A fierce, frigid wind swept across the battlefield. The low hiss of air, the clashing of weapons, and the cries of shinobi as they cut down their enemies or were killed in turn were enough to give an ordinary person nightmares for a month.
Corpses were scattered all over the ground. Whether they had been from Konoha or Iwagakure, death seemed to make no distinction between them. No one cared which side they had belonged to in life. At least, not now...
In an open patch of ground on the battlefield, a Konoha Ninja stood alone among several corpses. Judging by their clothing, they had all been Rock Ninja in life.
The Konoha Ninja was barely into his teens. His face was smeared with blood, and deep wounds covered his body, turning him into a bloody mess. Fortunately, they were all superficial injuries, and he had managed to keep going.
He breathed in short, quiet gasps, clearly trying to keep them under control. His bright eyes warily scanned his surroundings. In his dark pupils, indifference and ferocity—two utterly different qualities—alternated constantly...
The battle between Konoha and Iwagakure had been raging for several hours. Those unlucky enough to lack strength had all been killed, while even the fortunate and capable had fared little better.
The shinobi from both sides had been scattered by now. What had begun as a battle between units had turned entirely into individual skirmishes and chaotic melees.
This young Konoha Ninja was clearly among those who had both luck and strength on his side, because he was still alive.
"Thud!"
The young shinobi seemed to have rested enough. He took a step forward, only to plant his foot in a pool of blood. The force sent the blood, not yet congealed, splashing up and staining half his leg...
But he didn't care. He stepped over the pool and continued forward, breathing at a steady rhythm.
Suddenly, he stopped. Without any visible movement, a Kunai appeared in his hand. He raised it and slashed.
"Whish!"
A Kunai suddenly appeared in the air. He slashed at it with his own Kunai, splitting it in two and altering its trajectory. The pieces flew past him in a V-shaped path, one in front and one behind, before landing in the dirt...
"So you're a Wind Release user. No wonder our men were all killed in one strike. Only Lightning Release and Wind Release can so easily break through our village's unique Hardening Technique."
A low voice came from somewhere, though its owner remained out of sight.
"Too bad. Judging by the way you look, you must be out of strength, right?"
The voice continued to sound from all around him. Its owner seemed confident that his abilities would keep him hidden from his enemy.
At that moment, the young Konoha Ninja spoke.
"That technique of yours... It's Earth Hiding Technique, isn't it..."
He spoke slowly, as if he wasn't in a hurry at all.
"I've heard of it. It lets you hide and move through rocks or soil. But without rocks or soil, it's useless..."
"Not bad. For a Genin, you know quite a lot. But what can you do with that knowledge? I can't wait to see your face when you die."
The voice's owner seemed excessively talkative.
Truth be told, even a Jōnin ought to know better than to ramble too much in a fight. Yet, for some reason, people in this world who had even a little strength seemed to love doing it...
At least compared with the Rock Ninja hiding nearby, the young Konoha Ninja wasn't one for talk.
"You're the one who wasted time... because you gave me time to form my Hand Seals."
The young Konoha Ninja still spoke slowly. But as he finished, his seemingly exhausted body straightened, and he raised his right hand, revealing the hand he had kept hidden inside his long sleeve.
The next moment, a booming shout burst from his mouth.
"Secret Technique: Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice!"
There was no doubt about it: the young Konoha Ninja was Kagetsu Qi, who had already been separated from his teammates. After all, at present, he was the only Konoha Ninja in the entire Konoha Ninja Army who could use Ice Release...
"Rumble..."
The rumbling sound that Qi had been hearing for hours, until it had begun to grate on his nerves, came from beneath the ground. In an instant, a forest of Ice Thorn Forest spread outward in a ring centered on Qi. In the space of a single breath, everything within a hundred meters had become a world of ice.
In terms of spectacle, Ice Release wasn't much inferior to Wood Release. Qi's technique proved that. The difference between Ice Release and Wood Release lay not in their power, but in certain special effects.
During those hours of fighting, stopping, and resting, Qi had realized that his Ice Release seemed to have improved amid this extreme cycle of chakra depletion and replenishment. With the same amount of chakra, he could now create more ice, generate it faster, and control it more precisely.
