"Pssh."
Just as Soji was working hard to maintain the condensation of Water Release Chakra and Wind Release Chakra within his body,
a gust of wind suddenly arose around him, slicing through the sleeve on his left forearm and leaving a bright red bloody mark on it.
"Failed again?"
Soji did not even glance at the minor wound, instead sinking into troubled thought.
Over the past year, this had happened countless times.
With every failure, Soji would either be drenched from head to toe or have his clothes and skin cut by wind blades, leaving bloody marks like the one he had now.
This was still considered mild. When he had first begun merging the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, it had been far more terrifying.
He remembered one night when, after training, his entire body had been sliced by wind blades until he was covered in blood.
His clothes had been shredded into strips, making Minato and the others think for a time that Soji had been attacked by an enemy.
There had also been one time when Soji failed to balance the two types of Chakra within his body, and his whole body felt as though it had been plunged into the depths of the sea. He had nearly drowned.
These were all consequences of failing to properly balance Wind Release and Water Release Chakra within his body.
After failing again and again like this, he would be injured every time, but things had steadily been improving.
This failure had only left behind a tiny cut.
"Then I'll continue." Soji was not discouraged in the slightest. At least he could now see a glimmer of light ahead, rather than being shrouded in despair as he had been a year ago.
Only after Soji gained two more bloody marks and