At 12:07 a.m., Morito silently watched a shooting star flash across the sky.
Midnight had passed, but the stars still dotted the night sky.
Mysterious and beautiful.
Morito quietly watched it all, his mind perfectly clear. The scene where the Byakugan forcibly absorbed his Chakra had not happened either.
"Looks like the nurturing process is over."
To make sure his Chakra really wouldn't be forcibly absorbed, Morito lay there until 12:30 before finally sitting up with a long sigh of relief.
He no longer had to worry about his Chakra being drained and passing out.
Then Morito furrowed his brow again.
"Just using Gentle Fist strikes to hit vital points should be enough to beat ordinary opponents and pass the practical exam."
Morito pondered.
But...
Since he had made a promise to Onigumo, he had to turn him into an old spider.
Though Onigumo was young, he was exceptionally talented, ranking among the top three fighters in the Training Camp. Even some Marine officers might not be able to beat him.
He had already begun learning the Marine Six Styles before graduating from the Training Camp.
The Marine Six Styles were a form of Taijutsu that surpassed the limits of human physical ability. They were extremely powerful and highly practical.
Morito just didn't know which of them Onigumo had learned.
Learning a style meant only mastering its basic application. There were also deeper levels: complete mastery, proficiency, expertise, and advanced study.
The Marine Six Styles could roughly be divided into three categories: offense, defense, and support.
Finger Pistol and Tempest Kick were offensive techniques.
Iron Body and Kami-e were defensive techniques.
Geppo and Soru were support techniques.
Morito had no intention of learning all the Marine Six Styles. He planned to choose one or two and focus on them.
It was better to master a few techniques than to know many.
Once he reached a certain level, learning these assorted techniques would be easy.
"I don't need offensive or defensive techniques. They'd have to be trained to a high level to break through Gentle Fist's blows."
"Likewise, ordinary Iron Body and Kami-e would be useless against an attack capable of breaking through Rotation's absolute defense."
"Then that leaves Geppo and Soru..."
After a brief moment of thought, Morito decided to prioritize learning Soru!
Soru could actually be considered a type of Body Flicker Technique.
Any technique that enabled instantaneous movement was collectively known as a Body Flicker Technique,
including Space-Time Ninjutsu, high-speed Taijutsu, and Ninjutsu.
Soru worked by stamping the ground dozens of times in rapid succession, generating explosive reactive force to move at high speed.
Soru was a high-speed Taijutsu technique.
With the Byakugan's perception, Soru's rapid movement, and Gentle Fist's attacks, the three would complement one another and multiply his combat power.
"Let's give it a try!"
Morito focused on his feet. Stamping the ground rapidly wasn't difficult; the challenge lay in keeping the force pointed in the same direction and suppressing it until the reactive force exploded.
It was like clapping your hands. Clapping twenty times in a minute was easy. Anyone could do it.
What about clapping twenty times in thirty seconds?
What about ten seconds?
What about a single instant?
Could you clap twenty times in a single instant and make only one sound?
Beneath the night sky, on the platform atop the cliff, a figure could just barely be seen repeatedly attempting the same technique.
Diligently, again and again.
The sweat poured down like rain, but the boy paid it no mind.
Soon, all the negative effects of the intense training surged forth: physical exhaustion, aching muscles, and more.
But Morito was in high spirits. He was excited, his eyes shining like the moon in the night sky.
"I'm almost there!"
With each attempt, he felt closer to grasping the trick!
On the lonely mountain, the moon hung overhead.
Quiet and peaceful.
While everyone else rested, the boy stood alone in the moonlight, sweating through his youth.
Genius was one percent perseverance and ninety-nine percent hard work.
Mediocre people often liked to use the word "genius" to dismiss the efforts of others. It was nothing more than a pointless way to comfort themselves.
Sweat could not be hidden. Sweat would never lie to you.
Heaven was fair. It would not let down anyone who held fast to a dream and worked hard, pouring out their sweat.
If three years weren't enough, then another three!
Night deepened, and a thick mist settled over the mountains.
The sounds in the forest grew quieter too.
The earth sank into slumber.
Huff! Huff!
Gradually, Morito's breathing grew ragged and hurried. Sweat gathered on his cheeks before streaming down.
His clothes were soaked, and so was the waistband of his pants.
His legs felt as heavy as lead. His feet kept pounding the ground, and waves of numbness and soreness stabbed at his brain.
"I'm so close!"
Morito was excited. He had already touched the threshold of Soru.
Even if he couldn't complete the training tonight, it wouldn't take much longer.
Three days at most, a week at the longest.
He would master Soru perfectly!
At last, his legs grew weak and numb, losing all sensation. As Morito's body pitched forward, unable to keep its balance—
Thud!
He caught himself with both hands and toppled onto the ground, bringing his training to a halt.
One failure was nothing.
What mattered was learning from it, taking stock of what had gone wrong, and growing.
Morito wiped away his sweat and leaned against the mountainside in a comfortable position. As he rubbed his legs, he pondered.
His method for training Soru was correct. All that remained was practice until it became second nature.
He licked his dry lips.
Suddenly!
A flash of inspiration crossed Morito's mind. "Soru concentrates the force of dozens of instantaneous stamps on the ground into one explosive burst."
"Could I work a Chakra burst into it as well?"
A Body Flicker Technique of the Ninjutsu type was simply a burst of Chakra.
Chakra was energy created by perfectly combining physical energy and spiritual energy in equal parts. The world of pirates had no concept of Chakra.
Morito could extract Chakra because he possessed the Byakugan.
If he burst his Chakra after stamping the ground dozens of times, then all he needed was to find the critical point and combine the reactive forces of both.
That wouldn't be as simple as one plus one.
If he succeeded, his Soru would be faster than anyone else's!
"Whew..."
Morito slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and patted his cheeks, letting his nerves relax a little.
You couldn't eat a fat man in one bite.
"First, I'll master Soru and make sure I can use it every time. Then I'll think about the rest."
Some of the numbness and soreness in his legs had faded.
After resting for a few minutes, Morito tried to stand again.
After an intense workout, it wasn't a good idea to lie or sit down right away.
Morito decided to stand and walk around, moving every part of his body. He went to the edge of the platform and gazed into the distance.
Peaceful and still.
The strongest Marine fortress in the world, with at least one Marine Admiral stationed there, along with the Fleet Admiral, Headquarters Vice Admirals, and other top fighters.
This was the last place pirates would be expected to appear. It was the safest place in the world.
But Morito, who knew the story, knew that wasn't true.
In the future, three Great Pirates would attack Marine Headquarters.
Golden Lion, Whitebeard, and Kaido.
The story of Kaido's attack on Marine Headquarters had only been mentioned in passing, but it wasn't hard to imagine the carnage.
Whitebeard's Summit War had practically destroyed Marine Headquarters.
The most recent attack, by Golden Lion, had been much the same.
"Not enough!"
Morito took a deep breath, his expression turning serious and focused.
He concentrated, lowering his breath.
He gathered Chakra in his legs.
Soru!
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