A Sage's Pursuit of Power

In the forest, Aoba was moving rapidly along the treetops. He frequently glanced behind him to ensure he was not being followed.

He was wary of Orochimaru, who was unpredictable and seemed like a madman with no regard for humanity. If Orochimaru had him in his sights, he feared he might not be able to sleep peacefully at night.

Surrounded by a swirling gust of wind, Aoba moved with the grace of an ancient Chinese martial artist. With a light push on the leaves, he could cover dozens of meters in a single bound.

This method of moving through the trees was vastly different from the standard tree-hopping technique used by ordinary ninjas.

After running for several miles and confirming that he was not being followed, Aoba's anxiety finally subsided.

He found a hidden cave, set up a series of alarms, and then sat down to rest.

The day's activities had been exhaustive, from manipulating the wind to deliver a message to Orochimaru, arranging a future meeting, to leading the charge in battle, and finally focusing intently during the transaction with Orochimaru. He was now extremely tired.

Aoba's primary chakra affinities were wind and lightning, with wind being his commonly used element. He kept lightning techniques as his trump cards, using them sparingly.

So far, he had only used a lightning technique once, against the Raikage. He used the principle of electromagnetic acceleration to shoot a steel pellet.

Unfortunately, the technique was underdeveloped at the time and too slow. The Raikage managed to react and it only succeeded in breaking his pinky. The impact on the Raikage was minimal.

However, this technique had briefly deterred the Raikage and allowed Aoba to escape.

Against Orochimaru, the technique was relatively ineffective. Orochimaru's Body Replacement Technique, which involved shedding skin, was quite troublesome.

Aoba had actually prepared another trump card for Orochimaru, but fortunately, he didn't need to use it.

The real issue was that his chakra reserves were insufficient.

In this world, lineage and background were crucial. Aoba, as a civilian ninja without any special bloodline or background, inevitably faced the common weaknesses of civilian ninjas: insufficient chakra.

The reason he used a sword and developed wind-based ninjutsu was primarily due to this limitation. He wished he could perform large-scale techniques with a clap of his hands, but it was impossible due to his limited chakra. Hence, he had to rely on his sword and physical combat.

This problem wasn't without solutions. As a transmigrator, he knew several methods to address the chakra issue.

The first option was to become a Jinchūriki. With a Tailed Beast inside him, he would naturally have an abundance of chakra.

However, given his current strength, dealing with a Jinchūriki was too challenging. Thus, this route was not feasible for now.

The second option was the Sage Mode he was currently training in. If he could overcome the petrification issue caused by natural energy, he could absorb a large amount of natural energy and enter Sage Mode. This would effectively supplement his chakra.

Moreover, Sage Mode greatly enhances the effectiveness of various ninjutsu and provides overall improvement. This was his main focus at the moment.

Another alternative was to transplant the First Hokage's cells.

Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, was born with Sage Body traits. By transplanting his cells, he could gain some Sage Body characteristics, thereby resolving his chakra deficiency and possibly obtaining the Wood Release kekkei genkai. This would be a two-in-one solution.

After all, no one had ever heard of the First Hokage suffering from a lack of chakra.

However, this method was extremely risky. Out of many test subjects, only Yamato survived. Aoba didn't consider himself so lucky.

He did know ways to reduce the risk and increase success rates, but they were not yet applicable. Thus, this method remained a backup plan that would require extensive preparation.

There were also a few other viable options, but they were currently out of reach. For example, Tsunade's Yin Sealing.

Apart from the difficulty of finding Tsunade, mastering Yin Sealing required not only exceptional control over chakra but also advanced sealing techniques.

Sealing techniques were quite distant from Aoba, a civilian ninja.

Another idea was to obtain the dragon veins of the Miko Kingdom. He had once considered that if he could seal the dragon veins inside himself, he might gain chakra comparable to a Tailed Beast without the accompanying risk of rampage.

Unfortunately, achieving this required higher-level sealing skills, which were beyond his immediate capabilities.

Additionally, finding and obtaining the Samehada from Kisame Hoshigaki would also help offset his weaknesses. However, Kisame's whereabouts in the vast ninja world were unknown.

Even if Kisame joined Akatsuki, it would be difficult to access him due to his teammate, Itachi.

Thus, after careful consideration, he decided to focus first on mastering Sage Mode to obtain this trump card, and then gradually explore other avenues.

For now, he planned to enhance himself through other means, such as the Kusanagi Sword he had just acquired.

As a swordsman, acquiring the Kusanagi Sword—a divine weapon—had directly boosted his combat abilities by 30 to 50 percent.

The Kusanagi Sword was not only exceptionally durable and nearly indestructible but also had excellent chakra conductivity.

Most importantly, the sword could be extended or shortened at will, making it a dream weapon for any swordsman.

After eating a soldier pill to restore some chakra, Aoba had no intention of seeking out his other teammates.

After all, the current state of mutual disconnection was something he had deliberately orchestrated to allow himself free movement.

So, after resting for a while, he began to meditate and practice his Sage Mode.

The next morning, having rested well, Aoba left the cave. However, he did not head directly back to the Land of Fire but instead traveled in another direction.

The Five Great Nations were not contiguous, separated by various small nations and villages.

For example, the Land of Waterfall, which he had previously visited, was a small nation on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.

There were many such small nations on the borders of the great nations, such as the Land of Rice, the Land of Hot Water, and the Land of Grass, which Aoba was heading toward.