Chapter 60: Ishiro's Progress
In his previous life, Ishiro never fully understood why Naruto, who was initially portrayed as weak, improved so rapidly. If it was merely about chakra reserves, Naruto should have already surpassed Jonin level from the start.
Only now did Ishiro grasp the truth—it was about mindset. A ninja needed a sufficiently strong will and spiritual strength to fully utilize their abilities. Otherwise, no matter how vast one's chakra, they would forever remain a mere Genin.
Ishiro once believed that rapid strength growth in ninjas occurred naturally around the age of fourteen or fifteen, as seen in Konoha's "Rookie 12," who experienced remarkable improvements in that age range, quickly reaching Special Jonin or even Jonin levels.
However, this growth had less to do with age and more with experiences, insights, and strengthened resolve.
Exceptional ninjas like Kakashi, Neji, and Gaara, who faced harsh childhood experiences, had their rapid growth phases occur even earlier.
Now, Ishiro also clearly felt this change—every day, he could sense his continuous growth.
He wasn't truly a child mentally, and genuine emotional stimulation was challenging to achieve. Originally, he expected his breakthrough to Jonin-level willpower would come only in a life-or-death battle.
Yet unexpectedly, after closely witnessing Captain Shiden's powerful A-rank Ninjutsu, Ishiro's self-awareness dramatically shifted. He finally understood the world he inhabited and his role within it. This epiphany greatly solidified his resolve to become stronger, marking the most significant transformation of his shinobi career.
Since transmigrating, Ishiro experienced three critical shifts in perspective: first, the encounter with the Mist spy at the ninja academy, making him aware of the cruel realities of the shinobi world; second, the Chunin exams, where Ishiro recognized his own power and began to form confidence; and third, this latest realization—finally truly acknowledging himself as a ninja possessing extraordinary power.
Each realization occurred timely, corresponding perfectly to Ishiro's stages of growth: Genin, Chunin, and now approaching Jonin.
Though Ishiro's actual strength wasn't yet at Jonin level, if this growth continued, he would soon surpass Shironeko and Little Stone, becoming a true Jonin.
In the following days, Ishiro's training progress made Shironeko and Little Stone increasingly envious. Previously, Ishiro's rapid growth had mainly been evident in Yin Release techniques, but now his proficiency soared across all areas. His Genjutsu—Body Binding Technique—had become swift after simplifying its hand seals. Other techniques, like the Body Flicker, advanced significantly faster as well.
His training with Earth Clone Technique was also smooth, and even his weakest skill, Kenjutsu, improved notably after intense practice. Ishiro estimated that if the training period had been slightly longer, he would have improved even further in techniques like Anti-Perception and Underground Subterranean Voyage.
But the most significant benefit was Ishiro's increased willpower, which improved his chakra control considerably, allowing faster hand seals. Previously at 4-4.5 seals per second, he was now at about 4.3-4.8. Additionally, his chakra consumption when performing ninjutsu slightly decreased.
The most exciting part was that this growth had not yet stopped—it would continue until Ishiro reached a new plateau in strength.
Such rapid advancement left Ishiro restless, now fully understanding Sasuke's eagerness in the original series. Ishiro was currently itching to challenge Izo to test his newfound abilities.
After careful consideration, Ishiro abandoned this thought. During the Chunin exams, Izo already skillfully employed B-rank ninjutsu in actual combat. With so much time having passed, Izo's strength had likely advanced to Jonin-level, making it unwise for Ishiro to seek trouble.
When the training session ended, Shiden accepted another border patrol mission. This type of mission allowed time for further training upon arrival at the border, without the constant rush of traveling. Additionally, the shinobi world was currently peaceful; major nations refrained from initiating conflicts, making missions relatively relaxed.
Everyone understood Shiden's intention—allowing time to adjust to their newfound abilities, avoiding mistakes in future battles. Ishiro, Shironeko, and Little Stone also felt that the training period had been too short, and their skills could still grow further. Shironeko and Little Stone, in particular, felt urgency, especially after witnessing Ishiro's rapid daily progress.
