Shadow Manipulation Technique Fails

Yin Xiang attempted to channel his chakra into his shadow. The chakra flowed from his body downward, all the way to the soles of his feet, and the final step was to inject it into the shadow.

However, at this final step, Yin Xiang's chakra did not enter the shadow as he had imagined; instead, it seeped into the ground. The ground suddenly let out a boom and sank slightly, but the shadow showed no reaction at all.

"It's useless..." Yin Xiang whispered, releasing his hand seals. Given the precision of his chakra control, it was impossible for him to have made an error in the injection process. This meant that the Shadow Possession Jutsu was not simply about injecting chakra into the shadow.

"If it's not injected into the shadow, then where could it be injected? Or is it a matter of releasing chakra? To wrap around the shadow?" Yin Xiang pondered. He released his chakra once more, covering the shadow on the ground. A layer of pale blue chakra coated the shadow beneath his feet.

Under Yin Xiang's precise control, the shadow seemed to have a slight reaction, but it quickly calmed down, rippling only faintly, much like a slight disturbance on the surface of a calm lake.

Yet, this subtle ripple was still caught by Yin Xiang.

"It can work!" Yin Xiang saw hope and was immediately overjoyed. He injected more chakra into his feet, and the shadow indeed produced a larger ripple. However, although the disturbance was greater this time, it soon returned to stillness.

"...Still no good?" Yin Xiang frowned, but he refused to give up. He tried again... and again. It wasn't until the tenth attempt that Yin Xiang finally understood that this method wouldn't work either.

"Although this doesn't trigger the Shadow Possession Jutsu, at least the direction is correct. If I keep researching like this, I should be able to successfully imitate the Shadow Imitation Jutsu." A smile appeared on Yin Xiang's face. After all, it was someone else's secret technique, and he hadn't expected to figure it out so quickly. Besides, other than Wind and Lightning Style ninjutsu, he didn't have the talent to master every technique at a glance.

"Without realizing it, it's already dark. Time to eat." Yin Xiang shook his hands, walked back home, cooked himself a meal, and went to sleep after eating.

The next morning, Yin Xiang grabbed a quick bite and headed to Training Ground No. 3.

Shikaku had arrived as well, and the two walked toward each other from different directions.

"What are we doing today? A mission?"

"I'll be taking you on missions from now on, so I need to test your strength first. Let's do it here." Shikaku stopped in a clearing within the forest; the area wasn't very large.

"Alright." Yin Xiang agreed immediately, flashing back a good distance to stand five meters in front of Shikaku.

This is a great opportunity to observe the Shadow Possession Jutsu at close range, Yin Xiang thought to himself.

"Come on." Shikaku stood his ground and held out a hand toward Yin Xiang, signaling that he could begin.

Combat isn't the goal; the goal is to observe the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Yin Xiang set his task, grabbed a kunai, and lunged forward, starting with taijutsu to trade blows with Shikaku.

Shikaku also drew a kunai, and the two weapons clashed. Shikaku felt the strength in Yin Xiang's wrists and arms; as the kunai collided, Yin Xiang drew another one with his left hand and swung it.

Shikaku used his wrist to push away Yin Xiang's right hand, blocked the incoming kunai from the left, and kicked toward Yin Xiang's chest.

Seeing this, Yin Xiang blocked with his right arm. He was struck by Shikaku's kick and sent flying backward, but he used the momentum to flip in the air and land steadily on his feet.

"Strength, speed, and reflexes are all good. Continue." Shikaku evaluated Yin Xiang's previous movements.

"Yes." Yin Xiang nodded, feeling a surge of excitement. This was his first time fighting in the way of a ninja, rather than the roughhousing of children. Even though it was a test of strength, it at least counted as some practical experience now that he was a ninja.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Yin Xiang performed the hand seals, and a Great Breakthrough gust attacked Shikaku. As the technique surged forward, Yin Xiang threw a kunai accelerated by Lightning Style chakra, using the gust to propel it toward Shikaku at blinding speed.

The speed was so great that it was impossible to dodge. Yin Xiang's move made Shikaku's eyes widen, but it was too late. The kunai struck Shikaku's chest directly, and then he was knocked over by the Great Breakthrough, rolling quite a distance along the ground in a disheveled state.

"Shikaku-sensei!" Yin Xiang ran over immediately. When he reached Shikaku, there was a soft poof.

The Shikaku on the ground turned into a log, and a kunai was pressed against the back of Yin Xiang's head. "Never let your guard down."

Yin Xiang turned around slowly. Shikaku was standing behind him. The moment Yin Xiang had started his hand seals, Shikaku had secretly performed the Substitution Jutsu. Although he didn't know what ninjutsu Yin Xiang would use, he had chosen to use the substitution to evade.

At the same time, Shikaku felt a sense of relief. It was fortunate he had used the Substitution Jutsu; otherwise, the fate of that log would have been his own. This kid's move was truly impressive.

"Using Lightning Style to accelerate a thrown kunai, then using Great Breakthrough to further accelerate the already lightning-boosted kunai—making it move so fast it's impossible to dodge. It looked like an attack from the Great Breakthrough, but in reality, it was a high-speed, high-power Lightning Style kunai. That's a great move." Shikaku put away the kunai he had held to Yin Xiang's head and praised him.

"But you still dodged it, Shikaku-sensei," Yin Xiang said, pulling the kunai out of the log. "As expected, you're much better."

"If that weren't the case, how could I be your teacher?" Shikaku smiled. "Your strength is excellent. That Lightning Style kunai move—even if it isn't a formal ninjutsu—already has the power of a B-rank technique after acceleration, and it consumes very little chakra."

"You have the strength; you only lack combat experience. Once you accumulate enough, the Chunin Exams will be a breeze for you."

"The Chunin Exams are still a long way off. I will definitely accumulate enough combat experience before then!" Yin Xiang nodded firmly.

"Actually, logically speaking, with your strength, we could do C-rank missions now. But a C-rank mission requires at least a three-man squad, so we have to team up with others to take them. Since everyone else is still doing D-rank missions, we'll have to settle for those to pass the time," Shikaku told him.

"..." Yin Xiang was speechless. "Can we skip the D-rank missions and just train until they're ready for C-rank ones?"