bookbashuk Page 87
Page 87
"Ugh! I failed again!"
On the edge of the fourth training ground, by a secluded river, came Naruto's frantic screams.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, palms facing up, with a green leaf lying quietly in his palm.
Naruto continuously injected strands of pale blue chakra into it, attempting to forcibly cut the leaves apart.
However, the leaves he targeted were simply blown about by the turbulent airflow, without even a decent cut.
Jiraiya sat cross-legged on a large rock nearby, still holding the book "Icha Icha Paradise" in his hands, without even lifting his eyelids: "Idiot, calm down! Feel the 'sharpness' of the chakra! Imagine it as a knife! I'm not telling you to fart or blow leaves!"
"But I'm a perverted sage! This is too difficult!" Naruto complained with a bitter face.
Immediately, he thought to himself, "Why can't I use shadow clones? If I had hundreds of clones practicing together, I would have learned it long ago!"
"This is for your own good!"
At that moment, a cold and authoritative voice seemed to explode directly in Naruto's mind, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.
Naruto wanted to argue, "But Dad said that Shadow Clones can speed up the learning process."
Madara retorted, "Have you forgotten what Minato mentioned, that fatigue can accumulate?"
"Your body has just gone through a series of fierce battles, and many of your internal injuries haven't healed yet! If you continue to abuse the Shadow Clone Technique to forcibly share the mental burden, you'll be in the intensive care unit before you've even mastered the Nature Transformation! You need to focus on building a solid foundation!"
Madara's voice was filled with disdain for Naruto's "eagerness for quick success" and... a kind of indescribable stern concern.
Naruto shuddered in fright, and the chakra at his fingertips instantly dissipated.
He pouted, looking aggrieved: "Fine, I don't need it then."
Jiraiya, observing the subtle changes in Naruto's expression, probably guessed the content of their conversation.
He then put down the book and sighed: "Naruto, nature transformation is a high-level application of chakra forms, requiring extremely precise control and a deep understanding of the nature of one's own energy."
"While shadow clones can accelerate experience accumulation, the burden on the mind and body is cumulative. Your current state is indeed not suitable."
He pointed to some bruises on Naruto's body that hadn't completely faded and the minor scratches left from the battle, "Haste makes waste. This month is for you to toughen up."
Naruto slumped down, looking at his palm, and muttered, "But... Sasuke is definitely working hard to get stronger... and Gaara too..."
Just then, Kurama's impatient voice rang out from inside the sealed space: "Hey! Brat! Stop dawdling! My strength lies in nature transformation. From now on, just use my chakra if you need to use it."
This time, it was Minato's gentle yet unusually firm voice that rang out: "Ku-Tails, your chakra is too violent and mixed in nature. Introducing it rashly will only interfere with Naruto's perception and control of his own pure wind-attribute chakra, and may even cause a more serious conflict."
"What he needs now is time for reflection and understanding, not an infusion of power."
Minato's voice carried a father's worry: "Naruto, be patient. There's no need to be impatient for quick success. Sometimes, being too hasty can backfire."
Naruto sensed that the three "fathers" within him were completely different, but all pointed to a "steady and pragmatic" attitude.
In the end, he could only sigh resignedly, refocus his mind, and clumsily try to "feel" that elusive "sharpness".
Meanwhile, deep within the Uchiha clan's territory, in a quiet room shrouded by a barrier.
Sasuke closed his eyes tightly, his brows furrowed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
After Itachi set up a special sealing technique for himself, the effects of the cursed seal completely disappeared.
Apart from the occasional slight stinging sensation, there was absolutely no discomfort.
But Sasuke soon discovered that while he could keenly perceive many things simply by activating his Sharingan, after the sealing technique was applied, it made no difference whether his Sharingan was activated or not.
Later, Itachi told him that this sealing technique would affect his Sharingan's perception and copying abilities.
Therefore, Sasuke needs to improve the power of his Sharingan as soon as possible and reach the three-tomoe Sharingan, so that the sealing technique will not be affected.
Later, in order to make up for the lack of Sharingan abilities, Sasuke learned about the training methods for sensory abilities from Jiraiya.
He was trying to train his senses in the way Jiraiya did—abandoning sight and relying on the flow of chakra and the subtle fluctuations of natural energy to lock onto a target.
Not far from him, there was a target infused with a small amount of chakra.
"Where…"
Sasuke's mental energy extended out like invisible tentacles, and he could vaguely "sense" the existence of the target.
Like a faint point of light in the darkness.
But when he tried to pinpoint its exact location, it felt like looking through a thick layer of frosted glass—blurry and uncertain, with the orientation constantly shifting.
"At three o'clock... about... five meters?"
Sasuke muttered uncertainly as he threw out several shuriken.
The shuriken was stuck in the wall, more than half a meter away from the target.
"The perceptual bias is too large."
Itachi's cool voice rang out from the side. He stood in the corner like a shadow, observing Sasuke's every attempt.
