Fleeting Light

The same valley. Beneath the dragon-like torrent of the waterfall, the bare-chested youth kept swinging his sword.

The waterfall's raging current battered his body, yet it only reddened his skin. His agile figure remained firmly standing.

"Four hundred ninety-eight, four hundred ninety-nine."

Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes. Surging Sword Intent erupted as he swept his sword horizontally.

"Fleeting Light."

The longsword flashed past, swift as thunder, slashing heavily through the waterfall.

Invincible Sword Qi shot forth.

At once, the rushing waterfall seemed to pause, revealing a massive gap. The Sword Qi continued its horizontal sweep and struck the hard mountain rock.

A huge gash appeared, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward. Chunks of shattered rock broke loose, crashing into the lake and splashing water high into the air.

In the distance, Hatake Sakumo showed a trace of surprise in his eyes and clicked his tongue in admiration.

What astonishing talent. He seemed born for the sword.

The more one gave, the more one gained.

After two months of hellish training, coupled with the intense stimulation of the secret medicine, Ryōken's chakra had broken through repeatedly, reaching the level of an elite Chunin in one stroke.

His physical strength had improved even more astonishingly. His speed and power were already comparable to those of an ordinary Jonin.

Even more formidable was his physical defense, which could now rival that of a Jonin specializing in taijutsu.

A taijutsu Jonin was someone who could become a Jonin through pure taijutsu alone.

Such people were exceedingly rare.

Only a handful had appeared in the original story. The most famous were naturally the three Might Guys, as well as the Raikage who cultivated Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

It could be said that with Ryōken's current defenses, directly withstanding some weaker C-rank ninjutsu was no longer a problem.

Moreover, during these past few months, Ryōken had also begun training in the Rasengan whenever he was home.

Although the Rasengan was an A-rank ninjutsu, its main difficulty lay in chakra control.

And Ryōken knew the Rasengan's training process, shortcuts, and key points.

Thus, it had not taken him long to complete the Rasengan's three training stages and master chakra shape transformation through it.

This showed that Ryōken's talent for chakra control was quite good. Of course, the Hatake Secret Medicine had also played a major role.

Otherwise, Fleeting Light would not have progressed so quickly.

Fleeting Light was the technique created by fusing Fearless Advance with Flash. It no longer had any distinction of rank.

As his strength increased, so would its power.

At this point, Ryōken had already surpassed the Chunin level. Calling him a Special Jonin would not be excessive.

However, there was still a considerable gap between him and a true Jonin.

In the original story, Kakashi became a Genin at five and advanced to Chunin at six.

Yet it took him a full six more years to become a Jonin.

This showed just how vast the difference between Chunin and Jonin was.

It was not merely about mastering chakra nature transformation. One also had to integrate it into one's chakra, thereby elevating the chakra's very essence. Only then could one become a true Jonin.

When a true Jonin cast ninjutsu, the chakra enhancement greatly amplified its power. It was simply incomparable.

Seeing the result of that slash, Ryōken nodded calmly. He pushed off with the tip of his foot, lightly leapt from the pillar, landed on the lake's surface, and walked toward the shore.

On the shore, Hiwa held Ryōken's clothes in her arms and watched him with a smile.

"Looks like you can use it normally now. Fleeting Light—nice name."

Hatake Sakumo said with a faint smile, his expression lazy and relaxed.

After speaking, he tossed Ryōken a token. "This is the third stage of training, and also the last."

Hearing this, a trace of reluctance appeared in Ryōken's eyes. During this time, he had come to acknowledge Hatake Sakumo.

He knew Hatake Sakumo had truly devoted himself to teaching him.

That was why he was so reluctant to hear this.

Still, he was not one to hesitate. A trace of determination appeared in his eyes as he declared firmly, "Teacher, I will not let Konoha down."

At the same time, he added silently, provided Konoha does not let me down.

"There are people in this peaceful and prosperous village whom I wish to protect as well."

Hatake Sakumo smiled in satisfaction. "Your teacher is the captain of the ANBU. The situation in the ninja world is growing increasingly chaotic, and I have more and more missions. Four months of teaching you is already my limit. It cannot be longer."

After a pause, he continued, "This is the token of the warden of Konoha Prison. The prisoners inside are all rogue ninja, most of them vicious criminals. When you can make them completely obedient, you will have passed. The means are unrestricted."

"At that time, you will be able to use this token to enter the ANBU and begin coming into contact with the true ninja world."

"Perhaps we may even fight side by side someday."

As he finished speaking, he laughed, anticipation showing in his eyes.

