The war was over, and Konoha emerged victorious. The Grass Village, which had allied with Konoha, managed to survive, while the Land of Grass faced extinction.
With the great revenge fulfilled, Kaneko went to pay her respects to her father and then sought out Ye Zi, who was about to leave.
"I owe you a favor." she said, looking at Ye Zi.
Ye Zi responded indifferently, "And?"
Kaneko said earnestly, "If you ever need me to put my life on the line for you, I will repay this favor."
"I don't think I need it." Ye Zi replied, looking at Kaneko's still somewhat youthful face. He recalled that night when she first ambushed him with merciless poison needles. Even now, time seemed to have no sense of fairness.
He turned to leave as Konoha's army prepared to return to the village.
Kaneko watched his back, her green eyes filled with him.
After several days of travel, the Konoha army returned to the village.
Orochimaru, who had made significant achievements, marked another heavy accomplishment on his record. This war once again highlighted the importance of medical ninjas. After reviewing the battle reports, the Konoha higher-ups vaguely acknowledged the value of medical ninjas and considered focusing on their development.
Dan, who should have died, survived due to Ye Zi's influence. Thus, during the precious rest period after the war, Tsunade visited Orochimaru's residence—a place she rarely went—to find Ye Zi.
Orochimaru was surprised by Tsunade's visit and welcomed her inside, leading her to the guest room.
Soon after, Ye Zi arrived at the guest room and saw Tsunade.
"Thank you for saving Dan." Tsunade said sincerely after he took a seat.
He was momentarily taken aback and responded somewhat insincerely, "It was the right thing to do."
Tsunade was silent for a moment and then said, "I've heard the rumors in the village. Even Orochimaru couldn't stop them, and I can't help you."
Orochimaru, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, glanced at her but remained silent.
"I don't mind." Ye Zi said calmly. This was the third time he had said this, the first to Orochimaru, and the second to Kushina when she came to find him upon returning to the village.
He truly didn't mind, but perhaps only Orochimaru could understand this. Tsunade didn't believe him—anyone who achieved such accomplishments in the war but had to endure rumors would be affected, especially when the rumors came from fellow comrades whom he had saved.
Tsunade chose not to delve further into matters she couldn't assist with. She looked at him and said seriously, "I also heard that during the battle with the Iwa ninjas, you consumed the flesh of your enemies. The first time was an arm, and from the second time, it was the abdomen. You use this method to recover chakra. Based on your physique, I have some understanding and can help you address this issue."
Ye Zi fell silent upon hearing this. Addressing this issue? Was it about improving this advantage or eliminating it?
"How will you solve it?" he asked.
"At the very least, you won't need to eat flesh." Tsunade said.
He hesitated slightly, thought for a moment, and then declined, as he did not trust Tsunade.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "You can come to me anytime." With that, she stood up and prepared to leave.
Ye Zi looked up at her and said, "Lady Tsunade, Dan promised to teach me the Spirit Transformation Technique. I think that's enough."
Tsunade was momentarily stunned. Dan had not mentioned this to her, and the Spirit Transformation Technique was not a conventional jutsu—it required specific traits to learn. She didn't say anything further, nodded slightly, and bid farewell to Orochimaru before leaving.
After Tsunade left, Orochimaru, who had been silent, finally spoke, "You could let Tsunade help you."
"I don't trust her."
"Haha…" Orochimaru was slightly surprised and then let out a low, raspy laugh. "I'm also very interested in your body."
"I don't want to be your experiment." Ye Zi sighed softly.
Orochimaru laughed again for some unknown reason and said, "I'm surprised Dan agreed to teach you the Spirit Transformation Technique. However, that technique isn't something everyone can use."
"Let's see if it works. If not, I won't force it." He was aware of this because Dan had already explained it to him.
A few days later, Dan was still recovering from his injuries.
The lower ninjas who survived the war were promoted to chūnin without an examination.
Ye Zi, who had shone brightly during this war, was recommended by Orochimaru to take the jōnin exam. With his solid foundation and strength, he successfully passed the exam and became the first among his peers to be promoted to jōnin.
Seeing that Ye Zi had become a jōnin, Jiraiya was quite displeased and also recommended Minato for the jōnin exam. As a result, Minato showcased his talent and successfully passed the exam as well.
As for Kushina, since Tsunade had no intention of competing, she did not recommend Kushina for the jōnin exam but instead focused on teaching her.
Thus, Ye Zi and Minato became the first among their peers to be promoted to jōnin in just a few days. Given their current strength, their promotion to jōnin was quite appropriate.
Becoming a jōnin did not change much. The shortage of manpower meant that Ye Zi, as a jōnin, was not assigned to lead a team. He put on his mask and resumed his role as Root member under the codename Raijin, continuing to undertake dangerous missions. While improving his skills, he also extensively reviewed documents in search of clues to return to Earth.
Some time later, after Dan had fully healed, he approached Ye Zi to fulfill his promise to teach him the Spirit Transformation Technique.
"The Spirit Transformation Technique belongs to the Yin-Yang Release techniques and is considered a forbidden technique. To master this technique, the most basic requirements are special traits and abundant mental energy. I'm not sure if you have the aptitude for it." Dan said as they arrived at a secluded training ground.
Ye Zi said, "Let's give it a try."
"Then let's begin." Dan nodded slightly.
Join the patreon and get 45 chapters ahead