After leaving Orochimaru's base, Kaede let out a breath.
Although Orochimaru wasn't likely to use him as a test subject on the very first day of becoming his student, getting close to someone as dangerous as Orochimaru without sufficient strength was always a risky move.
But for now, it seemed things hadn't suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Everything was still proceeding steadily, and most importantly, he had obtained the Cell Activation Technique.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Kaede darted through the forest and arrived at a stream. He thoroughly cleaned the scroll he had just received and then carefully studied the instructions on the Cell Activation Technique.
After a round of examination, Kaede didn't find anything suspicious. In fact, Orochimaru hadn't hidden anything, he had clearly outlined both the advantages and drawbacks of the technique within the scroll.
Among the annotations was the following:
The human body is a balance.
Spiritual energy and cellular energy together form equilibrium.
A minor imbalance isn't significant, but if the two diverge too greatly, it can lead to serious consequences.
The Cell Activation Technique forcibly enhances cellular vitality but provides no increase to spiritual strength. Therefore, overtraining with it could result in a situation where the mind can no longer control the body. The body might grow out of control, eventually collapsing into a monstrous form.
Hence, it was crucial not to overdo the training.
There were several similar annotations throughout the scroll.
These notes didn't contradict any of the knowledge Kaede had acquired himself. For instance, he was well aware of the concept of mental imbalance, though this was his first time hearing of a bodily imbalance.
A basic example was that a regular person couldn't handle the immense spiritual pressure of the Rinnegan. Even someone like Nagato, with the powerful uzumaki physique, struggled to endure its burden.
only someone with the true Sage Body could bear the power of the Rinnegan, maintaining perfect equilibrium between mind and body.
The same logic applied to Orochimaru's Cell Activation Technique.
Without sufficient mental strength to balance the body, excessive cellular enhancement would lead to loss of control. And once the body went out of control, bursting apart was the most likely outcome.
"The Cell Activation Technique… I suppose it's like a pseudo-Sage Body training method. No, far from it. At most, it's just a fraction of that."
Kaede pondered silently.
Hashirama Senju's Sage Body didn't just enhance the physical; it also elevated the spiritual. But the Cell Activation Technique only tackled half the equation, and not even at full potency. It also didn't involve training in natural energy.
However, if one were to combine this technique with Sage Mode, then it might truly qualify as a pseudo-Sage Body. That was probably the state Kabuto Yakushi reached during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
And beyond that... would be the real Sage Body!
"If we divide body and mind into three tiers, the physical side would be: Cell Activation, Pseudo-Sage Body, and True Sage Body."
"While the mental side would be: Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan, and Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
Kaede felt confident in this classification.
The fusion of the Eternal Mangekyo with the Sage Body gave rise to the Rinnegan. Add an immense amount of natural energy or become a Jinchuriki of the Ten Tails, and you would gain the Six Paths Sage Body and enter the Sage of Six Paths Mode.
In short—
With the Cell Activation Technique as a foundation, the fog ahead had nearly cleared!
After making his way through the forest, Kaede returned to the village. He ate dinner and went home, entering his bedroom. Sitting cross-legged, he placed the scroll in front of him.
"Alright, let's begin."
…
Konoha underground.
Root Division Base.
Danzo stood in a room, leaning on his cane while listening to his subordinate's report. His expression remained calm, but his grip on the cane tightened, leaving faint impressions on the sturdy wood.
"Orochimaru…"
Orochimaru suddenly taking Kaede as his student was something he hadn't anticipated.
In his plan, Kaede's future path would have gone one of two ways: either appointed to the Anbu under Hiruzen, or absorbed into Root. With some subtle maneuvering, it should've been easy to bring Kaede into Root for cultivation.
But Orochimaru's move completely disrupted his plan.
And Hiruzen's stance was ambiguous too, as if he still hadn't entirely given up on passing the Hokage seat to Orochimaru. overall, the situation's development was infuriating.
"What about the negotiations?"
"Lord Hokage has signed a treaty with Kirigakure… but negotiations with Kumogakure failed. Their jonin should be leaving soon."
Danzo's grip on the cane tightened further.
Given Konoha's current strength, it could battle two or even three of the other villages simultaneously and still hold its own. Wiping out one of them wouldn't be difficult. And yet Hiruzen was still reluctant to initiate war.
Now was clearly the best time for Konoha to unify the ninja world!
Still, the truce with Kirigakure was useful.
Danzo narrowed his eyes. Since Kirigakure wouldn't break the treaty without a substantial incentive, if he could incite a conflict between Iwagakure and Kumogakure, then Konoha would have the perfect opportunity.
Taking a slow breath, he stared at the ceiling with a deep gaze.
"If Hiruzen Sarutobi won't take the step… then I will. I'll be the one to push this war forward."
Compared to war and unification of the ninja world, Kaede, and even Orochimaru, were minor details. Everything else could wait until after the war.
In the midst of war, everything could be controlled.
…
Home.
Bedroom.
Kaede had been training for four continuous hours. With triple time acceleration, that was equivalent to twelve actual hours.
It took about four hours just to familiarize himself with the Cell Activation Technique. The remaining eight were spent on basic cultivation.
"So this is the Cell Activation Technique…"
Kaede opened his eyes.
After what was essentially a full day of training, he could feel faint changes in his body. ordinary people wouldn't notice it, but as a shinobi, he could clearly sense the difference: his cells felt more active.
The most direct feeling was that his body now felt lighter. The chakra extraction process, which consumed cellular energy, also required less effort.
under normal circumstances, such long training, even without taijutsu, would leave the body exhausted from overusing chakra. But this time, the fatigue was noticeably reduced.
"The results are obvious… but I do feel hungrier than usual. I'll need to eat more."
Kaede rubbed his stomach.
until he fully mastered the Cell Activation Technique, he'd probably have to become a food-devouring machine. Even nine meals a day might not be enough.
"Come to think of it… when Orochimaru trained with this, did he just swallow several days' worth of food at once and then lock himself in for days of training?"
Kaede muttered to himself.
Honestly… that sounded pretty likely.