During this time, it was not only Ryōken who had come to acknowledge him. He had also acknowledged Ryōken, accepting this monstrously talented disciple with extraordinary comprehension.

In only four months, Ryōken had not only initially mastered Flash and broken through to the Chunin level in chakra, but his growth in Sword Intent was also not to be underestimated.

Ryōken nodded calmly, accepting the task.

"Ah, right. I also heard about Tsuki Uchiha. You had better not leave the village. Within Konoha, the Uchiha would not dare act openly, but once you leave the village, they will have no such restraints."

"I know Tsuki Uchiha's strength. At the very least, he is an elite Jonin. With his three-tomoe Sharingan, even I may not be able to take him down easily."

"Maintaining a certain level of deterrence is already my limit. The village needs harmony so that we can stand united against foreign enemies."

By the end, his tone had turned stern, but the concern in his eyes could not be concealed.

A trace of emotion appeared in Ryōken's eyes. Even the White Fang of Konoha seemed small and alone when facing the entire Uchiha clan.

This was not the Uchiha clan of Konoha's Year 60, whose strength in every aspect had been suppressed to the limit.

The foundation of the strongest clan still remained.

Ryōken had not expected that Hatake Sakumo had already done so much for him in secret.

But how could he forget the humiliation of the past?

Ryōken's gaze flickered. He nodded noncommittally, revealing none of his thoughts.

The next morning.

Ryōken finished preparing and left home, heading straight for Konoha Prison.

Konoha Prison, also known as the Penal Facility, was a building constructed in the middle of a lava lake. In the original story, Mizuki, who tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals, was imprisoned here.

Of course, this was only Konoha's Year 31. Whether Mizuki had even been born was still a question.

As he proceeded, considering his plan, Ryōken soon arrived beneath the watchtower by the lava lake. He looked up at the Chunin responsible for management atop the tower.

"Hey, brat, this isn't a place you should be."

The Chunin on the tower had naturally noticed Ryōken long ago and called out loudly.

Ryōken remained calm and raised the token in his hand.

The Chunin initially looked unconcerned and was about to continue mocking him. This godforsaken place was terribly boring.

Then his eyes swept over the token, and he recognized it. His expression immediately changed in shock. He hurried down from the tower and stared at Ryōken with uncertainty, his face full of disbelief.

A child no older than ten suddenly arriving with the warden's token was simply too hard to believe.

Seeing this, Ryōken could not be bothered with nonsense. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and sharp Sword Intent burst from his body, whistling across the air and raging between heaven and earth.

Bone-chillingly cold.

An intense pressure bore down upon him.

Sword Intent—the legendary Sword Intent. It's Ryōken.

The ninja cried out inwardly. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, drenched in sweat. He hurriedly bowed and said respectfully, "Lord Warden."

Ryōken's face revealed neither joy nor anger as he took the lead inside. The ninja followed behind, humbly introducing the prison's details while sighing inwardly.

As expected of the monstrous Ryōken. It has only been four months since I last saw him, yet his Sword Intent can already exert such terrifying pressure on me.

He had also been present during the combat assessment and had personally witnessed Ryōken's rise, so he naturally understood Ryōken's talent very well.

His own life would amount to no more than this, but Ryōken's future was boundless. So long as he did not die, he would become another guardian deity of Konoha. Such a person naturally deserved his heartfelt respect.

In this era of constant war, where one could not even be sure of surviving until tomorrow, strength was synonymous with everything.

The two crossed the bridge and arrived at an open worksite. A group of people wearing iron shackles on their hands were working there, around three hundred in total. Several Konoha ninja stood around supervising them.

It was obvious that those prisoners were not obedient. From time to time, they even dared to talk back or go on strike.

The Konoha ninja could only watch helplessly, looking rather frustrated.

"My lord, this is the daily labor routine. These are all the prisoners in the prison. There are nearly fifty Chunin held here, while the rest are all Genin."

Ryōken nodded noncommittally. After looking around, he formed a plan.

These imprisoned ninja would likely be sent to the battlefield as cannon fodder in the future.

As long as they were promised redemption through earning military merit, they would likely provide a group of formidable ninja willing to fight without regard for their lives. It was naturally a highly profitable deal.

Arriving at the worksite's only exit, Ryōken slowly inhaled the slightly scorching air, then suddenly shouted. His somewhat youthful voice instantly rang across the entire site.

"All of you, look here!"

The rolling sound waves carried a trace of chakra, actually producing an effect nearly akin to a miniature Wind Release.