Qi's Effect

Jiogan fell into a daze as well. More Qi had been consumed, and he had indeed unleashed Powerful Water Release in a place without water. Could Qi have compensated for the environmental limitation of water? If so, wouldn't his Water Release no longer be affected by the environment? Then Water Release would truly become his most powerful weapon.

In the anime, there were only a handful of shinobi capable of using powerful Water Release without being affected by the environment—Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Kisame Hoshigaki, Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi, and a few others.

After sensing the changes in his Dantian, Jiogan once again used Water Release: Water Wave with his normal Chakra Amount. Sure enough, some more Qi was consumed, and the formed Water Wave once again displayed the same ordinary impact power it had shown yesterday at Training Ground 4.

Sure enough, Qi's effect was to replace the water elements in the environment, allowing him to use Powerful Water Release even where there was no water.

Judging by the Qi he had consumed just now, he could use it about five more times. Moreover, Qi could be cultivated through Tai Chi and stored in his Dantian.

In other words, the number of times he could use Powerful Water Release in a waterless environment was limited, but that number was enough for him.

Beside him, Might Duy watched Jiogan unleash another powerful Water Wave and fell into thought again. He knew Jiogan must have gained some insight from his training, so he did not interrupt his thoughts.

After a long while, Jiogan came back to his senses and saw Might Duy looking at him curiously. With a bitter smile, he said, "Brother Duy, my training has indeed yielded some results, but there are still many things I don't understand and need to verify further. There are also many things I don't dare talk about carelessly. But overall, it's a good direction. Let's end today's spar here. Brother Duy, you have to keep my secret, okay?"

"No problem! Seeing you become so strong, Jiogan, I have to train myself even harder! Burn, Youth!" With that, Might Duy vanished in a puff of dust, heading off to run handstands around Konoha.

Jiogan still had a few things he needed to confirm. He headed straight for Training Ground 4, arriving at the place where he had practiced Water Release yesterday.

Not bothering with the fact that the traces of yesterday's training had been restored to their original state, Jiogan formed hand seals once more. "Water Release: Water Wave!"

However, although Chakra was consumed, his Qi did not decrease, just like yesterday.

With that, he could basically confirm that Qi only took part in the release of Ninjutsu in places without water. It did not do so where water was present. Qi's purpose truly was to replace the water in the environment.

But he could not consciously control Qi's effect. He could only use it as an auxiliary power bank.

Jiogan had a feeling that Qi's effect was far more than this, but this one ability alone was enough to set him firmly upon the Path of the Strong.

After returning home, Jiogan practiced Tai Chi in his room. Both his Chakra and Qi were recovering. Ever since he began practicing Tai Chi, the issue of his Chakra Amount, which had once held him back, had been easily resolved. Being able to use Water Release without environmental restrictions was an unexpected delight, and the existence of Qi was also widening his Meridians, noticeably improving his Taijutsu Skill.

Jiogan had finally gained the capital and foundation to establish himself in the Ninja World, but he still did not dare slack off. He knew he was still far from being strong. He needed time and experience.

While Jiogan was lost in wild thoughts at home, the white-haired, carefree youth at Training Ground 4 went berserk once again. "Who is it?! Who the hell is it?! Don't you know the rules?! Don't you know you're supposed to restore the training ground after using it?! Why do I have to clean up after you every single day?! Don't let me catch you! Otherwise, I'll make you taste my strength!"

However, his hopes were doomed to fail. After figuring out Qi's effect, Jiogan never went to Training Ground 4 again, because he no longer needed an environment with water to practice Water Release.

In the days that followed, he attended class and trained every day as usual, sparring with Might Duy from time to time. With every match, Might Duy could feel Jiogan's improvement. Without opening the Eight Inner Gates, even Might Duy found himself struggling.

Jiogan's Taijutsu possessed a subtle quality of using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds. His heavy punches and powerful kicks were restricted at every turn, as though he were striking cotton. It was incredibly uncomfortable. Fortunately, he was Might Duy. Anyone else would have been crushed into self-doubt long ago. On the other hand, through their sparring, Might Duy also learned a few clever Tai Chi techniques. When he sparred with his classmates afterward, he became even more invincible.

It was not that Jiogan had never considered teaching Might Duy genuine Tai Chi, but Might Duy refused. He believed his path lay within the Eight Inner Gates, and that he had to carry through with his ninja way. He could learn from other things, but he would not change his own path.

Jiogan did not force the issue. Everyone had their own path to walk. Besides, he knew just how strong Might Duy could become by following the path of the Eight Inner Gates to the end.

Time passed quickly. Might Duy graduated and became a Genin. Unlike in the original story, Might Duy's Taijutsu talent was valued by the village. His teammates came from the Sarutobi Clan and the Aburame Clan, covering Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and sensory abilities. The team was fairly well-rounded, and their supervising teacher was also an Elite Jonin.

As one of Might Duy's few friends, Jiogan attended his graduation ceremony. He also treated him to Yakiniku from the Akimichi Clan and gave him ten fine Kunai as graduation gifts.

Unlike the original timeline, there were no D-rank Missions during this period. As soon as Genin graduated, they had to leave the village under the guidance of their team leader to carry out all kinds of missions—escort missions, bandit suppression missions, Border Patrol Missions, and more. They would face the harshness of society the moment they left school.

Jiogan had also finally reached his third year. He planned to savor this final stretch of peaceful time, because with the Second Shinobi World War approaching, conflicts between the forces of the Ninja World were becoming increasingly frequent. Konoha's White Fang's reputation had spread throughout the Ninja World during this period. In several clashes with shinobi from other villages, Hatake Sakumo's swordsmanship had been nothing short of extraordinary, striking fear into the hearts of his enemies.

In several class sparring matches, Jiogan had only made token moves. He had not encountered any formidable opponents, and many of the fights were as boring as children brawling.

It's been a long time since I heard anything from Brother Duy. It's been nearly two months since he said he'd taken a border patrol mission, Jiogan thought boredly in class.

The last time Might Duy returned to the village, he had said that several teams had taken on a border patrol mission. There were also Chunin and Jonin teams involved, and the Third Hokage's three disciples—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—had accepted the mission as well.

A few days later, Might Duy returned with some minor injuries. This mission had encountered an Iwagakure Shinobi assault unit, and several major battles had broken out. The Iwagakure force had been completely wiped out, but Konoha's teams had also suffered considerable losses. More than half of the Genin teams had been lost.

Perhaps because he had experienced the battle firsthand and witnessed the deaths of his comrades, Might Duy seemed much more mature. Still, he was in fairly good spirits. After all, he was Might Duy. Moreover, he alone had taken down five Iwagakure Genin and two Chunin. He had performed the best among the Genin teams and made the greatest contribution.