Chunin Achieved

After wiping out Arlong's crew, Gato set out once more. It was time to enter the world of the strong—the Grand Line.

Reverse Mountain was the starting point of the Grand Line, the place where dreams truly began. Pirates who had yet to cross it were merely playing at being pirates.

His battle with Arlong had done nothing to improve his cultivation; after all, it had been nothing more than a slaughter. But he had already been just one step away from a breakthrough, so he devoted all his energy to cultivating chakra.

He had even temporarily set aside training in the Lightning Living Body Technique, only circulating it slightly from time to time to maintain his condition.

He estimated that he would break through to the Chunin level before reaching Reverse Mountain. His strength would then undergo another great leap.

Only five days had passed when Gato sensed something different. The chakra within his body was rapidly increasing, reaching an unprecedented height.

"Gahahaha, so this is what it feels like to become a Chunin."

"Lightning Release—Divine Void Strike!"

With a wave of one hand, Gato fired out a streak of lightning that blasted into the sea.

Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere, raising enormous waves that actually rocked even Gato's ship, which had been as steady as a mountain.

"Very good."

Gato smiled and withdrew his fist. Though he had still used an incomplete version of Divine Void Strike, there were differences even between incomplete versions. This phantom was clearly far more solid than the one he had produced before.

Moreover, he felt that he could cast a ninjutsu like this several more times. Divine Void Strike was no longer merely a skill for saving his life.

In fact, aside from Roaring Thunder Armor and Divine Void Strike, none of his other ninjutsu had this special trait—allowing him to wield a portion of their power while he was still a Genin.

It had been mentioned before that among the techniques Princess Kaguya had given Gato, the lowest difficulty was B-rank. Therefore, Gato could only use these B-rank ninjutsu after becoming a Chunin.

The B-rank ninjutsu Princess Kaguya gave Gato were not trash like the Great Fireball Technique that the Uchiha used for beginner instruction. They were ninjutsu that normally possessed B-rank power, so naturally, they were far more difficult.

Only chakra at the Chunin level could sustain the consumption of these techniques.

Even so, B-rank ninjutsu were still the most inferior techniques among those Princess Kaguya had given Gato. There were very few of them—only two. One Water Release ninjutsu, one Wind Release ninjutsu, and one genjutsu.

Naturally, Gato could not use the Water Release ninjutsu yet, but he could already begin training in the Wind Release and genjutsu.

Because these ninjutsu had already been deeply imprinted in his mind, becoming almost instinctive, his so-called ninjutsu training would succeed as long as he learned the hand seals.

What Princess Kaguya had done was practically the same as directly instilling enlightenment into him.

It was truly infuriating. Other ninjas did not have Gato's good fortune. When they learned a ninjutsu, hand seals were secondary; the key was figuring out how chakra needed to circulate.

Even if an experienced ninja taught them personally, it would still remain somewhat unclear. They could only slowly feel their way through it.

But Gato was now like someone born with innate knowledge. He understood everything about these ninjutsu, and a few attempts were all it took. The hand seals were actually more difficult.

After all, hand seals required muscle memory. No one else could help with that; he could only practice them himself.

Moreover, the gestures used for ninja hand seals were quite difficult. Ordinary people could not even imitate them slowly once through, much less use them in battle.

Only if one could complete every seal required for a ninjutsu within a second would that ninjutsu have practical value in a battle between experts.

Otherwise, if someone cut you down before you had even finished your seals, what use would that ninjutsu be, even if it could destroy heaven and earth?

Therefore, techniques like the Rasengan and Lightning Blade could not be mastered immediately even if Princess Kaguya instilled them into Gato, because they involved changes in chakra form rather than simple circulation.

Like muscle memory, changes in chakra form and chakra nature required extensive practice before they could be used skillfully.

Princess Kaguya had not taught Gato those two techniques. One reason was their difficulty; another was that every technique she gave him possessed something unique. They were not merely powerful.

Princess Kaguya had as many techniques that pursued pure destructive power as she wanted, so she felt there was no need to give him those two.

Roaring Thunder Armor, for example, also functioned as a cultivation technique and could temper the body.

Divine Void Strike, meanwhile, possessed enormous potential. In the end, it could reach the pinnacle of taijutsu and bring out his own strength most perfectly.

The Wind Release and genjutsu Gato could learn next were much the same, each with its own marvelous qualities.

Awkwardly forming a hand seal, he said in a low voice, "Wind Release—Divine Wind Control."

Whoosh!

A pair of white wings suddenly appeared behind Gato. Centered on him, fierce winds erupted. The wind affected an extremely wide area and was not confined to his immediate surroundings.

The surrounding sea seemed to grow violent as raging waves rose. Fortunately, his ship was large and stable enough; if it had been even a little less steady, it would have been overturned.

His feet slowly left the ground. As the wings behind him grew more solid, he rose higher into the air, and the wind grew stronger.

With a thought, Gato turned and flipped through the air. Throughout the process, the "wings" behind him had not moved at all.

Wind Release—Divine Wind Control was a ninjutsu that controlled the direction and speed of the surrounding wind. Those white wings were actually formed from Gato's Wind Release chakra, serving as both the symbol and medium of his control over hurricanes.

In truth, the medium could take any form. He had merely flashily shaped it into wings because he thought it might look cooler.

Unlike other Wind Release ninjutsu, it possessed no powerful offensive or cutting properties. What Divine Wind Control controlled was wind in the truest sense of the word; at most, it could drive people away.

Because of this, the technique had an area of influence far greater than other Wind Release ninjutsu.

In the ninja world, this technique might have given Gato only the ability to fly. But this was a pirate world centered on the sea. Its usefulness was second only to Water Release and held strategic significance.

No matter how strong one was, travel in this world still primarily depended on sailing ships. Yet Gato could control the force those ships relied on—the wind. Therefore, even though this technique itself was not especially destructive, Gato was very satisfied with it.

Before he learned Water Release, it would become Gato's greatest support. Divine Wind Control would not greatly increase his combat strength, but it would vastly improve his ability to protect himself and his mobility.

Only after his chakra had been almost completely drained did Gato stop maintaining the ninjutsu. He landed on the deck, and the wings behind him slowly faded away.

The wind ceased. Only the endlessly churning waves still showed that what had happened here was not an illusion.

Gato did not practice the remaining genjutsu. It had to be used on a person, and with no target available now, he could only leave it for later.