Umino Yoru formed three shadow clones in quick succession. One maintained the Ultrasonic Pest Repulsion Technique to keep the stone bees at bay, while the other two positioned themselves on either side of the honeycomb-covered rock wall, their hands flying through a series of seals.
"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"
A small, millstone-sized sphere of water materialized against the rock face. The two clones pressed their hands against it and—
"Rotate!"
Under their combined control, the water prison began spinning rapidly. Meanwhile, Yoru 's true body retrieved a diamond-coated grinding ball from his tool pouch and tossed it into the vortex.
"Water Style: Water Prison Sand Cutter!"
Zzzzt—!
The rock, hard as iron, split open like butter.
After a few more precise cuts, the crevice revealed layer upon layer of honeycomb. Yoru 's eyes lit up as he broke off a chunk and popped it into his mouth.
"Mmm! Even better than I expected."
This high-altitude honey was leagues beyond the cheap malt syrup sold in villages. That stuff was cloyingly sweet, but this—perhaps because the bees were influenced by natural energy—had a refreshing, almost floral depth.
"No wonder it costs 4,000 ryō per pound. Worth every coin."
After sampling a few more pieces, Yoru carefully severed the honeycomb clusters with his kunai, leaving just enough behind for the bees to survive. It wasn't winter, after all—no need for charity.
Then, as he split open a particularly large comb, his kunai tip nudged against something plump and sluggish.
"The queen bee?"
He flicked her aside, harvested the thick, creamy substance beneath, and stored it separately in a small jar. Royal jelly.
Before resealing the rock, he dumped a few pounds of malt syrup inside as compensation. The war wouldn't end for at least another year—if the battlefield remained unchanged, he could return for a second harvest.
With his haul secured, Yoru didn't head back to patrol duty immediately. Instead, he activated his Subsonic Radar Technique to avoid off-duty shinobi and made for the field exchange outpost.
In under thirty minutes, he stood before the merchant Kūen Zō, unloading his bounty.
"115 pounds of high-altitude honey, and 6 pounds of royal jelly," Zō announced, adjusting his abacus. "Prices have risen—honey's now 3,800 ryō per pound. That's 437,000 ryō total. Royal jelly goes for 40,000 ryō per pound, so 240,000 ryō. Combined: 677,000 ryō."
Yoru blinked. "Why's the royal jelly so expensive?"
"They say it's used to make ninja elixirs, sir. Always in high demand."
"Ninja elixirs?" Yoru 's pulse quickened.
Ingredients for such potions were notoriously rare—think Nara clan deer antlers, Kumogakure's celestial amber, or Kiri's blood-mist coral. Even on the black market, they vanished instantly.
While this royal jelly might not match Nara-grade ingredients, its value was undeniable.
"Convert 100 pounds of honey into malt syrup. Bottle the rest—I'm keeping the royal jelly."
If it could enhance training, he'd be a fool to sell it.
After purchasing rubber balls for Rasengan training, Yoru raced back to the patrol zone.
Back at camp, he uncorked a vial of royal jelly and took a cautious sip.
"Whoa."
Not only did it taste richer than honey, but its energy also resembled what his Gluttony Technique extracted from food—except smoother, more refined.
Even more startling: it amplified his Wind Breathing Method. Specifically, it seemed to harmonize with the "mysterious particles" he'd sensed during respiration.
Seizing the opportunity, he launched into a training session, stopping only when his cells screamed saturation.
"My chakra reserves must've reached 0.4 Kaku by now."
Thanks to relentless training—especially after unlocking Wind Nature Transformation—his reserves had swelled by over 30%. Even among special jōnin, he'd rank in the upper tier.
0.5 Kaku (the standard for full jōnin) was now within reach.
"With 0.4 Kaku, I can finally train the Rasengan properly."
He pulled out a thin rubber ball—just 6 cm wide, far smaller than Naruto's training tools—and focused chakra into his palm.
Pop!
It burst instantly.
"Too easy. Next phase."
The water-filled ball (5 cm this time) lasted barely 30 seconds before exploding.
"My chakra control's already at the high-density rubber ball stage."
No point wasting time. He grabbed the final training tool—a solid, chakra-resistant orb—and channeled a spiraling torrent of energy into it.
"Hah!"
The ball expanded under pressure, its surface straining. Yoru 's face flushed with effort as he pushed his limits—
—until his chakra neared depletion.
"Almost… but not today."
Exhaling, he downed half a pound of honey, activated Gluttony Technique, and felt his reserves refill in moments.