Chapter 115: Ikura of the Five Elements
When Ishiro asked how Ikura performed, the ANBU commander chuckled again and said, "Your mental fortitude is better than Ikura's, but in terms of talent, he far surpasses you. Just moments ago, after I delivered the command to him, it took him over ten seconds to calm down."
He paused here, clearly trying to build suspense. Ishiro guessed the outcome from the man's tone, and under that mask, there was definitely a smug smile.
Ishiro tried to probe, "Don't tell me… he broke through?"
"Uh—!" The ANBU commander was clearly caught off guard by Ishiro's accurate guess. His smile stiffened as he tried to recover the conversation.
After a brief awkward silence, he finally admitted, "Yes. Just a few minutes ago, Ikura crossed the threshold into the kage-level path. All that's left now is time—he'll become a true Kage-level ninja soon enough."
From his voice, Ishiro could sense a kind of pride and satisfaction. It was the kind of pride a village elder had when watching the younger generation thrive under their guidance.
When Ishiro got that confirmation, his heart clenched a little. Damn… he was a step behind. He hadn't even officially reached Elite Jōnin, and Ikura had already surpassed that crucial threshold toward becoming Kage-level.
After analyzing it carefully, it was clear Ishiro had been left behind during his two years of confusion. At the time, he had been too fixated on flashy high-level jutsu, losing sight of the most vital part of being a ninja—willpower.
But that disappointment lasted only a few seconds. It led him to reflect on his mistakes, and almost immediately, his fighting spirit returned stronger than before. So what if he wasted two years? He had already realized and corrected his course. His A-rank Water Cutting Technique was now complete.
He had taken a crucial step forward—and it wouldn't be long before he caught up and became an Elite Jōnin too.
So Ishiro's eyes sharpened, full of fierce resolve. He stared straight at the ANBU commander and said, "If you see Ikura again, please congratulate him for me. And tell him—he'd better wait, because I'll catch up soon."
The ANBU commander blinked in surprise, then burst into laughter. "Good! Very good! Today I've seen two promising youngsters break through—what an honor. Before I go congratulate Ikura, let me congratulate you first. Ishiro, congratulations on becoming an Elite Jōnin. Make sure you report to Advisor Saka tomorrow—he's the commanding officer of the Eastern Front."
After saying this, the ANBU commander vanished in a Body Flicker, still visibly excited—he couldn't wait to bring the good news to Ōnoki.
Ishiro stood there stunned for a moment, then joy washed over him. He had broken through? The line between Jōnin and Elite Jōnin wasn't dramatic, but the biggest difference was the quality of chakra. Elite Jōnin simply had a higher-grade chakra. Though the quantity didn't increase much, the enhancement in nature and control made all the difference.
As the ANBU commander left, Ishiro tried sensing his chakra. There wasn't an obvious difference—maybe this kind of transformation needed time to fully settle in.
Still, all of a sudden, a strange urge overtook him.
He had originally planned to relax… but now he had this intense craving to try practicing Lightning Release nature transformation.
He didn't know why, but it just felt like the right time.
As a skilled ninja familiar with chakra's mysterious nature, Ishiro didn't doubt this instinct. He returned to the training ground, expended all his chakra as usual, and then began meditating on Lightning Release.
Maybe it was due to the spike in mental and spiritual energy after his breakthrough—this time, all five elemental natures within him were active. And in one of his fingers, a faint arc of lightning sparked into life.
Staring at the tiny flash, Ishiro was speechless. "Really? All those times I tried and failed… and now that I wasn't even planning to succeed, it works?"
He chuckled and shook his head. Back when he trained Fire Release, it had taken him way longer than this. Compared to that, this had been effortless.
Not wasting the opportunity, Ishiro dove into Lightning training.
Perhaps due to his recent breakthrough, his internal chakra balance had shifted. While the initial progress was swift, his pace soon slowed down again.
By the end of the session, he hadn't fully mastered the nature transformation, but he had made substantial progress. Ishiro estimated that in another ten days or so, he could start learning actual Lightning Release jutsu.
Suddenly, something occurred to him.
Without explaining anything to his three confused students, he vanished in a flicker toward a specific destination.
That place was Ikura's house.
As expected, Ikura was home. Seeing Ishiro leap over the wall, he was a bit confused, but before he could ask anything, Ishiro blurted, "Quick! Start training your chakra nature! I just broke through to Elite Jōnin and managed to grasp Lightning Release. You just advanced to Kage-level—your results should be even better!"
Ikura froze for a second. He didn't know how Ishiro had found out about his breakthrough, but he immediately understood the message. Without wasting time, he flickered off to his family's private training ground.
