Chapter 91: The Seed of the Spirit
In a silvery-white mental space, a Kirigakure Anbu, codenamed Blue Demon, stared at the figure before him. The man looked familiar, though Blue Demon couldn't immediately place him.
Regardless, recognition was unnecessary—instinct dictated action. The memory of Red Shark's death was still fresh in his mind, and Blue Demon had no desire to meet the same fate.
Without hesitation, he rapidly formed hand seals, activating his signature technique—Lightning Release: Thunderfall.
The technique prioritized speed above all else.
In an instant, a lightning column as thick as a barrel descended from above, targeting Baishi's head.
Yet, Baishi didn't move an inch. The immense chakra around him easily absorbed and neutralized the lightning strike.
Before Blue Demon could prepare another attack, Baishi blurred into a streak of white light and passed through his body.
Blue Demon staggered, his form flickering and fading slightly, as though a critical blow had landed.
Baishi reappeared in front of him, calmly reaching out and gripping his throat.
Though Blue Demon's form was a spiritual projection, death here would mean the complete collapse of his soul. The destruction of his spirit would sever his consciousness from his body, leaving it a lifeless shell—if not outright killing him, it would reduce him to a vegetative state.
This was the deadly efficiency of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
But Baishi wasn't here to kill. He was here to control.
When Baishi had captured Uemura Ki months ago, he'd tried to create a mental "seal of loyalty" to control his captives. Yet, despite months of effort, he hadn't made much progress.
He'd almost abandoned the idea—until the Spirit Transformation Technique gave him new inspiration.
Since he couldn't manipulate their minds directly, why not bypass the problem entirely and control their souls?
Though this sounded even more difficult, Baishi had gained unprecedented insight into the soul thanks to mastering this S-Rank jutsu.
He'd come to understand that the soul represented the unity of both the body and mind, holding the essence of a person's being.
If the soul was damaged, both the body and mind would suffer catastrophic consequences. Conversely, healing or influencing the soul could reverse many of those effects.
Baishi had seen evidence of this in the past. For instance, despite the deaths of countless ninja whose bodies were destroyed, their souls often remained intact in the Pure Land. Conversely, when the Third Hokage sealed Orochimaru's arms, the damage to his soul directly crippled his body and inflicted endless mental torment.
Similarly, Orochimaru's Reincarnation Technique demonstrated how absorbing another's soul could heal one's own body and mind.
Armed with this understanding, Baishi theorized that by using the mind as a bridge, he could influence and control a target's soul, achieving absolute domination.
These thoughts flashed through Baishi's mind as he acted. Black sealing runes extended from his palm, quickly covering Blue Demon's spiritual form.
Blue Demon's eyes widened in terror. "You—"
Before he could finish speaking, his voice was cut off.
His expression contorted wildly, shifting from rage to fear, and finally freezing in a grotesque, crazed grin.
Baishi sighed. "Still a failure, huh?"
With a flex of his hand, Blue Demon's spiritual form shattered into countless shards of light, vanishing into the void.
As his soul disintegrated, the mental space began to collapse as well. Baishi's spiritual form turned into a streak of white light, swiftly retreating from the imploding space.
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Meanwhile, in the physical world.
The two remaining Kirigakure Anbu were still frozen in indecision when Blue Demon suddenly collapsed lifelessly, much like Red Shark before him.
The disparity in time was staggering. Though Baishi had spent what felt like minutes within Blue Demon's mental space, only a second or two had passed in reality.
The Spirit Transformation Technique allowed Baishi to accelerate his mental processing speed nearly 300 times, turning seconds into minutes in his perception.
This meant the remaining Kirigakure Anbu had no time to act before Baishi's spirit streaked toward them.
Within moments, he had infiltrated both of their minds, using them for further experiments. Unfortunately, these attempts also failed to achieve full success.
Despite his failures, Baishi gained a deeper appreciation for the sheer power of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
From initiating the attack to neutralizing all four targets, the entire process had taken less than ten seconds.
Such devastating efficiency on a battlefield would be unparalleled.
Shaking his head, Baishi dismissed the thought for now and returned his spirit to his body.
The instant his soul reunited with his flesh, a sense of completeness and harmony washed over him. He exhaled softly, relieved.
"I was worried that prolonged use of the Spirit Transformation Technique might weaken the bond between my soul and body, but it seems I was overthinking it."
After calming his thoughts, Baishi reflected on the experiments.
"It's clear that my approach is too forceful. I need a gentler method—otherwise, the strain on their souls will be too great."
Resolving to refine his technique, Baishi's spiritual form floated toward another section of the island, where his next subject awaited.
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Time flew by, and over the next month, the Third Great Ninja War officially came to an end.
With their hands now free, the Cloud and Mist villages turned their attention to Moonlit Island.
For Kirigakure, avenging their fallen ninja was a matter of pride. For Kumogakure, Baishi's destruction of an entire division demanded retribution.
As the two villages increased their operations in the surrounding seas, Moonlit Island grew more crowded.
For Baishi, this influx of enemies provided ample experimental material.
After countless failed attempts, he finally achieved a breakthrough.
Looking at the subdued Uemura Ki, Baishi asked, "Any discomfort?"
"No, my lord," Uemura Ki replied stiffly.
Baishi frowned. Though Uemura Ki was no longer resisting, his overly rigid demeanor made it clear that something was off.
This wasn't just submission—it was a loss of individuality.
"Seems like the 'Spirit Seed' still needs improvement," Baishi muttered. "Forced control damages the soul, and while the effects seem minor, it destroys their potential for growth."
Shaking his head, he turned toward another holding cell, ready to continue his experiments.
(End of Chapter)
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