Ninja Ice House

Chapter 587 Substitution

In a world without supernatural powers, emotions are quite materialistic; they are essentially just instinctive surges controlled by hormones, nothing special.

However, in the ninja world, the existence of the wondrous power of chakra makes all the difference.

Unfortunately, chakra is a rather idealistic and magical energy, representing the power of the belief that wishes can come true.

Illusion is the most direct form of this, with typical examples being the bloodline limits of the Kurama and Uchiha clans. When pushed to their limits, these abilities unearth miracles from the depths of the heart, displaying special bloodline powers akin to those of gods.

The stronger the outward expression of emotions, the higher the potential in ninjutsu. In fact, this trend is not only observed in the Sharingan, the bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan, but in almost all ninjas.

While there may be exceptions to this argument, the general trend is that the more extreme a ninja's thinking and the greater their emotional fluctuations, the more powerful their ninjutsu becomes.

Ninjutsu... or rather chakra, is the power to make one's wishes come true. The Mangekyou Sharingan and the Kurama clan's bloodline limit best exemplify this characteristic.

"So, we seem to be a bit too precocious. We're not even twenty yet, but our thoughts are like those of fifty or sixty-year-old grandpas and grandmas. Unlike our peers, we don't express our love, hate, and passion so intensely."

As he spoke casually, Shiro ate fruit and talked to Karin, who was very likely to become his wife.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"True love takes time to develop; impulsive actions driven by hormones seem a bit reckless. Of course, I'm not saying it's bad, but..."

After a pause, unable to find a better way to describe it, Karin changed her perspective and said:

"Take my father and mother as an example, do you think there is affection between them?"

"The young governor and his wife must have a deep affection for each other, but... whether it's love, and whether it's pure or not, is hard to say."

"Right!"

Karin nodded knowingly.

"Young people often place too much importance on romantic love, as if everything in the world revolves around it. However, humans are highly intelligent beings with needs that go beyond basic biological instincts, as well as extremely complex and tangible emotions. Social relationships built upon family, marriage, children, and friends and relatives become the basis for people to find their place in this world..."

Is there love between us?

"There probably are..."

Karin answered, somewhat uncertainly and with a touch of mischief.

"One is rich, from a privileged background, good-looking, and highly capable; the other is extremely handsome, powerful, with unlimited potential, and has a good personality, is easy to get along with, emotionally stable, and we get along well."

"Judging by looks and background!"

"What's wrong?"

Karin laughed nonchalantly.

"If we don't consider these things, what's the point? We can't just find someone embarrassing, with a bad personality, who's poor, lazy, incompetent, and unambitious, right? Our relationship might not start with love, but if we want to stay together for a long time, there needs to be some genuine bond..."

"Does it count as good-looking?"

"Yes, it's pleasing to the eye and makes me feel comfortable."

"If you're so capable, does that count?"

"If it's presentable and doesn't make you lose face, that counts!"

"Bloodline... it's passable, at least it has a decent bloodline limit..."

"It's so-so! Relatively speaking, it's not bad, but... for me, for my father, it's better than nothing, barely acceptable."

"I can't think of anything else."

"It's okay, we have plenty of time in the future, we can think about it together slowly."

As she spoke, Karin turned the fruit knife she was wielding upside down and slashed it sharply, cutting a small gash in her finger. Blood seeped out, and before Haku could react, she shoved her finger into his mouth.

Chakra and blood mixed with special bloodline power flowed into Haku's body through his mouth. Although the amount was small, it was still effective.

Bai, who had initially felt a bit uncomfortable, suddenly felt the pain in her wound improve rapidly and the discomfort quickly lessened.

A few seconds later, Karin withdrew her finger, licked the bleeding wound with her tongue, and it healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Speed ​​up your recovery, preserve the last bit of what you have. You should stay in bed and rest for a few days. You've been through so many battles lately, you're exhausted."

"Okay, listen to you!"

After Xianglin's emergency treatment, Bai's injuries were no longer serious, and it wouldn't be a problem for him to be discharged from the hospital immediately.

That's right, good intentions should not be taken for granted.

"I have something to do and need to talk to the Fifth Boss, so I'll be leaving now. You should get some rest."

"Yes, you too. There's no need to rush things. The young commander hasn't made any strict demands on you, has he?"

"No, there really isn't. How should I put it?"

Karin tilted her head, turned around, and smiled.

"Actually, many things were done under the guise of my father's name, and I was just forcing things on my own. If I hadn't decided to do something, my father wouldn't have helped me so much, both openly and secretly. With his abilities, he could have achieved his goals without alerting anyone."

"Yes, I believe that! The 'White Wedge' awakening level in my body is already quite deep..."

"Really? You've almost reached that stage too."

Karin had no idea what the future held for the Kosugi family. However, as Kosugi Bokusui grew stronger, especially after Karin used her bloodline technique to remotely "borrow" her father's power, she felt more and more that this family was becoming increasingly distant from ordinary people.

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Through this operation to awaken Jiraiya, Kosugi not only tested a batch of new techniques, but also, with the help of Kurama Yakumo and Konoha Village, explored the current situation of Jiraiya, the biggest variable in recent years.

As the Fourth Shinobi World War approaches, the "major event" of this era is nearing its end. Jiraiya, a key figure who should have died but has been a central figure throughout the entire timeline and has had a tremendous impact on the "Chosen One," has "unexpectedly" survived. What impact this will have on future developments is anyone's guess.

"Actually, if you investigate the major figures of the past fifty years, you'll find that Jiraiya was actually quite favored by fate. His death in the original timeline was more like an 'accident'..."

If you make a horizontal comparison between the story of the "Three Legendary Sannin" and the so-called bond of "Team 7", you will find that Jiraiya is actually more like a "protagonist" than Naruto Uzumaki.

It feels a bit like being born at the wrong time. It's like this play has already chosen Jiraiya as the "male lead," but just before he's about to go on stage, they find that it's not "opening" yet, and the theater doesn't say when it will open to the public. So they have to keep putting it off, and his best years are used to pave the way for the next generation's "chosen one." The original "protagonist" has become a "supporting actor."

"The unpredictable nature of fate has become increasingly apparent as your influence has grown."

Kaguya Otsutsuki secretly watched as Tokusui Kosugi meticulously examined every detail of the mission, attempting to find the overlooked crucial "fragment" and dispel the growing sense of crisis deep within her.

"I am increasingly convinced that you may replace me as the final villain and become the stepping stone for the chosen one."