EBE Chapter 535 Mr. Xuanweng, you're overthinking it.
Chapter 535 Mr. Xuanweng, you're overthinking it.
He had initially thought Zhang Hai's choice of this location was merely a coincidence, but now it seemed to be the result of the most meticulous and ruthless calculation! Exploiting the blind spots in the minds of those conducting the covert investigations, and taking advantage of Yuhi Shinku's instinct as a mother to never allow her daughter's room to be searched easily, this young man had manipulated everything.
“Mr. Xuanweng, you’re overthinking it.” Zhang Hai’s pen didn’t stop, his tone as calm as if he were talking about the weather. “It’s just a place to stay.”
This nonchalant denial, however understated, was far more chilling to Xuan Weng than a direct admission. He took a deep breath, looking at the boy before him, barely a teenager, and for the first time felt a chill run down his spine. This was no ordinary genius; his mind was so uncanny, his methods so ruthless, and his understanding of human nature so profound that he seemed inhuman.
“A coincidence…” Xuan Weng gave a wry smile and stopped asking. He was even more certain of his judgment: this young man named Zhang Hai was no ordinary person; he was a true “prodigy” born from the land of Konoha.
Time flew by with each stroke of the pen. Zhang Hai's copying speed was astonishing. He did not copy everything verbatim, but selectively skipped many forbidden techniques that he considered flashy but impractical, or whose cultivation conditions were too demanding. He focused only on the parts that were highly practical and extremely powerful.
Finally, just before the first hint of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon, Zhang Hai put down his pen. He carefully put away the several scrolls he had copied, then rolled up the original copy of the Book of Seals again and handed it back to Xuan Weng.
"All right."
Xuanweng took the scroll; it was still heavy in his hand, but he felt his heart was even heavier. "Now, the entire Hidden Leaf Village's ninjas are probably mobilized. How do you plan to leave?"
“Me?” Zhang Hai smiled and asked in return, “I should be asking you, Mr. Xuanweng, are you confident that you can leave safely with it? Konoha’s barrier and guards are not just for show.”
A hint of craftsman's pride and confidence appeared on the old man's aged face: "I have my own methods; you don't need to worry about that. But you, staying here, once..."
“If necessary, I can lend a hand,” Zhang Hai interrupted him, his gaze deep. “For example, by creating a small disturbance on the city wall.”
“No need,” Xuanweng shook his head and refused. “I haven’t reached the point where I need a junior to save me.”
“Alright then.” Zhang Hai nodded, seemingly unsurprised. He stood up, walked to Xuan Weng, and said in an extremely serious tone, “Mr. Xuan Weng, remember, if you are unfortunately captured during your escape, betray me.”
Xuan Weng was suddenly stunned, his cloudy eyes staring intently at Zhang Hai.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Zhang Hai’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Stealing the Book of Seals can be a serious or minor offense. You’re just an accomplice, at most sentenced to life imprisonment. With your abilities, you can live well even in prison. But I am the mastermind. All their attention will be focused on me.”
He paused, then changed the subject, his voice becoming deep and magnetic: "Your life is still useful to me. I need you to live."
These words were half cold calculation, and half seemed to carry an indescribable concern. Xuan Weng fell silent, gazing at the young, unfathomable face before him, a ripple of emotion stirring within him for the first time. He said nothing more, only nodded heavily, then, clutching the Book of Seals, his figure flashed and vanished once more into the pre-dawn darkness.
Not long after Xuanweng left.
Boom——! ! !
A deafening explosion suddenly rang out from afar, its force so great that the entire building shook violently! The direction of the explosion was directly towards the outermost wall of Konoha Village!
The loud noise instantly shattered the tranquility of the early morning.
"Whoa-!"
The girl, who was fast asleep on the bed, was awakened by the sudden loud noise. She sat up abruptly and cried out in terror amidst the shaking and dust.
Zhang Hai stood by the window, gazing at the distant flames and smoke rising into the sky, a slow smile curving his lips.
Xuanweng has already begun to take action.
As the dawn broke through the darkness, the commotion on the distant city walls gradually subsided, but the entire Hidden Leaf Village was like a pot of boiling water, completely engulfed in turmoil. The number of patrolling ninjas increased several times over, every household was being questioned, and a tense and ominous atmosphere hung over the village.
However, the one who started all of this was sitting peacefully in the home of Shinku Yuhi, as if she were in the eye of the storm, enjoying a moment of tranquility.
He unfurled the scrolls of forbidden techniques he had copied, his excitement and longing almost overflowing.
"The forbidden technique developed by the Second Hokage, the Mutual Explosive Tags... It summons the dead through the Impure World Reincarnation and uses the dead's own chakra to infinitely create explosive tags for endless chain explosions... It's... It's a genius idea, crazy yet beautiful..." Zhang Hai's fingertips lightly traced the diagram on the scroll, his eyes gleaming with fascination.
"And this, the First Hokage's Summoning Technique: Rashomon... an absolute defense gate strong enough to withstand a Tailed Beast Ball."
He had already begun to imagine what a spectacular sight it would be if these two techniques were combined. But soon, a very real problem poured cold water on him, extinguishing most of his enthusiasm.
money.
He has no money.
The core of the multiplicative explosive tags lies in the explosive tags themselves. Even a small-scale practice session requires an astronomical number of explosive tags, enough to bankrupt an ordinary ninja family instantly. As for Rashomon, a high-level summoning technique, it requires a special summoning scroll. Scrolls of that level are simply not available on the market, and even if you could find one, it would be extremely expensive.
Zhang Hai sighed helplessly, temporarily setting aside the two "money-devouring behemoths" of spells. He turned his gaze to another scroll containing illusion techniques.
Compared to ninjutsu, which often requires a large amount of resources and money, genjutsu training focuses more on the exquisite control of mental strength and chakra. For Zhang Hai, whose mental strength far surpasses that of ordinary people and who has received a solid foundation from the careful guidance of Kurenai Yuhi, this is undoubtedly the most cost-effective choice.
Throughout the day, Zhang Hai remained secluded, studying the records of illusion magic in the Book of Seals day and night. Many of the book's obscure theories, after being compared with the teachings of Yuhi Shinku, suddenly became clear. Those bottlenecks that had once troubled him were easily pierced, like thin paper cut by a sharp blade. He felt his understanding of illusion magic was rapidly improving at an incredible pace, as if a door to a new world had been opened.