Whoosh…
The wind roared in her ears, silver hair fluttering like a banner in the air.
With each step, the ground cracked beneath her feet.
Her Byakugan locked onto the motionless figure ahead. Using her charging momentum, Hikari clasped her hands, bending her right elbow and thrusting it fiercely toward Sarutobi Hiruzen's chest.
Seeing this, Hiruzen formed a hand sign with his left hand while raising his right palm to block.
Thick Earth Release chakra rapidly gathered in his palm.
Boom!
The moment the chakra solidified, the scarlet figure arrived.
Her elbow, cloaked in a tailed beast's chakra coat, struck like a spear mounted on a speeding train, carrying unmatched destructive force.
Crack!
The heavy elbow slammed into his palm.
Earth Release chakra scattered into the air.
Hiruzen's expression turned grave. His feet scraped two scorching trails across the ground.
His hand, glowing with earthy yellow chakra, gripped her elbow tightly, the muscles in his left arm bulging like steel cables.
Thud!
Planting his right foot for support, Hiruzen single-handedly halted Hikari's charge.
"Impressive force!" he praised, his robust chakra fueling his muscles like blood as he probed the limits of Hikari's strength.
Hikari gritted her teeth, her muscles straining, but the unassuming figure before her felt like an immovable mountain.
Realizing she couldn't overpower him, she swiftly changed tactics.
Using her elbow as a pivot and her forearm as a radius, her right fist whipped toward Hiruzen's face like a lash.
"Short reach, and—" Hiruzen leaned back slightly, dodging the whip-like punch while his left hand intercepted a sneaky left hook aimed at his abdomen.
"Too obvious—"
Before he could finish, Hikari's fists turned to claws, grabbing both of Hiruzen's hands. The scarlet tailed beast chakra coat morphed instantly, forming a third hand at her chest.
Her ashen Byakugan glowed.
Crack, crack!
The tailed beast chakra hand sprouted five fingers, with bones, muscles, and skin so lifelike it seemed real.
The fingers clenched into a fist the size of a wok, striking viciously at Hiruzen's body.
Shape Transformation—Fist!
Faced with the sudden third hand, Hiruzen's expression finally shifted.
Pressing down on Hikari's arms with terrifying strength, he pinned her to the ground, rendering her immobile.
Seizing the moment, he raised his leg for a direct kick.
Boom!
Fist met foot.
The unexpected third hand was blocked by Hiruzen once again.
Hikari snapped her head up.
Gurgle, gurgle!
With her feet pinned in the dirt, the tailed beast chakra coat on her face receded.
Her small, rosy mouth opened slightly, Wind Release chakra swirling inside, glowing cyan.
Hiruzen grinned, tilting his head to reveal another version of himself behind him, hands clasped, with sparks of fire escaping his mouth.
Shadow Clone Technique!
The clone stepped forward, pressing against the back of the Hiruzen pinning Hikari, making it look like he'd sprouted a second head.
Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!
The clone puffed out his chest, unleashing a wave of flames.
Whoosh!
The orange-red fire grew rapidly in Hikari's eyes. At such close range, the already massive fireball seemed like a sun crashing to earth.
Buzz!
An invisible wind tore through the air, clashing with the fireball.
But the wind, normally unstoppable, met its match. The blazing fire paused briefly, then burned even fiercer, as if fueled by gasoline.
It was too late to summon the tailed beast coat for defense.
Purple light flashed in her Byakugan.
Body Control activated again.
Her thigh muscles tensed like bowstrings, some fibers snapping from the explosive force.
Boom!
She kicked backward against the ground.
Using the recoil, Hikari broke free from Hiruzen's grip, her body flying backward.
Whoosh!
The fireball pursued relentlessly, trailing a line of flame through the air.
The swelling flames and Hikari's body seemed frozen in opposition, the scorching heat turning her pale skin red.
A sense of crisis surged like electricity from her spine to her brain.
Her heart's chakra core flickered with purple light.
Splash!
A massive stream of water appeared out of nowhere, enveloping the fireball.
Water and fire collided.
Whether due to the wind enhancing the flames or Hiruzen's superior Fire Release mastery, the water curtain couldn't suppress the fire's power.
Hiss, hiss, hiss…
The flames evaporated the water, sending scalding steam everywhere, turning the air white.
The fire's burst couldn't outlast the water's endurance. A white flash sparked at the fireball's center, and its chakra glow dimmed instantly.
Boom!
Her heavy body hit the ground, cracking the training field's surface.
~
As the steam dissipated, the Nine-Tails' inherited power quickly eased her muscle fatigue.
Ahead, in the center of the white mist, two thin figures stood calmly, unchanged from before her charge, save for their number.
"Can you tell us apart?" both Hiruzens asked simultaneously, their aged voices overlapping perfectly.
"No need," Hikari replied.
Her Byakugan locked onto both figures as she raised her hands, the Three-Tails' power surging within her.
"Freeze!"
The swirling, spreading steam froze in space, as if reality had turned into a still painting.
Hikari's hands formed claws, each aimed at one of the Hiruzens in the mist.
"Condense!"
Whoosh…
The misty vapor contracted instantly, compressing into water that engulfed both figures.
Hikari's eyes narrowed.
Her claws clenched into fists.
Water Release: Python Strangle!
The water coiled around the Hiruzens, forming the shape of a python, hissing with tensed, elongated muscles.
Crack!
The python tightened, and the Hiruzen on the left vanished into a puff of smoke.
That one!
Hikari's gaze shifted to the remaining figure.
The Hiruzen, face red from the python's grip, suddenly gave a stiff smile before turning into a mud dummy.
Oh no.
Her heart skipped a beat. Her Byakugan's 360-degree vision activated, spotting a blinding chakra glow beneath her feet.
