I sat on the shore of the ravine lake, meditating. After such a long time, the ravine was almost overflowing with my spiritual power. Today, I hoped to finish something I had planned for a long time.
Ever since I discovered this lake, I wanted to use it on its own, not as a component for Chakra. Unfortunately, I had been unsuccessful so far, so I decided to try infusing my spiritual powers into a physical object.
I dipped my arm into the lake, drawing on the power within it and focusing on a single point. Suspended in the lake was a large pink crystal, inside which was held a blade.
The surface of the lake became unstable, whirring and splashing, almost as if a twister were about to form. The silvery liquid flowed into the crystal, causing it to gleam, even from under the surface was the glow clearly visible.
As the twister of spiritual energy finally entered the crystal, the surface calmed, no more splashing, no more waves. Only the twister of power remained, leading to its target.
"Now I just have to pray it works," I said, observing the process. It didn't take long for the surface to noticeably lower, and the crystal seemed to rise out of the lake.
Slowly, the crystal shell levitated into the air, wrapped in a whirlwind of spiritual power still connected to it. It floated above the lake and glowed even stronger than before. I had to close my eyes from the brightness, and after a while, the light disappeared.
When I looked up again, I saw a gargantuan amount of spiritual power rushing towards it, suppressing the glow almost completely. It resembled a tornado sucking up everything in its vicinity.
It didn't take long, maybe ten minutes, for the tornado of spiritual power to settle, splashing back into the now almost empty ravine.
"Using Haki seems to be out of the question for a few hours at least," I mused, hopeful that there would be no long-term consequences. I looked up towards the crystal, which was now more silver than pink, fully infused with a massive amount of spiritual power. It slowly floated down to me, as if I had summoned it. As it neared, I reached my hand towards it.
The moment my hand brushed against the crystal, it shattered into thousands of small pieces, leaving nothing behind.
I glanced around, still feeling all of that power swirling around me, confused. Just as quickly as it had disappeared, the small crystal particles reformed into a sword right in front of me. It was a one-handed sword with a straight blade and sharpened edge. Near the point, both edges were sharpened, and they tapered to a fine point.
The grip was made of pitch-black wood, as if no light could escape it. The pommel curved downward and was pure silver in color. It looked like a sword meant for display or ceremony, yet it brimmed with power. I gripped the sword and swung it a few times, testing its balance.
"Perfectly balanced, and the design resembles a Langmesser, although it's a bit too long and the grip is more decorative." I examined my creation further, considering that I had poured my very soul into it and infused it with Crystal Release.
"I will have to try it out later; hopefully, I will be able to summon it." I was aware of the possibility that the blade might be confined to my mindscape, or at least might not perform the same way in the outside world.
I opened my eyes and realized I was still sitting on the training ground, Itachi next to me, also meditating. Haki was now almost rolling off him; it was only a matter of time before he awakened his Conqueror's Haki. I stood up, gathered a small amount of spiritual energy, and willed it forth.
My left arm lit up slightly, the same silvery color as my spirit lake. Soon, I held my newly acquired sword, still perfectly balanced and almost weightless. More importantly, though, I felt the power sealed inside the blade; it sang, almost eager to be released.
I smiled; finally, my efforts had succeeded. I would have a powerful sword to use and summon whenever necessary.
"You've done it," Itachi said, a look of excitement in his eyes.
"Yeah, it's finally done," I replied. "What about you? Any progress?" He was currently attempting to forge his own spiritual weapon. Though he only recently started.
"I'm still stuck. I can't seem to find my spiritual power. I can clearly see my chakra, but separating the two energies seems impossible for now," he sighed, slightly annoyed.
"Well, you've only been at it for a few months. It took me almost two years to finally get it working." I replied. I may not have focused exclusively on this, but almost every time I meditated, I dedicated some time to forging my sword.
"At least now I feel safe taking on higher-ranked missions," I said, looking forward to exploring the world.
"Ryuu, you are as strong as most Jonin. You were ready a long time ago," Itachi remarked, still somewhat bewildered.
"You keep underestimating yourself. I don't know if I can beat you now that you have that sword. Even I can feel the power radiating off it." That surprised me. Was I truly as strong as Itachi? It just didn't seem right.
"Do you think I should try to participate in the Chuunin Exams? They'll be held in Suna in four months." I asked, considering that if I could participate anywhere outside of Konoha, it would be our only allied village.
