Naruto evolution system

Chapter 167: Boring

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External World

Baishi's figure silently materialized.

Immediately, an oppressive force began weighing down on his mind.

"As I thought, this familiar feeling… it's Iwagakure, isn't it?"

Sensing the mental pressure, Baishi couldn't help but recall the ambush by Iwagakure ninjas over seven years ago, right before he set sail.

Back then, the group "Elephant" had explained that this was the Four Beast Spirit Suppression Formation, specifically designed to hinder a target's mental acuity and sensory perception.

To escape the range of that formation, he had to employ countless strategies.

But now…

"Heh."

Baishi sneered. He took the space ring from his wooden clone and slid it onto his right ring finger before calmly stepping out of the cave.

Predictably, the first thing that caught his eye was a massive stone statue with a ferocious face standing tall in the distance. Upon scanning the other three cardinal directions, he noticed three more similar statues.

It was as if time had rewound to seven years ago—everything felt eerily familiar. But his strength was no longer what it used to be.

At the time, his [Mental Resistance] was only at Level V, and his [Spatial Awareness Enhancement] was also capped at Level V.

Under the suppression of the Four Beast Spirit Suppression Formation, even casting basic ninjutsu consumed an inordinate amount of energy. Forget about utilizing the Flying Thunder God Technique—it was virtually impossible.

Now, however, his [Mental Resistance] had evolved into [Mental Fortress], significantly bolstering his resistance to mental suppression. The Four Beast Spirit Suppression Formation, at best, caused him mild discomfort and posed no real threat.

Additionally, his [Spatial Awareness Enhancement] had progressed into [Temporal-Spatial Sense], rendering the formation's restrictions on Flying Thunder God completely ineffective.

Even while within the formation, he could effortlessly sense distant Flying Thunder God markers.

In other words, he could leave whenever he wanted.

Yet just as this thought crossed his mind, the formation suddenly shifted.

In an instant, what had been an intangible force suppressing his mental acuity and sensory perception transformed into a tangible barrier. Like an enormous dome, it encapsulated an area roughly 200 meters in radius, isolating it from the outside world.

Baishi sensed the change carefully. The Four Beast Spirit Suppression Formation had now morphed into the Four Beast Spirit Sealing Formation, significantly amplifying its suppressive power while severing all external connections.

This area was now like a self-contained world, entirely cut off from the outside.

If this were before his evolution, the Flying Thunder God Technique might once again have been rendered useless.

But now…

With his [Temporal-Spatial Sense], even alternate dimensions couldn't block his connection to Flying Thunder God markers, let alone a mere barrier.

Still, Baishi wasn't inclined to leave just yet.

There was no point in continuously evading. He needed to demonstrate to Iwagakure that the cost of pursuing him would far exceed their expectations. Only then would they relent and stop their relentless pursuit.

As he pondered, a group of twenty or so figures approached from a distance.

The group consisted of individuals clad in dark cloaks and masks, typical attire for ANBU operatives, as well as standard Iwagakure shinobi.

Despite their differing appearances, they shared one common trait: none of them were weak.

Baishi could easily sense that the weakest among them was a specialized jonin, with most being fully-fledged jonin.

Among them was an old acquaintance: the leader of Iwagakure's Explosion Corps, Kari.

Years ago, Kari's Explosion Release techniques had given Baishi no small amount of trouble. He wondered whether they'd still be as effective now.

As the distance between the two sides narrowed, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Finally, the Iwagakure ninjas stopped about ten meters away.

One of the ANBU stepped forward and spoke, "Baishi, you must have realized by now: here, your Flying Thunder God Technique won't help you escape."

As he spoke, his gaze locked onto Baishi's eyes, seemingly trying to glean something from them.

Whether or not he succeeded, Baishi didn't know. But Baishi could see that the ninja wasn't entirely confident the barrier could hold him—otherwise, he wouldn't need to probe for answers.

Amused, Baishi watched silently, waiting for the ninja's next move.

Seeing no reaction from Baishi, the ANBU operative pressed on. "Surrender the Five-Tails, and we'll spare your life."

So they're after the Five-Tails, Baishi thought.

When he first realized his pursuers were from Iwagakure, this was the conclusion he'd immediately drawn.

After all, if Sunagakure could devise a method to track Shukaku, there was no reason Iwagakure couldn't do the same for Kokuō.

The Five-Tails had resided in Iwagakure for decades. If they had no means of tracking it, that would have been the real anomaly.

Now, their presence confirmed his suspicions.

Seeing Baishi remain silent, the ANBU operative issued a command: "Take him down!"

In an instant, an array of projectiles and explosive tags flew toward Baishi, leaving no room for escape.

The coordination was seamless, blocking all potential avenues for evasion.

Observing their near-perfect teamwork, Baishi nodded approvingly. Then, without hurry, he conjured a chakra cloak.

Just as the chakra cloak solidified, the barrage of attacks reached him.

A series of deafening explosions ensued as crimson flames engulfed Baishi.

Moments later, as the dust and smoke cleared, Baishi emerged unscathed, standing exactly where he had been. It was as if the attack had never happened.

The scattered projectiles, too, lay harmlessly on the ground.

Suddenly, some of the discarded projectiles moved, tangling together to form nearly invisible steel wires.

The wires wove themselves into a net, instantly ensnaring Baishi.

It was evident this was their contingency plan.

Simultaneously, Iwagakure ninjas unleashed an onslaught of ninjutsu and genjutsu, targeting Baishi's body and mind alike.

However, none of their efforts bore fruit. Every attack was either deflected by Baishi's chakra cloak or outright endured by him.

From start to finish, Baishi didn't move a muscle. No matter how hard the Iwagakure ninjas tried, they couldn't lay a finger on him.

Baishi glanced at the wires wrapped around him, then at the grim-faced ninjas surrounding him. He found the whole situation tiresome.

When his strength had been lacking, he'd dreamed of standing motionless and withstanding enemy attacks unscathed.

Now that the dream was reality, he felt nothing but boredom.

Shaking his head, Baishi flexed slightly, snapping the steel wires as if they were paper.

"Watch out!"

One of the Iwagakure ninjas cried out, but it was too late.

Baishi vanished from sight, only for a scream to pierce the air moments later.

Within the group, one ninja collapsed, his arms and chest crushed beyond recognition. Death was imminent.

Before anyone could react, Baishi reappeared beside another target. With a swift chop, he shattered the second ninja's neck.

The disparity in speed and power was so vast that these jonin-level shinobi were as fragile as ordinary civilians before Baishi.

Ninjutsu wasn't even necessary. Pure taijutsu was more than sufficient to dispatch them.

(Chapter End)

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