Set a Small Goal

An increase in strength undoubtedly brought joy.

But that joy did not last long before Feng Ye gradually calmed down, because he knew that although Special Jonin carried the title of "Jonin," it was actually a rather awkward rank.

Because their abilities were not balanced enough to reach the level of a true Jonin, their ability to protect themselves in battle was far inferior to that of an actual Jonin.

"Still lacking endurance..."

Feng Ye pondered.

He did not have the physique of the Uzumaki Clan, nor did he have a tailed beast sealed within him. Strictly speaking, his Chakra reserves had only barely reached the level of an elite Chunin, still far from that of a Jonin.

And there was no need to mention his stamina. How much stamina could a ten-year-old body have?

Under Time Acceleration, his stamina was consumed at an accelerated rate as well.

"If I learn the Eight Inner Gates too, I'll really become a five-second man."

Feng Ye showed a trace of helplessness at the thought.

Until he obtained a Sage Body, stamina and Chakra would probably remain his weaknesses. And something like a Sage Body was simply beyond what he could consider at his current level.

But thinking about it carefully, as long as the strength he could unleash in a brief instant was powerful enough, it did not really matter if he lacked endurance. Just like Minato Namikaze, who could cut down fifty Jonin in an instant. Even if Chakra reserves were his weakness, it did not stop the Golden Flash from becoming famous throughout the Shinobi World.

"Looks like my combat style in the future will be ending battles in an instant..."

Feng Ye silently mocked himself.

Whether endurance was a weakness or not, he still had to train in the Eight Inner Gates. Only by stacking the Eight Inner Gates with Time Acceleration would he truly have the means to end battles at light speed.

If his speed reached the absolute limit, what did insufficient endurance matter?

He would not need a long battle in the first place.

"In my normal state, I should be no weaker than an elite Chunin. With Triple Speed, I can be considered a Special Jonin. If I want to improve further, there are three directions..."

Feng Ye pondered inwardly.

The first direction was the most ordinary one: steadily train his Taijutsu, cultivate Chakra, and use time acceleration to make his body mature faster. Once his body reached around twelve or thirteen years old, he would roughly possess Jonin-level Chakra and Taijutsu.

If he then learned a standard Jonin-level ninjutsu, he would be a standard Jonin even in his normal state.

As for the second direction, it was to continue cultivating Hatake Swordsmanship.

If he could complete the second stage of Hatake Swordsmanship, then even if he still lacked Chakra reserves and Taijutsu, he could rely on the power of the "White Fang" to possess Jonin-level strength.

The final, third direction was the Eight Inner Gates.

"...It would be best to pursue all three directions at once."

Feng Ye made his decision.

For ordinary people, choosing just one direction to focus on was the correct approach. They did not have enough time to advance on three fronts at once. Doing so would only leave them biting off more than they could chew, mastering none of them and ending up with utterly mediocre overall strength.

But he was different.

With the ability of Time Acceleration, he had more time to train!

As the Phantom Clock's ability continued to improve in the future, perhaps he could reach Quadruple Speed, Quintuple Speed... If that happened, he would absolutely be qualified to walk all three paths at once!

"Let's set a small goal: become a Jonin in six months."

Feng Ye clenched his fist and took a breath.

A Jonin!

The Jonin he meant was someone who possessed Jonin-level strength in their normal state.

If he possessed that level of strength normally, then under Triple Speed, or even fourfold or fivefold Time Acceleration, he might be able to do what Minato Namikaze did—slaughter Jonin like chopping vegetables!

Only by reaching that level would he have some ability to protect himself in the Third Great Ninja War that would erupt at that time, rather than dying suddenly because of some accident.

After leaving his training grounds, Feng Ye returned to the village.

"Security has tightened again."

Compared to the past two days, there were visibly more patrol ninjas on the streets today, and their patrols had become more frequent. And that was only what could be seen openly.

Konoha's Anbu in the shadows—the surveillance forces directly under Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi—were most likely closely watching every corner of the village, searching for spies from enemy villages who might have infiltrated.

Feng Ye could sense gazes falling on him. It seemed that he had been inspected as well, and only after they confirmed there was nothing suspicious about him did that feeling of being watched quietly disappear.

Being secretly monitored naturally felt unpleasant, but such measures were unavoidable during the tense period before a Shinobi World war. Every village was dispatching spies and doing everything possible to gather intelligence.

Because he often trained under Time Acceleration, the ingredients in his refrigerator were used up quickly. He needed to restock every day or two, so Feng Ye headed toward the street where food ingredients were sold, intending to buy more supplies.

He had not taken more than a few steps.

A somewhat familiar voice came from the meat shop next door.

Feng Ye glanced over and saw a familiar figure holding a bag, standing before the owner of a beef shop and glaring at him.

"What? Beef has gone up to 450? Hey, hey, isn't that way too expensive?!"

Might Duy complained in disbelief.

The shop owner spread his hands helplessly. "The wholesale price is already very high. It's not like I'm trying to make some heartless profit."

Affected by the tense situation in the Shinobi World, prices had undoubtedly begun to rise. Although Konoha remained relatively stable, every channel through which it purchased supplies had become strained. Some large shipments even needed ninja escorts out of fear of attacks by ninjas from enemy villages, further increasing the consumption of manpower and resources.

"Too expensive..."

Might Duy scratched his head, feeling troubled for a moment.

He was only a Genin, and because he could not find anyone willing to form a team with him, there were few missions he could accept. Rising prices were undoubtedly a harsh blow of reality for him. But his son, Might Guy, was in his growing years, and a serving of meat every day was practically essential.

After struggling over it for a while, Might Duy still bought a piece of beef, though he reduced the amount. He figured it would not be a big problem if he ate a little less himself.

"What a difficult situation."

Feng Ye muttered as he watched Might Duy buy meat.

Things were not too bad on his end. Although Sakumo had passed away, he had left behind a considerable inheritance, enough to support Feng Ye and Kakashi for several years. Moreover, Kakashi had long since become a Chunin and could support himself, so they did not need to worry about rising prices for the time being.

But then again, Might Duy could beat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist senseless after opening all eight gates. With seven gates open, he should at least possess Jonin-level strength. Setting aside becoming a Jonin, there should be no issue with promoting him exceptionally to Chunin.

It was just that nearly all the missions Might Duy carried out were non-combat missions, such as cleaning up trash or searching for lost cats. He had no opportunity to show what he could do.

Thus, no one in Konoha had ever known of Might Duy's strength.

After thinking for a moment, Feng Ye quickly bought several portions of ingredients and returned home. After making and eating a simple meal, he left the house again to look for Might Duy.