasing.
The increase in cell vitality meant another surge in chakra. Originally, Kyuushin's Uzumaki bloodline, combined with the first and second stage Gene Locks, already gave him far more chakra than other Uzumaki clan members his age.
After this latest surge, according to Kyuushin's estimation, the amount of chakra he now possessed could rival that of an adult Uzumaki clan member.
But it's important to remember that Kyuushin is only ten years old. Typically, a shinobi's chakra only surges when their body rapidly develops after the age of ten.
Once development is complete, it's easy for the amount of chakra in their body to be five to ten times greater than before.
Kyuushin's current chakra level already rivals that of an adult Uzumaki clan member. Once he finishes developing, it's hard to say if he can reach the level of Senju Hashirama, but there are probably few in the current ninja world who can compare to him.
At that level, he would basically have a similar amount of chakra to some of the weaker tailed beasts, but an ordinary tailed beast doesn't have as many techniques as he does.
Even more importantly, the increased cell vitality meant that if he were injured, his healing speed would far surpass that of ordinary people.
After opening the second stage Gene Lock, his wound healing speed already far exceeded that of ordinary people. Injuries that would require months of bed rest for others would allow him to get up within a few hours, provided he had enough nutrition.
With this further strengthening, though he still couldn't compare to Hashirama's Senju body that heals while fighting, resting for a few hours and then rejoining a battle shouldn't be difficult.
If Kyuushin's previous strength was comparable to Jiraiya and the others, at the elite jonin level, then after this wave of enhancement, he has steadily stepped into the "Kage" level.
A Kage-level expert around ten years old—what does that mean?
It means that as long as he develops steadily into adulthood, achieving the level of peak Kage-level experts like the Second Hokage and Third Hokage is a natural progression.
And if he makes further breakthroughs during this process, reaching the Super Kage level of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara would not be difficult.
Figures like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara have only appeared twice in a thousand years. Although Mito's current strength, with the help of Nine-Tails chakra, is also Super Kage level, compared to the former two, she is still somewhat weaker. After all, Mito only forcibly extracted Nine-Tails chakra and did not have a spiritual connection with the Nine-Tails.
For Kyuushin, whether it's mastering Sage Art or breaking through the Gene Lock to the third stage, he can steadily raise his strength to Super Kage level. If he also has the Nine-Tails's help, it would be even simpler.
But those are matters for the future. Currently, Kyuushin is still experiencing intense pain, and just as the stinging pain gradually intensified to its peak, it suddenly vanished the next second, replaced by an endless sensation of exhilarating comfort.
It was like running ten kilometers with all his might and then sitting down to enjoy a massage. This sudden change almost made Kyuushin moan, but his powerful self-control allowed him to hold it in.
However, this also let Kyuushin know that the most painful period had passed. As he expected, this exhilarating comfort gradually faded away, and a feeling of complete wholeness appeared in his senses.
This feeling was as if he had been missing a part of himself since birth, and now it was finally made whole. It wasn't a physical sensation but originated from his mind and soul.
However, this feeling came and went quickly. Before Kyuushin could fully immerse himself in it, it swiftly disappeared. At this point, the transformation by Ice Release was complete.
Kyuushin slowly opened his eyes and was stunned by the completely ice-sealed world before him. He had previously felt his chakra uncontrollably burst out, but he hadn't expected it to cause such extensive damage.
Fortunately, he also saw the barrier jutsu not far away. He knew without a doubt that Mito had set it up. Luckily, he had the foresight to tell Mito in advance, otherwise, he didn't know what it would have turned into.
Kyuushin stretched, and immediately, cracking sounds emanated from his entire body. He clenched his fists, clearly feeling more powerful than before.
However, now was not the time to thoroughly examine the changes within his body. After a brief assessment, he stood up and walked towards the outside of the barrier jutsu.
This barrier jutsu clearly defended against chakra, but it didn't impede people. As soon as Kyuushin walked out, he saw Mito and the Third Hokage looking at him.
Kyuushin hadn't expected the Third Hokage to be there, but he quickly greeted both of them:
"Grandma, Hokage-sama."
Mito immediately walked over, stroked Kyuushin's hair, and looked at him carefully before speaking:
"Hmm? What happened to your hair and eyes?"
