"Ding! Fusion successful! The host has obtained a Six-Star Mutant Card!"
At that moment, Haruto Saito felt his heart skip a beat.
He had spent seventy thousand reputation points just to increase the synthesis success rate to 60%. No matter how you looked at it, that was a relatively high probability, but there was still a risk of failure. Luckily, nothing went wrong—otherwise, Haruto would have coughed up blood in frustration.
A golden vortex spun as a card shot out.
Haruto swiftly caught it and focused his gaze on it.
**Seven-Star Mutant-Class Secret Technique: Chakra Transcendence Mode!**
Description: *Wings of Freedom, Soaring into the Sky!*
"No way... No way... No way..." Haruto blinked in disbelief. The description was vague, but based on the name of the mutant card and the provided explanation, he could make an educated guess.
"Could it be…?" Haruto stuffed the card into his mouth and began chewing.
As he swallowed, an influx of complex information flooded his mind. This secret technique was very similar to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode—both involved special applications of chakra. However, the execution of this technique was incredibly complex!
This was merely an **A-Class technique**!
But in terms of learning difficulty, this shouldn't be A-Class at all. And based on its effects, it should be **S-Class!** Because it was a mutant technique, its difficulty level couldn't be assessed in a conventional way.
*Whoosh!*
After consuming the card, Haruto vanished from his room in a flash.
---
Not long after.
South of Gutian Village, deep in a secluded valley, Haruto materialized out of thin air. While traveling, he had changed his outfit—now cloaked in a black robe, he looked incredibly mysterious.
"Secret Technique: Chakra Transcendence Mode!" Haruto clasped his hands together, took a brief pause, and then rapidly formed hand seals.
Even with his speed, it still took him **a full second** to complete the sequence.
Then—
A violent surge of chakra erupted from Haruto's body before quickly stabilizing. Air currents swirled around him, spinning faster and faster, making it look as if he had entered the Eight Gates Formation.
This was Haruto's first time using the technique. Even though he had obtained it through the mutant card, he still found it difficult to control.
The chakra output requirement was simply too high!
After a full **thirty seconds**, something suddenly changed!
With a loud *rip*, Haruto's back robe shredded apart. From his exposed back, countless strands of chakra extended outward, wildly lashing in all directions before rapidly intertwining and weaving together. Within moments, they formed **two massive chakra wings**, and their size continued expanding. These chakra threads could extend indefinitely—**as long as he had enough chakra and control!**
Finally, when the wingspan surpassed **four meters**, the expansion ceased.
The chakra wings remained unstable.
But Haruto didn't hesitate—he commanded all the chakra strands to flap downward in unison. The moment the wings moved, Haruto shot into the sky **like a cannonball**.
He wasn't worried about falling to his death.
After all, he possessed the **Flying Thunder God Technique!**
Soaring through the sky, Haruto flapped his chakra wings repeatedly, but they remained **highly unstable**. He tried making sharp turns mid-air and even attempted to fold the wings in front of him for defense. However, at that exact moment, **all** the chakra threads snapped apart, forcefully ending the technique.
Haruto plummeted, headfirst toward the ground.
Just before impact, he vanished and reappeared safely on the ground.
"I can fly... I can fly... I can actually fly?" Haruto muttered, his expression oddly complex.
The technique looked flashy and undeniably powerful, but for Haruto, it wasn't much of an improvement. **He already had the Flying Thunder God Technique**—if he wanted to reach the skies, all he had to do was throw a Flying Thunder God kunai upward and teleport to it. He could continuously repeat the process, ensuring he never touched the ground.
However, this technique had a **huge drawback**—it consumed an **insane** amount of chakra!
The main issue was Haruto's **lack of precise control**. He had to maintain an extraordinarily high chakra output just to keep the wings stable. In theory, any ninja could use chakra threads, and any ninja could manipulate them.
But... to shape chakra into **a specific form**—especially something as complex as wings—was extraordinarily difficult. This wasn't just a matter of control; it required **hand seals to maintain the structure**.
Still, no matter how he looked at it, this technique was an exciting surprise!
For example, he could **chase down ninja birds** with this ability. Ninja birds had extreme mobility in the sky, and if Haruto relied on throwing his Flying Thunder God kunai to reach them, **there was an 80% chance he'd never catch up**.
But with this technique, he **could**!
"Secret Technique: Chakra Transcendence Mode!" Haruto formed seals once again.
He needed to train.
Currently, he had about **3,500 worthless cards** in his inventory. He wasn't in a hurry to fuse more—there was no rush. Plus, he felt that every time he successfully created a mutant card, it was **pure luck**. After all, fusing successfully and obtaining a mutant card were two separate things!
Even if Haruto spent **tens of thousands of reputation points** to push the success rate past 50%, there was **no guarantee** he'd get another mutant card.
It was all **a gamble!**
Haruto had even become **a little superstitious**.
Yesterday, he felt like his luck had run out, so he waited until today to fuse again.
And today, he managed to create a **Six-Star Mutant Card!**
Statistically speaking, it was unlikely he'd get another good mutant card today.
*Tomorrow should be better!*
After all, **worthless cards wouldn't expire** if left unused.
For now, Haruto needed to **train this newly acquired technique**. Since it was so unique, he had to **ensure** that he could maintain the chakra wings **without them suddenly breaking apart** mid-air.
---
Later that afternoon, at dusk.
**Land of Water, Kirigakure.**
The always-mysterious Kirigakure was enveloped in **thick mist** today. It was a heavy fog.
"Chirp!"
A piercing cry echoed through the sky as a ninja bird streaked across Kirigakure, disappearing into the distant fog.
Several minutes later, inside the Mizukage's office.
"Lord Mizukage, urgent intelligence!" A shadowy figure with an imposing presence materialized in the corner of the room. The moment he spoke, he flickered beside the desk and respectfully presented a scroll.
The Third Mizukage, Hotsurei, a man with long black hair, remained calm and composed as he accepted the scroll.
Lately, **nothing** had been able to stir his emotions. He had become indifferent to everything.
After all, **what had happened before was simply too shocking**.
Haruto Saito had **slaughtered countless Kirigakure shinobi** and ascended to legendary status, yet **the village was powerless to retaliate**. The mere thought of Haruto's **Flying Thunder God Technique** left everyone feeling helpless.
So…
After witnessing something like that, **what else could possibly faze him?**
But as he unrolled the scroll and scanned its contents, his indifferent gaze sharpened.
His expression **drastically changed**.
He abruptly stood up.
"Haruto Saito... Gutian Village…"