Chapter 7: Spirit Transformation Jutsu, Body Possession Jutsu

In the Hokage's office, smoke filled the air.

Third Hokage leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on the desk, the other holding a smoking pipe in his mouth. He listened to ANBU's report while exhaling smoke.

When he heard that the Squad Captain speculated that Kimura Akira had likely been killed and turned into a human puppet, Third Hokage paused as he was about to smoke again. After a moment, he took another deep drag, a hint of surprise flashing in his calm eyes, followed by barely concealed anger.

In fact, Third Hokage had already anticipated Kimura Akira's death.

Upon hearing Minato's account of what happened to Kimura Akira, Third Hokage understood that the child Kimura Akira had likely been killed.

After all, if it's just Genjutsu control, what valuable information can a kid still in the Academy provide? It's completely unnecessary.

Only by disguising oneself as a child and using it as a springboard to infiltrate the Konoha Ninja system can valuable information be obtained.

So today, Minato didn't encounter Kimura Akira, but a spy using a special Transformation Jutsu to impersonate him.

But what Third Hokage never expected was that Kimura Akira was not being impersonated by a spy, but was manipulated after death into a human puppet.

Moreover, he boldly continued attending the Academy.

This is simply a provocation against him and Konoha.

He really doesn't regard Konoha and its Hokage.

Unforgivable!

When they find that spy, Third will make sure they experience the power of Konoha's ANBU interrogation rooms to quell his resentment.

Just as Third was thinking this, the ANBU continued to report on the various possibilities surrounding Kimura Akira's abnormal physical condition and the presence of Chakra threads around him that the bugs couldn't find, asking Third whether to continue spreading the search for the spy or to directly apprehend him.

At this moment, Third Hokage's expression turned serious after listening.

He believed in the insects' abilities; even the smallest Chakra threads couldn't escape the sensing of Chakra-consuming insects.

If it was Puppet Manipulation, there should be Chakra threads present.

If there were no Chakra threads, it meant it wasn't a human puppet.

If not a human puppet, there were only two possibilities now.

Either the current Kimura Akira is still a spy using Transformation Jutsu to impersonate him.

Or the current Kimura Akira is indeed dead, but being manipulated by unknown means not involving a Puppeteer.

In either case, if it's the first, it's manageable.

If it's the second, it's troublesome.

The ability to control the dead easily brings to mind forbidden techniques like Impure World Reincarnation.

If the enemy has mastered such a technique akin to Impure World Reincarnation, the threat to Konoha would escalate drastically.

ANBU reported that Kimura Akira's body is very cold, suggesting he might be deceased.

Next, the insects cannot sense any naturally emanating Chakra from Kimura Akira, which essentially rules out the possibility of him being alive.

Regardless of which special Transformation Jutsu is used, as long as it involves a living person, there would naturally be some Chakra emanation.

Therefore, it is highly probable that the current Kimura Akira is a corpse.

In other words, the situation has arrived at the second possibility that Third Hokage least wanted to consider: the enemy has used unknown means to manipulate the deceased Kimura Akira.

Regarding these unknown means, Third first ruled out their own Impure World Reincarnation.

This forbidden technique was created by the Second Hokage and is exclusive to Konoha, currently under his guardianship. Anyone who has seen it knows that Kimura Akira could not have been brought back by Impure World Reincarnation.

Apart from Impure World Reincarnation, the Yamanaka clan's Mind Body Switch Secret Jutsu can also control the bodies of the deceased, but it is limited to recently deceased bodies and cannot control a corpse that has been dead for more than seven days.

So it couldn't be a Secret Jutsu like Mind Body Switch.

Apart from Mind Body Switch, what other Secret Jutsu can control corpses, enabling them to move like living people, manifest Chakra, and possess the memories from when they were alive?

"Hmm... Wait, there really is a Secret Jutsu that can do this."

"Spirit Transformation Jutsu!"

In an instant, a Secret Jutsu once famous during the Warring States period appeared in Third Hokage's mind.

This Secret Jutsu was collected by Second Hokage Tobirama-sama and has been inherited by Konoha to this day. It wouldn't be surprising if others in the ninja world have also inherited it.

The more Third thought about it, the more he felt that Kimura Akira was likely under the control of a Secret Jutsu similar to Spirit Transformation Jutsu. (Note: Here, Spirit Transformation Jutsu is set to have been invented during the Warring States period and is not exclusive to Konoha.)

