The Mark of the Strong

Since arriving in Konoha, the strength of Qi had been soaring like a rocket. Almost everyone who knew him assumed this was because he had become a disciple of Orochimaru and had also fought alongside Minato, receiving consistent guidance from two such powerhouses.

But in truth, Orochimaru had not taught him much in the way of actual techniques. Instead, he had focused more on guiding Qi through the theory of ninjutsu. As for Minato, it went without saying; even if he wanted to teach, he couldn't, because Qi was fundamentally incapable of understanding the spatial ninjutsu formulas he used.

Before coming to Konoha, what Qi lacked most was not combat experience or techniques to learn, but a fundamental understanding of ninjutsu—the very line that separated the masters from the weak.

The weak only knew how to release ninjutsu by rote, while the strong were able to fully grasp the principles behind these techniques, improve upon them, and even innovate. Kakashi was known as the most outstanding genius in Konoha's history precisely because he had touched upon this threshold at a very young age, creating the Chidori.

However, improving a technique is actually far more difficult than creating one from scratch. The Yuki Secret Scroll in Qi's possession described this very process in great detail. It contained not only the development of these secret arts but also the insights of many Yuki clan members who had re-developed and improved techniques based on their underlying principles, or even altered their combat styles entirely.

The Yuki clan did not possess many secret arts; this was a common trait of bloodline families. The bloodline techniques were limited in number, so the scroll was filled with these deeper insights. Previously, however, Qi had been unable to make sense of any of it.

Orochimaru understood this well, so he did not teach Qi any substantive ninjutsu. Instead, he specifically imparted the most basic theoretical knowledge. This finally allowed Qi to understand the principles of the Ice Release techniques in the Yuki Secret Scroll, which had previously looked like nothing more than gibberish to him.

The essence accumulated by countless generations finally led to a leap in his strength. Although he was currently still at the stage of "Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals," his actual combat power was more than ten times greater than when he had first reached this level.

For bloodline families, this was the most important asset. Protecting the bloodline was important, but without the experience and cognition accumulated by generations, outsiders could never unleash its true power even if they obtained it. Kakashi in the original story was a prime example of this.

And now, what Qi intended to use was an Ice Release combat style he had improved upon by simulating the powerhouses he had encountered during this period.

Who were the opponents he had encountered the most? They were the Iwagakure ninjas! And among the Iwagakure ninjas, the ones who left the deepest impression on him were the three elite jonin who had fought Minato! Their elusive, ghost-like combat style had shocked Qi deeply at the time.

It was precisely because he had witnessed the power of Iwagakure's Earth Release in close-quarters combat that he had used the ice layer to simulate the Earth Style: Earth Flow Burial, and now, he was going to simulate something else entirely.

"Stopped?"

Before the ninjutsu was even unleashed, everyone fighting in the arena noticed this change.

"Could it be that the chakra of that kid Qi is running low? But where is he?"

Xiu was the one who voiced this doubt. As for his own opponent, he had already been dealt with in the previous environment. His opponent was not a jonin and was effectively blind in such conditions, so Xiu, possessing the Sharingan, had finished him off with ease.

However, he still dared not move recklessly, knowing there were two other jonin-level enemies in the arena. If he joined Qi's fight, he might inadvertently cause trouble. In ninja duels, such interference was fraught with both opportunity and danger, and more often than not, it ended up being a hindrance.

Yet, the wind and snow around them had suddenly ceased. On this silver-white terrain, he could see absolutely nothing of Qi. All he could see was his master still trading blows with the two jonin, while on the other side, Qi's opponent had split into over a dozen clones and was sprinting toward the street corner.

"Damn it! That guy is going to get away!"

Thinking this, Xiu jumped three feet high, ready to give chase.

But a roar suddenly exploded in his ear...

"Move!"

A great force suddenly hoisted him up, retreating rapidly in the opposite direction. He looked back to see his master, Uchiha Kongci, though there was a smile on Kongci's face.

"Master!? What about Qi?"

Why retreat so suddenly? Could it be...

"Don't let your mind wander. Your friend is quite remarkable. Although he is not yet a true master, it won't be long before he is."

Kongci laughed heartily, his speed increasing once more.

"We have already won tonight. Now, we only need to watch what kind of technique that child uses to bring this to an end, right, Ogata?"

"Hmph!"

A cold snort rang out, and Xiu was surprised to see Qi's master appearing on his other side, his hands stained with blood.

"He's barely passable. It took him so many years just to reach the threshold; he really is a stupid apprentice!"

Ogata ignored Xiu's surprised gaze and muttered with clear dissatisfaction.

In an instant, Kongci, Ogata, and Xiu stopped in their tracks, having cleared the range of Qi's domain. Xiu finally reacted and quickly turned his head to look back at the arena.

The area covered by the ice and snow Qi had created was not large—only a few dozen meters across. After all, this was not the highest realm of Ice Release involving total freezing and crystallization, but merely the freezing of the ground and the creation of a blizzard.

At this moment, the young man's clones had already reached the boundary. Of the other two jonin, one had already fallen to the ground with a gaping hole in his chest, while the other was flying toward the young man!

"Ice River Torrent!"

It was at this moment that Qi's voice echoed from the entire ice field. Before the ninjutsu was even fully unleashed, it already carried an eerie, bone-chilling aura!

Drawing inspiration from the techniques of Gaara he had seen in his past life's anime, simulating the Iwagakure jonin's "Earth Style: Earth Flow Burial," and utilizing the principles of the Flowing Ice Barrier combined with the stealth characteristics of the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, Qi had unleashed the first ninjutsu of his own creation.

"BOOM!"

Accompanied by a roar like crashing waves, the once calm and solid ice layer suddenly erupted into a riot!

The first to suffer were the young man and his numerous clones who were sprinting. At that very instant, the ice beneath his feet suddenly turned into a vortex, and the feet of his main body and clones were pulled straight into the depths!

"Not good!"

The young man's face changed drastically. Being the main body, his strength was far superior to his clones, and at this moment, he dared not hoard his chakra any longer. He exploded with power, tearing himself from the frantically churning ice and leaping high into the air!

Yes, churning. The entire ice field was now acting like a swamp, rolling and roiling!

Those clones that failed to escape in time were simply swept up by the ice, sucked in, and ground to pieces!

"BANG!"

One after another, the sounds signaled the destruction of all the young man's clones, yet he had only just managed to leap into the air!

What in the hell is this? Those people in charge of gathering intelligence should be hanged!

But it wasn't over. In the young man's stunned gaze, the entire ice field, starting from the edges, suddenly flipped upward!

Judging by the posture, Qi intended to bury him alive using the ice! And judging by the constant grinding sounds coming from within the ice, if he were truly buried, he would be ground into countless pieces of flesh before he even ran out of oxygen—just like his clones!