Little Explosion Nawaki

"Phew, that's better. This way, I can use the self-destruct style for normal duels from now on. It's not exactly pleasant, but it's powerful. I just wonder what the other duel modes are like."

"Still, I can't touch the other modes yet. Betting requires sacrificing a part of myself, and the death match costs lifespan. I have to play it safe."

"But why give me Water Dragon? I don't even know how to weave seals."

Shangguan Yue thought about the speed at which Nawaki wove his seals, then looked at his own clumsy claws—it was a disaster, they could barely even stir porridge.

"Just give me some seal-weaving skills already."

Shangguan Yue felt his mental energy draining. "Hmm, I should be able to go five more times before I have to sleep to recover. That should be enough for now."

"Activate duel mode."

After the remaining two rounds were finished, Shangguan Yue took a long, deep breath before he finally calmed down.

"Damn it, the mental drain is too much. This is miserable."

However, looking at the gains in his log, Shangguan Yue felt satisfied.

"Obtained: D-Rank Ninjutsu Substitution Technique."

"Obtained: D-Rank Ninja Basics, Seal-Weaving Experience Pack."

Looking at the pending rewards, Shangguan Yue chose to receive them all. In an instant, the method for weaving seals for the Substitution Technique, the chakra flow trajectory, and the required volume flooded his mind.

As for the seal-weaving method for Water Dragon, Shangguan Yue closed his eyes tight. In his mind, a small figure was practicing the seals.

Shangguan Yue's body moved involuntarily, his hands raising as his fingers intertwined in sync with the figure. His hands were enveloped in a white light, moving faster and faster.

It felt like a second, or perhaps years had passed. Shangguan Yue opened his eyes, his gaze filled with exhaustion.

"Why does this feel like a punishment? Practicing along is one thing, not letting me quit halfway is another, but what's with the penalties for doing it wrong???"

Shangguan Yue felt like vomiting just thinking about seal-weaving training. That was two years of training!

"But at least I can do four seals per second now, which isn't bad. I just don't know what level that puts me at."

"If only I could start school sooner. Let's see, there's still over half a month left."

"Let's check out what this ninjutsu is actually about."

Shangguan Yue looked at the memory of the Substitution Technique and his scalp went numb.

"This is the Substitution Technique? It's so crude. Even the Clone Technique has at least three seals."

Substitution Technique: By using a pre-prepared substitute object (an item, animal, or clone infused with your own chakra).

When an enemy attacks you, you can substitute yourself to escape, accompanied by a puff of smoke to mask your presence, and reappear randomly within a three-meter radius.

Note: Can be improved with proficiency.

Shangguan Yue only had the description of the Substitution Technique and a segment of chakra flow trajectory in his mind.

"That's it? It's that simple? This is way too sloppy."

Shangguan Yue exited the space and stepped outside, looking up at the scorching sun.

"It seems the time inside the space is about one-to-one. It's already noon. I'll test the Substitution Technique first, then go grab some food."

He found a wooden stake and infused it with chakra. "Hmm? I need someone to attack me! I don't know the standard, so I'll just try running into a tree."

Everything prepared, Shangguan Yue charged at the tree. Bang! Just as he was about to make contact, before he could even feel the impact, he transformed into a wooden stake amidst a puff of smoke, while his real body appeared in the open space.

The sudden sensation of weightlessness caused him to fall to the ground. "Huh? It worked?"

Shangguan Yue looked around and finally spotted the tree from earlier in the bottom right corner.

He walked over to the tree and picked up the wooden stake to examine it closely. "Hmm~ it's in the same state as before."

Shangguan Yue carefully recalled the feeling. It was just a sudden flash of darkness, and when he opened his eyes, he was already on the other side.

That mysterious, profound feeling felt strangely familiar to him.

"What exactly is this feeling? No, I have to try again."

Shangguan Yue charged at another tree. Bang! This time, besides the loud noise, a large amount of leaves fell down.

"Damn it, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

Feeling the information in his mind, Shangguan Yue was speechless.

"Wait, you couldn't have mentioned something as important as a cooldown earlier?"

No one heard Shangguan Yue's grumbling. Ever since his chuuni phase had vanished, it hadn't reappeared, and he had no idea what it was doing.

"But then again, whoever came up with this Substitution Technique is a genius. It's a god-tier life-saving skill, even if the cooldown is annoying."

"Overall, how does something like this feel so profound? It's like it involves the laws of the world."

"Even with a cooldown, it doesn't consume anything, and the steps are simple. Any normal ninja could learn it—it's not simple at all."

"However, it's also quite dangerous. The random location is uncontrollable. On the battlefield, if you accidentally end up right under someone's blade, you'd be dead before you even knew how it happened."

"Whatever, it's already pretty good. Let me see what Water Release: Water Bullet is about. But wait, what is my affinity? Can I even use Water Release?"

Next time Tsunade returns, I must ask her properly; as a healer, she should know about this.

Shangguan Yue performed the hand seals according to his memory, guiding the chakra to flow through his body, "Water Release: Water Bullet Technique."

Chakra surged upward and was expelled from his mouth; he watched as a large sphere of water appeared before his face and flew toward the wooden target not far away, "Splash."

As the water spray dissipated, Shangguan Yue focused his gaze, "Whoa, the power is actually quite significant."

He saw that the wooden target had already vanished from its spot, reduced to wood shavings scattered all over the ground.