Spirit Transformation Jutsu can materialize a person's soul and then use a series of Secret Jutsu targeting souls.

It can kill others' souls, seize their bodies, and through the ability to read souls, access their memories. These are just the basic abilities of Spirit Transformation Jutsu.

Body Possession Jutsu is the ultimate manifestation of the Spirit Transformation Secret Jutsu, and it is the ability that the creators of this Secret Jutsu desire most to achieve.

Body Possession Jutsu, as the name suggests, involves using one's soul to take over another's body, thereby maintaining a perpetually youthful physical form—a technique for eternal life.

If it's the soul Body Possession aspect of Spirit Transformation Jutsu, all the anomalies surrounding Kimura Akira can be explained.

Indeed, Kimura Akira has died, but only his soul; his body remains alive, now controlled by the hidden spy's soul.

The reason Kimura Akira's body feels cold is because the spy's soul is covertly adapting to Kimura Akira's body, causing it to exhibit a cold sensation akin to that of a deceased person.

This is a side effect of the Body Possession of Spirit Transformation Jutsu.

Before the soul fully adapts to the body, the body remains in a cold state, much like that of a deceased person.

As for the inability to sense any emanating Chakra, this may also be a side effect of the Body Possession Jutsu.

Third Hokage doesn't know the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, and historically, very few people have mastered it so detailed information is scarce.

No, there are still several inconsistencies here that cannot be explained.

Firstly, a body undergoing soul Body Possession cannot sustain prolonged, high-level Chakra concentration during the adaptation period. Doing so would exacerbate the rejection between body and soul, prolonging the adaptation period.

However, Minato mentioned that Kimura Akira maintained a high-speed Chakra concentration state all day, which clearly contradicts the typical behavior during the adaptation period of Spirit Transformation Jutsu's soul possession.

Secondly, while Body Possession Jutsu can allow one to take over another's body to continue living, it also results in complete imprisonment within that body and a short lifespan.

This is because the possessed body and the original soul have significant mutual rejection.

This rejection is irreversible; the longer it persists, the stronger it becomes. Ultimately, the physical body collapses and dies due to rejection, and the soul naturally dissipates and disappears.

In history, during the Warring States period, several Ninjas who performed soul Body Possession died within a year due to bodily rejection.

Another point that Third Hokage cannot comprehend is why Kimura Akira would have any value worth a skilled Spirit Transformation Jutsu user sacrificing their life to possess.

You see, Ninjas capable of using Spirit Transformation Jutsu or similar Secret Jutsu are at least elite Jonin-level experts in strength.

Moreover, they are different from other elite Jonin.

A strong practitioner of Spirit Transformation Jutsu can easily defeat another elite Jonin of the same level if they cannot withstand soul attacks.

Throughout history, those skilled in Spirit Transformation Jutsu have all been renowned in the ninja world as terrifying figures.

Such formidable individuals would exchange their lives to possess a child, just to gain at most a year of life.

Is it worth it?

Having Spirit Transformation Jutsu, whether for combat or intelligence gathering, is far more advantageous than possessing a six-year-old child.

Why?

Third Hokage put down his smoking pipe, furrowing his brow, unable to understand.

Putting himself in their shoes, if it were him, he wouldn't trade his life for one year of Kimura Akira's time.

For renowned Ninja, like his disciples, there is some value in possession. However, a six-year-old child would never come into contact with Konoha's core secrets.

Even his disciples, in reality, hasn't had much exposure.

So it's simply not worth it.

Unless after possession, they won't die... Yes, won't die!

Third muttered to himself in his heart, his pupils suddenly shrinking. He thought of a possibility.

Perhaps the Body Possession of this Spirit Transformation Jutsu no longer has the side effect of body rejection, truly achieving immortality.

Perhaps someone has indeed perfected the ability of Body Possession within Spirit Transformation Jutsu.

This is not impossible. Third never underestimates the creativity of geniuses in the ninja world.

If... no, it must be true that the soul Body Possession Jutsu has been perfected.

Otherwise, it's inexplicable why a powerful user of Spirit Transformation Jutsu would possess a six-year-old child without exceptional talents, whose parents are deceased.

Thinking this, Third's eyes grew brighter.

Immortality Jutsu, who wouldn't desire that?