Chapter 22: Soaring Strength & Kage LVL

The palm covered in dark mist gripped Zabuza's neck tightly.

The overwhelming suction force left him speechless and terrified, unable to resist. He was pulled into the mysterious beads' refining space.

In an instant, the powerful force of the devouring energy broke down Zabuza's body into countless particles, transforming them into swirling black and blue halos. From his innermost being to his physical form, Sato's body absorbed it all.

"This energy... Is this the ultimate manifestation of devouring?" Sato's body warmed, a rare expression of horror appearing on his face.

He could clearly sense that the refining energy surpassed that of beasts, wandering ninjas in commercial towns, and even surpassed Uchiha Shisui!

Yes, it surpassed Uchiha Shisui!

If Sato's physical and mental energy, gained through devouring Uchiha Shisui's body, were to be quantified, it would be at the level of an Elite Jōnin.

However, this energy did not come from the soul.

If Uchiha Shisui still had breath, if his body had not lost its vitality, and if his Chakra had not vanished along with his soul, then the physical, mental, and soul energy acquired by Sato would have undoubtedly reached Kage-level proportions.

If Uchiha Shisui's eyes were intact, then Sato would have gained access to the Kotoamatsukami, one of the most powerful genjutsu.

This illustrates the extent of Sato's gains.

In other words, the losses Sato incurred after devouring a deceased individual were substantial.

Fortunately, Uchiha Shisui's brain remained intact, his head unharmed. By devouring his body, Sato also acquired fragments of his memories, including knowledge of the Sharingan, Phantom Body Flicker Technique, and insights into illusions and Fire Style techniques.

Now, having devoured Zabuza without severing his body, what did Sato acquire?

He obtained the physical and mental energy of an Elite Jōnin, refined through Chakra, resulting in a double critical boost in terms of energy alone.

Furthermore, he gained the soul power of an Elite Jōnin and a complete repository of memories, lifetime learnings, and combat experiences, among other things...

If Zabuza were an Elite Jōnin with a kekkei genkai, Sato would have obtained a new kekkei genkai, as well as knowledge of the techniques and secrets related to that bloodline limit.

By devouring the Haku, Sato obtained the Ice Release, along with Ice Release ninjutsu and secret techniques.

Currently, Sato possesses a rare dual bloodline limit in the ninja world.

After merging Zabuza's and Haku's refined body and mental energy into his own Chakra and extracting it, Sato's Chakra far surpassed Kakashi's.

In the upcoming period, Sato would experience a surge in strength similar to when he devoured Uchiha Shisui as a child.

"Is this the Ice Release?" Sato wondered.

With a simple hand gesture, the moisture in the air condensed into countless ice projectiles. Sato commented, "It's a highly convenient ability."

Ice Release is a bloodline limit formed through the fusion of two Chakra Nature Transformations: Wind Style and Water Style.

After devouring Haku, Sato not only obtained the Ice Release Blood Succession Boundary but also gained the opportunity to learn Wind Style and Water Style Nature Transformations, significantly boosting his progress. It was like having an accelerator at his disposal.

To be precise, learning Wind Style's Nature Transformation

was equivalent to activating an accelerator.

As for the absence of Wind Style Nature Transformation after devouring Zabuza, the reason was simple: Haku herself did not possess Wind Style Nature Transformation, let alone Water Style Nature Transformation. After all, he did not synthesize the Ice Release.

Once a kekkei genkai was synthesized, it became a brand-new ability that could be passed down to future generations without requiring them to synthesize it.

Haku had just awakened the Ice Release and had not yet mastered the Wind Style and Water Style Nature Transformations.

If Sato were to devour her, he naturally wouldn't acquire those two Chakra Nature Transformations.

In Sato's eyes, the only disadvantage of devouring a complete living individual was the need to integrate their physical and mental energy into his own Chakra.

However, Sato understood that this filtering process was necessary.

Without filtering, he dared not use it.

Moving on...

Although Ice Release was impressive, it was rather tasteless to Sato.

Currently, the most practical use of this bloodline limit was condensing moisture in the air to create countless projectiles, saving Sato the trouble of buying shurikens in the future.

Only when he developed powerful Ice Release ninjutsu could he fully unleash the potential of this kekkei genkai.

Therefore, Sato decided not to use any other Ice Release techniques for the time being and ordered Tazuna to return home on his own.

After devouring Zabuza and Haku, Tazuna was of no use to Sato.

Having accomplished his objective of looting Kado, Sato's purpose for this journey was fulfilled.

Thus, Sato formed a hand seal and used the Transformation Technique to assume the appearance of not severing.

His consciousness then delved into the mysterious beads' refining space, sifting through Zabuza's fragmented memories and extracting information about Kado's whereabouts and his forces.

No matter how insignificant the prey, it was still meat.

Just like all the wandering ninjas he had devoured in the commercial town, Sato had no intention of letting Kado's warriors and other ninjas escape.

After reviewing these memories and gaining a general understanding, Sato immediately took action. He picked up the beheading sword from the ground and vanished into the dense forest in an instant.

A few minutes later, a gluttonous figure entered Kado's territory.

Shhhhhhhhhh...

Thousands of condensed water droplets, resembling a torrential downpour, engulfed everyone in the vicinity, leaving them immobilized like hedgehogs.

Similar to the effects of the Genjutsu Binding, one by one, Kado's subordinates lost control of their bodies, helplessly witnessing their companions being twisted and devoured by the darkness.

Before long, the only things remaining on Kado's territory were scattered weapons; there was no trace of a living soul.

Upon reaching the luxurious mansion, Sato swiftly located Kado, who was hiding in a secret room using his invisibility Technique. Without giving Kado a chance to plead for mercy, Sato employed Genjutsu, plundering some of his assets.

On the surface, Kado was known as the president of a shipping company in the Land of Waves. In reality, he was a notorious drug lord, utilizing gangsters and ninjas for drug and contraband smuggling.

His vast network of assets spanned the entire ninja world, including numerous real estate.

But Sato had no interest in taking over Kado's businesses or amassing his wealth. Instead, he only took the cash and title deeds that were kept in Kado's Land of Waves headquarters.

After looting the valuables, Sato set fire to Kado's territory and swiftly left the Land of Waves, walking on water to return to the Land of Fire.

It had only been a day and a half since he left Konoha.

Upon returning to the Land of Fire, Sato didn't immediately go back to Konoha. Instead, he used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as an ordinary person and traveled to various cities in the Land of Fire, cashing in the looted land deeds.

Finally, Sato arrived at the commercial town where the escort mission took place. He withdrew all the cash that he had previously deposited in the bank and stored it in a scroll for safekeeping.

With these actions, Sato had amassed a considerable fortune.

It wasn't just wealth that Sato gained on this journey; he also acquired significant strength, which would become a trump card for the Five Great Ninja Villages.

As his Three-Tomoe Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan or as he obtained powerful S-level forbidden ninjutsu, Forbidden Techniques, or other kekkei genkai, Sato would undoubtedly become a Kage-level powerhouse.