Watching Ryujin Jakka's blade-sharp, murderous gaze, Yusuke seemed to understand something.
"Could you mean that?"
Ryujin Jakka looked at Yusuke, who had suddenly realized something, and nodded approvingly. "That's right."
"You have to devour souls through killing!"
"You have to train your soul in the Mental World!"
They spoke at the same time, but said completely different things!
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Ryujin Jakka snorted. "Devouring souls through killing? That's something only Hollows do!"
Yusuke gave an awkward smile. "Well, your gaze was so murderous, it's no wonder I misunderstood."
Looking at Yusuke, Ryujin Jakka slowly explained, "The place I originally came from is called Soul Society. There, the Bleach cultivate in soul form. Soul Society is rich in spiritual energy, and no matter how they train, the Bleach can continually strengthen their souls."
"But this world isn't suitable for spiritual beings to live in, and there's no ambient spiritual energy in its atmosphere. So it's very difficult to train your soul through ordinary means."
Glancing at the enormous Sharingan in the sky, Ryujin Jakka continued, "Your Mental World is actually a fairly suitable place to train your soul. It's nowhere near as good as Soul Society, but it'll just about do."
"As long as you train here, your soul will grow stronger and stronger. I have to say, the Uchiha Clan's bloodline really is exceptional. The abilities of those eyes are truly extraordinary."
"Then what exactly does this training involve?" Yusuke asked.
"The best way is to fight!"
"Fight?"
Ryujin Jakka nodded. "That's right. Your opponent will be me! You'll strengthen your soul and spirit through battle and training on a mental level."
"If you keep at it, your soul will undergo a qualitative improvement."
Hearing Ryujin Jakka's explanation, Yusuke furrowed his brow. "With my current ocular power, I can only stay in the Mental World for an hour at most before it's exhausted. It takes almost a full day to recover completely."
"And if we fight in the Mental World, I'm afraid my ocular power will drain even faster. I might not last twenty minutes."
Ryujin Jakka looked at Yusuke. "You don't need to worry about that. As your soul grows stronger, your ocular power will naturally increase along with it, and you'll be able to train for longer and longer."
"Besides, once your soul is strong enough, advancing your eyes to what you call the Mangekyō Sharingan will be a natural progression!"
At the mention of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Yusuke's interest was piqued. "But according to the records of our clan, the condition for awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan is the death of someone close to you. Only that kind of trauma can push an Uchiha's spirit beyond the limits of the ordinary Sharingan."
After awakening the Sharingan, Yusuke had stopped hoping to obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan. After all, he didn't want to gain its powers at the cost of a loved one's misfortune.
Ryujin Jakka sneered. "That's only because the level of spiritual power in this world is so low. Your clansmen have to rely on such an immense shock to their spirits to break through their limits."
"If your soul becomes strong enough, a little Reiatsu will easily advance your Sharingan to the next stage."
After hearing Ryujin Jakka's explanation, Yusuke nodded. "I understand. It all comes down to the strength of the soul. But if I train this way, won't progress be too slow?"
Ryujin Jakka glanced at Yusuke and replied coolly, "Training is never something you can accomplish overnight. Impatience and greed for quick results will only lead you astray."
Hearing Ryujin Jakka's words, Yusuke nodded in agreement. "You're right. I was trying to rush things."
After discussing soul training with Ryujin Jakka, Yusuke began training at once.
The method was just as Ryujin Jakka had described: simple and brutal. In the Mental World, Yusuke and Ryujin Jakka fought with swords.
Ryujin Jakka truly lived up to his name as the embodiment of a Zanpakuto. His swordsmanship was exceptional, and his powerful Reiatsu put Yusuke under tremendous pressure. At his current level, Yusuke was no match for him.
Whenever Ryujin Jakka landed a blow, Yusuke was wracked with agony, as if his spirit were being torn apart. That was because he was a spiritual being, but according to Ryujin Jakka, enduring the pain was also part of training his soul.
The first training session didn't last long. With Yusuke's current ocular power, the intense battle exhausted it after only about ten minutes, forcing him out of his meditative state.
As soon as Yusuke left the Mental World, he felt utterly drained and needed to rest to recover his mental and ocular power.
His conversation with Ryujin Jakka had taught Yusuke a great deal, and also given him a better chance of facing opponents at the Six Paths level in the future.
A day later, Yusuke was about to set off for Sunagakure.
"Have a safe trip, big brother!"
"Be careful on the way, Yusuke."
Outside the house, Uchiha Hazuki and Izumi were seeing Yusuke off. This mission to Sunagakure and back would take at least a month.
"Izumi, come here." Yusuke beckoned her over.
Izumi trotted obediently up to him and looked at him with her big, blinking eyes.
Yusuke crouched down and smiled. "While I'm gone, you'll have to take care of Mom for me."
