In the basement training room of the Tsuchikage's office building in Iwagakure Village, Chi Chen sat cross-legged, his long silver-gray hair gently fluttering in the breeze.
In order to prevent Chi Chen's information from being leaked too early, Ohnoki set Chi Chen's training ground in the office building. This is also the reason why Chi Chen did not train with Fei Liu, and it also prevents Chi Chen from accidentally hurting the villagers.
He closed his eyes, his hands resting naturally on his knees, palms facing upward. Around him, several fist-sized pieces of gravel floated slowly, defying gravity, spinning around him erratically, sinking, accelerating, and stopping suddenly.
The art of light and heavy rocks.
This advanced auxiliary ninjutsu, which is difficult for many Chunins and even many Jonins to master, seems extremely easy in Chi Chen's hands.
He wasn't simply manipulating the rocks' levitation; he was meticulously sensing and altering the density and gravitational field within the rocks at the points of contact with his own chakra. Each floating stone felt like an extension of his limbs.
"Would you like to go out for a walk?" Ohnoki's voice floated from behind, "That child, Hiru, is doing quite well."
"good"
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Iwagakure Village, Back Mountain Training Ground
Chi Chen's blue pupils swept over the red-haired figure who was sweating profusely in the training ground below.
Seeing Fei Liu fail again and again, and then get up again and again, with the unyielding tenacity in his eyes, Chi Chen's mouth would curl up slightly. He could feel the weak but thriving chakra in Fei Liu's body. He could be said to be an absolute genius at this age.
"Fei Liu, you're very resilient." Ohnoki floated beside Chi Chen, also looking down. "The will of rock isn't just about being hard, it's also about being able to withstand heavy pressure without breaking. In this regard, he's doing quite well."
"Yeah." Chi Chen responded softly, controlling a stone to land steadily in his palm, "Teacher Shanshang taught very well."
"That guy on the mountain is the best in the village in terms of swordsmanship and intelligence." Ohnoki nodded.
Chi Chen looked towards the direction of the village, where he could faintly hear the noise of children.
"Ninja school is about to start."
"Hmph, that kind of place is meaningless to you." Ohnoki waved his hand, "Your strength and knowledge far exceed those little brats. But..."
He paused, looking at Chi Chen's calm profile. "It doesn't hurt to go and experience it. The village is not just about strength and training. There are your future companions and the daily lives of the people you will protect."
"Let's go, the mountain is coming."
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Sweat rolled down Fei Liu's red cheeks like beads that had broken off the string, hitting the dry, gravel ground under her feet, instantly spreading dark spots.
His signature red hair was wet and stuck to his forehead and neck, swinging with every powerful swing of his knife.
"Nine hundred and ninety-seven! Nine hundred and ninety-eight! Nine hundred and ninety-nine! One thousand—!"
The childish but fierce roar echoed in the small valley.
Fei Liu gritted his teeth, his amber cat eyes fixed on a half-human-high hard rock covered with knife marks in front of him. His hands were tightly grasping a steel dagger that was longer and heavier than an ordinary kunai - this was an entry-level practice knife specially made for him on the mountain.
"Drink—!"
With a final cry and an outburst of all his strength, Fei Liu used up his last bit of strength and fiercely chopped the dagger on the rock!
"clang--!"
The piercing sound of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying everywhere. The immense recoil made Fei Liu's arms numb, his knuckles aching, and the dagger flew out of his hand, landing a few meters away with a clang.
He staggered back a few steps and fell to the ground, gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently like a broken bellows.
"Huh... Huh... bastard stone... one day... I will chop you into pieces..." He stared at the shallow white mark on the stone and muttered unwillingly.
In the past few months, Fei Liu has been practicing with Teacher Yamagami. Because Teacher Yamagami is very busy and Fei Liu had no previous foundation, most of the time Fei Liu has been training the basics of swordsmanship by himself in the back mountain.
"A knife isn't meant to clash with stone, boy. It's a technique."
A voice came from the side. A person standing on the trunk of a crooked tree on the mountain had eyes as sharp as an eagle. He was wearing a vest in the style of an Iwagakure, with a dark short jacket casually covering it. A long sword with an ancient style and a dark scabbard was hung on his waist. It was obvious that he had just returned from a mission.
"Your strength is quite good for someone your age, but you can't break this stone on your own." Shan Shang walked over, picked up a practice sword from the ground, and flicked the blade with his fingers. "With brute force, you'll never be able to damage this 'Iron Back Rock' in the slightest. Remember, the essence of swordsmanship lies in 'momentum' and 'technique', in the fusion of your will, chakra, and the sword."
He walked up to the rock, not drawing his sword. Instead, he gently pressed his palm against the cold stone surface. A steady, heavy wave of earth escape chakra emanated from his palm, silently seeping into the rock's interior.
"Feel it," Shan Shang closed his eyes, "feel its texture, its weaknesses, the points where it bears force, just like the earth supports everything, the rock also has its own veins."
Fei Liu struggled to get up, and imitating the way on the mountain, he pressed his small hands on the rock and injected chakra. At first, he could only feel the rough and cold surface and the extremely hard resistance.
But gradually, under the chakra resonance intentionally guided by the mountain, he seemed to really "hear" something different - the inside of the rock was not a solid block, some places seemed to be more "loose", as if there were tiny gaps.
"Do you feel it?" Shan Shang opened his eyes. "Find that 'spot'."
He loosened his grip and motioned Fei Liu to pick up the knife again.
Fei Liu took a deep breath and gripped his practice sword again. This time, he didn't recklessly chop with all his strength. He recalled the faint "gap" he had just felt, and poured all his strength and the tiny bit of chakra he had just refined into the tip of the sword, and then -
"break!"
The dagger stabbed out with a sound of breaking wind, accurately landing on an inconspicuous depression on the rock surface!
"puff!"
There was a dull sound, no longer the harsh clang of metal, but rather the sound of something piercing rotten wood! A small, one-inch-deep hole suddenly appeared on the incomparably hard iron-backed rock!
"I... I did it?!" Fei Liu looked at the small hole in disbelief, then looked at his own hand, and then burst into a huge cheer, "I pierced it! Uncle Yamagami! I pierced it!"
"Hmph, just scratching the surface." Shan Shang snorted, his lips curling up imperceptibly. "Remember this feeling. The first step in Rock Flow Blade Technique is 'pointing the stone.' Find the enemy's 'spot' and break it with a single strike. This requires perception, patience, and, even more importantly, precise control. Your mind must be as calm and focused as a rock, and your blade must be as swift and precise as the wind. Keep practicing! Aim to pierce five holes of equal depth in the rock within three breaths!"
"Yes!" The huge sense of accomplishment dispelled the fatigue, and the fighting spirit in Fei Liu's eyes rekindled. He raised the dagger again and started a new round of "stabbing" at the rock.