Pop!
Two large hands burst from the ground, seizing her ankles.
Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!
A sense of weightlessness hit Hikari as her vision sank. In a blink, only her silver-haired head remained above ground.
Hiruzen's body rose slowly from the earth, like a fish surfacing, appearing before her.
"Don't rely too heavily on your sensory abilities," he said, looking down at her head protruding from the ground. "The human brain has flaws. Even if you sense me, if your focus is elsewhere, your mind will dismiss me as unimportant. I learned that from a pickpocket once, and now I'm passing it to you."
"Noted," Hikari replied.
Boom! Boom!
Scarlet arms burst from the soil.
Hiruzen's eyes twitched as he stepped back.
Grabbing the ground, Hikari freed herself from the earth in less than half a second with sheer brute force.
Her muscles trembled, shattering the hard soil like flour.
The dust-covered tailed beast coat faded.
After an intense battle, both stood under the setting sun, their clothes undamaged, gazing at each other from a distance.
"Keep going?" Hikari asked.
"No need," Hiruzen said, shaking his head.
Looking at Hikari, whose breathing remained steady and chakra still abundant, he'd gauged her limits. Her strength far exceeded his expectations.
Her physical prowess was terrifying.
It surpassed the limits of a Jōnin. Her only slight weakness was agility due to her heavy build, but she had almost no other flaws.
Her strongest asset was her defense.
With his grip strength, he could crush steel into mush. Yet, when he grabbed Hikari's elbow, she didn't even flinch, indicating his attack had no effect.
Bones harder than steel—was this the power of the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku?
Recalling reports from Kirigakure, Hiruzen understood the source of her abnormal defense.
Of course, Hikari wasn't flawless.
Compared to her overpowered taijutsu, her ninjutsu was average.
Her Shape Transformation was refined, but her Nature Transformation was immature.
Her ninjutsu was fast because she didn't need hand signs. Their power came from the high quality of her unique purple chakra.
In short, she relied purely on raw talent, not technique.
"I've got a grasp of your fighting style," Hiruzen said.
Hikari stood still, eager for his insights.
"You have two paths for your future combat system," he said, raising two fingers. "First, continue your current balanced approach—ninjutsu and taijutsu together, using all five chakra natures to diversify your tactics, forming a multidimensional system. You'd end up like a copy of me. Second, specialize in enhancing taijutsu with ninjutsu, focusing on Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Which do you choose?"
Hikari paused. "Can't I do both?"
Hiruzen chuckled. "Human energy is limited, but if you can merge both, that's the best outcome."
"Then both," she said.
"Fine, but no one's walked this path. It'll be tough, and I can't plan it for you," Hiruzen said, nodding approvingly.
As the mentor of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, he supported his students' autonomy, especially someone as talented as Hikari.
"Your taijutsu already has its own style. Keep refining it. Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode is dangerous, but your physique should handle it. Once your body matures, use it to offset your agility weakness, and your taijutsu will naturally excel without my meddling."
"What about ninjutsu?" Hikari asked.
"I've always believed the best ninjutsu suits the user. And the most suitable ninjutsu is one you develop yourself. Besides Lightning Release Chakra Mode, I don't suggest learning other ninjutsu yet. You're doing well—your techniques are raw, showing you haven't blindly adopted established ones but are creating your own. They're rough, but that's normal. Keep practicing and refining."
Was that a compliment?
Hikari wasn't sure whether to feel pleased or frustrated.
"So, I took you as my master for nothing?" she asked.
"Not quite," Hiruzen said with a smile. "You're already an elite Jōnin, not a fresh academy graduate. Those who reach your level are rare in the ninja world, with near-mature combat styles. I can only help fill gaps or point out areas to strengthen. Your current issue is your rough Nature Transformation. I'll explain the training methods and restraint principles for all five natures today. If you hit any roadblocks in ninjutsu development, note them down, and I'll address them at this time each week."
"Alright," Hikari said, slightly disappointed but enlightened by the Sannin's diverse combat styles.
Relying on a template or piling on powerful ninjutsu wouldn't make a top-tier ninja.
This was Hiruzen's teaching style: granting students maximum autonomy, providing only key knowledge for ninjutsu development, not ready-made techniques.
Hiruzen glanced at the sky. The sun was half-set.
"Your combat style needs no correction. Nature Transformation is a big topic, so I'll keep it concise," he said, forming hand signs.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.
Rumble!
A tall wall rose from the battered training field.
"Earth and Water Release are the most similar, so we'll start with Earth," he said.
Hikari sat cross-legged, listening intently.
"Water Release chakra, after Nature Transformation, has loosely arranged particles with weak intermolecular forces, giving it fluidity. Earth Release is the opposite. It requires building a three-dimensional structure, like constructing a house, with tightly connected chakra parts, making it the most solid," Hiruzen explained.
Hikari activated her Byakugan, closely observing his Earth Release chakra. Under extreme magnification, the chakra particles were neatly stacked like building blocks, unlike the loose structure of Water Release.
"Attack the wall with Water Release," Hiruzen instructed.
Hikari summoned a water stream, striking the wall. The soft water couldn't break the sturdy earth, only turning the yellow soil into darker mud.
"Water's fluidity makes it the softest and weakest attacking nature. Earth's solid structure is the strongest. That's the first layer of Earth restraining Water," Hiruzen said.
Forming the "Boar" seal, he pointed at the mud. It reshaped, merging back into the wall.
"When you used water to extinguish my fire, the water molecules in the air could be reused because water is tangible, fully absorbing fire's heat without being affected. But when water meets earth, the less substantial water is consumed by the more solid earth. My earth remains usable; your water doesn't. That's the second layer of restraint."
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