Chapter 59: Enlightenment
Little Stone, frustrated at being beaten by Ishiro right after getting his new weapon, immediately sought another opportunity to test for weaknesses in Ishiro's Genjutsu.
Indeed, weaknesses existed—firstly, the casting speed was too slow; secondly, the chakra cost was enormous.
Ishiro, on the other hand, was eager to test whether he could incapacitate and kill an opponent while maintaining the Genjutsu.
Initially, Ishiro hoped the victim under his Genjutsu could end their own life, but at his current skill level, that was unrealistic. Still, hitting Little Stone with a small rock lying nearby seemed manageable.
But unexpectedly, as soon as Little Stone felt pain from the stone strike, he immediately broke free from the illusion.
"This..." Ishiro was slightly discouraged; it seemed he needed to prepare more specialized tools.
He recalled that Sand ninja often utilized mechanical puppets and traps. Perhaps combining a Genjutsu with a mechanical device might be effective—though the victim would regain awareness upon impact, a lethal strike at the instant of awakening could still be decisive.
But Ishiro wasn't an expert in mechanics. After some thought, he figured he could later commission a C-rank mission to ask an expert for help.
However, all this was for the future. His immediate goal was to master Genjutsu, as without proficiency, even attempting it in real combat would be impossible.
Yet, practicing Genjutsu required an appropriate target—he couldn't exactly practice illusions on a wooden dummy.
Ishiro's eyes wandered around, eventually settling on Shironeko and Dango.
Feeling Ishiro's malicious gaze, Dango's fur stood on end, arching its back and baring its fangs at Ishiro.
Embarrassed, Ishiro reconsidered—he'd better stick with Little Stone. Clearly, women (and their pets) weren't suitable targets.
However, Little Stone couldn't always serve as his test subject, as he needed considerable time to adjust his swordsmanship to the new weapon.
Fortunately, mastering Genjutsu involved two parts: simplifying hand seals and maintaining the illusion afterward. The former could be practiced alone, which Ishiro had become adept at.
As always, Ishiro prepared a list, detailing various possibilities to methodically simplify the hand seals through repeated experimentation.
Thus, Ishiro, Little Stone, and Shironeko trained together within the Anbu facility for seven days, until Captain Shiden finally returned, having barely learned an A-rank Ninjutsu during this time: Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves.
Ishiro remembered this technique—Danzo specialized in it, nearly tearing through Sasuke's Susano'o. It was a powerful, wide-area attack.
Shiden took Ishiro's trio to a deserted area outside the village to demonstrate Vacuum Serial Waves, leaving all three stunned. This was Ishiro's second time witnessing an A-rank jutsu in action; the first had been when Onoki suppressed the Five-Tails. However, this time, he watched the full process unfold clearly, seeing how a peaceful landscape was instantly ravaged by violent winds. He was genuinely shaken.
Though Ishiro previously thought his past life's experience with Naruto's destructive battles had desensitized him, reality proved otherwise—his reaction was even more pronounced than Shironeko's, Little Stone's, and even Dango's.
Fundamentally, Ishiro's previous life was in a normal world. Despite years of reincarnation, he'd subconsciously held onto a mindset from his former life, never fully differentiating himself from ordinary people. Only now did Ishiro genuinely realize he had already surpassed the realm of ordinary humans—he possessed strength ordinary people did not.
Even if this strength seemed insignificant to the true powerhouses of this world, Ishiro had firmly embarked on his ninja path. With his talent, achieving Shiden's level would merely be a matter of time.
Long ago, he had already become a true ninja!
"I've long been a ninja!" Ishiro murmured repeatedly.
After a long pause, Ishiro shouted loudly towards the area devastated by the Vacuum Serial Waves: "Yes! I've long been a ninja!"
Shironeko and Little Stone looked at Ishiro strangely, wondering if he'd lost his mind. But Shiden, who was contemplating the flaws in her own technique, sensed the subtle shift in Ishiro's aura and instantly understood.
"Could it be...?"
Taking a deep breath, Shiden called out sharply: "Ishiro! Defend yourself!"
Surprised but unafraid, Ishiro immediately drew his rarely used sword and charged toward Shiden. They engaged swiftly.
