Ninja Ice House

Chapter 550 Forbidden Technique

The changes in this world were even greater. Because of the activities of Gu Shanbu Shui, many of the original minor characters did not "exit" early. Instead, they survived the ordeal without serious incident, their talents began to emerge, and their growth rate accelerated.

For example, Haku, this child, is no less talented or insightful than a top genius. His combat strength is only slightly weaker than Kaguya Kimimaro, and stronger than Naruto Uzumaki at this time and Sasuke Uchiha who had not fully mastered the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

However, the outcome of a battle is not determined by absolute strength. The Shikotsumyaku is best suited for head-on one-on-one combat, where it is almost invincible. It is theoretically the strongest physical ability combined with a taijutsu-type bloodline limit, even stronger than the Byakugan.

Ice Release, on the other hand, controls the field and increases the area of ​​damage. In small, skillful counter-insurgency battles, it is versatile and has a great advantage. Under the premise that the battlefield conditions are right, it is even more comprehensive and powerful than the three-tomoe Sharingan.

As for Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Sasuke Uchiha, who has mastered the Mangekyou Sharingan, they seem to be lacking in one-on-one combat at the moment, but their potential seems to have already surpassed that of the Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku, which were not improved and enhanced by the assistance of Fukumi Kosugi.

All things in nature compete for supremacy. As time goes by, only those who survive have the best chance of becoming the chosen ones of an era, enjoying unparalleled benefits and ultimately facing the ultimate test of saving the world.

Kaguya Kimimaro, Haku, Karin, and others, whose hopes were originally slim, still have little hope even now, but at least they are still alive and have the chance to wait for the "front row" to make mistakes. Orochimaru, who had accumulated decades of hope, has already "exited the stage." Nagato, the "prospective chosen one," who was the first to appear, appeared at the wrong time. Before the "version" was updated, he was schemed against by the remnants of the "chosen one" of the previous era, the aging Uchiha Madara, and lost his chance to "become the official one."

"You mean, you still want Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha to 'perform' on stage, and I'll play along with the 'performance,' and then negotiate with Hagoromo at the end?"

"I think I understand what he's thinking..."

After a moment of contemplation, with emotions surging within him, Gu Shanbushui slowly and deliberately expressed himself.

"For the extraordinary world, the greatest risk is nothing more than the change of eras, the approach of death... or rather, the fading of chakra, the weakening or even disappearance of extraordinary power, and the possibility of a super-strong individual single-handedly severing the connection between heaven and earth, achieving a separation of gods and humans, rectifying the chaos of 'mixed gods and men,' and establishing the suppression and monopoly of royal power over divine power. Before that, there is one more thing that must be made clear, and that is to solemnly establish the dividing line between life and death, establishing the absolute separation and great terror between the two in the form of underlying rules... at least, nominally, it cannot be violated..."

If the greatest crisis facing ordinary ninjas is the Ninja World War or being wiped out by the Advent of the God Tree World and the Infinite Tsukuyomi, then the problem that Kosugi Bokusui needs to solve is the source of all problems for the past thousand years... Otsutsuki Hagoromo, also known as the Sage of Six Paths.

He will not allow any immortal beings to exist in the world, at least not in a way that allows them to interfere with the ninja world.

Why was Kaguya Otsutsuki released from her seal and then suppressed again, completely eliminating any chance of breaking free? Although she was nominally still alive, she was actually outside the chain of cause and effect, essentially dead.

Theoretically, there is only one kind of immortality that is allowed: to live as long as heaven and earth, to become one with heaven and man, and to become the embodiment of one side of the will of the ninja world. For example, the Sage of Six Paths is now the "creator of eternal peace and order," managing the Pure Land and preventing the frequent resurrection of the souls of the dead in the present world.

After a moment of silence, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki sighed softly in a low voice:

"Immortality is a state, but immortality... is a curse..."

If life doesn't reach its end, that is, death, then it's no different from a natural phenomenon, or what we might call a natural blessing or a natural disaster—it's all the same thing.

Immortality is actually worse than eternal life. At least eternal life will perish with the overall destruction of the world. Even if you can live as long as heaven and earth, if heaven and earth are "dead", can you still live alone?

Immortality is actually a "defying the heavens" behavior that goes against the natural decay of the soul over time, which is the law of entropy increase. In principle, it should not exist. But since there are examples, its existence must have its own rationality. During the period when the "immortality" characteristic is maintained, something must be consuming and replenishing it, either its own or plundered from the outside world.

This kind of "immortality," which may seem valuable in the short term but is seriously detrimental in the long run, will only lead to a tragic end.

The Serpent's Shedding Technique, to some extent, is an application of the "immortality" characteristic. In nature, it is similar to the forbidden technique, Reincarnation of the Undead. However, one is like a glutton, constantly "replenishing" the soul while changing the vessel again and again; the other is like pruning flowers, removing withered branches and leaves, reducing consumption, minimizing side effects, abandoning wrong paths, and at the cost of acceptable damage, "regression," to revitalize and grow a second time.

The conditions and support required for the two are also different. The resurrection of the corpse requires a good "appetite" and time to digest, reduce side effects, and alleviate rejection; while the snake molting technique focuses more on checking for omissions and deficiencies in stages, taking stock of strengths and weaknesses, eliminating the dross and retaining the essence, and preparing for the next step.

Jiraiya's situation can be considered a blessing in disguise. Being trapped in a dream world was actually due to the severe damage to his soul. During the recovery process, he underwent over-repair, much like the scars on his skin. His soul was not as naturally smooth as before, but it was stronger and more resilient, and better able to resist external damage and pressure.

The growth of the mind and body can vary due to various adjustments. This asynchrony reduces the compatibility between the soul's fluctuations and the body. Under normal circumstances, such minor differences will not have any impact. At most, it may cause slight discomfort during the day, a mental fog, excessive dreaming at night, and restless sleep. It will be fine after a period of adjustment.

Jiraiya's situation is a bit special. His soul and body are not perfectly matched. Both are too powerful, making it very difficult to achieve a perfect match. It will take a long time for them to gradually adjust to each other.

Think about it, if it's a plastic bowl and a rubber lid, even if the sizes don't match slightly, you can force them together by twisting, pressing, and squeezing. But if the bowl is made of high-strength titanium alloy and the lid is made of high-strength steel, both of which are extremely hard, they won't fit together if there's even a slight mismatch.

My body is fine, it's being well cared for, but my soul is growing wildly and involuntarily. Without intervention, it's hard to say when it might suddenly wake up.