Being from a noble family, Ikura had access to a large private training field—more than enough for this kind of experiment.
Relieved, Ishiro turned around—only now realizing there were others in the courtyard.
Two of them he recognized. One was Ikura's father, Mitani Yūka, a Jōnin whose strength was above average, even if he wasn't Elite Jōnin.
The other was Ōnoki himself.
Ōnoki had received the report from the ANBU commander and had come over before Ishiro. He had been chatting with Ikura about his breakthrough when Ishiro arrived.
Ōnoki was so small, Ishiro hadn't noticed him earlier—until now.
Feeling slightly awkward, Ishiro bowed. Fortunately, Ōnoki didn't mind. He curiously asked, "Ishiro, are you sure chakra nature training right after a breakthrough helps?"
Ishiro nodded, then shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I did feel my Lightning Release progress was much faster right after my breakthrough. The effect faded over time though."
Ōnoki hummed and didn't press further. He and Mitani Yūka followed Ikura into the training field, with Ishiro tagging along.
By the time they arrived, Ikura had already expended his chakra and was meditating to practice nature transformation. He was now attempting to grasp his fifth element.
It was extremely rare—even unheard of in Iwagakure—for a ninja to possess all five chakra natures. Ikura had previously used Ishiro's method to master his fourth nature, Water Release. But he had always struggled with the fifth, Wind Release, and had all but given up.
Still, gaining a fifth chakra nature—even if rarely used—was undeniably advantageous. And if what Ishiro said was true, now was the best time to try.
Ikura used the same technique Naruto did in the original series—chakra paper.
Clutching the paper between both palms, he stood still, eyes closed, face tense.
Ōnoki, Mitani Yūka, Ishiro, and several others (whom Ishiro didn't know) stood silently nearby, waiting.
The process was long.
Ikura didn't make much progress. After two full hours, he still hadn't opened his eyes. But no one was discouraged. They knew if he hadn't made any progress, he would've given up by now. The fact that he was still focused meant that Ishiro's theory might truly hold water.
Another hour passed.
Then—after a full three hours, Ikura finally opened his eyes.
He slowly parted his hands, revealing a chakra paper with a faint crack running through it.
"Yesss!!" Ishiro shouted, unable to hold back anymore. Three hours of waiting had tested his patience. If Ōnoki hadn't been here, he would've left long ago. Watching his students train would've been way better than this suspense.
Others also cried out in amazement.
Ikura had exhausted himself mentally. Still dazed, his father stepped up and helped him stand.
Facing Ōnoki, Ikura said, "Lord Tsuchikage, Ishiro's method really works. And it's true—the effect is strongest right after the breakthrough. If he'd come half an hour later, I probably wouldn't have succeeded."
Ōnoki nodded. "Good. Rest now. Once your fifth element is fully mastered, I want to hear how it feels. You'll be the first ninja in the village to have all five elements."
Ikura nodded again, then turned to Ishiro and offered his thanks before being helped back inside by his father.
Ishiro yawned and waved him off. Then he followed Ōnoki out of the estate.
On the way, Ōnoki said, "Ishiro, what happened today is now a village secret. Don't spread it outside."
After a pause, he added, "You did well. Breaking through to Elite Jōnin is impressive—but being willing to share that insight with a peer? That's even more commendable."
"This is valuable intel. A method that could drastically improve the power of our upper ranks. Consider it an S-rank mission. And you'll be rewarded with an additional A-rank jutsu exchange permission."
He smiled and continued, "Also—congratulations, Ishiro. From today on, you are officially an Elite Jōnin."
"There are rewards for Elite Jōnin. While your strength still needs to stabilize, I'll give you your choices now: One S-rank jutsu exchange, or three A-rank jutsu, or fifty thousand contribution points, or access to one S-rank secret scroll, or three custom chakra metal weapons."
Ishiro took a deep breath and replied, "Lord Tsuchikage, I'm not sure what I need most yet. Please allow me to decide after I've advanced a bit more."
Ōnoki nodded. He was clearly pleased. With talents like Ishiro and Ikura rising, he could finally rest a little easier.
Then Ōnoki added, "You were originally going to be named Acting Third Commander of the Eastern Division due to your rank. But since you've broken through, I'll make it official—you're now the Eastern Division's Third Commander."
Ishiro blinked in disbelief. That was fast—he'd barely started his trial period and already he was confirmed?
Maybe it wasn't a promotion—it was just the end of his probation.
Seeing Ishiro's dumbfounded look, Ōnoki chuckled and waved him off. "Go take care of your duties. I'm going for a walk around the village."
And just like that, Ishiro's next phase had officially begun.
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