He had a feeling that he might advance at any moment and gain Ice Release's first special ability.
Of course, he wasn't surprised. Or perhaps he no longer had the energy to be surprised. Ever since he had come to this world, he had encountered far too many strange things that completely contradicted the worldview he'd had before. He'd grown numb to them.
In any case, becoming stronger was good. Strength was what he lacked now, and he admired strength. Ogata had taught him all of that: strength was everything. At the very least, those without strength had no right to make lofty claims like "strength isn't everything."
The rich might think good health was more important than money, but the poor would rather have wealth than good health. Even though the two worlds were completely different and their people pursued entirely different things, their mindsets were much the same.
"Bastard!"
An enraged roar came from within the Ice Thorn Forest. A figure shot out of the vast spread of ice, trailing a red line of blood.
Earth Hiding Technique relied on rocks and soil. Remove its foundation, and the technique naturally failed...
"He's still alive?"
Though he had wounded the enemy, Qi wasn't pleased at all. Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice wasn't an ordinary technique. It was developed by the Yuki Clan, modeled on the First's Deep Forest Emergence.
Qi's abilities were still too limited. He could only create ice within a hundred meters of himself. According to the Yuki Secret Scroll, if he could unleash the true power of Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice, it would be no less lethal than the First's Deep Forest Emergence—even if it couldn't capture Tailed Beasts like Wood Release.
Within a thousand meters, all life was sealed in ice. That wasn't just the Yuki Clan boasting...
Supposedly, if one's strength was sufficient, they could seal even ten thousand meters in ice. But achieving that required both extreme control and a vast amount of chakra. Otherwise, the strain of a single technique could kill the user on the spot—or at least leave them half-dead...
Put simply, you needed chakra on the level of a Tailed Beast, along with an absurd degree of precise chakra control. Honestly, those requirements were just ridiculous. The Yuki Clan had never produced a monster like that...
But forget ten thousand meters; even a thousand was just a legend. Only the Yuki ancestor who created the technique had ever managed it. As for freezing everything within a hundred meters, only the elder who had given Qi the scroll had been able to manage it, and even then, barely.
As for Qi, he couldn't even claim to freeze anything. All he could do was create ice...
After all, to truly use Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice, the user had to master every special ability of Ice Release...
But that was also Ice Release's greatest advantage. Its so-called secret techniques were built up level by level. Even at the lower levels, it offered plenty of basic secret techniques to use.
"Bastard! Is that a Ninjutsu or a bloodline ability? If it's a Ninjutsu, hand it over and I'll spare your life!"
The Rock Ninja wounded by the ice thorns was clinging to an ice spike. Unlike the Rock Ninja Qi had encountered earlier, this one wore a proper shinobi combat uniform. In other words, he was a genuine Chunin!
But Qi wasn't afraid anymore. He knew that, in terms of individual fighting ability, he was now absolutely strong enough to qualify as an ordinary Chunin...
Chunin weren't on the same level as Jōnin. Their rank encompassed too many requirements for strength alone to be the deciding factor. Only elite Chunin were true experts, with both skill and brains, who had a chance of becoming Jōnin.
Qi figured that as long as he didn't run into someone as formidable as an elite Chunin, he had nothing to worry about.
"Beat me, and you'll get it."
Looking at the Rock Ninja clinging to the ice spike, Qi almost laughed. The man's vicious, greedy gaze didn't pressure him at all. If anything, it only made him seem more ridiculous.
Did he think that was all Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice could do? Even if Qi could only use an immature version of it for now, surely it wasn't that simple?
"You won't take a kind offer? Fine. Once I take you back to the village, you'll regret it."
The Rock Ninja's eyes grew even more venomous. Capturing an enemy and forcing them to reveal their Ninjutsu was also an important way for shinobi from every nation to acquire techniques.
So no one would pass up the chance to obtain a new technique if they could. But if this Rock Ninja took Qi back to his village, it meant he wouldn't get to keep this obviously powerful technique for himself, though he would still receive a reward.
