"Sage Chakra requires a delicate balance between Natural Energy and Physical Energy," Kenichi mused, stroking his chin. "Too little, and it won't form. Too much, and it'll become unstable. If your Chakra reserves are limited, mastering it is impossible."
He was currently on his way to the Land of Rain.
Situated at the crossroads of the Three Great Nations, the Land of Rain served as a strategic buffer zone—a small nation caught between giants.
But small nations often suffer the most, constantly becoming battlegrounds for larger powers. This had led to countless war orphans.
Refugees were also a common sight. But Kenichi knew that the Land of Rain wouldn't remain a defenseless pawn forever.
Still, traveling from the Land of Fire to the Land of Rain was troublesome, especially now that he was a Missing-nin.
Fortunately, his Teacher had taught him a powerful transformation technique—the renowned Face-Concealing Technique. He simply ambushed a passing merchant and assumed his identity.
It was perfect: he gained money and a disguise to escape the Land of Fire.
Sitting astride his horse, Kenichi closed his eyes and sensed the Natural Energy swirling in the air. It was as enthusiastic as ever, practically throwing itself at him like a lovesick maiden.
No, wait—it was more like the old folks stampeding for free eggs at the supermarket.
"Should I give it a try?" Kenichi licked his lips, but caution held him back. Absorbing too much Natural Energy was still dangerous.
His Teacher had warned him about the consequences: uncontrollable physical mutations that would eventually turn him into a bizarre stone.
It sounded eerily similar to the side effects of training at Mount Myōboku.
Kenichi pulled a bottle from his cloak. Inside were irregular white growths—Senju Hashirama's cells.
He had also learned the forbidden technique of Impure World Reincarnation from his Teacher. After several experiments, he had gained a deeper understanding of this forbidden art.
"If I use a normal person's body, the First Hokage I reincarnate won't have any real combat power, right?" Kenichi hesitated, staring at the bottle in his hand.
When Kenichi was researching the Impure World Reincarnation, he'd noted that ordinary people could also be used as sacrifices. However, the reincarnated ninja produced were practically useless in combat, fit only to be used as suicide bombers.
Moreover, likely because ordinary people's bodies couldn't contain a ninja's soul, these reincarnated ninja were particularly prone to disintegration.
They could only last about thirty minutes before the technique dissolved on its own. After that, autopsies of the sacrifices revealed complete organ failure.
Kenichi wondered how long the First Hokage's reincarnation could endure.
"Wait a minute—if I could get my hands on the Sage of the Six Paths' body tissue, wouldn't that mean I could directly reincarnate him?" Kenichi suddenly slapped his palm, then immediately dismissed the thought.
*What kind of Ninja World joke is that?*
Uchiha Madara could already cancel the Impure World Reincarnation himself. Someone as powerful as the Sage of the Six Paths, who constantly spied on the Ninja World, would undoubtedly be able to do the same.
"Leave the goods and scram if you want to live!" Kenichi heard a shout as he stared at the bottle in his hand, a conflicted expression on his face. Looking up, he saw four or five mountain bandits.
Kenichi scratched his head. Even in the Naruto world, there were still ordinary bandits who pulled off these kinds of heists.
The Mission Assembly Hall occasionally offered missions against them, but the rewards weren't great unless their hideout harbored Rogue Ninja or Missing-nin.
"So this is fate, huh?" Kenichi mused, staring at the bottle.
He'd been wondering whether to reincarnate the First Hokage using Impure World Reincarnation, and now a sacrifice had conveniently presented itself.
He counted them again—five bandits in total. Perfect.
Ninjas could typically wipe out ordinary people in an instant, and Kenichi's current strength made any mishaps unlikely.
But before Kenichi could act, a figure materialized behind the bandits like a ghost. All five collapsed to the ground, their bodies convulsing as their life force faded.
Kenichi was stunned by the figure before him, unable to react for a moment. This, ironically, made his reaction seem perfectly natural.
He now resembled an ordinary merchant terrified by mountain bandits.
The ninja sheathed his blade. Though the man wore a mask, Kenichi recognized him by his silver-white hair.
Kakashi.
"Travel permit," Kakashi said coldly, extending his hand.
Kenichi felt a chill run down his spine. Kakashi had grown even colder in recent times.
"Y-yes! Yes! Lord Ninja, please wait!" Kenichi fumbled frantically through his pockets, finally pulling out a travel permit and handing it to Kakashi.
The Land of Fire issued these permits to merchants. Without one, crossing the border was impossible. Kenichi had specifically targeted the merchant in the tavern who had boasted, "After this job in the Land of Rain, I'm going home to get married."
Turns out, you really shouldn't tempt fate with such declarations.
"Have you seen these two?" Kakashi glanced at the travel permit, then at Kenichi's face. He returned the permit and casually pulled out two wanted posters, showing them to Kenichi.
The posters featured Kenichi's and his teacher's faces.
Kenichi showed no reaction. The Face-Concealing Technique was incredibly effective.
After a quick look, Kenichi shook his head, indicating he hadn't seen them. His performance was flawless, perfectly embodying the fear and awe ordinary people felt toward ninjas.
Kakashi didn't press further. After checking Kenichi's belongings, he left without another word.
He even ignored Kenichi's offer of a reward for his trouble, simply walking away.
"Kakashi's actually out hunting Teacher and me?" Kenichi scratched his head, staring at the lifeless mountain bandits sprawled on the ground.
He hadn't expected to run into Kakashi so soon after leaving the village.
But thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. Their defection had just happened, and even if it was just for show, the Anbu would naturally be dispatched.
It all depends on whether we get lucky and run into more mountain bandits later. If not, we'll have to randomly select a "lucky audience" ourselves.