Chapter 160 : Secret Techniques!

"Hey, Old man Tsuchikage, are you even listening?"

Terumi Mei's hand slammed the table, her gaze piercing Onoki.

"Oh, come on~"

Two shadows materialized behind Terumi Mei, bolstering her stance.

Simultaneously, Akatsuchi and Han positioned themselves behind Onoki, eyeing Terumi Mei and her cohorts defensively.

"I'm not that old now, and I'm no pushover, mind your manners."

Onoki cocked his head, exuding a hint of arrogance.

Indeed, discounting Konoha as an outlier, this youthful Third Tsuchikage was arguably the most formidable among the four.

Though Terumi Mei was formidable, her abilities leaned more towards support rather than raw combat power.

Gaara was still inexperienced.

The Fourth Raikage Ai hadn't shown much improvement in strength.

"Oh,Fence-Sitter, I sense some insinuation in your words?"

Hashirama, Uchiha Izuna and Uchiha Madara glanced up from their card game, intrigue in their eyes.

Gulp!

Onoki broke into a sweat, sitting up straight. "Lord Madara, feel free to address me however you wish."

"Is that so? I thought my nickname bothered you."

"Not at all, Madara-sama. Your nickname is an honor, one I'll cherish for a lifetime."

"Good, otherwise, I might have to assign you a more fitting nickname."

Onoki interjected, "Lord Madara, what's got you so amused?"

"Humph!" Madara turned his head, then glanced at the three cards remaining in his hand before calling out to Hashirama, "Hashirama, are you swiping my cards?"

"What?"

Just as he was about to make his move, Hashirama furrowed his brows. "Are you joking? You've got the Rinnegan now, can I even pull off sleights of hand? I think it's you."

Uchiha Madara's forehead creased slightly.

Whenever he faced off against this clever fellow Hashirama, his wits seemed to dull.

Under normal circumstances, Hashirama wouldn't have noticed the subtleties of the Rinnegan.

"Hmph, I didn't activate the Rinnegan just now, perhaps you're in Sage Mode?"

Uchiha Madara shot a glance at Uchiha Izuna. "What do you think, Izuna?"

"Big brother, Hashirama did snatch one of your cards, that cheeky rascal," Izuna confirmed.

Uchiha Madara couldn't hide his smirk.

Hashirama felt a pang of guilt. "Izuna, we're a team, and Madara's the landlord."

"I'm aware," Izuna replied solemnly, "I won't lie."

"Hashirama, you gotta admit defeat," Uchiha Madara muttered, lips curling slightly.

"Are you serious, man?" Hashirama snapped, his voice tinged with frustration. "This round doesn't count. Wait for Tobirama to come back and let's have a rematch."

"Fine, just because we're old pals," Uchiha Madara relented, tossing the cards onto the table with a smug grin.

Can't lose face now, can he? Not with that smug smirk plastered on his face.

The onlookers: ...….

Watching these three play cards is entertainment for the ages. 

"What's got you riled up, Terumi Mei?" Uchiha Ran chuckled, while Ao reassured her, "We need a strategy here."

"How about the Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigkure. Isn't the Seven Ninja Swords are of the Ninja World? Sounds more exciting," Ran suggested.

"Exactly," Terumi Mei twitched a smile. "Your Konoha sure deserves those Seven Swords."

Onoki, staring behind Terumi Mei, said nothing, but he knew they had to stick together, pooling their resources to gain an advantage from Uchiha Ran later.

Suddenly, an update popped up on the rankings.

[Weapon Reward: Thunder Swallow Evolution, Thunder Swallow Storage

Owner's Reward: Thundering Technique (a skill allowing the wielder to electrify their body at will, rendering physical attacks ineffective. Additionally, they can easily evade close combat and manipulate electrical tools with finesse, akin to Water Transformation Jutsu.)]

"What?"

In the Golden List livestream room, a beam of light shot out, landing on Raiga's weapon.

Boom!

Kiba flashed with purple lightning, transforming into pure thunder.

Raiga gripped the thunder knife like it was an extension of himself.

"Accepting the reward," Raiga said as envy emanated from the onlookers.

Under the radiant gaze of the crowd, Raiga seemed to transform into a bolt of lightning.

"And it's the Lightning Transformation Technique! A perfect counter for the Hōzuki Clan," Terumi Mei exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement.

"Resistant to physical attacks, though this secret technique doesn't enhance the physical prowess of regular folks or ninjas.

Yet, it is still incredible.

"It'd be amazing if this secret technique could be shared with us in Cloud Shinobi Village," Fourth Raikage Ai couldn't help but envy.

Being a Thunderbolt holds immense value for Cloud Shinobi, with its abundance of lightning ninjas or those reliant on Lightning Style techniques.

"It's truly an impressive secret technique," Uchiha Ran exclaimed in admiration, contemplating a visit to Raiga Kurosuki post the Five Kage meeting to acquire this secret technique.

With his Rinne Mangekyō, bloodline, and connections, acquiring any further Chakra-related Ninjutsu or secret arts from others seemed facile.

The cadence of the thunder technique sparked an idea in him—learning the technique of hydration and amalgamating it with the incarnation secret technique.

This sort of secret technique parallels the existence of Logia Devil Fruit's elementization abilities in the world of pirates post-consumption.

Both have their merits and demerits.