Itachi looked at me as if I had just said the dumbest thing in the ninja history.
"Only if I get to watch your disappointment when you win easily," he replied, smirking my way, but his tone was completely serious.
My team decided to take on a higher-ranked mission just a month after I joined. We stood in the Hokage's office, waiting for our assignment, hoping for something more exciting than shoveling snow or walking dogs.
"We would like to take a higher-rated mission, Hokage-sama," Aoba said confidently, and I could understand his confidence. Both Izumi and Hana were quite capable, and with all of us together, a C-ranked mission should be more than manageable.
"I do have some missions available in the Land of Fire; let's see…" Hiruzen said as he sifted through mission requests.
"Here we go; this one should be right up your alley, Aoba-kun. The mission is to capture a solitary missing-nin named Hori Takeo, who is wanted for defection and for stealing a B-rank jutsu after failing a genin exam. He is originally from Takigakure." He provided information about our target.
"I thought Anbu or Jonin dealt with bounties," Hana commented, clearly eager to prove herself.
"They do, but only for the more dangerous ones. This missing-nin seems relatively weak," I added.
"Do we know what jutsu he stole, Hokage-sama?" I asked, as that was crucial information.
"Takigakure didn't provide us with that information. All we know is that it is a water-style ninjutsu," Hiruzen replied. He looked suspicious about this lack of information, and I understood why.
Not providing such details suggested either that Takigakure wasn't supposed to have the jutsu, or that it was a Hijutsu. Neither option bodes well for us, but it seemed like this was Hiruzen's way of testing me.
"I think we should take it, sensei," I said, being the first from our team to express my thoughts. "I'm quite good at sensing chakra; we can find him and take him out before he even notices."
"I don't see a problem," said Izumi, still somewhat contemplative. Hana nodded vigorously, looking eager to tackle this mission.
"It's decided then. We will take this mission, Hokage-sama," Aoba said, reading the additional information from the mission scroll.
"Meet me at the south gate in an hour sharp!" His voice had authority, although it was nowhere near as commanding as Hiruzen's.
I walked straight to the gate; I always carried everything with me, sealed in my clothing or directly within my body, mostly in my arms. About fifty minutes passed quickly while I waited, and soon we were all walking out of the village, following our sensei as he sped toward the treeline.
"Where to, sensei? You seem to know where our target is hiding," Izumi asked, easily keeping up with Aoba.
"The ruins of an ancient temple in the countryside; our intel suggests he has built a base nearby," Aoba answered.
"Shouldn't a temple like that be a tourist attraction?" Hana inquired. She was right; such locations are generally lucrative for wealthy travelers.
"Nobody has maintained the temple for at least two centuries, maybe longer. It's frankly not worth rebuilding," Aoba replied, indifferent to the temple's fate. This actually worked to our advantage, as no civilians would be in our way, reducing the possibility of hostages.
"How far will we travel, Aoba-sensei?" I asked, curious about our journey to the temple.
"At our current speed, we should reach the temple in about six hours," Aoba explained, putting an end to further conversation. Hana and Izumi needed to focus on maintaining their speed alongside us, talking would only slow us down.
As we approached our destination, the temple ruins coming into view, I activated my Observation Haki, immediately searching for our target.
"I sense five signatures, all Chuunin or lower. Three are inside the ruins, while the other two are separate, one to the west of the temple and the other to the south," I reported.
"Considering chakra levels, our target is likely the one on the south side; he's the weakest signature among them." My Haki remained active; better safe than sorry.
"Do you think they are working together on something?" Aoba asked, as this information could significantly alter the mission's rating.
"Aside from the three people inside the ruins, most likely not, sensei," I answered. "They should be unaware of each other unless they are highly skilled sensors." I then looked toward the temple.
It was fascinating, built millennia ago, yet still standing. It was larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside, and I could sense an immense chakra presence underground, larger than anything I'd ever encountered.
"What's the plan, sensei?" Hana asked, shifting her feet in excitement.
"We take out our target first. Ryuuzaki, can you get closer to the group of people inside the temple? I'd prefer some intel before taking any action." I smiled, realizing this would allow me to investigate the chakra hidden beneath.
"No problem, sensei; I'm quite sneaky when I want to be," I said, preparing my transmitter. "I will let you know what I see." Aoba nodded in my direction as I sank into the ground, becoming invisible to anyone's senses.
