175 Chapter 175

What Asuma ultimately decides is now of little concern to Kaito.

The opportunity has been extended; whether Asuma can seize it is no longer Kaito's business.

As Kaito himself put it, Asuma is an adult; he must bear the consequences of his actions.

In handling the matter of Asuma, Kaito spends the subsequent days hiding in forests. Having just acquired the power of nature, he's naturally curious about the Sage Mode.

Especially, he wants to test the limits of this Sage Mode's strength, making Kakuzu an obvious choice for his sparring partner.

Strictly speaking, Kaito's ideal sparring partners would be Shisui or Fugaku, given that they are all Uchihas with similarly potent eyes.

This allows for immediate adjustments in troublesome situations, thereby avoiding unnecessary complications.

But the unfortunate fact is that both are still recovering, remaining in a relatively weakened state.

The density of Hashirama cells in Danzo's arm is no joke; after all, not all Hashirama cells are created equal.

Some are good for taijutsu, while others can directly execute Wood Style techniques. Given Danzo's key role, his Hashirama cells are certainly not weak.

But this does bring about some less favorable circumstances, namely that it's foreseeable Shisui and Fugaku will go through a period of decline after absorbing these powers.

However, this is hardly a big deal, given that Konoha is relatively stable, and the duration of each slump is likely to get shorter over time.

"Thud!"

In the depths of the forest, Kakuzu is sent flying by Kaito's fist. He crashes violently into a tree behind him, and with a muffled sound, the tree cracks and breaks apart.

Kaito doesn't pursue him further; he knows that at this point, it's enough. Any more, and Kakuzu would need a new heart.

"You really are something..."

Kakuzu painfully rubs his chest, finding it rather frustrating to be used as a punching bag in this way.

But what frustrates him even more is that Kaito is ridiculously strong at this moment.

Although they haven't fought at full strength—after all, using techniques like Fire Style in the forest would inevitably lead to catastrophic outcomes—they mostly stick to smaller scale, individual techniques.

And Kaito has restricted himself even more; he didn't even use the Sharingan!

Yet even so, Kakuzu finds himself disoriented, beaten soundly by Kaito.

He noticed that after Kaito displayed those red eye markings, every aspect—be it speed, strength, or even the quality of chakra—has dramatically improved.

This is nothing short of incredible, as he has never seen such a flawless chakra mode in his memory.

The Lightning Style chakra mode from the Hidden Cloud Village is indeed famous and powerful in the ninja world.

However, aside from a robust chakra shield, it only amplifies one's speed.

As terrifying as that is, it pales when compared to whatever this natural chakra or Sage Mode of Kaito's is. The potential difference is not even close.

Even if Kaito's boost is somewhat limited and doesn't last long in continuous combat, it's still an incredible advancement for someone as strong as him.

"Are you okay?"

Kaito looks at the dent in Kakuzu's chest and can't help but ask, somewhat apologetically.

The power of the Sage Mode is immense; even at this first stage, the enhancement it offers is significant.

In any extraordinary profession, the closer one gets to the peak, the harder it becomes to make further progress.

Kaito knows he's far from that peak, but even getting to his current level has become increasingly difficult.

And that's the marvel of Sage Mode—it grants you a massive boost, regardless of your current strength level!

Even the formidable Rikudo Sennin, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, experienced tremendous growth after mastering Sage Mode, uniting with his brother to go to war against Otsutsuki Kaguya.

And Senju Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands and the Buddha atop his head rely on Sage Art to manifest—powers capable of completely blowing up a fully-formed Susanoo!

Uchiha Madara exhibited unimaginable fighting prowess after acquiring the power of Sage Art. You can only imagine how insane the power of Sage Techniques really is.

To put it bluntly, the stronger your foundation, the more terrifying the boost Sage Mode can offer!

"What could happen to him? Boss, you're too strong," Deidara incredulously observes everything from the side, hopping over to scrutinize Kaito.

"Although the duration of your power is too short, using it as a trump card would be even more devastating! Too bad this isn't the kind of art I'm interested in; otherwise, I'd study it well."

"You idiot," Kakuzu disdainfully snorts. Thanks to his Earth Grudge Fear, his healing speed is quite fast; the dent in his chest recovers in moments.

"If he combined this mode with Susanoo, the explosions generated would be far more potent. You think only about exploding things, but never how to maximize their potency. Your clay won't accomplish that in a lifetime!"

"Enough, no more arguing," Kaito, seeing the two poised to argue yet again, pre-emptively interrupts with a shake of his head.

These two have bickered more than once or twice during their time together; Kaito has had it with their antics. They're not even an original pairing, and he can't figure out what they have to argue about so much.

"Mastering Natural Chakra Mode is extremely difficult; you must first sense nature's power. If you can't do even that, forget it. And even if you do sense it, absorbing it isn't guaranteed. Nature's power is perilous; you can be consumed and die at any moment.

"And Kakuzu, Deidara has been doing something; the guy's already started learning Wind Style Chakra, hasn't he?"

Deidara, after all, is quite interesting and obedient. He seems to believe that the art of explosion should burst forth in a moment, brilliant as fireworks.

Ah, the pursuit of art should not be a mechanical repetition, confined only to clay. Doesn't the art Kaito crafts employ other means?

With this thought in mind, while Deidara continues refining his clay techniques, he's genuinely started to ponder the elements of Dust Style.

And the kid—just twelve—possesses an unimaginable zeal. Once committed, he commits; thus, he's begun serious research into Wind Style, preparing for the future.

"Alright, I need to leave. I'll leave a shadow clone here," Kaito glanced at the time before speaking.

"By the way, are you guys comfortable living here? Do you want me to have someone build you a better log cabin?"

"No need. We can handle the cabin ourselves," Kakuzu shook his head. Living in this place naturally requires preparations, and a house is the first among them.

For shinobi, it's no big deal. Only the aesthetics might pose a slight problem.

"I don't need it either. Wearing a wig while shopping in busy places is very uncomfortable," Deidara also shook his head. His blond hair is too conspicuous, so he needs to disguise himself whenever he enters crowded areas.

But that's not the crux of it. He curiously looked at Kaito.

"You're leaving early today, Boss. You must have something important to do."

"Yes, there's a small gathering today," Kaito nodded and spread his hands in a casual gesture.

"A guy is formally resigning, and he's on good terms with me. So, I must go and see how things are... "

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