Chapter 36: Ice Release and One-Handed Seals Acquired

To confirm if the loophole truly existed, Yagyu created another shadow clone. This time, the clone's chakra was only two-thirds of Haku's.

Looking at Haku, who was eating a soldier pill, Yagyu said, "Continue fighting my shadow clone, but this time, you can use your kekkei genkai and ninjutsu."

"Understood," Haku nodded obediently.

Soon, the cool evening air grew even colder.

"Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"

Haku started by using his Ice Release secret technique, creating a large number of ice mirrors and surrounding Yagyu's shadow clone.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

The shadow clone, with less chakra than Haku, conjured a thick mist, blocking Haku's line of sight.

At the same time, the clone's eyes beneath the mask glowed with a bright red light. Red powder appeared within the mist.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

The sound of projectiles flying through the air echoed continuously in the mist.

Haku, hidden within the ice mirrors, seemed to spot something in the mist and began throwing senbon needles, changing his position within the mirrors after each throw.

Watching the battle with his red eyes from the outside, Yagyu's lips curled into a faint smile as he murmured, "I never thought that the illusions of the Red Eye combined with genjutsu would produce such an effect. It's like a combination of the Byakugan and illusionary techniques."

From Yagyu's perspective, Haku kept throwing senbon into the ground, attacking different spots after changing positions. The ground was already littered with needles.

Meanwhile, Yagyu's shadow clone stood still, performing the Shadow Clone Jutsu, preparing a Spiral Water Dragon.

This was the view from Yagyu's and his clone's perspective.

However, from Haku's perspective, after losing twenty times, he finally seemed to have the upper hand. He was now forcing Yagyu's clone to flee under a barrage of senbon, though the clone's speed made it hard to hit.

Haku, not wanting to embarrass Yagyu and fearing that Zabuza might suffer the consequences, didn't go all out by occupying every ice mirror or launching an all-encompassing needle storm.

Clearly, Haku hadn't realized that he was under the influence of an illusion.

Genjutsu manipulates the target's five senses, allowing Yin Release chakra to infiltrate the enemy's brain and control their nervous system, creating various illusions.

There are many types of genjutsu: some rely on sight, others on sound, and some even on smell.

However, the majority of genjutsu requires direct eye contact to be effective.

And the Hidden Mist Jutsu is one of the few techniques that counters such genjutsu.

Haku could never have imagined that Yagyu's shadow clone was capable of casting a genjutsu within the mist.

This was a stroke of brilliance on Yagyu's part. The red powder, created using Yin Release chakra through the Red Eye, could also be used to cast illusions.

Why not use this red powder as a medium for genjutsu?

Haku's current state clearly proved it was possible.

"Water Style: Spiral Water Dragon!"

By now, Yagyu's clone had completed the Spiral Water Dragon technique and hurled it toward Haku, who had just changed positions.

Crack, crack…

The sound of shattering glass echoed as Haku and his surrounding ice mirrors were pulled into the water dragon by its immense suction force.

Swept into the vortex, Haku's body spun helplessly, much like clothes in a washing machine. He couldn't move at all.

The vortex's eye also gouged a trench into the ground, pulling in stones and soil, adding both physical and elemental damage to Haku.

Boom!

When the water dragon finally exploded, Haku's battered body dropped to the ground.

His body was covered in wounds, and he had lost consciousness. If not for Yagyu's Red Eye, which could still see the chakra flow in Haku's meridians, one might have thought he was dead.

Whoosh!

As Haku hit the ground, his body began to glow with a brilliant red light. A red beam flew out, forming a floating orb on the ground nearby.

Seeing this, Yagyu couldn't help but feel ecstatic.

The game system indeed had a loophole!

Although shadow clones are technically clones, the Shadow Clone Jutsu is a B-rank technique, and the clone is formed from a portion of Yagyu's chakra.

That portion of chakra, however, could conceal Yagyu's true strength, allowing the system to be deceived into awarding a higher victory score for what seemed like an underdog win, increasing the chances of rare item drops.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu truly was a god-tier technique!

Tobirama Senju… you were truly a genius!

As the red orb flew into Yagyu's main body, he had his shadow clone heal Haku while he opened his virtual interface to check the three orbs in his inventory.

[Inventory: Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu (White)]

[Inventory: One-Handed Seals (Blue)]

[Inventory: Kekkei Genkai: Ice Release (Red)]

The white orb dropped from Zabuza contained the Water Prison technique, which he had used to trap Kakashi.

The blue and red orbs dropped from Haku were the ones Yagyu had been most eager to obtain—One-Handed Seals and Ice Release.

Once these two were fused, Yagyu could use one-handed seals to catch opponents off guard, and he would also gain Wind Chakra as well as advanced proficiency in Wind Release.

Without hesitation, Yagyu fused the orbs.

As the three beams of light merged into his body, the Ice Release entry was added to the Kekkei Genkai section of his virtual interface.

At the same time, Yagyu felt a new, unique power emerge within him.

Perhaps due to the growth of his Sage Body or the balance of his Yin and Yang Release chakra, Yagyu instantly awakened both Red Eye and Ice Release after their fusion, much like how he had immediately mastered the Sharingan.

Recalling Haku's hand signs and chakra flow during his use of Ice Release earlier, Yagyu slowly formed a one-handed seal. His chakra instantly surged in response, circulating through his meridians.

"Ice Release…"

Yagyu muttered softly, "Ice Rock Dome of Nothingness!"

Instantly, the moisture in the air condensed, forming three thick ice walls around Yagyu, protecting him.

Looking at the ice walls that had formed out of thin air, Yagyu murmured, "So this is an elemental-based kekkei genkai. It requires seals to manipulate chakra, along with both nature and shape transformation—much more complex than the Sharingan or Red Eye."

"But as long as you have enough chakra and perfect control, you can create all sorts of ice constructs, inflicting both physical and magical damage on your enemies."

"I wonder if it's possible to lower the temperature even further?"

"If I can develop this ability to lower the temperature more, the potential and growth of this kekkei genkai would be enormous."

With the development of his Spiral Water Dragon and his personal creation of the Hard Whirlpool Water Blade, as well as combining the Red Eye's powder with genjutsu, Yagyu had begun to take pride in developing his own techniques. He no longer sought to merely imitate others; he wanted to create his own jutsu.

By then, Yagyu's shadow clone had finished healing Haku.

After checking that Haku was no longer in danger, Yagyu dispelled the clone and left the area using the Body Flicker Technique.

True to his word, Yagyu did not go back on his promise to kill Zabuza and Haku.

He held a certain admiration for Haku, who had such a kind nature.

Both Haku and Kimimaro were exemplars of unwavering loyalty.

If Yagyu had encountered them before Zabuza or Orochimaru, he would have gladly trained them to become his right-hand men.

But alas, there were no "what ifs."

For them, as loyal followers, they would only ever acknowledge one master in their lifetime.

Yagyu had no interest in anyone else's dogs.

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