Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 188 The Second Stage of Immortal Arts

"This place is estimated to be worth at least five billion. You should count it carefully."

Looking at the large amount of banknotes spread all over the ground, Penguin Mani was stunned. How long had it been since his last visit? Where did Aokiji get such a huge sum of money? And judging from his nonchalant attitude, he obviously had a lot more money.

This made Manny the penguin wonder if this guy had dug up some treasure somewhere.

With the support of "money power," Aokiji's armor gleamed, and the client's armor said, "Never mind that, just tell me if you want it or not."

"Yes, why not?"

The penguin laughed heartily, "From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were something special."

After a moment of silence, Aokiji cut straight to the point: "Enough nonsense, I'm going to begin the second stage of my Sage Mode training."

Mani the penguin readily agreed: "Then extend the arm that was infused with Sage Chakra last time."

Aokiji nodded, rolled up his sleeve, and slowly unwrapped the bandages, revealing the black lines on his arm.

Mani the penguin waddled forward in a slightly comical manner, opened its beak to reveal sharp teeth that were clearly inconsistent with its cute and innocent appearance, making it look sinister and terrifying.

Aokiji gasped; those sharp teeth still made him feel uneasy no matter how many times he looked at them.

"Then let's begin."

Having learned from the previous experience, Aokiji was prepared to be in excruciating pain again this time.

But this time, apart from the initial pain from the bite, I didn't feel anything afterwards.

"Alright." Aokiji Mani loosened his mouth, which was not fully open, and took a step back.

"Huh? That's it?"

Aokiji pondered that the last time he experienced physical sensations wasn't this easy. With that in mind, he shared his doubts with the other party.

"Times have changed," explained Manny the penguin.

"Back then, your body was still in the adaptation phase, and it was normal to experience discomfort. But this time, your body has already adapted. I'm just giving it a little boost on top of what it was before. In fact, even without me, you could have gradually developed to this stage on your own."

"I see..." Aokiji nodded, understanding... my ass.

"Wait... what did you just say? You actually think I can develop it myself and reach the second stage?"

Aokiji stared wide-eyed and demanded an explanation.

"Uh, you misheard me."

Penguin Mani gave a perfunctory reply.

Making such a large sum of money all at once made him too proud and he accidentally let something slip.

Aokiji wasn't about to let the other party off so easily. He stepped forward, grabbed the red scarf wrapped around the other's neck, and said fiercely:

"Are you kidding me? I've worked myself to the bone to make money, and you're telling me I could have developed it myself? Do you think you're doing me any favors? Give me my money back!!"

Knowing she was in the wrong, Penguin Mani said guiltily, "The money has already been paid; it would be too hurtful to ask for a refund."

If we don't say it that way, how could the other party willingly spend money to become stronger?

Aokiji persisted, saying, "You're hurting my feelings! You deceived me, so how can it not hurt my feelings? If you don't give me a reasonable explanation today, I'll burn all your money with a Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

"No, we can talk things over. How about I develop some super powerful ninjutsu for you as compensation?"

Aokiji released his hands, revealing a smile that said, "You should have said so earlier." In truth, he never expected the other party to refund the money. Being able to get an S-rank ninjutsu for free was a huge win for him: "You said you'd help me develop an extremely powerful ninjutsu, so you can't go back on your word."

Penguin Mani, without blushing or panting, replied: "Of course, when have I ever cheated?"

How could you say that? Don't you have any conscience?

After a moment of silence, Aokiji suddenly remembered something: "You just said that I could actually develop the second stage myself, so in other words, I could probably develop the third stage myself without your help?"

Manny the penguin dropped the pretense and laid her cards on the table: "Yes, how come you're so smart!"

"That bastard..." Aokiji gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with undisguised hatred for the penguin.

Manny the penguin knew it was awkward, so he pretended to cough a few times.

Aokiji casually asked, "How does one cultivate to the third stage through normal means?"

"That's simple. Just use your magic more often, and your body will automatically develop towards the third stage. For example, it might grow some strange physiological characteristics."

Aokiji was startled: "Wait, if what you're saying is true, the more you use magic, the more your body will turn into a monster. How can I dare to use magic then?"

Penguin Mani said lightly, "Don't worry, with your human lifespan, you'll be long dead before you even reach that stage. So feel free to use your magic freely. Of course, if you're just bored and use magic every day, then disregard what I said."

Aokiji: ...

Penguin Mani suggested, "Your current magical state is already at the second stage. Do you want to give it a try? If anything goes wrong, I'll be there to cover for you."

After thinking for a moment, Aokiji agreed, finding it reasonable.

As his magical arts became more and more proficient, Aokiji no longer needed to use hand seals as he had done before. With a thought, the lines on his arms began to spread to his face, forming spots.

After entering the first stage, Aokiji continued his efforts, and the spots on his face continued to spread.

As his chakra began to stabilize, Aokiji realized that he should have entered the second stage.

Aokiji raised his arm and looked down. His entire arm looked as if it had been soaked in ink for a long time, turning completely black, while the original pattern had turned white.

Out of curiosity about his own appearance, Aokiji used Ice Release to create a mirror. When he looked at it, he was shocked to find that the right half of his face had turned completely black.

Not the kind of black that Africans have, but the kind of black that's just been soaked in ink...

Seeing his handsome face transformed like this, Aokiji couldn't help but complain, "This second stage is just too ugly!"

But considering that Orochimaru's cursed seal had reached its second stage, turning him into something neither human nor ghost, Aokiji felt a little relieved. At least he still retained human characteristics, even though half of his face was blackened.

Aokiji clenched his fist, feeling the immense power surging through his body. He couldn't wait to unleash an Ice Release ninjutsu. With a single slap, thick ice pillars shot vertically from the ground, row upon row, with an attack range of nearly twenty meters.

If he maintains this momentum, his strength is "expected" to reach the level of Sasuke in white three years later.

This wasn't Aokiji being modest, or flattering Sasuke at that time; in terms of stats, Sasuke was really no worse than him...

Aside from Ice Release, Sasuke has everything Aokiji has, and even things Aokiji doesn't have, Sasuke also has, especially a pair of spare Mangekyou Sharingan and Indra's chakra. He's not worried about not having any more cheat codes to upgrade later on. But things are a bit awkward for Aokiji.

Whether it's the subsequent evolution of the Sharingan into the Mangekyou Sharingan, or the development of the third stage of Sage Mode, the price paid is too high.

Moreover, even if he were lucky enough to activate it, the subsequent side effects would be enough to give Aokiji a terrible headache.

Unless there is a fortuitous encounter, one's strength will steadily increase, but at most it will remain within the "human" range.

Thinking of all this, Aokiji exhaled, putting all these random thoughts out of his mind, and decided to continue developing his Ice Release ninjutsu.

"You just said you'd help me develop ninjutsu, so you should keep your word, right?"

Mani the penguin patted his chest and declared, "I'm honest and trustworthy, young and old alike."

Aokiji held up three fingers: "I'm not greedy, just help me develop three ninjutsu."

Penguin Manny said, embarrassed, "You're really quick."

Aokiji told the other party about the three types of ninjutsu he had always wanted to develop: "First, I want to develop a powerful offensive ice-style ninjutsu, preferably a long-range one, which should be able to directly freeze the enemy upon hitting the target."

Aokiji's long-range ice-style ninjutsu is all used to smash people, and this type of ninjutsu is not very lethal. He has always wanted to develop a technique that can freeze enemies from a distance.

Therefore, he has already come up with a powerful name.

Hmm, let's call it: Ice Release: Dawn Goddess's Forgiveness.

(End of this chapter)