CHAPTER 13

IMPROVED SEAL

Land of Rivers, Curry of Life Shop.

After a week of work, training and studying at the same time, Ranmaru finally had a breather. Ranmaru's modified chakra draining seal was still half done and still lacks something like support seals to stabilize it. Studying on his own without the guidance of professionals is really hard even if he had magical eyes that can make you super smart.

Ranmaru went to the nearby forest to try his new and improved technique. He first set up some traps around the perimeter and made sure that they were hidden. He had chosen a spot where berries and fruits grew. He can use his 'yureigan' to cast genjutsu on the animals but he did not. Setting up traps is also a training for him and it also test his patience.

After the traps were set, Ranmaru went to the nearby lake to fish. He stopped on the side of the lake and flipped a rock near him and his hand dug on the ground a little and took out a worm hiding underneath. He cast the fishing line into the lake and sat on the ground while leaning on a big rock.

Ranmaru stayed in that position while squinting his eyes from the light of the morning sun. A refreshing wind blew, the leaves rustled and danced with the wind. The birds sang a tune and the scenery was beautiful.

'Ahhh, this is the gift of nature. It was a good choice that I decided to come and train my newly improved technique here.' His mind relaxed and he closed his eyes as he became one with nature.

A few minutes passed and Ranmaru's rest was interrupted by the movement of his fishing rod. He immediately hold onto the rod and pulled, the fish fought back intensely but Ranmaru didn't give up and finally the fish got exhausted and was brought ashore.

"Wow, what a big catch. It seems like I don't have to worry for my lunch and dinner tonight. Ranmaru was happy with this and decided to catch a few more and give some to Granny Sho and the other villagers who came to help him when he was in need.

After catching a few more fishes, Ranmaru decided that it was enough and went back to the village to deliver the fish he caught. He wanted to deliver the fishes early so that it would still be fresh when cooked. He went to the houses one by one and gave the biggest fish to grandma Sho. Grandma Sho told him to eat dinner at their house tonight and Ranmaru happily agreed to that.

When he returned back to the location where the traps were set, he saw two rabbits trapped and the other traps were a dud. Ranmaru put them inside the bamboo cage which he personally crafted and went back home.

At his house, Ranmaru took one rabbit and tied it up with a thin rope on top of the table. Ranmaru ran the formula again in his mind to check if there were problems with his semi complete seal. Ranmaru performed the hand signs and summoned the seal.

"Sealing Art: Touch of Death."

A seal appeared on top of the skin of the rabbit. Ranmaru poured his chakra onto the seal to activate it and at the same time he is using his 'yureigan' in conjunction. The poor rabbit struggled fiercely as it felt the life in its body was being taken by the devil in front of it. The rabbit shrank visibly as its hair slowly fall off, a few moments later, it turned into a dried husk.

"Wow, its effect is really powerful. If I can upgrade this into the future and turn it into an aura like ability, that would be so cool and at the same time horrifying. Being surrounded by husks of dead bodies sure is like a hell on earth.

Ranmaru tried it the second time on the last rabbit and finally had a satisfying results.

The modified chakra draining seal was stronger and faster in absorbing vitality and chakra than the original by a few folds. It can also deal pure damage if successfully activated in an opponent while in a fight. This technique would be a great help if successfully applied it to the enemy, with every hit he can absorb vitality until the opponent turns into a mummy. Over time the small hits will accumulate and the enemy will lose stamina and energy faster at the same time heal his injuries. If it is a battle of attrition then Ranmaru will definitely come out on top.

The only drawback is that it needs to get close to the enemy to apply the seal. This problem though can be solved by learning some immobilizing techniques to hold the opponent long enough to cast it successfully. Also to activate it, it needs a great amount of chakra to support the absorption. Fortunately the skill absorbs chakra too so the chakra lost is offset by the chakra gain.

This technique needs to be optimized more and it needs another sealing technique that will act as a support and stabilize the energy absorbed so it will not go chaotic during absorption. A small wrong move may interrupt the casting and bring a strong backlash to the caster.

Ranmaru cleaned up the table and threw the husk to the bin. He cooked the remaining fish in a skewer and barbecued them on the fire. He finished his meal and started to do his research again on seals to further improve his technique.

Ranmaru arrived at Grandma Sho's shop that evening and had dinner with them. They talked of some things and laughed together about some stories circulating around the village.

At the dinner table, after the tree were done eating, Grandma Sho asked Ranmaru if he would like to come with them the day after tomorrow to another nearby village to purchase some supply. She said that it would take three to four days before we could return. She added that it would also be a good thing for Ranmaru to see and explore the world while still young.

Ranmaru agreed with her invitation because he wanted to buy things for himself too. His materials used in learning sealing techniques were dwindling as it was the left over resources he obtained from the dead bandit leader.

He also wanted to try if could obtain some techniques to increase his arsenal. With his yureigan, he can copy all techniques he sees and it may even be better than sharingan. His eyes can not only copy movements because of the heightened perception and analytical prowess he can also see their chakra flow to understand the essence and how they use the technique.

Two days passed quickly. Ranmaru prepared his clothes and other things he needed in this travel. Ranmaru went to the shop and saw that Granma Sho and his son Karashi were waiting for him already at the entrance. They were going to ride a simple horse carriage and it would take a day of travel to arrive at their destination.

After checking that everything was alright, they set on their way. Karashi was the one driving the horse carriage while Ranmaru and grandma Sho was sitting on the back.

Nothing eventful happened on the way, like being ambushed by bandits or being attacked by wild animals. They passed by few villages and stopped occasionally to let the horse rest. They also stopped on one of the villages to have a lunch. After having their meal, they went on our way again.

A few hours later they arrived at their destination. Ranmaru only knew that they were going to a bigger village but he did not expect that the place they are going to was Takumi village, also known as the village of artisans. This place was very beautiful, even at night there are still people bustling around. This place is not a village at all, it is like a city. There are many shops open even it was late at night and you can see shinobis and mercenaries walking around. Almost all the shops here are selling all kinds of weapon like spear, flails, swords, and knives, all the weapon you can think of that is used by a shinobi.

The three decided to start their tour tomorrow because they were exhausted on the way here especially granny Sho because her age is catching up with her. We found an inn after walking for a few minutes and booked three rooms, then we rested for the night. The next morning I followed Grandma Sho around while Karashi said that he wanted to look around alone.

Granma bought quality kitchen utensils for each set and other things she needs. The two had lunch at a restaurant and went back shortly after, so Ranmaru had the rest of the day to himself.

He asked grandma Sho for permission to go alone outside to play and look around. Granny Sho hesitated and had a thoughtful look. She looked at Ranmaru for a moment, he relented and said to be careful and come back before dusk to which I readily agreed.

Before Ranmaru could go outside, grandma Sho gave her some pocket money to which he hesitated a little but finally accepted it after some talks and her insistence.

Ranmaru walked around while looking sometimes at the weapons that interest him. He was thinking were he could learn some techniques so he asked around if there is an arena or any shinobi tournaments.

A few minutes later, Ranmaru arrived in front of an arena. On his way, he bought a sun glasses and put it on. Ranmaru paid for the entrance ticket and sat at a high spot so he can observe the entire arena. The reason he bought sun glasses was so his eyes can be hidden when it glows while looking and analyzing techniques utilized in the fight.

When he arrived, the tournament was already starting, so he did not waste time and activated his yureigan.