---
The Hokage's office was filled with smoke.
The Third Hokage leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on the desk and the other holding the pipe in his mouth, listening to the Anbu Yoru's report while puffing on his pipe.
When he heard the captain Blast's guess that Kenshi was most likely dead and made into a human puppet, the Third Hokage, who was about to take a puff, paused for a moment before taking another deep puff, a hint of surprise flashing through his calm eyes, followed by an undeniable anger.
The Third Hokage had actually expected Kenshi's death.
In fact, after hearing Minato's account of his encounter with Kenshi, he realized that the child, Kenshi, was most likely dead.
After all, if it was just a genjutsu control, what valuable information could a child still attending ninja school obtain? It wouldn't be necessary at all.
Only by disguising themselves as a child and using this as a stepping stone to infiltrate the Konoha ninja system could they obtain valuable information.
So, the person Minato encountered today was not Kenshi, but a spy using a special transformation technique to impersonate him.
But what the Third Hokage never expected was that Kenshi was not a spy impersonation, but a dead person made into a human puppet and controlled.
And he was even going to ninja school openly.
This was simply a provocation against him and Konoha.
It was a blatant disregard for Konoha and him, the Hokage.
Unforgivable!
Once he found that spy, the Third Hokage would make sure he tasted the power of Konoha's Anbu interrogation room, only then would he be able to vent his anger.
Just as the Third Hokage was thinking this, Yoru continued to report that Chong couldn't find any chakra threads around Kenshi, and Blast's various possibilities about the target's abnormal physical condition, finally asking the Third Hokage whether to continue expanding the search for the spy or directly capture him.
At this moment, after listening to the report, the Third Hokage's brows furrowed in concern.
He trusted Chong's abilities. Even the finest chakra threads couldn't escape the perception of bugs specifically designed to consume chakra.
If it was a human puppet control, there would be no way there wouldn't be chakra threads.
If there were no chakra threads, it meant it wasn't a human puppet.
If it wasn't a human puppet, there were only two possibilities.
Either the current Kenshi was still a spy using a transformation technique to impersonate him.
Or the current Kenshi was indeed dead, but controlled by an unknown method, not by a puppeteer.
Of the two possibilities, the first was better.
But if it was the second, then it was troublesome.
The ability to control the dead easily brings to mind forbidden techniques like Edo Tensei.
If the enemy had mastered a forbidden technique similar to Edo Tensei, the threat to Konoha would increase significantly.
Blast said that the current Kenshi's body was very cold, suggesting he was dead.
Secondly, Chong couldn't sense any naturally emanating chakra from Kenshi, which basically ruled out the possibility of Kenshi being alive.
No matter what kind of special transformation technique it was, as long as it was a living person, it would be impossible not to emit any chakra naturally.
Therefore, the current Kenshi was most likely a corpse.
In other words, the situation had reached the second possibility, the one the Third Hokage least wanted to happen, the enemy had used an unknown method to control the deceased Kenshi.
The Third Hokage immediately ruled out his own Edo Tensei.
This forbidden technique was created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama, only Konoha possessed it, and he was currently in possession of it. Anyone who had seen it knew that Kenshi couldn't have been resurrected by Edo Tensei.
Besides Edo Tensei, the Yamanaka clan's Mind Body Technique could also control the corpses of the recently deceased, but it could only control corpses that had recently died, let alone control a corpse for more than seven days.
So, it couldn't be a Mind Body Technique.
Besides Mind Body Technique, what other secret techniques could control corpses, allowing them to move and condense chakra like living people, and retain their memories from life?
"Hmm... wait, there is actually one secret technique that can do that."
"Spirit Transformation Technique!"
In an instant, a secret technique that was once famous during the Warring States Period appeared in the Third Hokage's mind.
This secret technique was collected by the Second Hokage, Tobirama, and has been passed down in Konoha. It wouldn't be surprising if others in the ninja world had inherited it.
The more the Third Hokage thought about it, the more he believed that Kenshi must have been controlled by a secret technique similar to the Spirit Transformation Technique. (PS: The Spirit Transformation Technique is set to have been invented during the Warring States Period and is not unique to Konoha.)
The Spirit Transformation Technique allows a person's soul to manifest and then perform a series of soul-based secret techniques.
Killing another person's soul, taking over their body, and using soul reading abilities to read their memories are just the basic abilities of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
The Soul Possession Technique is the ultimate manifestation of the Spirit Transformation Technique, the ability that the ninja who created this technique most desired to achieve.
The Soul Possession Technique, as the name suggests, is a technique that allows a soul to possess another person's body, thereby achieving immortality by keeping the physical body eternally young.