Given Ishiro's mediocre Taijutsu skills, a direct confrontation meant instant defeat. However, Shiden didn't go all-out. Instead, she carefully maintained just enough pressure to keep Ishiro challenged.
After an unsatisfying bout of Taijutsu, Ishiro tossed aside his sword and began using ninjutsu. Shiden responded carefully, never lowering her guard, deftly neutralizing each attack and occasionally applying pressure, preventing Ishiro from casually using his techniques. Yet, she controlled the intensity precisely so Ishiro could still perform ninjutsu.
They fought tirelessly for over an hour. Eventually, Shiden summoned Shironeko and Little Stone to join, applying further pressure on Ishiro.
The fight ended only when Ishiro completely depleted his chakra.
Although it was sparring, Shiden emitted genuine killing intent throughout, exerting immense psychological pressure on Ishiro. Each action he took under such intense conditions was far more exhausting, and the chakra expenditure significantly increased.
Now, completely drained, Ishiro collapsed to the ground, unable to stand or even lift a finger.
Shiden, actually even more exhausted, had carefully controlled the pace and intensity throughout, balancing pressure without overwhelming Ishiro. Matching Ishiro's low-level Taijutsu without dominating had been particularly draining, prompting her to involve Shironeko and Little Stone later.
Despite exhaustion, Shiden was deeply satisfied, clearly understanding the transformation Ishiro had just experienced—a crucial breakthrough in a ninja's mindset, an elevation of resolve. Simply put, it was the essential step for a Chunin to become a Jonin.
Only when one's will surpassed ordinary human understanding could a ninja fully unlock their potential and display greater strength.
Ishiro himself felt a profound, indescribable change. Although not fully understanding what happened, he instinctively realized it was beneficial. On some mysterious level, he now felt stronger—not in raw power, but in his ability to utilize existing strength more effectively.
It was akin to seeing through the unknown—once something unknown became familiar, the fear diminished, allowing a calmer, elevated view of the situation.
Ishiro now experienced this clarity intensely due to the abrupt breakthrough.
He finally understood why Sasuke seemed intermittently arrogant after breakthroughs; such transformations gave a sudden sense of newfound strength and superiority.
Of course, Ishiro hadn't instantly become a Jonin-level ninja, but he'd overcome a significant hurdle. From now on, his growth would accelerate until he eventually reached Jonin rank.
In the shinobi world, Special Jonin possessed similar power to regular Jonin but lacked this crucial mental transformation. Hence, they remained categorized separately.
In this world, chakra was fundamental, born from combining spiritual and physical energy. Willpower, a key component of spiritual energy, generally increased slowly through rigorous daily practice. However, human lifespans were limited, and slow, methodical cultivation had its limits.
Only ninjas frequently gaining profound insights through experience and battle could surpass such boundaries and reach higher realms.
The Legendary Sannin, after their fight with Hanzo during the Second Shinobi War, attained the willpower of true Kage-level shinobi. With enough time, achieving Kage-level strength was inevitable.
After Ishiro's current breakthrough, his raw strength and chakra wouldn't instantly surge, but his rate of growth would significantly increase, continuously propelling him forward until he reached Jonin-level.
In short, this moment of enlightenment had saved Ishiro at least three years of painstaking effort.
Ishiro felt grateful this awakening occurred inside the village, where Shiden could safely facilitate the process. He deeply appreciated Shiden's timely intervention, which had enabled him to seize this fleeting insight and convert it into an unshakable will, smoothly guiding him through this pivotal transition.
As Ishiro lay motionless, Shiden briefly explained Ishiro's breakthrough to Shironeko and Little Stone before instructing them to carry Ishiro back to the village.
Shironeko and Little Stone, now observing Ishiro bitterly, felt an uncomfortable mix of jealousy and unease.
"This little brat's getting ahead of us? At this rate, are we eventually going to serve under him someday?"
Seeing their malicious expressions, Ishiro, unable to move, could only return an awkward, helpless smile.
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We've hit 200 Power Stones goal As promised, here's the bonus chapter. Thank you for your support—please keep it coming!