"Your Sharingan gives you the power to see through illusions, but it also makes you overly reliant on your vision."
"To abandon this dependence and let chakra become your new 'eyes' requires time and a complete calming of the mind."
"Impatientness will only take you further away from your goal."
Sasuke opened his eyes, a hint of annoyance flashing in his crimson Sharingan.
This spiritual practice was a hundred times more difficult than he had imagined!
Without the Sharingan's insight, he felt like a blind man.
Naruto, that loser, was able to accurately sense enemies after losing his hearing in the Forest of Death... This made him feel a strange sense of frustration.
"The Sharingan is restricted by the cursed seal and the seal, preventing it from being activated at full power, thus limiting the effectiveness of regular ninjutsu..."
Sasuke stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the falling yellow leaves outside with a cold gaze. "The path of perception is blocked... It seems that I can only take another path."
He turned around, and his hands began to form hand seals rapidly, the movements fluid and powerful.
"Art fire escape ho fireball!"
Blazing flames erupted from his mouth, striking the specially designed fire-resistant target.
The temperature and size of the flames were more concentrated and larger than during the preliminaries, demonstrating his improved chakra control.
"Change in properties..."
Sasuke stared at the raging flames, feeling the violent energy: "Transforming chakra into the ultimate 'fire'... this path is at least clearly visible."
He temporarily set aside his difficult-to-breakthrough sensory training and devoted all his energy to a deeper understanding and control of fire-attribute chakra.
They are trying to find a way to counter Gaara's absolute defense amidst the extreme destructive power of flames.
Chapter 100: On the Eve of the Decisive Battle (Part 2)
In Konoha Hospital, under the bright lights, Sakura's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.
She placed her hands, which emitted a soft green light, on a training mannequin with complete concentration.
The model's chest and abdomen area simulates a deep laceration that exposes the bone.
The emerald green chakra, like the finest needle and thread, carefully stitched together the simulated muscle tissue and severed blood vessels.
However, as the chakra circulated to the deepest and most complex area of the wound, Sakura's brows furrowed tightly.
Her chakra output showed a barely perceptible fluctuation.
Sometimes the intensity is too high, causing abnormal proliferation and protrusions in the simulated tissue.
Sometimes the stitches are too weak, resulting in insufficient tightness and leaving tiny "holes".
"Failed again..."
Sakura withdrew her hand, looked at the wound on the model that had mostly healed but whose internal structure was not perfect, and sighed in frustration.
Over the past month, her control over her superhuman strength has improved significantly thanks to high-intensity physical training and precise chakra bursts.
However, she encountered insurmountable obstacles in medical ninjutsu, especially when dealing with such deep and complex trauma.
The stability of chakra output and the precise manipulation of the microscopic level of living tissues have never been able to reach an ideal state.
Her theoretical knowledge was solid enough, but she got stuck at a critical juncture in practical application.
"Teacher, I still..."
Sakura looked at the head of the medical class who was instructing her, her eyes pleading for help.
The head of the medical team adjusted his glasses and said gently but truthfully, "Sakura, you've made great progress."
"But the essence of medical ninjutsu lies in 'precision' and 'stability,' especially in advanced cellular regeneration and the treatment of complex internal injuries, which require years of experience and an almost instinctive intuitive grasp of life energy."
"The problem you're facing now is a bottleneck that many medical ninjas go through; you can't rush it."
"But... the final exam is just around the corner..."
Sakura clenched her fists. She didn't want to be a burden to the team, and she hoped to have the ability to save her teammates in critical moments.
Seeing the anxiety and resentment in Sakura's eyes, the head of the medical team pondered for a moment: "Perhaps... you could consult the Third Hokage? He is very knowledgeable and might be able to give you some guidance."
With a glimmer of hope, Sakura arrived at the Hokage's office.
After listening to Sakura's confusion, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, observed the subtle control flaws in her demonstration on the model.
A hint of helplessness also appeared in his aged and wise eyes.
He stroked his beard and said slowly, "Sakura, I have seen your talent and hard work in medical ninjutsu."
"The bottleneck you've encountered isn't a lack of skill, but rather a 'realm' you've reached in manipulating life energy."
"This absolute control over the subtle aspects of life... to be honest, although I am known as the 'Doctor of Ninjutsu,' I am not even the best in the field of pure, top-level medical ninjutsu."
Sakura's heart sank.
"Looking across the entire ninja world..."
The Third Hokage's gaze became distant, as if piercing through time and space: "The only person I know who can cultivate medical ninjutsu to its pinnacle and reach the 'creation and regeneration' level you desire... is just one person."
"Who?" Sakura asked anxiously.
"Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha and also my disciple, is revered as the 'Medical Master'."
The Third Hokage's voice carried respect and a hint of complex reminiscence: "Her 'Creation Rebirth' technique, as well as her miraculous chakra scalpel and control over life energy, are the goals you truly need to pursue."
"Lady Tsunade..."