The Feeling of Flying
After seven days, Ōnoki stopped instructing Yichen. Without Ōnoki watching over him and correcting his mistakes from time to time, Yichen's training could no longer be as unrestrained as before.
Yichen found some wild small animals and then used the Light-Weight Rock Technique on these living creatures.
The result was horrific. Because Yichen was not proficient in controlling the Light-Weight Rock Technique, the balance of those living creatures was disrupted. Sometimes the upper body crushed the lower body, and sometimes parts of the body separated directly from the entire body.
I dare not describe the details.
However, Yichen discovered a problem: the destruction wasn't solely due to his incomplete mastery of the Yichen and Light-Weight Rock Technique. Another reason was the constant struggle of the small animals.
Yichen altered the gravity acting on their bodies, but they weren't used to it and continued to struggle as usual, and then the scene became indescribable.
After making this discovery, Yichen stopped using live animals for practice and started using dead or sleeping small animals instead.
It really works, especially on the sleeping animals. First, Yichen used the Light-Weight Rock Technique on them, which took a while, and then they were woken up. After that, they could leap and fly far away like they were in space.
This state can last for several minutes until the Chakra Yichen left in their bodies is exhausted.
This discovery greatly excited Yichen, because it meant that even if his Light- Yichen Light-Weight Rock Technique stopped improving, there was still hope of achieving flight. As long as he kept his body completely still while performing the Ninjutsu, there was a chance of success.
However, Yichen is still hesitant to try it on himself. He only has one body; what if he accidentally damages it?
Since practicing the Light-Weight Rock Technique on small animals has proven so effective, there's no need to say more; let's continue to torment them. With a clear direction, Yichen never lacks the determination to diligently cultivate.
After about half a month of monotony, Yichen, having made up his mind, finally decided to practice on himself.
Unlike before, when he always performed Ninjutsu standing up, this time Yichen was lying down.
Fearing that the Light-Weight Rock Technique might harm him, Yichen dared not be careless and even asked the Shironeko and Dango to be his caregivers before starting to form Hand Seals.
As A-rank Ninjutsu, the Light-Weight Rock Technique is indeed difficult to master. Even Yichen, who only learned it under the guidance of the Ōnoki Tsuchikage, spent another half a month before daring to try it on himself. This alone is enough to illustrate its difficulty.
What's amazing is that the Light-Weight Rock Technique not only consumes very little Chakra, but also requires very few Hand Seals. The original version of the Light-Weight Rock Technique only had 4 hand seals, and under Ōnoki's guidance, it was reduced to 2.
Yichen had only formed two hand seals, and then Chakra Control to slowly flow throughout his body.
After a long while, and after carefully confirming that there was nothing wrong with his body, Yichen dared to move his body little by little.
Although he was afraid that too much movement would hurt his body, without the restraint of gravity, Yichen floated up as soon as he moved slightly.
Fortunately, thanks to his experience flying under Ōnoki's tutelage, Yichen quickly regained control of his body after taking flight.
After making a few small circles about half a meter off the ground to confirm that the Ninjutsu had been successfully executed, Yichen ended the Light-Weight Rock Technique.
Upon seeing Yichen land safely, the Shironeko and Dango, who had been holding their breath, came over.
Seeing the Shironeko's envious expression, Yichen felt a little smug. He finally had a special skill; he had finally mastered A-rank Ninjutsu.
Yichen practiced it more than ten times. Because he was more relaxed, his speed increased.
Finally, Yichen even flew into the air with the Shironeko and Dango, and the two of them and the cat spun around several times at a height of more than ten meters.
It wasn't that Yichen didn't want to fly higher, but rather that he didn't want to be too conspicuous. This A-rank Ninjutsu was his trump Trump Card for survival; if it were discovered by spies and the enemy became prepared, it would be useless.
After playing with the cat for a while, the two of them went to give Dango her daily test. Dango has been taking tests Tenten lately. Because she can clearly feel her own growth through various data, Dango also looks forward to the tests.
The test was completed smoothly and efficiently. Dango was indeed making progress, although it was very slight. After more than twenty days of continuous testing, some clues could still be seen.
The higher-ups' earlier guess was correct: the Natural Energy's influence on Dango began with the most basic things.
Compared to twenty days ago, Dango's improvement in strength is the most obvious. And among all the data, strength is indeed Dango's weakest point.
Furthermore, Dango's strength, agility, hasn't improved as much.
Compared to the envy that Yichen felt for the Shironeko and Dango when he learned an A-rank Ninjutsu, Yichen felt that Dango's extraordinary encounter was what all ninjas truly envied.
A comprehensive, all-around improvement, starting from the weakest point. Is this an attempt to create a well-rounded warrior? Yichen really wanted to switch places with Dango.
Of course, replacing it is just Yichen's daydream, but there is still hope of learning from it. These days, Yichen has been using his Sensory Ninjutsu to observe Dango as it absorbs Natural Energy.
Although he didn't know why Dango could absorb Natural Energy, Yichen felt that his affinity for Natural Energy seemed to have increased.
Perhaps it was psychological, Yichen speculated. Maybe it was because he had no ill intentions or ambitions towards Dango, only happiness for it. And when Dango absorbed Natural Energy, it was the closest the two were. At that time, the Natural Energy sensed Yichen's affection for Dango and mistook it for affection for itself. Then the Natural Energy also became close to Yichen.
