The dark clouds in the sky grew heavier, pressing down on Hikari until she felt like she could barely breathe.
*Gurgle!*
*Gurgle!*
The muscles clinging to her bones twitched with fear.
Her grayish-white bones absorbed faint strands of purple chakra, while visible green specks of light vanished within it. The ominous, death-like patterns spread mercilessly across her bones. Unbeknownst to her, nearly a tenth of them had already been tainted by the gray hue.
The heavy countdown to death weighed constantly on her heart.
Even the exhaustion of training at eight times her normal intensity couldn't make her forget that pressure.
She had thought joining Root would let her use Hashirama cells to extend her lifespan, but now she realized the situation was nothing like she'd imagined.
Madara Uchiha had a transplant in his chest, Obito had half his body, and Danzo had one arm. But what about her?
Her gray bones were spread throughout her entire body. To survive, she'd need to transplant Hashirama cells everywhere.
Never mind the sky-high mortality rate from rejection.
Even if she miraculously succeeded, she'd just end up like Yamato—or, at best, like Danzo, using the Sharingan to suppress the Hashirama cells, turning them into a battery to sustain her gray bones.
Without fundamentally changing her body's constitution, her gray bones would keep evolving toward Corpse Bone Pulse, and her body wouldn't be able to handle the power that symbolized death and finality.
Transplanting Hashirama cells wouldn't solve the root problem—it might even accelerate her death, leaving her to die from some unknown kekkei genkai disease, just like Hashirama Senju.
*Sigh.*
Hikari let out a deep sigh.
After weighing the pros and cons of Hashirama cells, she had to abandon the risky transplant plan. The cells could be studied as a reference, but they weren't a shortcut to solving her problem.
If Hashirama cells and her gray bones were perfectly compatible, curing both conditions would be a dream come true.
But her worst fear was the second scenario: the cells and her bones stimulating each other, rapidly evolving until both uncontrollable kekkei genkai diseases erupted simultaneously. That would truly be a death sentence.
And deep down, she had a sinking feeling that the second scenario was far more likely.
This path was a dead end. The key to solving her problem still lay in the Reverse Eight Gates, which she hadn't yet developed.
After all that, she was back to square one.
But joining Root hadn't been a total loss.
She now had access to experimental data, facilities, equipment, medical ninjutsu, Hashirama cells, and even a legitimate way to obtain a Sharingan. The threat of Root and Danzo was temporarily neutralized. Even if Danzo turned against her, her Yang Release clone in Root acted as a human surveillance camera, giving her plenty of time to react. Neither an ambush nor the Otherworldly God technique could easily affect her real body.
As the disciple of both Konoha's light and shadow—Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen—she was untouchable as long as neither of them made a move against her.
As for the future trouble of being caught between Danzo and Sarutobi? That was a problem for later. First, she had to cure her kekkei genkai disease to live long enough for those troubles to even matter.
At the rate her condition was progressing, her initial estimate of three years was too optimistic.
Maybe a year. Maybe six months.
Her gray bones would fully form in her body, and when that happened, her body's reaction wouldn't be as gentle as it was now.
She had to speed up the Reverse Eight Gates!
---
One month later.
Wednesday evening.
The sky was painted with crimson clouds, like a blazing fairy fire.
A wrinkled old hand left afterimages in the air as Sarutobi Hiruzen faced the girl wrapped in crackling lightning, puffing out his chest.
*Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!*
*Boom!*
A fireball larger than the Hatake clan's house erupted from his mouth.
And that wasn't all.
On the other side, his shadow clone finished forming hand signs, releasing a Wind Release chakra just as powerful as the fireball.
*Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!*
The fierce wind collided with the fireball midair, causing the already massive fireball to swell even further.
A tidal wave of flames surged toward Hikari, engulfing half the training field. The roaring firelight even outshone the evening glow for a moment.
Her ashen pupils reflected the flames.
Drawing on her inherited Three-Tails ability, moisture in the air rapidly gathered around her, forming a spherical water barrier akin to the Water Prison Technique.
*Whoosh!*
The water wasn't static—it flowed dynamically, forming eerie vortexes on its surface.
*Whirl!*
The water's flow grew stronger, spinning faster and faster. A whirlwind formed at the center of the vortex, with Hikari standing in the eye of the storm.
