The Third Hokage glanced at Naruto, who was still brimming with excitement.
"All right, Naruto. That'll be all for now—Grandpa has other matters to attend to."
Naruto had been chattering nonstop, thrilled that he'd learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu and pulled it off so smoothly during the exam.
But seeing that the Third Hokage wasn't really paying attention, he pouted slightly, made a funny face, and left without looking back.
Once Naruto was gone, Hiruzen's expression grew serious.
He recalled the two corpses discovered the night before—Root ANBU operatives. Judging by the shredded flesh around the neck wounds, the weapon used had been extremely sharp.
Yet based on the width and clean nature of the cuts, it didn't seem like it had been done with a standard ninja blade.
Just how did Shigure pull that off…?
Meanwhile, far beyond Konoha's borders, Moonlight Shigure had already left the village.
This time, having learned from the ambush before, he activated the Transparent Release Technique, completely erasing his presence as he slipped past the village patrols undetected.
He didn't return to the site of the previous battle. Instead, he sought out a new, more secluded location—and found it in the form of a roaring waterfall.
Perched atop a massive boulder in the middle of the river, he finally let his guard down.
"Now this feels safe."
He spoke aloud, then turned his attention inward.
"Great Sage, how's the calculation coming?"
[Great Sage: Calculation complete in 2 minutes.]
Just two minutes left until the Ice Release calculation was finalized.
Shigure rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Even though this wasn't his first time awakening a Kekkei Genkai, the excitement still surged in him.
Ice Release... one of the most versatile elemental combinations.
In his mind, Ice Release might not be as sacred or legendary as Wood Release—but in terms of practicality and combat potential, it was right up there.
[Calculation complete.]
[Congratulations. New skill acquired: Ice Release.]
Shigure's eyes snapped shut as the transformation began.
A sudden chill surged through his body—not unpleasant, but refreshing, like diving into a cold spring on a blazing summer day. The sensation spread through his chakra network, saturating every pathway.
As he acclimated to the new chakra nature flowing through him, a visible white mist began to rise from his body.
The surrounding air grew noticeably colder.
Frost crept along the surface of the boulder he stood on, forming intricate crystalline patterns beneath his feet.
Opening his eyes slowly, Shigure stared at his outstretched palms.
Tiny snowflakes drifted between his fingers, swirling around a small, floating shard of ice.
So this is the power of Ice Release...
The sensation was strange—but exhilarating.
Placing his hand on the stone beneath him, Shigure released chakra wildly.
Cold energy flooded out. The massive boulder was quickly engulfed in frost, freezing solid in moments. The ice spread rapidly down into the river, blanketing the surface.
Soon, nearly half the river was frozen over—yet under the scorching afternoon sun, the ice didn't melt.
This level of raw power… and I haven't even used a proper jutsu yet.
What he'd just done was simple chakra emission—pure, unrefined Ice Release chakra, not structured ninjutsu.
If I can do this with just raw output… imagine the power with actual techniques.
"Ice Release is definitely worth investing in."
He closed his eyes again.
"Great Sage, can you calculate a compatible ninjutsu?"
[Great Sage: Beginning calculation...]
[Progress: 1%... 2%...]
The calculation was progressing slowly, but Shigure wasn't worried. It would only take a few minutes.
[Calculation complete.]
[New skill acquired: Ice Release – Freezing Moment]
A new technique formed clearly in Shigure's mind.
The name sounded impressive—but the effect…
[Ice Release – Freezing Moment: Rapidly decreases the surrounding temperature, causing a swift freezing of everything within a set radius.]
Shigure's expression stiffened.
Wait… isn't this just a polished version of what I just did?
No wonder the Great Sage had calculated it so quickly. It was essentially the same crude effect he'd manually triggered, now repackaged into a formal jutsu.
Still, it was a start.
"Guess I'll give it a try."
Shigure brought his hands together, forming the necessary hand seals.
Chakra surged through his body as the technique activated.
A powerful burst of chakra rippled outward.
Centered on Shigure, the temperature plummeted. Frost began forming rapidly across everything within a ten-meter radius—grass, rocks, even the flowing river water.
Within seconds, everything was sealed in a thin layer of ice.
But it took over ten seconds to fully activate and achieve freezing.
He exhaled slowly, disappointed.
"…This technique feels kind of underwhelming."
In just over ten seconds, the freezing zone of Ice Release: Freezing Moment only extended ten meters.
Anyone with half a brain would know to keep their distance from Shigure.
Even an average person could escape that radius in ten seconds.
Does this mean I'd have to cast the jutsu while chasing down the enemy?
Even if it did work, defeating someone that way felt... cheap. Sloppy.
"Tch. Forget it. Great Sage, try converting a basic ninjutsu into an Ice Release version."
[Great Sage: Beginning calculation…]
[Attempting transformation: Water Release – Wild Water Wave → Ice Release]
[Conversion failed.]
Huh?
Shigure frowned. That shouldn't have failed.
[Attempting transformation: Fire Release – Dragon Flame Bullet]
[Conversion failed.]
[Attempting transformation: Clone Technique]
[Conversion failed.]
[Great Sage: Conversion of single-element ninjutsu into kekkei genkai-based bloodline techniques requires supplemental data. Current intelligence insufficient. Transformation not possible.]
So direct conversion wasn't feasible.
Of course. Ice Release was a kekkei genkai—a fusion of Wind and Water chakra. It wasn't the same as simply swapping one elemental jutsu for another.
"Tch… So if I can't convert existing jutsu, I have to create them myself?"
[Great Sage: Affirmative.]
Shigure gave a wry smile.
He'd just developed a new jutsu with the Great Sage—Freezing Moment—but its performance had been... disappointing.
That was when it hit him.
"Wait… I can upgrade skills through the passive skill bar!"
Excited, he turned to the technique he'd just unlocked—Ice Release: Freezing Moment.
The skill's initial effect might seem underwhelming now, but as long as it remained in the skill bar, its power would passively increase over time.
That changed everything.
At its peak, this same technique could potentially freeze a radius of a hundred meters—or even a thousand—with a single seal. Wind and snow swallowing everything in sight...
Just imagining it sent a thrill through him.
So this is what it means to grow your own power.
Even if a jutsu was weak at the start, with patience and growth, it could become monstrous—especially in his hands.
And if he really couldn't think of original Ice Release techniques, he could always draw inspiration from characters in other worlds. People like Aokiji...
For Shigure, this kind of creative development was second nature.
When it comes to imagination, no one in this entire ninja world can compete with me!
Creation? Innovation? That's child's play.
As frost curled around his feet and cold mist coiled through the air, Shigure's lips curled into a confident smile.
He had a feeling he was onto something.
Something big.
...
TN:
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