Finally Mastered Fire Thunder God!

Days passed one by one. Word spread that Naruto had left the village with Jiraiya to train after waking up. Everyone was disappointed, but they could only accept it.

Ling Yue's life became a three-point routine: home, training ground, hospital.

Her frenzied training brought remarkable results.

Under the dual tempering of [Fortification] and [Armament Haki], her physical strength reached an astonishing level, while her chakra reserves and control rose right along with it.

The most crucial breakthrough came from [Thunder Breathing].

No longer satisfied with merely imitating forms and reinforcing herself with chakra, she began to deeply comprehend the balance between that unique breathing rhythm and the violent power of lightning.

Every breath drove chakra through her body like an electric current, stimulating every cell.

The sharp perception granted by [Beast Instinct] allowed her to grasp the subtle changes in her own energy more clearly.

[Healing Arts]' understanding of life energy also, in turn, helped her awaken the life potential within [Thunder Breathing].

High-intensity training, massive chakra expenditure and replenishment, plus a little luck and insight...

Finally, one stormy afternoon, after pushing herself to the limit again and again on the training ground, she seized that fleeting opportunity!

"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form..."

An unprecedented burst of blazing lightning erupted around her. It was no longer the blue-white or blood-red of before, but a stable golden-white that contained terrifying power!

The air ionized with sharp crackling explosions, and the ground split apart inch by inch from beneath her feet!

"Fire Thunder God!"

Her figure vanished completely! This was not high-speed movement like [Flash Step] or [Soru], but as if she had truly transformed into lightning itself!

A golden-white flash of electricity shot forward at a speed beyond the eye's ability to follow, instantly piercing through several massive trees a hundred meters away and leaving charred, lightning-struck holes through them!

The electric flash vanished in an instant. Ling Yue appeared at the end of the trail, dropping to one knee and gasping violently, smoke rising from her entire body as that single move nearly drained all her chakra.

Yet she felt incomparably happy!

She had succeeded! She had finally fully mastered [Fire Thunder God]!

Though the consumption was enormous and it could not be used as a regular technique, it was undoubtedly a powerful trump card! Ultimate speed and piercing power!

"Pika-pi!!" Pikachu on her shoulder was startled by the sudden eruption. Its fur stood on end, and its cheeks crackled as they spat out a string of sparks far larger than usual.

Ling Yue caught her breath and smiled as she stroked its head. "Don't be scared. I did it."

Feeling the emptiness of her chakra reserves and the faint tearing sensation in her meridians, she immediately circulated [Healing Arts] to repair and nourish them.

Her powerful physique and newly mastered medical energy allowed her to recover far faster than an ordinary person.

After mastering [Fire Thunder God], she became even more composed. Next, she began focusing on overcoming her other techniques.

Her [Railgun] practice had hit a bottleneck.

Ordinary shuriken simply could not withstand repeated electromagnetic acceleration. They would often warp beyond use after one or two shots, sometimes even exploding in the barrel.

She urgently needed special metal projectiles capable of enduring high-voltage currents and high-speed friction.

That day, carrying several warped shuriken fragments, she arrived at Tenten's family ninja tool shop.

"Welcome... Huh? Yue?" Tenten was organizing scrolls behind the counter and looked surprised when she saw Ling Yue.

"Tenten, there's something I wanted to ask you." Ling Yue took out the scraps of metal. "Have you seen this kind of metal before? Or do you know where I can get metal that's especially hard and especially conductive?"

Tenten took the warped shuriken and carefully examined the cuts and degree of deformation. Then she flicked it with a finger. "Wow, how much force did it take to bend this like that? What do you need this kind of metal for?"

"I'm practicing a new technique. It has pretty high requirements for the medium," Ling Yue answered vaguely.

Tenten tilted her head and thought for a moment. "A metal that's especially hard and conductive... I remember there being a small piece of Thundercloud Iron my father collected in the warehouse. Supposedly, it was found in a mineral vein struck by lightning. It conducts electricity extremely well and is very hard, but it's also especially heavy. There isn't much of it, and it's never really had any use."

"Can I take a look? I can buy it!"

"Why talk about buying it? Come with me." Tenten warmly grabbed Ling Yue and led her toward the storage room in the back courtyard.

The storeroom was piled with all kinds of ninja tools, materials, and Explosive Tags.