*Sun-Chasing Flow: Wind-Water Return!*
*Buzz buzz buzz buzz!*
The frenzied Wind Release churned the water sphere, making it seem even more volatile than the flames.
*Boom!*
The raging water tornado clashed with the fire wave, sending scalding steam spiraling into the sky under the wind's force.
The overwhelming Fire Release had its heat completely absorbed by the Water Release. Unable to sustain its ignition point, the steam rapidly cooled under the Wind Release, condensing back into clear water.
In moments, Sarutobi's combined Wind and Fire ninjutsu was entirely neutralized by Hikari's Wind-Water Return.
"Wind counters wind, water counters fire. Beautiful attribute suppression and a brilliantly executed combined ninjutsu. You're absolutely made for mastering elemental techniques," Sarutobi said, unable to stop praising the small figure in the water tornado. The more time he spent with Hikari, the more he could feel her inhuman talent.
Every meeting showed visible progress. Every spar brought surprises. Her elemental techniques were growing more refined, especially her Wind and Water Releases, which had reached a high level of nature transformation.
For an average ninja using Water Release, only about 60% of their chakra could be converted into water flow, with the rest wasted uncontrollably. The power of a ninjutsu, the degree of nature transformation, and the chakra output per unit of time were strongly correlated.
During their first spar, Sarutobi had noticed that Hikari's nature transformations weren't refined enough, and her power didn't match her chakra quality. Now, after just a month of training, her transformations had reached a professional level, and her unique no-hand-sign ninjutsu was finally showing its potential.
No-hand-sign ninjutsu wasn't just about speed.
To become a technique-focused Jonin, one had to master at least one nature transformation and several form transformations. At that point, casting ninjutsu with just a few hand signs was nearly as fast as no-hand-sign casting.
The real strength of no-hand-sign ninjutsu lay in the casting itself.
For Sarutobi to perform a combined Wind and Fire ninjutsu, he'd need to use Shadow Clone Technique first. No matter how fast he formed signs, he only had two hands and couldn't cast two techniques simultaneously.
But Hikari could.
In theory, as long as she could multitask and had enough chakra, she could unleash countless ninjutsu at once, creating a carpet-bombing effect.
The Fourth Hokage's strength came from combining no-hand-sign Flying Thunder God and Rasengan with lightning-fast reflexes. Anyone slightly slower was doomed.
*Whoosh!*
The training field was engulfed in thick mist, obscuring Sarutobi's vision. The small figure at the center of the water tornado was impossible to track.
"Oh, you've finally developed Water Release's battlefield control abilities?" Sarutobi's eyes lit up.
During last week's spar, he'd suggested a direction for her Water Release, and now she'd put it into practice. This vision-blocking mist, similar to the Hidden Mist Technique, was a new skill she hadn't used before.
Few ninjutsu in the ninja world enhanced sensory abilities. This vision-obscuring mist couldn't directly harm enemies but maximized Hikari's non-visual perception. If she'd had this against Yagura, she could've stalled him with the mist, keeping control whether she chose to fight or flee.
"Water Release excels at control and support. I used to focus on high-power techniques, which was a mistake. I ignored its greatest strength. Thanks for the guidance, Sensei," Hikari's voice carried through the breeze, coming from all directions—sometimes loud, sometimes soft, impossible to pinpoint.
The rolling mist churned, with some areas darkening due to high moisture content.
Vision and hearing were completely suppressed.
Facing Hikari, who had mastered Lightning Release chakra mode to compensate for her weaknesses, even Sarutobi found it tricky.
"Back-to-back," he said, quickly devising a solution. His clone moved to stand back-to-back with his real body, guarding against her attacks.
*Buzz! Buzz!*
Two vacuum blades sliced through the mist, targeting both the real Sarutobi and his clone.
*Earth Release: Hardening Technique!* ×2
Both cast Hardening simultaneously, their robust Earth Release chakra forming a spatial structure over their bodies.
*Clang! Clang!*
The Wind Release couldn't pierce the defensively superior Earth Release, only chipping away at the surface before dissipating.
"Wind Release is intangible and powerful, but too much moisture in the air exposes its stealth. Your Water Release control and Wind Release combo needs work," both Sarutobis critiqued, giving her no chance to distinguish the real from the clone.
"What chakra nature works best in this misty battlefield?" Hikari's voice remained elusive, seeking advice.
This was a training spar meant for Sarutobi to help her identify weaknesses, so he didn't use Wind Release to dispel her mist.
