Konoha, Hokage Building.
The weather was exceptionally fine today. Under the sun, all of Konoha felt warm and bright.
"Third Hokage, please make sure Elder Danzo is kept in check. I'll consider this matter forgotten, but I must ask you to ensure it never happens again!"
Uchiha Fugaku had come to the Hokage Building first thing that morning to "make a complaint" to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The clans of Konoha would never tolerate anyone assassinating one of their ninja on their own clan's grounds.
The nature of this offense was even worse than stealing a clan's secret techniques.
"Chuanhe is a member of my clan, too. I hope you'll take that into consideration, Third Hokage."
Fugaku sounded respectful, but his words carried an undercurrent of discontent.
"Danzo was in the wrong. I've already ordered him placed under temporary house arrest. Please rest assured, Clan Head Fugaku. This was only a misunderstanding."
In the smoke-filled Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke to Fugaku with a hint of apology.
After seeing Fugaku off, the Third Hokage looked over the intelligence report in his hands.
Chuanhe, an orphan of war from the Land of Fire.
Born during the Second Shinobi World War, in Year 30 of Konoha. He was the same age as his wife, Uchiha Yuki.
Because he had a talent for chakra, a Konoha jonin [***] (deceased) recommended him for the Ninja Academy.
After six years of study at the Ninja Academy, he chose to become one of the medical ninja newly proposed by Tsunade.
The Third Shinobi World War broke out when he graduated.
He formed a squad with his wife, Uchiha Yuki, and [***] (deceased). They carried out missions under the leadership of Chunin [***] (deceased).
He mainly provided long-range support with ninja tools he had made himself. He was also responsible for sensing, medical care, and logistics for the squad.
Hiruzen Sarutobi already knew what happened afterward. As Hokage, he didn't have the time to learn the detailed records of every ninja in the village.
Looking over the report, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt somewhat reassured. At least it wasn't the worst-case scenario.
If a spy from another village really had managed to infiltrate the village to this extent, the Uchiha Clan would have been doomed long ago.
But a spy, huh? Heh. That gave him a good idea.
Dusk. The sun sank toward the horizon over an unknown stretch of sea.
Hui came here through that strange Magic Cube to train his control over matter.
According to Chuanhe, this was what truly determined everyone's "strength."
A wise man makes use of whatever tools he can.
The greatest difference between humans and animals was that humans knew how to use tools.
The first way ninja amplified this ability was through chakra.
The second was the Ōtsutsuki Clan's bloodline—or perhaps the God Tree's bloodline?
Chakra and bloodlines were like tools for ninja, giving them greater control over matter.
In any case, training this ability to control matter was like increasing a character's basic stats. Improve it, and all their abilities improved with it.
As Hui slowly flew through the sky, he realized there was a problem.
With his current level of control, he could only move at this speed. Against ninja, that was barely any different from being a stationary target.
Was there a way to move quickly through the air?
Looking down at the sea beneath him, Hui had an idea.
He formed Hand Seals and used the Water Ball Technique, then manipulated the water as matter and set the ball beneath his feet.
Hui took a deep breath and stomped down hard.
It worked!
He had actually managed a double jump.
After forming Hand Seals and trying it several times, Hui came to this conclusion.
"If I could use Water Release without Hand Seals, it'd probably work just as well as it does on the ground."
As he recalled what had just happened, Hui suddenly noticed a problem. Had he controlled a ninjutsu after releasing it?
Hui remembered his father forcibly interfering with Elder Setsuna's chakra.
There was no doubt that this method was crude and simple if you didn't care about precise chakra control.
But Hui couldn't do that yet. Chakra was far too minute in nature; with his current abilities, he couldn't control it to that degree.
But...
Hui looked at his right hand. Chakra appeared in his palm, almost as if it had taken on a solid form. The concentrated chakra gave off a faint blue glow.
If it was only a matter of gathering chakra to this degree, Hui could do something similar.
He began with the idea behind releasing a ninjutsu, but controlled the chakra as a whole.
There was no need to care about precision or power. All he needed was something to push off from—a ninjutsu construct of some kind.
The chakra in his hand took on the rough shape of a puddle, but it contained a little sand, and faint flames flickered across its surface.
Uh, was this approach tied to his elemental affinities? Good thing he had the two most suitable ones.
At least he'd managed to make his idea work. Since this technique was based on Water Release, he might as well call it [Wave Treading].
Hui darted back and forth through the sky, looking as though he was walking on air.
Only, with every step, flames flared beneath his feet, accompanied by wisps of mist.
It was as if each step Hui took created a fiery cloud.
Against the sea, still lit by the last rays of the setting sun, it looked rather glaring.
It was a little conspicuous, but there was nothing he could do. This was the best he could manage for now.
Hui looked toward the distance. Until now, he had been preoccupied with all sorts of trivial matters.
Now that he had suddenly cast off his burdens, he saw things from a different perspective.
He had never taken the time to observe the world so closely before.
The setting sun hung halfway below the distant horizon, its afterglow spilling across the sea.
The crests of the waves shimmered with flecks of gold.
The clouds where they met the horizon seemed to hold a fire burning within them.
The sky and sea were both "scorched" crimson by the light.
Hui felt a strange stirring within him.
He looked up at the sky, where a few scattered stars had begun to appear.
What did the world above the sky look like?
Then Hui flew above the clouds, practicing the newly developed [Wave Treading] along the way.
Looking down at the world beneath his feet, Hui felt a stirring he couldn't put into words. It was as if he had escaped some kind of restraint.
So this was how beautiful a planet could be.
He looked down at the sea below, then toward the distant horizon, just barely visible.
Why did ninja have to wage war? If the land was truly so crowded, all they had to do was come up to the sky and look around. They would see a different world.
Hui thought he finally understood why his mother hated killing.
There were so many stars in the sky. Everyone could join hands, work together, and move toward a new beginning.
The fact that the Ōtsutsuki Clan and his father came from another planet had inspired this thought in Hui.
He seemed to have thought of a way to fulfill his mother's dream, but it was like a reflection in the water—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp it.
Watching the sun disappear completely below the distant horizon, Hui suddenly snapped back to his senses.
The world beneath his feet had fallen into darkness, and the cold wind in the sky brought a bone-deep chill.
I'll let time teach me, little by little. One day, I'll find the answer.
Hui finished training for the day and returned home.
As Hui excitedly told him about the new technique he had developed, Chuanhe listened in stunned silence.
He truly hadn't thought of using it this way. His son was far more talented than he could have imagined.
Maybe you'll surpass me before long, Chuanhe thought.
Hui was a little confused. If that wasn't what his father meant, how had he solved the problem of being a sitting duck in the sky?
[Space Leap]?
Without [Shortcut], that technique had a noticeable windup.
If he tried to dodge like that in the air, he'd be dead a hundred times over.
"Well, I'll keep you guessing for now. I'll tell you when I teach you the third lesson this weekend," Chuanhe said mysteriously.
The third lesson? Hui remembered. His father had said that dimensions would originally have been the third lesson.
Was light the third lesson now?
Could light let him move faster?
It wasn't just that he had used too much chakra today. His mind and body were both exhausted, too.
With those questions in mind, Hui fell into a deep sleep.
Tomorrow was the last day. He would have his answer soon.
Before you continue