Conveniently, an ice wall had formed near the barrier jutsu, which could somewhat serve as a mirror. Kyuushin quickly leaned in to look, only to discover that amidst his originally red hair, a streak of ice-blue hair had appeared at some unknown time.
Although it wasn't much, it stood out extremely prominently against the red hair. However, from an overall perspective, it didn't look out of place; instead, it added a touch of handsomeness.
As for his eyes, Kyuushin's pupils, like those of most Uzumaki clan members, were originally dark with a hint of blue, but now they had completely turned ice-blue, appearing somewhat crystal clear.[2]
Overall, the changes weren't significant, but they were beyond Kyuushin's expectations. If every Synthesized Kekkei Genkai resulted in such a change, his hair and eyes would eventually turn rainbow-colored.
Thinking of this, Kyuushin's face couldn't help but fall. Mito, seeing this, smiled and said,
"It's alright, it looks quite good this way. As for what happens in the future, who knows?"
The Third Hokage didn't approach. Instead, he tentatively reached out towards the inside of the barrier jutsu. Instantly, he felt a bone-chilling cold, so much so that even his well-honed body shivered.
However, the more intense it was, the more pleased the Third Hokage became. He turned to Kyuushin and said,
"Your Ice Release has reawakened. This coldness makes even me uncomfortable. It seems this Ice Release is indeed very powerful. Cultivate it well, and perhaps in the future, it can truly rival the First Hokage's Wood Release."
"Yes, Hokage-sama, I will definitely cultivate diligently and live up to your high expectations."
Kyuushin heard the Third Hokage say "reawakened" to him, and knew that Mito had helped him conceal the matter of Synthesized Kekkei Genkai, so he replied.
"Good. Since you are unharmed, I will take my leave. Mito-sama, please allow me to withdraw."
The Third Hokage nodded but did not linger. After seeing Kyuushin safe and sound, he chose to depart.
After the Third Hokage left, Mito and Kyuushin didn't stay long either. They went into the house. As for the thick frost on the training ground, it was left there to slowly disappear.
Ninjutsu is like that; once released, it cannot be retracted. Only a very few methods can absorb ninjutsu that has already been released. The Deva Path in the Rinnegan can do it, and there's also the unknown and possibly non-existent Scorch Release kekkei genkai that can as well.[5]
Or there's another way: creating a corresponding sealing technique. For example, the Fire Sealing Method can specifically absorb chakra-formed flames.
However, for a kekkei genkai like Ice Release, creating a corresponding sealing technique is not something that can be accomplished in a short time. Therefore, Mito had no intention of bothering with it.
After returning to the house, Kyuushin spoke first:
"Thank you, Grandma, for helping me conceal the matter of my kekkei genkai."
Mito sat on a chair, shook her head upon hearing this, and said,
"The ability to Synthesize Kekkei Genkai should not be easily spread. Otherwise, the other four great nations would not let you go, and even within Konoha, there's no guarantee that someone wouldn't try to harm you."
Mito had lived from the Warring States Period until now, so she naturally understood some things clearly. Although Konoha appeared peaceful on the surface, it was still a military organization, and some dark matters were quite normal.
Even the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, when creating forbidden jutsu, had not shied away from using living people for experiments. Mito was naturally well aware of these matters, which is why she helped Kyuushin conceal it.
Kyuushin nodded. However, with his greatly increased strength, his apprehension about this matter had significantly decreased, so he said,
"My current strength has probably surpassed that of my teacher Jiraiya and the others. Coupled with mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, I don't need to be so cautious anymore.
After all, I have already mastered Ice Release, and I have learned four of the five ninjutsu. It's time to consider other kekkei genkai. In that case, exposure is only a matter of time.
After all, being able to awaken one kekkei genkai is already a stroke of luck. For two to successively awaken in one person, anyone would suspect there's something unusual about me."
Mito wasn't surprised by Kyuushin mentioning his strength reaching the Kage-level. In her previous perception, the chakra within Kyuushin's body even made her feel a little startled. Excluding the Nine-Tails, while he wasn't as strong as her, he wasn't far off either.
Combined with the Ice Release and the Flying Thunder God Technique, and his proficiency in the other four ninjutsu being at least among the best of the jonin, all these together made it natural for him to be able to contend with a Kage-level expert.