If it was a bloodline ability, he wouldn't have bothered. Someone at his level couldn't figure out how to counter one. But if it was a Ninjutsu, he had no qualms about being the first to claim it.
"Greed really does cloud your judgment. It's the same everywhere."
Qi shook his head. He knew exactly what the Rock Ninja was thinking. By now, he had a pretty good understanding of the shinobi profession. But this man was being far too careless—or perhaps his head was muddled. He was still standing inside the range of Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice, as if he thought it were a one-use technique...
With that in mind, Qi extended his hand and pointed lightly at the Rock Ninja.
"This is my territory now. Your biggest mistake was not leaving immediately. But you won't get another chance. Die here!"
Though its range was only a hundred meters and it had no special effects, this version of Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice was still more than enough to kill an ordinary Chunin. Otherwise, Ice Release wouldn't be able to rival Wood Release...
As Qi spoke, the Ice Thorn Forest finally changed again...
"What?"
The first movement came from the ice spike beneath the Rock Ninja's feet. Several small ice spikes suddenly thrust up from its previously smooth surface and stabbed toward him!
"Damn it!"
The Rock Ninja was a Chunin, after all. He jumped away before the ice spikes emerged. Otherwise, they would have pierced his feet in an instant, and he'd have been done for.
Within the hundred-meter range of the Ice Thorn Forest, the clones he had planted in advance had long since been reduced to mush. He was the only one left...
But if that were all Qi could do, he wouldn't have declared that the man would die there. The entire Ice Thorn Forest was stirring now.
Ice crystals thicker than a person stretched out and fired countless ice spikes. At the same time, the ice formations began to shift and even sink, making it impossible for the Rock Ninja to judge which landing spot was truly safe.
"So... Ice Release has grown stronger..."
Feeling the chakra circulating steadily within him, Qi was satisfied. Controlling Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice at his current level was easier than he'd expected.
With this amount of chakra, he would previously have only been able to use a secret technique that struck everything within ten meters.
A fight to the death really was the best training... But the danger was way too damn high!
Even as Qi leisurely reflected on things, his control over Inch of Earth, Inch of Ice never faltered. Under his command, the entire Ice Thorn Forest went berserk, relentlessly hunting the Rock Ninja.
The Rock Ninja, whose name Qi still didn't know, looked utterly miserable. Countless ice formations surrounded him on all sides. If he hadn't been strong enough, they would have crushed him into minced meat and fed him to the mud long ago...
But even so, blood now covered him from head to toe, and he looked worse than Qi had earlier. He'd finally realized that some places were best avoided, and was desperately trying to escape the Ice Thorn Forest.
A Chunin was still a Chunin. Even an ordinary one had officially entered the ranks of the elite. They were nothing like Genin, and nothing like so-called Special Chunin either.
As the distance between them grew, Qi's attempts to block the Rock Ninja became less effective than before. The Ice Thorn Forest only covered a hundred meters, and the Rock Ninja seemed on the verge of breaking through its perimeter and escaping.
If that happened, Qi wouldn't necessarily be killed by the man—he was in terrible shape, after all—but Qi would lose his best chance to finish him off.
Qi wasn't one of those absurdly overpowered characters in cartoons who dragged out fights for no reason. The sort who could kill an enemy with one kick would still spend ten minutes fighting him. Qi wanted his enemies dead as quickly as possible. He didn't care how much strength it took. As long as the enemy was dead, he would be safe.
"How can I still not kill this guy?"
How could Qi let him escape? Ogata had taught him not to underestimate any enemy. From the Chunin level onward, shinobi truly entered the ranks of the strong. An ordinary Genin could never kill a Jōnin, but a Jōnin could still be caught off guard and killed by a Chunin. It had happened before.
Let a Genin escape? No big deal. So what if he got away? But letting a Chunin escape was absolutely unacceptable. He could turn around and bite back. More importantly, a Chunin had the means and the authority to bring a group of Genin, or even other Chunin, back to overwhelm you...
