The river and passes lay desolate beneath the fading sunset.
The four strolled leisurely through Konoha, enjoying the calm before the storm.
Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi lagged behind, occasionally stopping by stalls and shops, while Uchiha Jiang Feng walked ahead with his team leader, Kurenai Yuhi, discussing the practice and application of Illusion Techniques.
No one in Konoha considered Jiang Feng an ordinary Chunin. The Ninja World had never seen a Three-Tomoe Uchiha who was only at Chunin level.
"Everyone says the Uchiha only have their peerless mastery of Illusion Techniques because of the Sharingan. Without it, they might not be much stronger than ordinary genjutsu users.
I used to believe that, too. Looking back, I'm a little ashamed. Jiang Feng, your understanding of Illusion Techniques is already every bit as good as mine."
Kurenai Yuhi sighed with feeling.
He was one of Konoha's renowned masters of Illusion Techniques, while Jiang Feng was an Uchiha not known for his Sharingan-based genjutsu.
Even so, Jiang Feng could match him in understanding Illusion Techniques without relying on the Sharingan. That meant Jiang Feng was most likely stronger than him, the Jonin leading the team.
"Team leader, there's no need to sell yourself short. I do have some unique insights into Illusion Techniques. Most Uchiha—"
Hmm?
Halfway through his sentence, Uchiha Jiang Feng suddenly turned around and thrust out his slender, jade-like index finger. Twenty-Four Solar Terms Shocking Spirit Finger: Beginning of Spring.
The cycle began anew, and all things flourished. The finger force, combining Internal Energy and Chakra, was both resilient and brimming with life. This finger technique fused martial arts, Nintaijutsu, Illusion Techniques, and other disciplines, creating an illusion-like atmosphere of spring returning to the land and all things coming back to life.
Before the uniquely shaped Flying Thunder God Kunai could come within a meter of Jiang Feng, the resilient, vibrant finger force drove it back.
"Kushina, I told you he'd see through your sneak attack."
Leading Kakashi and the other two, Kushina mercilessly scolded her boyfriend.
Kakashi folded his arms across his chest. A spark of interest lit his dead-fish eyes. He'd never seen Jiang Feng use that finger technique to repel Teacher Minato before... So his strength had improved again.
"What was that move?" Minato Namikaze put away the Flying Thunder God Kunai and scratched his head curiously.
"A finger technique I developed based on the Twenty-Four Solar Terms."
Japan had the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, so the Ninja World would, too.
"Cool."
Minato Namikaze gave him a thumbs-up. Kakashi cared about whether something was strong, while he cared more about whether it was cool.
"It is cool." Jiang Feng didn't bother to be modest.
He knew hundreds of martial arts techniques, at least. If Startling God Finger weren't cool, why would he have bothered to learn it?
"Can I learn it!?" Minato Namikaze eagerly asked the crucial question.
A finger technique like this could serve as a secret art passed down through a small clan for generations. No one would casually teach such a valuable technique to someone else.
But Minato Namikaze knew he wasn't "someone else," and Jiang Feng wasn't "no one." They were friends—close friends.
Jiang Feng casually tossed Minato Namikaze a scroll. The previous night, he'd written down the training method for Startling God Finger, which he'd developed up to version 2.0.
"Why does this have to be trained with Internal Energy and Illusion Techniques, too?"
Minato Namikaze eagerly opened the scroll and skimmed the general outline. His face immediately fell, and the light faded from his eyes, as if all his dreams had been crushed.
Some of Jiang Feng's closer friends knew that he'd developed a system of energy called Internal Energy and True Qi. Uchiha Jiang Feng had also taught various techniques to a few of them, and Minato Namikaze was one of those friends.
But none of them had much success cultivating Internal Energy. That was only natural. Even after decades of training, a supreme technique from a Low Martial World might not let someone beat a Konoha Genin. Jiang Feng had managed to amass over a thousand years' worth of profound Internal Energy only because he'd received a template from the system, letting him overwhelm opponents with sheer power.
To bring version 2.0 of Startling God Finger to its full potential, he'd need to use a compound energy of Internal Energy and Chakra.
Besides that, there was one other crucial element...
"You don't understand Illusion Techniques. Without a high level of mastery, it's hard to create that illusion-like atmosphere. Without it, this finger technique just isn't cool enough."
What was the point of training something that wasn't cool!?
Minato Namikaze nodded in deep agreement. Why didn't he have any talent for Illusion Techniques? He couldn't learn Heavenly Flying Immortal, and now he couldn't learn this finger technique, either.
But when he remembered that Jiang Feng had no talent for space-time techniques and hadn't managed to master the Flying Thunder God despite getting the scroll from him, and had ended up practicing ordinary Body Flicker Technique instead, Minato Namikaze felt a little better.
"I'll give it a try and see if I can adapt this finger technique to suit my own abilities."
Minato Namikaze tucked the scroll into his pocket. The technique was so dazzling that it captivated him the way an adult video captivated a lecher.
What if I can actually make some progress?
The two teams joined up. Kushina led the five kids, while the three men walked at the front.
Minato Namikaze said he'd recently perfected the training method for Rasengan and would teach it to him later.
Jiang Feng nodded and agreed, though he had no intention of learning it. It wasn't cool enough.
Minato Namikaze went on to say that Jiang Feng's finger technique had real potential, and that he'd done a great job naming it. But he had an even better idea. For instance, what if they changed the name of the Awakening of Insects move to "Heaven-Shaking Thunder, Soul-Rattling, Heart-Stirring, Wind-Flower-Snow-Moon Awakening of Insects"?
Jiang Feng turned and ducked into the barbecue shop beside them.
"I thought I came up with a great name. You have no taste," Minato Namikaze muttered, following him inside.
The celebration feast wasn't perfect.
The turbulent, undercurrent-ridden state of the Ninja World had affected the barbecue shop, too. The meat wasn't fresh. Most of Konoha's transportation capacity had been assigned to wartime supplies, and the best fresh meat was reserved for making Ration Pills.
Even this barbecue shop, which had some ties to the Akimichi Clan, couldn't get the best meat.
The seasonings were last year's stock, too. New spices were already on the market, but with the Ninja World in turmoil, goods no longer circulated as freely as they had in past years.
Still, everyone was having a good time.
"Friends" were probably one of the world's finest seasonings, and a friend's stories made the best drinking snacks. A feast with friends was fun no matter what they ate.
"Sigh."
Just back from a mission at the front, Minato Namikaze set down his drink. "I wonder when this war will start."
Jiang Feng set down his drink, too. "Flowers bloom in their season. No one knows when they'll make their move."
Konoha occupied the best land in the Ninja World, which was bound to make others jealous. If it expanded first, the other villages would surely gang up on it.
And since the Third Generation Hokage was cautious and conservative by nature, Konoha's war would certainly begin with a major invasion by other Ninja Villages.
Minato Namikaze said, "I've already seen a tree of pear blossoms in bloom."
"What do you mean?" Jiang Feng looked over at him.
Pear blossoms, after all, bloomed in a particular season.
Minato Namikaze smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out when you see the Hokage tomorrow. He has a mission for you."
Before you continue