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Yang Release (1/7 integrated)
Level 9 (5,000,000 / 10,000,000)
The Land of Whirlpools, mostly destroyed, remained in ruins, never rebuilt per Akio's instructions. Instead, he poured all the attribute points he had acquired from sealing Black Zetsu into Yang Release. For what he was about to do next, it would be nearly impossible without this upgrade.
As for concerns about the Sage of Six Paths interveningāAkio no longer cared. The Sage hadn't reacted when Black Zetsu was sealed. He hadn't interfered during the battle between Akio and Madara either. Akio figured he wouldn't care whether he became stronger or not.
It had been a long time since Akio felt himself grow this significantly. The jump from level 8 to 9 marked a qualitative leap. The previous enhancementsāSealing Techniques and Yin Releaseāhadn't been very noticeable. One improved his sealing capabilities, the other enhanced his spiritual energy. But Yang Release was differentāit directly impacted the body and produced immediate results.
Akio wrapped his arm in Wind Release chakra and sliced into it. As expected, it healed instantly.
"So this is the Sage's Body. I finally have one. Self-regeneration only costs a bit of staminaā¦ even if it starts using life force at some point, that's the one thing I've got in abundanceā¦"
The transformation of his body lasted a full ten minutes before he finally adapted.
Looking at his status panel, his Body stat had caught up withāno, even surpassedāNinjutsu, hitting nearly 5,000 points. His Technique stat, representing his chakra reserves, had quadrupled. It was now solidly at Tailed Beast level and still slowly increasing. His ninja rank had finally reached SS+.
Akio walked to the seaside, facing the endless ocean. He raised his right hand, forming a finger gun gestureāand fired!
A miniature Tailed Beast Bomb shot out, hitting the ocean's surface and blooming into a small mushroom cloud.
Now that his Yin-Yang Release had reached level 9, he no longer needed to mimic a Tailed Beast and spew the bomb from his mouth. A single finger was enough.
With a smile, Akio raised his left hand and began alternating between both hands, mimicking gunfire with his mouth:
"Bang, bang, bangā¦"
Dozens of miniature Tailed Beast Bombs launched in succession, creating monstrous waves that roared across the sea.
He felt the chakra consumption within his bodyāit hadn't even cost one-twentieth. Akio nodded, satisfied.
"From now on, call me Stark, the first Espadaā¦ this ability really makes me cooler."
He murmured jokingly to himself. In a flash, Jitou appeared in front of him.
"Sensei, what's going on?" he asked.
Akio smiled at him and shook his head. "Nothing, I was just testing a new jutsu."
Then he paused, a hint of emotion flickering in his eyes.
"And Jitouā¦ you've changed the way I think."
Jitou looked utterly confused.
Over the past few days, Akio had come to realize that the nightmare Black Zetsu had shown himāthe world built within that dreamāwas the embodiment of his deepest fears.
He had once believed that as long as the Uzumaki Clan stayed secluded in a corner of the world, he alone could protect them. He knew roughly what would happen in every eraāwhat threats would arise and who would appear. He was confident he could shield the Land of Whirlpools.
But the sudden appearance of an unknown enemy made him realize that unforeseen events could strike at any time. If he'd remained unconscious for just a bit longer, that nightmare might have become a reality. The fact that Jitou had opened the Eight Gates Formation to fend off the enemy had deeply shaken him.
So now, Akio truly wanted to make a lasting changeāhe wanted the Land of Whirlpools to be strong enough to defend itself, even without him.
"Sensei!" A voice called outāIzuko had arrived.
"The civilians of the Land of Whirlpools have been relocated to temporary shelters. As you instructed, we haven't rebuilt the houses. Soā¦ where are we moving to?"
Akio smiled and pointed toward the vast sea.
"We're moving there."
Izuko looked completely baffled. Akio slowly rose into the air.
"Stand back," he instructed his two students, then activated Sage Mode.
"Sage Art: Dust Release ā Human Realm Disintegration Technique!"
A massive beam of Dust Release blasted the ocean, erasing a wide swath of seawater. A bottomless pit formed on the ocean floor as seawater began spiraling downward. The tide receded miles from the Land of Whirlpools' coastline.
"Senseiā¦ are you planning toā¦?" Izuko , standing a short distance behind, looked stunned as she pieced together his intention.
Akio smiled and nodded, flying several more miles out and repeating the process.
After unleashing five Dust Release blasts in total, his chakra reserves were more than half depletedābut he had pushed the landmass almost five kilometers closer to the Land of Water.
Naturally, this massive commotion triggered defensive measures from the Land of Water. Chakra signatures began appearing across the sea.
"Uzumaki Akio! We've signed a treatyāwhy are you violating it?!" came the voice of the Third Mizukage.
Akio waved casually and smiled.
"We did sign a treaty, and I haven't broken it. I'm simplyā¦ expanding the borders of the Land of Whirlpools."
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Earth Style: Opening Earth Rising Pillars!"
Dozens of shadow clones simultaneously used Earth Style jutsu. Five kilometers from the Land of Water's shore, a "Great Wall" rose from the ocean.
Akio stood atop the wall and called out to the Land of Water:
"This wall now marks the border between your country and mine. Don't forgetāwe agreed on non-aggression."
Ignoring the reactions of the Water shinobiāwho now found themselves in the "Land of Rivers"āAkio flew back. He still had much to do.
Even though the sea had been largely erased, much of the underground moisture remained.
He began filling the five massive pits left by Dust Release with Earth Style, and to prevent spontaneous geysers from forming one day, he raised the land across dozens of miles by about ten meters. The former seafloor was now dry land.
"This is exhaustingā¦" Even with Yang Release at level 9, land reclamation on this scale was no joke.
Bit by bit, he restored his chakra, only to deplete it again. After more than ten days of tireless effort, Akio finally finished.
During this time, the Land of Water sent envoys to negotiate, but Akio "persuaded" them all to leave. He refused to relocate the Uzumaki and instead expanded their territory to accommodate future growth.
"Nextā¦ it's time to build a new nation. We've got the land, but we'll need to attract civiliansāotherwise, it's all just empty space."
"As for other shinobi clansā¦"
Akio pondered, then decided to let things happen naturally. The new Land of Whirlpools wouldn't be like the other nationsāit wouldn't form a typical semi-democratic ninja village. The Uzumaki would remain the ruling clan. If other shinobi wished to settle and accept Uzumaki leadership, he wouldn't refuse them.
"Maybeā¦ we could even implement universal education?" With the Uzumaki's innate vitality and the superior education they would receive, Akio wasn't worried about civilians eventually gaining the upper hand.
"Thenā¦ it's time to begin construction!"
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