I slowly made my way toward the temple, remaining underground and cautiously observing the three ninja. The temple's ruins were more extensive than I'd initially thought. A moat surrounded the entire complex, almost as if it were a fortress. The once-tall walls had fallen into disrepair, collapsing in many places.
The giant gate and gatehouse were completely destroyed beyond recognition. It looked as if something massive had stepped on them and walked away. I moved closer and closer, slowly inching toward the three missing nin inside.
"This was supposed to be a quick job, in and out and yet we have been stuck here for two days already! How long will this take?" one of my targets asked.
"I had no idea there would be so much residual chakra. Two or three more hours should do it," another replied, slouching over a scroll that lay on an ancient altar.
I ensured they couldn't hear me and signaled Aoba. "The ninja in the temple are trying to seal something, Sensei. Permission to engage?" I whispered, hidden outside the altar room.
"Can you take them?" Aoba's voice crackled through the transmitter, sounding slightly apprehensive.
"If my ambush succeeds, easily, Sensei," I replied, feeling confident. It was time to unleash my true potential.
"Engage with caution. We are close to our target too. Report in after you're done," Aoba ordered clearly.
I created two Shadow Clones, all of us sinking into the ground again, Haki active, ready to strike. "I have to make a show of it, something impressive enough to prevent questions," I thought as I moved closer to the ninja above ground.
I positioned myself directly below the presumed leader, the one performing the sealing jutsu, while my clones prepared to ambush his comrades. We moved as one, catching the ankles of all the ninja simultaneously.
"Crystal Release: Great Crystal Spire!" The moment I touched the leader's legs, the room erupted in a brilliant pink light. A tall column of crystal broke through the roof and ascended high into the sky, with smaller crystals jutting out like branches on a tree, gleaming in the afternoon sun.
The leader was encased in crystal, his look of shock still evident on his partially visible face. His two companions met a similar fate, instantly transformed into crystal statues, lifeless.
The crystal spire began to expand, consuming the chakra in the air and turning the ground into more crystal structures—pebbles, rubble, the sealing scroll, and the altar itself all crystallized in a flash.
I touched the spire and drew on its chakra, replenishing my reserves, thanks to the three ninja I had eliminated and the chakra saturation in the very air.
"Now to stop the spire from spreading any further," I mumbled, touching it again to remove its parasitic effect.
"It's done, Sensei, but there were complications," I reported, having prepared a story.
"What happened? We all saw that pink thing burst through the roof!" Aoba exclaimed through my earpiece, clearly worried about my safety.
"Whatever they were sealing caused it. The moment I attacked, the sealing formula failed, releasing all the power contained inside. The spire was the result, and all three perpetrators are now encased in, admittedly, durable crystal." I altered the events slightly to avoid outright deception, as they were indeed encased in crystal, and it did happen right as I attacked.
"Is there anything you can recover from the crystal?" Aoba inquired.
"I can take some samples home, Sensei," I replied, feeling slightly anxious. "I suppose not getting anything would be asking too much." As I pulled on the chakra within the crystals, I created a small prism, about the size of my palm.
"May I explore more? There might still be something of interest," I said, hoping for an affirmative response.
"Go on. Meet us in three hours at the latest, the same place where we split up." Aoba's voice came through the earpiece again. I had three hours, no more.
"I can work with that. Ryuuzaki, out," I stated, muting the transmitter again.
I opened the door to the inner sanctum of the temple, finding even more residual chakra saturating the air. At the back of the sanctum sat another altar, beneath which lay a hidden staircase.
As I moved further in, the chakra intensified and grew powerful, its sheer presence nearly suffocating. The air felt dry, like the middle of a desert, making my throat sore. Finally, I reached the door to the massive room.
Steeling my resolve, I opened it slowly; the creaking wood immediately alerted anyone within. The chakra presence surged, almost overwhelming me with its power.
The only thing preventing me from fainting was my Conqueror's Haki, which flowed through me. It pressed down like a deep ocean, trying to keep me from surfacing.
I flared my Conqueror's Haki outward, pushing against the chakra. A shockwave of will met the endless ocean of power.
"I'm only here to talk; why not ease up on the killing intent?" There was a pause. "Maybe it was a mistake to come here, perhaps I arrived too early, too unprepared to face this." My mind raced through various thoughts, but the oppressive aura gradually subsided.
"Speak then," a slow, deep voice echoed through the room, accompanied by the appearance of a large, deep crimson eye.