"Lightning and Fire chakra get dispersed by the moisture. Stealthy Wind exposes your position, and strong Wind might blow the mist away. In this situation, Water, Earth, and taijutsu are your best options. Water Release in a misty environment boosts power and conserves chakra, letting you outlast enemies. Earth Release is heavy and pairs with mist for dual control, making it hard for enemies to move. Oh, and sealing techniques—those are tough to land and have strict conditions, but a water-earth dual control field can boost their hit rate, letting you finish with a seal."
True to his title as the Professor of Ninjutsu, Sarutobi effortlessly devised a combat system based on the mist.
The thick fog rapidly cleared, and the blood-red evening light pierced through, casting Sarutobi and Hikari's shadows on the damp training field.
"Water Release can't break Hardening Technique, and I'm not proficient with Earth Release yet. The Five Elements Seal you taught me last time is barely usable and not ready for combat. I guess this spar ends here," Hikari said, waving her hand to disperse the mist.
She'd used up a tenth of her chakra. Large-scale Water Release was costly, but it wasn't a one-and-done deal. She could still manipulate the dispersed water in the environment. The initial wave consumed the most chakra, but subsequent uses required less.
Sometimes, a Water Release ninja with less chakra than their opponent could outlast them, keeping steady reserves while the enemy ran dry—a deceptive advantage.
Control, support, overwhelming numbers, and endurance: that was the ultimate essence of Water Release.
As the mist cleared, Sarutobi looked at the sky, dispelled his clone, picked up his Hokage hat, dusted it off, and placed it on his head. The brim cast an arc-shaped shadow over his wrinkled, age-spotted face.
"Your Wind Release has improved rapidly," he noted.
Hikari paused, then smiled. "I've been training Wind Release with shadow clones lately, putting in extra effort. But that's left my Earth Release lagging."
Her focus had been on medical ninjutsu and developing the Reverse Eight Gates, sidelining her five-element transformations. Her sudden Wind Release progress? That was thanks to her other "budget" teacher.
Whether it was to entice her with benefits or just competitive pride, Danzo, after learning Sarutobi's teaching methods, had started setting aside two hours a week to guide her Wind Release training.
The guy was a Kage-level Wind Release master, and this wasn't the *Shippuden* era eight years later—he wasn't the frail old man from the original story. In two spars with him, her fledgling Lightning Release chakra mode had been shredded like paper under his terrifying Wind Release. If not for her Earth Release as a fallback, her shadow clone would've been obliterated.
"Hm," Sarutobi nodded. "Earth Release is crucial. Lightning Release chakra mode is strong, but it's countered by Wind Release. If you face a Wind Release expert and rely too much on Lightning, you'll be in trouble. Earth Release for physical defense can neutralize that weakness. The more versatile your combat style, the better your odds."
"Got it, Sensei Sarutobi," Hikari replied.
Sometimes, she couldn't help but admire Sarutobi's keen insight. Every problem she faced, he had solid advice for. He even anticipated issues she hadn't encountered yet and prepared strategies for them.
No wonder he'd trained three Kage-level ninjas. The guy was the real deal.
Sarutobi watched her calmly, as if seeing a familiar stranger. "I hear you're interested in Yin and Yang Release techniques?"
Facing his probing, Hikari kept her expression neutral. "Yeah, I want to surpass you and become an all-round ninja mastering all seven chakra natures. That's my dream."
Sarutobi licked his lips, a faint sense of déjà vu stirring as images of Orochimaru and the Second Hokage overlapped with Hikari. "Yin and Yang transformations are too dangerous. One mistake can cause catastrophic damage to your foundation. I don't recommend dabbling in them recklessly."
Hikari's expression dimmed briefly, but after a moment's thought, she looked up. "I really want to push forward, but since you say so, there must be a reason. I won't touch Yin or Yang Release until I'm ready."
Whether her promise was genuine or not, Sarutobi smiled with relief. None of his disciples had ever been obedient, but Hikari's attitude was already better than most.
"What issues are you having with the Five Elements Seal?" he asked.
"I can handle three chakra natures at once, but the other two are always unstable—"
"Classic multitasking problem. Two solutions: one, grind it out over time until each nature transformation becomes muscle memory, so you don't even need to think about it. Two, shift your focus rapidly between transformations. If you're fast enough, it'll feel simultaneous."
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