The deeper Su Ye ventured into the forest, the thicker the fog grew. The damp air was heavy with the scent of soil and vegetation. Using the Rinne Sharingan's dynamic vision, he avoided tangled vines and concealed traps as he headed toward the natural hot spring he remembered. Every step was feather-light, chakra flowing steadily through the soles of his feet to quiet his movements and prepare him for any sudden danger.
Half an hour later, a waft of warm steam drifted over on the breeze. Su Ye's eyes lit up. In a clearing ahead lay a round hot spring, its surface shrouded in white mist. Moss covered the surrounding rocks, and a faint blue glow shimmered across the water. It clearly contained an abundance of Natural Energy.
"This is the place." Su Ye hurried over and tested the water with his hand. It was just right—not too hot or too cold. He didn't enter the spring straightaway. Instead, he first placed several simple Perception Runes around the area. It was a little trick he'd developed from the system's basic ninjutsu library, allowing him to sense chakra fluctuations within ten zhang and avoid being caught off guard.
Once he had secured the area, Su Ye took off his outer clothes and stepped into the hot spring. The warm water enveloped him, and most of his fatigue vanished in an instant. Even more surprising, the Natural Energy in the spring seemed alive. It flowed toward him of its own accord, seeping through his pores and slowly merging with his chakra.
"This is perfect for training my chakra extraction technique." Su Ye closed his eyes and circulated his chakra according to the optimized extraction method unlocked by the system. The Natural Energy, which normally required deliberate guidance, now flowed into his chakra reserves on its own. His chakra levels rose at a visible rate, and the chakra was purer than what he usually extracted.
The Rinne Sharingan in his left eye quietly lit up, crimson and indigo patterns swirling across his pupil. Su Ye tried using the Rinne Sharingan to analyze the flow of Natural Energy. He saw countless tiny blue motes darting through the hot spring. After entering his body, they mingled with his chakra to form a new current of energy. It not only increased his overall chakra reserves but also slowly healed the lingering injuries from his previous battle.
"So the Rinne Sharingan can analyze the flow of energy, too. That might help when I learn Senjutsu." Su Ye was pleased by the discovery and focused even more intently on his training. Time passed, and the Natural Energy in the hot spring gradually thinned. His chakra had fully recovered and even grown by nearly a tenth, while his Basic Chakra Extraction Technique seemed on the verge of a breakthrough.
Just as Su Ye was about to consolidate his gains, the Perception Runes he had placed sent a faint tremor through him. Ten zhang away, an unfamiliar chakra signature was approaching. Its fluctuations were extremely faint and well concealed; if not for the Natural Energy in the hot spring amplifying his senses, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
"An Anbu?" Su Ye instantly grew wary. Almost no one besides Konoha Anbu could conceal their chakra so skillfully deep in the forest. He swiftly suppressed his own chakra and sank into the hot spring until only his head was above the water. The Rinne Sharingan remained active in his left eye as he fixed his gaze on the direction the Perception Runes had warned him about.
A moment later, a figure in black combat gear and a cat-faced mask emerged from the trees. The stranger moved lightly and landed without a sound, a short blade in hand. Chakra flowed around him like water, neither leaking outward nor breaking off. He was clearly an experienced Anbu operative.
The Anbu operative reached the Perception Runes and paused slightly, as if sensing something. He raised a hand and made a small sweeping motion through the air. Su Ye's Perception Runes shattered at once, dissolving into specks of light.
He really did sense them. Su Ye's heart sank. His fingers quietly reached for the Kunai beside the hot spring, which he had taken from the system space and hidden in a crack between the rocks. He didn't make a move, choosing instead to watch and figure out what the other man wanted.
The Anbu operative didn't approach the hot spring right away. He stood where he was, slowly spreading his chakra as if probing the surroundings. Su Ye held his breath and suppressed his chakra as much as possible, keeping his Rinne Sharingan trained on the man's movements. He noticed the operative's gaze repeatedly sweeping toward the hot spring. The man had clearly sensed someone there and was only checking whether they posed a threat.
Then, without warning, the Anbu operative moved! He shot toward the hot spring like a phantom, his short blade flashing as he thrust it straight at the rock behind which Su Ye was hiding!
Su Ye was ready. The moment the man moved, chakra burst from the soles of his feet, sending him leaping toward the other side of the hot spring like an arrow loosed from a bow. At the same time, he drew a Kunai and flung three of them toward the Anbu operative. They flew along tricky trajectories, aimed at the man's wrist, knee, and the gap in his mask.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The Anbu operative reacted with lightning speed, sweeping his short blade in front of him to knock away all the Kunai. He kept moving, pressing toward Su Ye, surprise flashing in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected this "civilian ninja" to react so quickly or throw his weapons with such precision.
Su Ye landed and didn't linger to fight. He turned and ran deeper into the forest. At his current strength, he had no chance against an Anbu operative in a direct fight. Besides, the man might not be an enemy; attacking recklessly would only reveal more of his abilities.
"Stop!" The Anbu operative's voice came from behind him, edged with coldness. He didn't use ninjutsu, relying instead on sheer speed to pursue Su Ye. His chakra remained at a low level, showing that he didn't want to startle the other creatures nearby.
Su Ye didn't look back. He sped up, chakra gathering behind him in faint afterimages. It was a little trick he had developed by combining it with "Enhanced Dynamic Vision," and it could throw off an opponent's tracking. But the Anbu operative was faster, and the distance between them kept shrinking.
Just as Su Ye was about to be caught, he suddenly turned around. The Rinne Sharingan in his left eye blazed. "Heavenly Hand Power!"
With a low shout, Su Ye instantly switched places with a nearby tree. The Anbu operative lunged at empty air. As he started to change direction, Su Ye hurled three smoke bombs onto the ground. White smoke billowed out at once, blocking the man's view.
"What is this... Space-Time Ninjutsu?" Surprise colored the Anbu operative's voice, but he didn't panic. He quickly formed Hand Seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust burst from the Anbu operative's hands, scattering the smoke at once. But Su Ye had already vanished. Only a few leaves, blown loose by the wind, drifted slowly to the ground.
The Anbu operative stood still, staring in the direction Su Ye had disappeared. His fingers tapped lightly against his short blade, and his expression beneath the mask grew grave. "He can use Space-Time Ninjutsu, control his chakra precisely, and conceal his movements... What's the story behind this mysterious ninja?"
He didn't continue the pursuit. Instead, he took out a communication talisman, channeled chakra into it, and crushed it. He needed to report what had happened to Anbu headquarters, especially the ability that seemed to be Space-Time Ninjutsu. It might be connected to the "fugitive" from the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
By then, Su Ye had used Heavenly Hand Power to hide in a tree a hundred meters away, his presence completely concealed. Leaning against the trunk, he gasped for breath, but his heart was full of wariness. "Anbu have started scouting deep into the forest. I can't stay here much longer. I need to get stronger as quickly as possible and prepare for the Anbu assessment."
He glanced at the sky. The setting sun cast its last light through gaps in the canopy, and night was about to fall. Su Ye wasted no time. He took a chakra recovery potion from the system space and drank it, then resumed his extraction technique and headed for a more secluded part of the forest. He needed to find a safer place to practice combining basic ninjutsu with the Rinne Sharingan's abilities and prepare for the Anbu assessment a month away.
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