After searching for a while, Tenten brought out an inconspicuous little box. Inside lay a fist-sized piece of deep-blue metal that flickered with faint electric arcs. It was indeed extremely heavy in the hand.

"This is it. But with only this much, you couldn't make many shuriken, could you?"

Feeling Thundercloud Iron's exceptional conductivity and hardness, Ling Yue was overjoyed. "It's enough! If it can be made into standard shuriken size, three... no, two will be enough!"

What she needed were reusable specialized projectiles, not disposable ones.

"As for forging, the best craftsman in the village is..." Tenten began enthusiastically considering the options.

"There's no need to trouble a craftsman." Ling Yue smiled, an idea forming in her mind.

She thought of [Projection Magic: Basic]!

While projecting complicated weapons was impossible, if she used an actual object as a reference, perhaps she could project a specific shuriken with a relatively simple structure?

Even if it could not be maintained permanently, it would be enough to project one for a single use at a critical moment!

She chatted with Tenten a little longer and also stocked up on some ordinary shuriken and Explosive Tags.

Tenten's family shop carried a wide variety of ninja tools, opening Ling Yue's eyes. She even saw some specially made kunai with strange shapes and simple sealing formulas attached.

"These are all things I usually research. It's a shame that no one can make many of my ideas a reality."

"They're already amazing!" Ling Yue praised sincerely. Tenten's talent and creativity with weapons were seriously underestimated.

Ling Yue left the ninja tool shop in high spirits.

Thundercloud Iron had solved the ammunition problem for [Railgun], and her conversation with Tenten had also given her some new ideas. Perhaps she could ask Tenten to customize some special ninja tools for her in the future?

Over the following days, she polished the precious piece of Thundercloud Iron into two projectiles for [Railgun] while diligently practicing [Projection Magic: Basic], with the goal of projecting those two specialized shuriken.

Her progress was slow, but promising.

At the hospital, her [Healing Arts] became increasingly proficient. She even began attempting to treat some more complicated cases of meridian damage, earning Shizune's approval.

"Yue, you're very talented in medical ninjutsu, especially with this unique way you use energy." Shizune held Tonton in her arms as she commented, "Lady Tsunade has noticed as well. Maybe she'll have you join the medical department for further training someday."

Ling Yue smiled but did not respond.

Joining the medical department might be safer, but it was not what she wanted. Still, having another skill was always a good thing.

During that time, she also carried out several simple D-rank missions: weeding, finding cats, clearing river channels, and the like. Her temporary teammates were usually Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Neji, Rock Lee, or Tenten.

Kakashi seemed very busy and rarely showed himself. The new Team 7 lineup appeared to have been temporarily put on hold.

The Hidden Leaf Village seemed to have entered a rare period of peace, but Ling Yue could sense that undercurrents were still stirring beneath the surface.

That feeling of being watched still appeared from time to time, and [Beast Instinct] had made her more sensitive than ever.

She gave nothing away, merely gathering strength in silence.

That day, she was at the training ground testing the newly polished [Railgun] projectiles.

Aiming at a massive boulder a hundred meters away, she highly compressed lightning-nature chakra at her fingertips, forming a magnetic field!

Blue-white arcs of electricity writhed wildly! The air let out a high-frequency hum!

"Railgun!"

An orange beam instantly tore through the air and struck the center of the boulder with perfect accuracy!

The boulder was not shattered. Instead, a bowl-sized hole with smooth edges was punched straight through it! Its penetrating power was terrifying!

The recoil left Ling Yue's arm numb, and the attack consumed nearly a fifth of her chakra.

"Not bad power..." She looked at the puncture wound, fairly satisfied.

The noise and chakra consumption were just a little too great. It could only be used as a finishing move.

Pikachu on her shoulder was eager to try as well, sparks bursting wildly from its cheeks as if it wanted to learn it too.

Ling Yue smiled and flicked its forehead. "You've got a long way to go."

The setting sun stretched her shadow long.

Beneath the peaceful routine, strength was quietly growing.

When the storm came again, she had to possess the strength to face everything head-on.

She tightened her grip around the slightly warm Thundercloud Iron shuriken in her hand.

In the distance, Tsunade's figure silently appeared atop Hokage Rock. She gazed toward the training ground, her eyes deep.

"That lightning release... is interesting."