However, Shiden's arrangements soon fell through. Upon arriving at the border, Team 18 immediately sensed tension from the stationed shinobi. Something had clearly gone wrong.
After verifying their identities, Ishiro and his teammates entered the border outpost, contacting the person in charge.
The leader, a Tokubetsu Jonin named Miyake, appeared relieved upon seeing Shiden. He urgently explained, "You've arrived just in time. Several shinobi have gone missing recently—first a few Genin, then individual Chunin. Yesterday, an entire Chunin team disappeared without a trace."
"This isn't a task we're equipped for," Miyake continued. "Whoever's responsible managed to silently eliminate a Chunin squad, meaning they're highly skilled. My men lack the strength needed for such an investigation—it's perfect for Anbu like you."
"Another Anbu squad arrived earlier and is currently investigating this area," Miyake said, pointing at the operations map. "This was also the patrol area of the Chunin team that vanished yesterday."
After obtaining detailed intelligence from Miyake, Team 18 set out towards the suspicious region.
While traveling, they reviewed and quietly discussed the report.
Shironeko stated first: "The enemy eliminated an entire Chunin squad without alerting nearby patrols or leaving any signs of battle. This suggests the attackers are either numerous or significantly stronger—at least one Jonin."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Shironeko continued, "Based on timing, the enemy isn't operating in multiple groups, meaning their numbers are likely limited. I'd estimate either one or two Jonin, or a single elite squad."
Little Stone added, "Moreover, there were no bodies left behind. That's odd. Most victims were Genin or low-level Chunin with limited intel value. This suggests their real goal might be capturing bodies."
Ishiro spoke thoughtfully, "They might not be after corpses at all, but live shinobi instead."
Ishiro recalled from the original story numerous incidents where shinobi were kidnapped for experiments, Orochimaru being just one known example. Undoubtedly, many similar cases remained undiscovered.
Shironeko and Little Stone frowned deeply but didn't comment further. Clearly, they realized Ishiro's hypothesis was plausible.
After traveling a bit more, they entered the patrol region. Ishiro immediately performed his perception technique. With his recent breakthrough, Ishiro's sensing radius expanded significantly, now reaching about 1,400 meters.
As Ishiro carefully scanned, he soon detected four chakra signatures. After confirming their identities, he said, "Four shinobi detected, likely the Anbu squad that departed earlier. Should we join them?"
Shiden quickly replied, "Yes, regroup first," and led the team towards Ishiro's direction.
The two Anbu squads soon reunited, exchanging complex passwords to confirm identities. Then, they started exchanging information—though primarily, Ishiro's team listened to the other's findings.
As Ishiro listened, he instinctively activated his sensory abilities again. This time, at close range, he immediately noticed something peculiar about their chakra.
Alarmed, Ishiro first suspected enemy infiltration. But that seemed impossible, as common disguises couldn't fool chakra perception. Remaining calm, Ishiro carefully rechecked, finally realizing the issue.
"You've been poisoned!" Ishiro said suddenly in a low voice.
The other squad's captain paused mid-sentence, visibly surprised. He felt completely fine.
Ishiro quickly added, "Check your own chakra flow carefully. Your chakra appears abnormal under my sensory technique."
Taking no chances, all four shinobi quickly inspected themselves. Three Chunin found nothing suspicious, but the Jonin captain soon frowned deeply.
After a long silence, the Jonin captain gravely stated, "You're right—something is off, though extremely subtle. I don't even clearly sense the poison, just a slight difficulty when controlling chakra."
Shiden asked, "Can you expel it?"
The Jonin captain shook his head, troubled. "Impossible—I don't even know where to start. I can barely sense it, only noticing a subtle abnormality in my chakra control."
Even a Jonin was helpless against the poison—so subtle they couldn't clearly detect it. Faced with such hidden danger, everyone grew increasingly wary.
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