Konoha, reported by the Fourth Hokage at the start.

Chapter 178 The Secret of the Earth Grudge Technique

"Assimilation!"

Having read Kakuzu's memories of the Earth Grudge Technique, Li Yao understood the key to why Kakuzu could steal other people's hearts and live forever without experiencing rejection.

That's assimilation!

As is well known, taking over someone else's body will cause an adverse reaction.

The possession technique in spiritualization involves a rejection reaction that causes the person to die shortly after possessing another's body.

The reason why the Third Hokage kept pressing Li Yao about his improved version of the Spirit Transformation Technique was because Li Yao did not experience any rejection reaction after possessing Kimura Yao's body. This led the Third Hokage to believe that the Spirit Transformation Technique that Li Yao knew was an improved version, and that possessing another body would not cause any rejection reaction, thus allowing him to possess bodies indefinitely and live forever—a secret technique for immortality.

Li Yao only learned these things after obtaining Kato's memories.

Li Yao also couldn't resolve the body and soul rejection reaction after being possessed by the spirit transformation technique.

Even the reincarnation technique developed by Orochimaru later couldn't solve this rejection reaction. He had to change bodies every three years, otherwise his soul and body would suffer huge damage, eventually leading to the death of his body and the dissipation of his soul.

The relationship between body and soul is like that between armor and body.

A soul changing bodies is like a body changing into a new suit of armor.

Wearing ill-fitting armor is harmful to the body, and the harm is continuous.

This is the principle behind the rejection reaction of the body and soul.

Neither the possession technique of the Spirit Transformation Technique nor the Reincarnation Technique developed by Orochimaru later could resolve this side effect.

However, Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Technique solved the problem.

When Kakuzu takes someone's heart, the Earth Grudge Black Line will modify that person's heart, assimilating it into a heart that can be controlled by the Earth Grudge.

The most impressive thing is that the modification does not affect the lifespan of the heart. The heart that could originally beat for as many years can still beat for as many years after the modification.

"Assimilation...is indeed the best way to resolve the body's rejection reaction."

Li Yao pondered, wondering if he could combine the Earth Grudge Yu Secret Technique and the Spirit Transformation Technique's body-snatching ability to develop a body-snatching technique without rejection side effects.

Compared to the immortality achieved through possession by the Spirit Transformation Technique, Li Yao looked down on the immortality of the Earthly Grudge Demon.

The fatal weakness of the heart is too deadly.

Furthermore, chakra attributes are entirely dependent on the heart.

Furthermore, each heart can only use one chakra nature, which is too restrictive.

Of course, the possession technique of spirit transformation also has some downsides.

Combining the two would be possible.

"Okay, let's develop it then!"

Li Yao made a decision in an instant. Who doesn't yearn for immortality? If he hadn't encountered it, so be it. But if he had, how could he turn a blind eye?

However, there's no rush now; perfect transformation techniques remain Li Yao's top priority.

"Uncle, your sensory deprivation technique is amazing!"

At this moment, Little Leaf fell from the sky and looked at Kakuzu lying motionless on the ground. Her envious eyes flashed with a hint of frustration.

This powerful perception-deprivation technique was taught to her by Li Yaoying's clone, but she just couldn't learn it.

Li Yao stepped forward and picked up Kakuzu's other heart. Holding both hearts in his hands at the same time, he activated the Devouring Sealing Array to absorb the chakra within the hearts.

"If you can't learn it, just work hard to improve the ninjutsu you already know," Li Yao said to Xiao Yezi with a smile as he absorbed Kakuzu's heart chakra.

Compared to the Dark Walk Technique, the Perception Deprivation Technique is far more difficult.

It requires not only the ability to perceive even the faintest chakra within the brain's neural transmission system, but also the meticulous control to precisely intercept every nerve signal, especially the precise control over genjutsu chakra.

In this world, perhaps only Li Yao, whose consciousness mutated after transmigrating, could perform the Perception Deprivation Technique.

Speaking of consciousness mutation... Li Yao suddenly paused, his eyes flashing slightly.

He seemed to understand why his body and Kimura Yo's body didn't have a rejection reaction.

Because his consciousness, or rather his soul, mutated after the transmigration.

For others, possessing another's body is like putting on an ill-fitting suit of armor, and they will naturally be harmed.

However, after Li Yao's soul mutated, it may have changed its size to match the armor, which is why his soul matched Kimura Yao's body without causing a rejection reaction.

"is that so?"

Li Yao was somewhat uncertain, but deep down he felt that this was the right thing to do.

If that's true... does that mean he can now use the spirit transformation technique of possession, taking over another person's body, and his soul will automatically change to match the other person's body, thus continuing to live in that person's body?

"this……"

It has to be said that this was a great temptation, but Li Yao dared not try it. What if he died? Wouldn't that be a wrongful death?

However... you can try it when you're really in dire straits.

Before long, Li Yao had drained all the chakra from Kakuzu's three hearts. For Kakuzu, a unique chakra being, having his chakra drained meant death.

Thus, a legend came to an end.

This is the first character in the original work that Li Yao killed.

Kato Dan doesn't count; he's a character who only exists in memories, and he wasn't killed by Li Yao, but rather he committed suicide.

Li Yao didn't feel much about killing off characters from the original work.

He used to find it very annoying when he read fan fiction where the protagonist would always let the original characters go for some inexplicable reason.

Now he understands those fan fiction novels a little better.

Because once the original character dies, the plot related to him cannot be developed.

Now, Kakuzu is dead, and Asuma in the future... well, he still has to die. With Li Yao around, Asuma still has to die. But Li Yao will let him get married and watch how he gets his wife pregnant before he dies.

Li Yao always cared deeply about whether his family members across three generations had experienced enough "wonderful" memories before they died.

"Let's go, let's go to the Land of Water!"

Li Yao called to Xiao Yezi, and the two headed east towards the Land of Water.

This ninja world will definitely be completely different under his influence, and the future will certainly not be the same as Li Yao's memory.

Only by increasing his strength can he survive in this world, continue to tormenting three generations, and eventually go on forever.

When the Five Kage surrounded and killed him last time, he had already copied the Dust Release of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and the Raikage's new Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

He only failed to copy the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release: Iron Sand Technique and the Third Mizukage's Water Release: Black Water Technique, which was as powerful as deep sea water pressure, and the Water Transformation Technique.

This time, we'll first go to the Land of Water to copy the Mizukage's ninjutsu, and then go to the Land of Wind to copy the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release.

Along the way, Li Yao encountered ninjas, whether they were wandering ninjas or ninjas on missions from the five great nations. He took them all down and used the Spirit Transformation Technique to possess their spirit bodies and sense their soul energy, finding out the differences between their spiritual energy and his own.

Unfortunately... the expected rapid progress did not materialize.

He could not perceive any difference in spiritual energy between people. Even though he could already perceive the differences between souls, he could not distinguish spiritual energy.

There was no other way for Li Yao but to continue.

And so, after traveling and stopping along the way, it took Li Yao and Xiao Yezi more than half a year before they finally entered the territory of the Water Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)