"Earth Style: Earth Style Wall!"
Three thick earthen walls suddenly rose from the ground, enclosing Ishii Kawa and Gong Yi for protection.
Although he had already learned the Three Body Technique and even developed a knockoff version of the Shadow Clone Technique, Gong Yi was still astonished to see a Ninjutsu that could create an earthen wall out of thin air.
So this is the power of Ninjutsu?
Gong Yi had no doubt that these three earthen walls could block a sudden attack from an enemy.
He punched one of the walls. Its solid thickness was proof of how well it could protect them.
Seeing Gong Yi's astonishment, Ishii Kawa smiled.
Gong Yi had always been calm and composed, rarely showing any unnecessary emotion. He even seemed so mature that people might mistake him for an adult.
Seeing Gong Yi's surprise now made Ishii Kawa feel rather pleased with himself.
However, as his teacher, he had to explain Ninjutsu thoroughly.
"The first Ninjutsu I taught you isn't offensive. Are you a little disappointed, Gong Yi?"
Gong Yi withdrew his hand from the wall and shook his head, his expression turning calm.
"No, I think it's great. Before thinking about how to kill an enemy, the most important thing is to protect yourself."
"Uh..."
Ishii Kawa gritted his teeth. His head was starting to hurt.
This student was almost too clever for his own good.
He began explaining the purpose of the Earth Style Wall, along with its Hand Seal sequence, the right moment to use it, and other important details.
"I only joined the battlefield near the end of the Second Shinobi World War. I never took part in any major battles, but I did encounter a few small-scale skirmishes."
"The Earth Style Wall is extremely effective in defending against attacks during small-scale battles. It saved my life several times."
"The Three Body Technique is too limited. As civilian shinobi, once war breaks out, we're very likely to become cannon fodder. With the Earth Style Wall to protect you, Gong Yi, your chances of surviving will be much higher. Only then will you have more opportunities to grow stronger."
As he spoke, Ishii Kawa couldn't help letting his personal feelings color his words.
He was a civilian shinobi too, though he had avoided the worst period of the Second Shinobi World War.
Even so, he still remembered some of the things the village had done.
And he resented them deeply!
Gong Yi listened quietly without offering any opinion.
Ishii Kawa sighed and said no more. Instead, he explained the Hand Seal sequence for the simple C-rank Ninjutsu, the Earth Style Wall.
"As a C-rank Ninjutsu, the Hand Seals aren't complicated: Rat, Ox, Monkey, Pig, Rooster. Five movements in all. Once you've mastered them, you'll be able to release it quickly."
"You had a practical sparring class today, so you must be tired. Get some rest early. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me later."
Ishii Kawa left, but Gong Yi didn't rest.
After casting the Recovery Technique on himself, he slowly made his way home, recalling every detail of Ishii Kawa's instruction as he walked.
Once home, Gong Yi sat quietly for ten minutes. Then he opened his eyes and went out to the vacant lot.
His slender fingers began to move, slowly forming the Hand Seals in the order Rat, Ox, Monkey, Pig, Rooster.
When he finished the sequence, Gong Yi slapped a palm against the ground and called out in a low voice.
"Earth Style: Earth Style Wall!"
Chakra surged out. The ground trembled slightly, and then a small mound of earth emerged.
Failed?
The corners of Gong Yi's mouth lifted. In his eyes, this already counted as a success.
Mastering any Ninjutsu required building up progress bit by bit. He had made a small mound of earth on his first attempt, so next time he would do better.
In the days that followed, Gong Yi added a new training regimen to his daily exercise.
He began training in the Earth Style Wall!
From the tiny mound of earth at first, to a fragile earthen wall a few days later, and then to a solid wall ten days after that, everything went according to Gong Yi's plan.
One night, Gong Yi stood in front of a two-meter-tall wall, deep in thought.
"Teacher Ishii can create three earthen walls with the same Ninjutsu, and they're all equally sturdy. But I can only make one?"
Frowning, Gong Yi ran his hand over the wall he had made.
In terms of thickness and hardness, it was already no weaker than the walls created by Ishii Kawa, a Chunin.
If Ishii Kawa had been keeping a close eye on Gong Yi during this time, he might have been astonished.
Even though the Earth Style Wall had a simple Hand Seal sequence, and even though it was only a C-rank Ninjutsu, Gong Yi had mastered it in just ten days. That alone was astonishing.
But Gong Yi didn't feel particularly pleased with himself.
He knew his own circumstances best.
The Recovery Technique granted by the Scholar System had helped him in ways that went far beyond what most people would imagine.
As everyone knew, training in Ninjutsu required constantly expending Chakra.
But a person's Chakra reserves were limited. Once they ran out, they had to spend time replenishing them before they could continue training in Ninjutsu.
The Recovery Technique saved Gong Yi from that process, allowing him to release Ninjutsu continuously!
If an ordinary Genin could use a C-rank Ninjutsu twenty times a day, then Gong Yi could use it ten times that many, or even a hundred times!
That was exactly why Gong Yi had been able to master the Ninjutsu so quickly.
Of course, it sounded wonderful, as if Gong Yi had unlimited Chakra.
But it wasn't actually that overpowered.
All he was saving was the time it took to recover his Chakra. His overall Chakra capacity hadn't increased!
For example, Gong Yi could use the Recovery Technique to keep releasing C-rank Ninjutsu. And with his physical and mental energy, he might even be able to use B-rank Ninjutsu.
But his Chakra limit made it difficult for him to complete even a single A-rank or S-rank Ninjutsu.
The Recovery Technique also took several minutes to work, but when using a high-level Ninjutsu, he wouldn't get the chance to pause midway, recover, and then continue forming Hand Seals.
Gong Yi sighed. He had a good idea why he could only create one wall while Ishii Kawa could create three.
"He's a veteran Chunin. He has more Chakra than I do. It's as simple as that."
Gong Yi bit his lip. This problem wasn't limited to the Earth Style Wall.
He would probably run into the same issue when he trained in other high-level Ninjutsu in the future.
So how could he solve it?
Gong Yi quickly found the answer.
"Bloodline! Tailed Beasts! Sage Mode! An extraordinarily strong body!"
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