For Devil Fruit consumers, their power stems from nature, seemingly absolute. Their prowess hinges on personal development and application. If they even use their abilities it could even pose a threat to quasi-Six Paths.

Yet, weaknesses are conspicuous—seawater and seastone.

As for practitioners of Secret Techniques, elementalization relies on their Chara. Post-consumption, they lose this unique state and remain vulnerable to physical assaults, susceptible to death.

Moreover, they're confined by attributes.

Take the hydration technique, for instance—it can render the body liquid, nullifying physical assaults. Apart from evading close combat strikes effortlessly, it enables infiltration into structures and assault in a liquid state, exhibiting remarkable flexibility. However, it transmutes the caster into a gelatinous sculpture upon encountering Lightning Style.

Conversely, the thundering technique is prone to wind attribute control, leading to severing, destruction, or entrancement effects.

Given two options, Uchiha Ran would opt for the latter.

For someone capable of absorbing natural energy, Chakra equates to boundlessness.

Furthermore, these secret techniques are progressive unlike the finite fruit count.

"Boom!

As Uchiha Ran contemplated, the golden bell chimed in the sky.

A three-dimensional apparition materialized.

It depicted a man with long dark blue hair, golden irises, a shark-like countenance, and sharp teeth.

He is Kisame, a hardened warrior.

Formerly a Kirigakure Shinobi, Kisame now serves under Uchiha Ran within the Akatsuki organization.

Boom!

Unlike the previous swords suspended in air, this time, waves surged towards them, stirring tempestuous tides. Following suit, a long Sword enveloped in an explosive steel belt cleaved through the sea, landing in the grasp of Kisame, revealing a dark blue, barbed hook Sword."

The gleaming image transformed into a beam of light, shooting into the golden scroll.

Twenty-fifth place: Samehada (able to absorb the opponent's chakra and inject it into the user's body; possessing life, it only recognizes the person it's fond of; not only capable of siphoning off the opponent's chakra for personal use, but also utilizing the vast reservoir of chakra stored within the Samehada to prompt cellular regeneration; can also transmute the mite and oneself into a merman.)

Unsurprisingly, it was among the seven Swords of the Mist Village.

Everyone had already suspected it.

"The Fifth Hokage's methods truly are formidable," Terumi Mei remarked with a bitter expression as she glanced at Uchiha Ran.

Initially, they had set out to retrieve the legacy of the Mangetsu Hōzuki.

Who exactly was the Mangetsu Hōzuki?

To outsiders, he was merely known as one of the Second Coming of the Demon of the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" of the Village Hidden in the Mist, in the Land of Water.

However, only the higher-ups of the Kirigakure Village knew that he was not only adept in the art of water manipulation but also a master of the seven ninja Swords, possessing a scroll capable of summoning these Swords.

In their minds, retrieving the legacy of the Mangetsu Hōzuki should have been a straightforward task with the summoning scroll, perhaps with the exception of the self-aware Samehada possibly refusing.

However, their attempts at summoning had failed.

Now it appeared that Uchiha Ran had intervened.

To a being of the level of the Super Six Paths, such a feat was evidently a trivial matter.

"No, you don't give up," Uchiha Ran remarked with a faint smile.

Onoki and the others wore expressions of bitterness.

Foolish, they had been utterly foolish.

They should have realized that Uchiha Ran wasn't a benevolent individual, especially when he asked if starting the meeting early would be beneficial to them.

It was simply taking advantage of their naivety.

"The Seven Swords of the Mist may indeed warrant a change in name to the Seven Swords of the Ninja World," Terumi Mei sighed.

At that moment, the rankings refreshed, revealing new information.

[Weapon reward: Split Form (capable of dividing into smaller cells, hunting and absorbing chakra in the field, then replenishing the body, enhancing agility, and heightening perception)

Owner Reward: Orc Incarnation (able to assimilate weapons into oneself, one survives, the other thrives, capable of simultaneous combat, significantly boosting combat prowess, and executing any Water Style Ninjutsu without the need for seals)]

Kisame's attention was now drawn to the rewards on the list.

The enhanced ability to preserve life was particularly enticing, as as long as he and the Samehada were immortal, they would be invulnerable.

Furthermore, it bolstered combat capabilities.

Kisame, known as the tailless beast, had always been formidable, and Chakra was truly immense.

However, his reliance on Ninjutsu requiring seals posed a significant vulnerability, especially in battles against formidable opponents.

But then he clapped his hands and shouted.

But rather, it's an advantage!

"Boom!"

Kisame will soon receive the reward.

The bell of the Golden List chimed nearby.

The person on the list is one of Terumi Mei's guards, Chojuro.

This might also be the last glimpse of the Village Hidden in Mist.

At least the wielder of the seven ninja swords, the Twin-Sword Hiramekarei, is still among them.

A minute passed swiftly.

The reward information was announced.

No. 24: Hiramekarei (a pair of symmetrical swords capable of emitting rhythmic energy spheres and enlarging the Sword lengths with Chakra)

Owner: Chojuro

Weapon Rewards: Possesses low-level artifact spirits, possesses evolving consciousness, can communicate with its wielder, halves Chakra consumption, and doubles power!

Owner's Rewards: Blue Sky Six Tactics (able to release sword energy tens of meters long, in all directions, swift and decisive. Agile, cold-hearted, ice-cold.)

"Hey, it's actually a technique from the Wind and Clouds." 

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