"Okay, don't worry, big brother. I'm a proper ninja now too!" Izumi nodded firmly.
Just then, Izumi thought she saw three golden-red, flame-shaped Tomoe flash in her brother's eyes.
She blinked and looked again, but his eyes were as normal as ever.
Maybe I just imagined it, Izumi thought.
After saying goodbye to his family, Yusuke went to the agreed-upon meeting place. Once both teams taking part in the Chunin Ninja Exams had gathered, they set off together for Sunagakure.
At first, the land was lush with trees, mountains, and rivers. But the closer they got to Sunagakure, the hotter it became. Trees grew scarce, and rivers were almost nowhere to be seen.
After traveling for five or six days, they crossed the Land of Rivers, which lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, and reached the edge of a vast desert.
Though they were only at its edge, they could already feel the waves of heat rolling off the desert ahead. As far as the eye could see, everything was a monotonous yellow. There wasn't a single tree, only rolling hills of sand. The heat was so intense that the air ahead seemed to shimmer and warp.
"This should be the place, right?" Yusuke unrolled a scroll and glanced over it, then asked Hayama, who was also serving as a Jonin instructor.
Hayama surveyed the desert and nodded. "That's right. Let's begin."
The six Genin exchanged confused glances. Yusuke spoke slowly. "The Chunin Ninja Exams officially begin now."
"You six have to cross this desert and reach Sunagakure within three days. If Hayama-senpai and I haven't seen you there by this time three days from now, you'll be disqualified."
Hayama added sternly, "Don't expect us to help you in any way. You'll have to pass this Chunin exam on your own. If you can't even pass the first round, there's no point in taking the later exams!"
"Well, see you all in three days!"
Before he had even finished speaking, Yusuke formed a hand seal in front of his chest. He and Hayama gradually transformed into a flock of crows that flew into the sky and vanished.
The Chunin exam in Sunagakure had three stages. The first required the Genin to cross the desert within the allotted time and reach the village.
For this stage, Sunagakure left the decision on who passed to each village's Jonin instructors. Almost none of them would deliberately let their own Genin advance to the second and third rounds if they had failed.
The Chunin exams were extremely brutal, with a death rate that, though lower than during wartime, was still significant. Sending Genin who couldn't pass the first stage into the later rounds would only create more cannon fodder.
"We only have three days. We should set out right away!" Anko spoke up first once the Jonin instructors had left.
"But if we rush into this sea of sand, won't we lose our way?" Gekko Hayate said. Before he'd even finished speaking, he started coughing.
Itachi raised a hand to shade his eyes and checked the sun's position. "It's noon. We can rest for a while before setting out."
"Sunagakure is west of here. This afternoon, we just have to keep moving toward the sun, and we won't go wrong."
The others nodded in agreement at Itachi's reasoning. Anko slung an arm around his shoulders like he was her brother. "That's my teammate. You really do have a good head on your shoulders."
"When we get back and become Chunin, I'll treat you to dumplings. Trust me, dumplings are only good with red bean soup!"
Itachi was about to shrug off Anko's arm, but when he heard that she was going to treat him to dumplings, he quietly stopped.
The Genin found a large tree at the edge of the desert and rested in its shade while eating lunch. They were all young, and they quickly warmed up to one another. Even Kurama Naki, who was shy around people, soon fit in and chatted and laughed with everyone.
As they talked, Itachi noticed that Mizuki seemed to be making a point of getting close to him. It immediately put him on guard.
Meanwhile, Yusuke and Hayama were racing across the desert. As their team's Jonin instructors, they had to reach Sunagakure ahead of the Genin.
They needed to welcome their Genin when they completed the first stage and arrived in Sunagakure, and register them for the exam beforehand.
"How are they doing?" Hayama asked Yusuke.
Although Yusuke and Hayama had left for Sunagakure ahead of the others, they weren't simply leaving the Genin unsupervised. Yusuke had sent out a Phantom Crow Clone to watch them from high above.
"Don't worry. I'm sure the first stage won't give them any trouble," Yusuke said with a smile.
Hayama nodded. "True. I guess I really am getting old. Seeing those kids has made me worry over nothing."
"By the way, Yusuke, are you sure you're heading in the right direction?"
At Hayama's question, Yusuke gave him a strange look. "I've just been following the direction you've been going, Hayama-senpai."
They stopped and looked at each other. After silently checking their bearings, they changed course and continued toward Sunagakure.
"Yusuke, only you and I know about this!" Hayama finally said after a long silence.
"Know about what? I have no idea what you're talking about, Hayama-senpai!" Yusuke replied solemnly.
As always, thanks for your support!
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And, while I have a moment, here's another little doggerel. Just for fun...
Lately, the reviews have been rough; the author's hair is falling out.
But what can I do? I'll just go to bed!
Before you continue