Qi understood the consequences of letting a Chunin escape, especially one who had made no secret of his greed for Qi's bloodline. If the other Rock Ninja found out, they might mark Qi as an important target. Then an elite Chunin—or even a Jōnin temporarily pulled away from another assignment—could show up, and Qi would be done for.
Given Ice Release's rank and potential, Qi thought he deserved that level of "special attention." For a shinobi village, acquiring a powerful, exceptional bloodline or secret technique could sometimes be more important than winning a local battle!
The fleeing Rock Ninja clearly knew Qi wouldn't let him go. With a shout, he swung his fists, knocking aside every ice formation that tried to block him.
"This guy... He's strong. He must be more than an ordinary Chunin. I only caught him off guard. That makes it even more important not to let him escape!"
Seeing the Rock Ninja knock several ice formations aside with his bare fists, Qi roughly understood his opponent's level. This was no ordinary Chunin. He was probably close to elite Chunin! Qi knew how hard the ice he created was. Anyone who tried to smash it with their fists would end up with every bone in their hands shattered.
If an opponent like that recovered his bearings, Qi would be in for a very bad time!
It was no longer a question of whether he should let the man escape. His own life was directly at stake!
"Stay right there!"
Qi's concentration sharpened to its limit. He brought his hands together in the Water Seal and increased his chakra output once more. The Ice Thorn Forest, which had begun to run out of steam, surged back to life. The ice formations around its outer edge, closest to the Rock Ninja, began to grow taller and taller.
"Move!"
Both of the Rock Ninja's fists had already turned black. He slammed them into the ice before him. That skin color was a sign that his Hardening Technique had reached a certain level, making his fists almost as hard as cast iron...
"Break through that, and I'll take your name!"
Qi sneered and poured out chakra recklessly. The Rock Ninja was stunned to see the ice formations he had smashed through restore themselves almost instantly. Though his blows sent ice chips flying everywhere, they didn't seem to do much.
"Hmph!"
But the Rock Ninja was stubborn. He kept pounding away, and at the same time, he extended his Hardening Technique across his entire body. For a moment, even the ice spikes under Qi's control couldn't pierce his skin!
Instead, the ice wall seemed to be reaching its limit...
"You've got a lot of nerve!"
Seeing what was happening, Qi grew furious. This Earth Release technique was way too annoying. Couldn't he make his defense any stronger?
"I'll smash you to pieces!"
Under Qi's control, the fused chakra spread from his body and melded into the surrounding air. In an instant, the temperature plunged even lower, and chunks of ice began to form out of thin air...
But just as Qi was preparing to hurl all that ice at the Rock Ninja, he suddenly felt something very strange...
It was almost as if the ice formations around him were "calling" to him. He suddenly felt a strong urge to step into them...
"This feeling... I can use the ice crystals to perform a space-time technique now?!"
Forget throwing ice blocks. Qi didn't even bother maintaining the ice wall anymore. With a tremendous crash, the ice wall at the edge of the Ice Thorn Forest was finally smashed apart by the Rock Ninja, who rushed through it.
But Qi didn't care anymore, because he knew the man was no longer his match!
This wasn't an ordinary improvement. It was an advancement to a new level, bringing an entirely different degree of power and ability.
"Crack..."
First one crack appeared, then two. Finally, the entire Ice Thorn Forest shattered with the sound of breaking glass, turning into sparkling ice dust that vanished into the air...
The powdery ice particles formed a thin mist, with Qi standing in its midst. A strange aura seemed to envelop him...
"Who are you? Tell me your name."
The Rock Ninja had just burst through the ice wall. He dispelled his Hardening Technique, which had taken a heavy toll on him as well. But the greed was gone from his eyes.
There was no doubt that Qi's strength had earned his "respect." Shinobi always respected strength.
"No need. There's no point in telling you if you're going to die."
Qi's voice drifted over, cold and eerie.
"Rock Ninja, I have to thank you. Without you, I might still be standing still. As thanks, I'll let you witness the true Ice Release technique!"
He was genuinely thrilled. After eight years of training in the Yuki Clan's bloodline abilities, he could finally use some true Ice Release secret techniques!