"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Jutsu!"
Mist rolled like ocean waves, filling the forest in seconds. Trees began to melt away, and even stones melted to liquid.
"This is incredible! It amplifies my jutsu so much!" Terumi Mei exclaimed, her face lighting up with surprise. "Is this truly sage mode?"
Now able to enter sage mode in seconds, and eventually even instantly, she knew that all aspects of her abilities—ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu—had dramatically improved due to the heightened quality of her chakra.
Sage Mode is the ultimate amplifier for ninjas, granting an immense increase in strength and the potential to continuously absorb natural energy, enhancing one's physical attributes and chakra reserves.
If Mei had once been hesitant about her position as Mizukage, learning sage mode erased any doubt. Among the five kage, she was now unquestionably formidable.
She continued experimenting, using boil release, lava release, taijutsu, and water Style in rapid succession. Her chakra reserves seemed endless, nearly doubled in quantity. In sage mode, she effectively possessed three times her previous chakra.
Strength enhancement was everything for a ninja, especially for Kiri shinobis, who had survival of the fittest deeply ingrained in their psyche. Ecstatic with her new power, Mei leaped into Shin's arms, rewarding him with a warm, heartfelt kiss.
Shin didn't object. He knew that Mizukage's "charm offensive" had a dual purpose: securing his support and aligning his interests with their own.
Once the kiss ended, Mei chuckled, lounging in his arms with a playful, provocative look. "You're fearless, Shin. Aren't you worried I might melt you away?"
Though outwardly calm, Shin laughed inwardly. 'If you aren't afraid, I'll absorb you whole; why should I be afraid?' His Munch-Munch Fruit ability was in play, even if he rarely used it. It fortified his body like an impenetrable shield.
Of course, he wouldn't spoil the moment with such thoughts. Sometimes, a little romance was in order.
Shin spent two or three months in the Hidden Mist Village, initially planning to stay only half that time. He achieved what he came for: the Ice Release bloodline and six-tails chakra.
Harvesting these was straightforward. Drawing a little blood from Haku each day, then healing him, ensured there were no adverse effects.
As for the Six-Tails' jinchuriki, Utakata, he was surprisingly cooperative when he heard that most of the tailed beast's chakra could be extracted. Though this would reduce his raw strength, it would vastly improve his control, reducing the risk of going berserk.
With these tasks completed in about a week, Shin ended up extending his stay. Cultivating a rapport with Mizukage, Terumi Mei, and laying groundwork for future cooperation with the Hidden Mist Village and the Akatsuki had their benefits. And, well, he wasn't exactly in a hurry to leave.
If someone were to ask why Mei seemed sleep-deprived during this time, frequently waking at noon, Shin would claim she was merely up late, dutifully working on official documents.
With the Rinnegan integrating his Kamui Sharingan, Shin's travel capabilities improved. Kamui now allowed him near-instantaneous teleportation, though its range was limited and could not exceed the scope of the Kamui dimension.
Even so, reaching the Land of Sound took him only two hours.
Orochimaru's Hidden Sound Village had become the Akatsuki's new base. The constant rain in the Land of Rain made building and maintaining underground structures tedious.
Originally, Shin had stayed there to maintain the illusion of being Nagato. But with Black Zetsu gone and Obito out of the picture, he felt no reason to stay there.
However, upon entering the base, he was met with a peculiar sight: a familiar blonde ninja enthusiastically gambling.
"Hahaha, I'm bound to win it all back this time!"
A quick scan showed that Tsunade was playing cards with Kakuzu and Hidan.
Shin stepped back to check the base's entrance, confirming it was indeed Akatsuki's new headquarters. "Is this supposed to be an underground casino now?"
A few minutes later, Shin cleared the casino setup and restored order to the base. He finally understood what had happened.
Apparently, with no urgent missions, Tsunade had succumbed to boredom and dragged a money-hungry Kakuzu and a thrill-seeking Hidan into a gambling binge.
Kakuzu had initially refused, disliking the uncertainty of gambling. But after making some money off a particular "Legendary Sucker," he couldn't resist.
Meanwhile, with nothing better to do, Hidan found the games with Tsunade oddly addictive.
Tsunade stayed because she had promised to teach Shin medical ninjutsu. Unfortunately, Shin has been too busy to return until now.
With some quiet time ahead, Shin planned to focus on learning medical ninjutsu, body research, and fuinjutsu. He also intended to strengthen his combat skills.
He wasn't in any rush to accumulate more ninjutsu knowledge, bloodlines, or tailed beast powers. Armed with the Rinnegan and the Gedo Statue, Shin was practically untouchable in the shinobi world, short of Kaguya's revival.
In his study of medical ninjutsu, Shin's rapid progress was impressive, primarily due to the almost complete Otsutsuki bloodline he had acquired. His talent and potential reached the pinnacle of a ninja, allowing him to master techniques that might take others years to learn.
Even in fuinjutsu, his bloodline conferred immense advantages, enabling him to succeed by intuition alone at times. Only in human anatomy research did he need to concentrate more.
Tsunade mentioned that she likely won't have much more to teach in six months.
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Merry Christmas Everyone!
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Mass Release: [5/5]
For each power stones milestone—25, 50, 100, and beyond—I will release a bonus chapter.