If it was the Soul Possession Technique of the Spirit Transformation Technique, all of Kenshi's current abnormalities could be explained.
Kenshi was indeed dead, but only his soul died, his body didn't. The body is now being controlled by the soul of the spy hidden in the shadows.
The reason why Kenshi's corpse is cold is because the spy's soul is adapting to Kenshi's body, which is why it feels cold like a dead person.
This is a side effect of the Soul Possession Technique of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Before the soul fully adapts to the body, the body will remain very cold, like a dead person.
As for the inability to sense emanating chakra, that might also be a side effect of the Soul Possession Technique.
The Third Hokage didn't know the Spirit Transformation Technique, and there were very few people in history who knew it, so there was little detailed information.
No, there are a few loopholes that can't be explained.
First, a body possessed by a soul is unable to condense chakra for long periods of time at high intensity during the adaptation period, otherwise, it will increase the rejection between the body and soul, leading to a longer adaptation period.
However, Minato said that Kenshi was in a state of high-speed chakra condensation all day, which clearly doesn't match the behavior of the Spirit Transformation Technique's Soul Possession adaptation period.
Secondly, the Soul Possession Technique, although it can take over another person's body and continue to live,
But it will also be completely imprisoned by the possessed body, and it won't last long.
Because the possessed body and the soul itself will have a great deal of rejection.
This rejection is irreversible, the longer the time, the stronger the rejection, and the final result is that the physical body will collapse and die due to rejection, and the soul will naturally dissipate and disappear.
Historically, during the Warring States Period, several ninjas who used the Soul Possession Technique ended up dying within a year due to body rejection.
The Third Hokage couldn't understand one point, what value did Kenshi have that a ninja proficient in the Spirit Transformation Technique would sacrifice their life to possess him?
You must know that ninjas who can perform secret techniques like the Spirit Transformation Technique are at least elite Jonin level.
And unlike other elite Jonin.
A ninja who knows the Spirit Transformation Technique, even if they face an elite Jonin of the same level, as long as they can't resist the soul attack, they will be instantly killed.
Historically, ninjas who knew the Spirit Transformation Technique were all powerful figures in the ninja world, instilling fear in the hearts of others.
Such a powerful ninja would sacrifice their life to possess a child, just to gain a maximum of one year of life.
Is it worth it?
With the Spirit Transformation Technique, whether it's killing enemies or gathering intelligence, it's much stronger than possessing a six-year-old child.
Why?
The Third Hokage put down his pipe, furrowed his brows, and couldn't figure it out.
Putting himself in their shoes, if it were him, he wouldn't sacrifice his life to gain a year of Kenshi's time.
If it were a famous ninja, like his disciples, it might be worth possessing, but a six-year-old child wouldn't have access to Konoha's core secrets.
Even his disciples don't have access to much.
So it's simply not worth it.
Unless the possession doesn't result in death... Hmm, doesn't result in death!
The Third Hokage muttered to himself, his pupils constricting suddenly, he thought of a possibility.
Perhaps the Soul Possession Technique of the Spirit Transformation Technique no longer has the side effect of body rejection, truly achieving immortality.
Perhaps someone has truly perfected the Soul Possession ability of the Spirit Transformation Technique.
This is not impossible, the Third Hokage never dared to underestimate the creativity of the ninja world's geniuses.
If... no, it must have truly perfected the Soul Possession Technique.
Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for a powerful ninja who possesses the Spirit Transformation Technique to possess a six-year-old child who has lost both parents and has no special talent.
So the Soul Possession Technique must have been perfected, and there is no longer the risk of side effects such as body rejection and death.
Thinking of this, the Third Hokage's eyes became brighter.
The technique of immortality, who wouldn't crave it?
---
Hello Shixie here your beautiful shitty translator
You can check out my patreon for my other naruto fanfic
(I don't have any extra chapters for this fic yet, I'm currently working on them. You can check my other fic tho, it also has a unique style like this one)
5/10 Patrons, 5 more to go!!!
My patreon is officially up
patreon(.)com/ShixT9
=> If you join as a FREE MEMBER you'll get +3 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
=> TIER 1 you'll get +7 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
=> TIER 2 you'll get +15 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
=> TIER 3 you'll get +30 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
THE PAID TIERS DOES'NT INCLUDE THE FREE CHAPTERS SO IT'S A BONUS +3 CHAPTERS FOR EACH TIER
EXTRA BENEFITS FOR ALL TIERS
>DISCORD ACCESS
>VOTE AND SUGGEST FUTURE FICS
>FEET PICS 0.0
EACH PAID PATRON = 2 CHAPTERS RELEASE WITH YOUR NAME ON THE TITLE