"Hah, not a single drop wasted."
Umino Yoru chuckled, ruffling Daihaku's head before returning to his development of the Sticky Syrup Binding Rope.
"Water Style: Water Whip!"
Using the same method as before, he extended the water whip into the maltose syrup, relying on his Subsonic Radar Technique to analyze the chakra nature transformation between liquid water and sticky syrup.
But this time, his idle companion, Daihaku, took notice. The great white hawk perched quietly beneath the water whip, staring upward intently—clearly anticipating the next drizzle of syrup.
Before long, the syrup dripped down as expected.
"Screee!"
Daihaku spread its wings and shot forward, attempting to slurp up every falling drop. Unfortunately, while its speed was impressive, its beak's capacity was limited. A fair amount of syrup still splattered onto the sand.
Not a problem. After swallowing what it could, Daihaku pecked furiously at the ground, scraping up every last bit of syrup clinging to the grains.
And so, Yoru focused on refining his technique while Daihaku handled cleanup duty—ensuring not a drop of syrup went to waste.
As bowl after bowl of maltose syrup was consumed, the duration of his Water Whip steadily increased. His understanding of the chakra nature shift between water and syrup deepened.
Time flew by during training. After yet another large bowl of syrup was expended, something unexpected happened—Daihaku ignored the falling droplets.
Clearly, after gorging itself, the hawk had reached its limit.
"Scree! Scree-scree!"
Flapping its wings restlessly, Daihaku let out distressed cries—its stomach was too full, struggling to digest the overload.
"Now you know the consequences of gluttony. Remember this lesson."
Yoru patted the hawk's head, calming it down.
"Turns out developing the Sticky Syrup Binding Rope isn't the hard part—it's the cost that stings."
He realized that, given his current grasp of water-natured chakra, mastering this technique wouldn't be difficult. The real issue was the sheer expense of maltose syrup.
At 400 ryo per pound, he'd already burned through dozens of pounds in just half a day—over 10,000 ryo gone.
Judging by the current rate, he'd need to spend hundreds of thousands of ryo before fully perfecting this jutsu.
"At least someone's enjoying the perks."
He scratched Daihaku's head, slipping into his usual PUA brainwashing routine. Compared to its siblings—who only got fish—this hawk lived in luxury, feasting on syrup daily. No wonder it was growing as loyal as a ninja hound like Kyūtamaru.
"Screee…"
Daihaku nuzzled against Yoru 's hand, eyes pleading—its bloated belly needed relief.
"Hold still. Let me check."
One hand steadied the hawk's neck while the other pressed against its chest, channeling Yang Release chakra into its body.
Simultaneously, he activated his Subsonic Radar Technique to monitor internal changes.
Soon, the Yang chakra seeped into Daihaku's stomach. Mimicking the Akimichi Digestion Technique, he stimulated the stomach cells, enhancing their activity with Yang Release cell activation.
Unlike humans, hawks had shorter digestive tracts, relying on their gizzards to grind food and stomach enzymes for breakdown. Thus, stimulating the stomach was far more effective than targeting the intestines.
Gradually, the cells in Daihaku's stomach revitalized, enzyme secretion spiked, and digestion accelerated, converting food into raw energy.
"It works!"
Yoru 's eyes gleamed. While human and summon anatomy differed, at the cellular level, they shared similarities.
His recent studies in medical ninjutsu and Yang Release—thanks to teaching little Shino—had given him new insights into the Akimichi Digestion Technique's applications.
Shifting from human intestinal cells to avian stomach cells was just a matter of adaptation. Same principle, different organ.
Of course, since this was his first attempt, he toned down the cell activation significantly. The results, however, were promising.
"That should do it."
He released Daihaku, ending the treatment.
In less than ten minutes, most of the food in the hawk's stomach had digested, flooding its body with surplus energy.
Suddenly—
"SCREEE!"
Daihaku shot into the air, talons flashing.
"SHINK!"
Its claws raked across a boulder on the riverbank, slicing through it like tofu—leaving three deep gashes, each several feet long.
"Huh?!"
Yoru 's eyes widened.
Daihaku was still a juvenile, equivalent to a genin-level summon. How could it pack such destructive power?
"Again, Daihaku!"
He ordered the hawk to repeat the move while activating his Ultrasonic Radar Technique to analyze it.
Even his nearby shadow clone halted training, joining in with Subsonic Radar for a dual-layered scan.
"SCREEE—!"
Daihaku blurred forward, striking the boulder once more.
"Wind Breathing Technique? No…"
Yoru frowned. It resembled Wind Breathing, but lacked its usual restraint.
This was more like… Reverse Wind Breathing—or even the Seven Heavens Breathing Method.
"Let me try."
Closing his eyes, Yoru gathered his energy—then exploded into motion.
"Fish-Cleaving Slash!"
A burst step, a flash of steel—
The massive tree (wide enough for three men to hug) was cleanly severed, its rings exposed in a perfect cut.
"So that's how it is."
Yoru grinned.
This wasn't Wind Breathing as he knew it.
If standard Wind Breathing was cultivation—this was pure eruption.
One refined, the other consumed.
**"Reminds me of Demon Slayer's Wind Breathing. Might as well call it the same."**
Excited, he dashed forward, unleashing Wind Breathing-enhanced slashes.
Sword light flashed. The surroundings were ravaged.
"Hah… hah…"
Kneeling, gasping, Yoru 's skin burned crimson—his stamina drained after barely a dozen strikes.
"So this technique… gives insane bursts, but burns out fast."
A double-edged sword.