Zenji searched the Uchiha's body thoroughly. Aside from various ninja tool scrolls and medicines, he found a simple map.
Several locations were marked with circles and crosses, accompanied by notes identifying suspected Hidden Mist strongholds.
Konoha and the Hidden Mist are at war. If it's a major conflict, this can only be the Third Shinobi World War.
In his previous life, Zenji had never actually finished watching Naruto. Too many flashback arcs had driven him to skip through most of it. He'd filled in the gaps through explanation videos and fan fiction—faster, but the details hadn't stuck. Most of the specifics had long since faded from memory, leaving only broad strokes.
Deploying the Uchiha against the Hidden Mist... and given the scope of this map, it has to be the Third War. The question is what point we're at.
He studied the map, noting its complete lack of information about Konoha's own positions.
At this point in time, Uchiha Madara was still alive. His physical condition was likely deteriorating rapidly—at most, he could fight at full strength once before his body gave out entirely.
Aside from the people on the moon, he had no true opponents in the ninja world.
I wonder if Madara has already selected Obito as his successor. If not, and he happens to notice me...
Zenji thought of White Zetsu and suppressed a shudder.
He needed to hide himself, gather intelligence, and research a way to stay alive.
Sitting cross-legged, he let his consciousness sink into the purple-black sphere of light. Countless clusters of knowledge flashed before him.
Soon, a massive formation resembling geometric patterns drifted to a stop before his eyes.
"Barrier Techniques," he murmured.
This knowledge cluster was by far the largest among all the lights. Tengen, the foremost barrier master, and Kenjaku, the second greatest—both had lived for over a thousand years. Moreover, Barrier Techniques formed the foundation for various domain abilities and Domain Expansions. That was why this particular cluster had grown to the size of a house.
It progresses from simple to complex, making it relatively accessible for beginners. Whether I'm hiding now or enhancing my combat ability later, this will be useful. Time well spent.
Another pattern drifted closer—a blurry humanoid figure with only its hands rendered in clear detail.
Idle Transfiguration. A technique involving both soul and body.
This was a powerful offensive method that could also be used for interrogation and experimental purposes. More importantly, its method of soul manipulation related directly to the Incarnation technique's requirements: fragmenting the soul and altering its characteristics.
Zenji focused on the Barrier Technique cluster first. The moment his mind made contact, information flooded in.
Starting with the simplest barrier—the Curtain—various details materialized in his consciousness.
He opened his eyes.
Forming hand seals, he chanted: "Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure!"
Chakra surged. A pale blue light rose, forming a barrier—
It wobbled once and shattered completely.
"Doesn't work." Zenji frowned. "I can't just copy it directly. Chakra does have its own Barrier Techniques, but the underlying logic isn't identical the way it was with Enhancement."
Thanks to the lingering effects of Black Flash, his chakra control and perception were currently operating at peak capacity. He easily identified the problems. Completing a functional Barrier Technique would require extensive experimentation and adjustment.
But this location had already been discovered. Staying here was out of the question.
Grabbing Uchiha Seisho, he leaped into the trees to find a new refuge.
One month later.
In a secluded valley, pale blue light rose suddenly, forming a spherical barrier.
This turned out better than I ever expected.
Zenji examined the barrier enveloping him with quiet satisfaction.
He didn't know if it was because he'd transmigrated physically—experiencing the world barrier, perhaps even passing through some kind of space-time tunnel—but his aptitude for Barrier Techniques was unexpectedly high. Within weeks, he'd developed a set of techniques with a distinctly personal style.
Node Barrier Technique.
By using nodes as anchors, he could create long-lasting barriers. The optimal casting node was himself.
He could form a protective barrier using his own body as the foundation.
"I only wanted a way to hide myself, but I ended up developing a combat skill as well." Zenji sighed, his thoughts drifting to Idle Transfiguration.
His aptitude there wasn't bad either. After all, it wasn't just his physical body that had mutated—his soul had undergone changes too, though without any negative deterioration.
However, the available knowledge was too limited. Even if he understood Idle Transfiguration thoroughly, the process of converting it to chakra-based techniques was proving agonizingly slow.
He formed a one-handed seal and waved casually. The stable barrier screen dissipated.
Turning, he walked toward the center of the valley, where a small wooden cabin stood.
He pushed open the door.
The half-dead Uchiha was bound to a wooden pillar, his chakra being continuously extracted. He served as both the barrier node for this valley and its energy source, sustaining the large concealment-and-detection array that protected this hideout.
"I need knowledge," Zenji said, staring intently at Seisho's head. "Knowledge of this world."
Only then could he research a localized version of Idle Transfiguration more quickly.
But extracting that knowledge from the Uchiha's mind required Idle Transfiguration itself—a frustrating loop.
Whether due to clan pride or professional ninja training, torture had proven useless. Seisho's mouth remained firmly shut. And even if Zenji did manage to break him, the authenticity of anything he said would be questionable.
"Kill me." The voice was weak, barely audible. Seisho struggled to open his eyes a crack.
"Tell me what I want to know." Zenji repeated the words he'd spoken countless times before. "It's not classified information. Just basic ninja knowledge."
Seisho's lips parted slightly. "Impossible... My ninja way... my convictions... will never yield."
"Hmph." Zenji sneered—but the word convictions triggered something. A memory surfaced.
Orochimaru using chakra to project killing intent, freezing Sasuke in place with pure pressure. Tobirama Senju oppressing Sasuke and the revived Hokage with his overwhelming presence.
And Gojo Satoru, emotions running high, crushing a Cursed Spirit to death with nothing but raw cursed energy.
Powerful ninjas can instill their will into their chakra, causing it to undergo subtle changes...
Zenji couldn't remember where he'd heard that. A forum post, maybe. An explanation video. Perhaps even fan-made lore.
But the thought ignited something in his mind.
I can't just think about chakra. I can't just reference cursed energy either. I need to combine the two—create a chakra that's uniquely mine. Only then can I fully utilize all the knowledge from Jujutsu Kaisen.
His eyes lit up as inspiration flooded through him like a breaking dam.
It was just like the Uchiha's visual prowess—a specialized form of chakra. It served not only as the energy source for the Sharingan's abilities but also activated secret techniques developed specifically around those eyes.
"Cursed Energy. Chakra."
Zenji sat cross-legged, excitement written across his face. His consciousness plunged into the purple-black sphere of light.