These are all Yichen's own guesses. There is no quantitative standard for whether one is close to or not in terms of Natural Energy; it all depends on feeling.
Yichen shared his guess with the Shironeko and asked if the Shironeko felt the same way, since the Shironeko was even closer to Dango than he was.
But the Shironeko rolled her Byakugan at Yichen. She couldn't even sense what Natural Energy was like, so how could she judge something so ethereal?
Yichen felt a little embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this, you sleep with Dango tonight and see if you can get some of Dango's good fortune and breathe in more Natural Energy."
This area is filled with Natural Energy, and in theory, people are interacting with it with Natural Energy breath. But whether this interaction is truly effective, Yichen wasn't sure; it was just a psychological comfort.
But if Yichen's guess was true, could the Shironeko, who was closest to Dango, also absorb Natural Energy? Yichen was full of anticipation.
After the test, the Shironeko carried the Dango back to Yichen's little house; now the Shironeko didn't want to waste a single moment.
These days, her and Dango's daily life and training are all taking place inside the Seal Number One. The village has also moved some of the ninjas from the Seal Number One, leaving a small area for one person and one cat to train.
Aside from the testing, it seems that Shironeko and Dango haven't left Seal Number One at all. If Yichen hadn't asked them for help today, they wouldn't have come out to wander around.
Seeing the person and cat heading towards the Seal Number One without any delay, Yichen felt somewhat helpless. He still needed to practice his Light-Weight Rock Technique, so he decided not to follow.
Back at the Training Ground, Yichen first used the Camouflage Jutsu, then the Light-Weight Rock Technique. The result was awkward: the Light-Weight Rock Technique succeeded, but the Camouflage Jutsu was also dispelled.
This is quite frustrating, as Yichen's mastery of the Light-Weight Rock Technique is still insufficient, and he cannot concentrate on using other Ninjutsu while maintaining Light-Weight Rock Technique. This makes it very impractical.
He was still in a hurry. He had already had more than twenty days of vacation, and there wasn't much time left. Yichen himself couldn't be sure when the village would send him to the Land of Rain.
If Yichen can simultaneously use the Light-Weight Rock Technique and the Camouflage Jutsu before heading to the Land of Rain he plans to travel there alone. If he cannot do so, then Yichen intends to bring three subordinates with him.
After all, the most advantageous tactics are different in the two situations.
Hopefully, the High-ranking officials won't be too hasty.
In fact, the higher-ups were already anxious, but the reason they hadn't notified Yichen was because of Dango. The village had given Dango a month to absorb Natural Energy while conducting tests.
For the past month, Yichen has been acting as the caretaker of Dango absorbs Natural Energy. If Yichen leaves, the village will have to arrange for another caretaker, but the other people do not know Dango's condition and cannot make an accurate judgment. In addition, there are not many ninjas in the village like Yichen who can sense the existence of Natural Energy, so the village is not in a hurry to notify Yichen.
Anyway, there's only about a week left of the one-month deadline, so let's just wait a bit longer. Communication between Hanzo and Danzo won't be quick either; the shady deals involved will definitely require a lot of wrangling.
This week was indeed very important for Yichen. In order to quickly master the Light-Weight Rock Technique, in addition to physical training and swordsmanship, Yichen floated as long as he had Chakra in his body.
The intensive training was quite effective; in just five days, not seven, Yichen mastered the ability to perform Ninjutsu while in flight. This included Camouflage Jutsu.
Over the remaining two days, Yichen practiced aerial combat using the Ninjutsu he knew, and also devised many tactics.
As soon as Dango's special training time was over, Yichen received a notice requiring him to go to the Tsuchikage's Office Building immediately.
Without delay, Yichen took his Ninja Tool Bag and other items and went directly to the Anbu Tsuchikage's Office Building with the ANBU messenger.
Yichen had already completed the preparations for the supplies needed for this trip to the Land of Rain.
Upon seeing Yichen fully armed at the Tsuchikage's Office Building, Ōnoki nodded, indicating that Yichen could proceed to the Land of Rain.
Ōnoki didn't elaborate much on Yichen's trip to the Land of Rain, but instead inquired about Yichen's progress in practicing the Light-Weight Rock Technique. He was somewhat surprised to learn that Yichen was already able to perform Ninjutsu while flying.
After hearing Yichen say that he was going to the Land of Rain alone, Ōnoki agreed after only a slight hesitation.
Because Yichen's trip to the Land of Rain wasn't to lead a team to confront Root head-on, but rather to use his close relationship with the Akatsuki Organization to sabotage Root's plans.
Therefore, there is not much difference between Yichen going alone and going with several Anbu Squad. Going alone is even more discreet.
After leaving the Tsuchikage's Office Building, Yichen headed straight out of the village. Shortly after leaving the village, Yichen first used his Sensory Ninjutsu to confirm that no one was following him, then used the Light-Weight Rock Technique, followed by the Camouflage Jutsu, and then his figure rose high into the air, heading towards the Land of Rain.
The Camouflage Jutsu is effective in areas with complex colors, but its effectiveness is much weaker in the sky. If a ninja were observing the sky, it would be possible to spot Yichen, which is why Yichen's flight path was a full 2,000 meters above the ground.