Not Enough Muscle, Make Up for It with Chakra!

Qian Ye collapsed onto the cold wooden floor, clutching his calves with both hands.

The pain from the muscle cramps made him suck in several sharp breaths.

The physiques of those people in the Pirate World simply could not be measured by common sense.

Ordinary Marines hauled cannonballs and scrubbed decks aboard warships every day; their physical strength was absurdly high to begin with.

Though ninjas in the Naruto World possessed astonishing destructive power, their physical capabilities were not actually that outrageous.

Especially a civilian Genin like him, who had barely eaten meat a few times in his life. His foundation was pitifully weak.

With his current body, forcibly copying the Six Powers' purely physical exertion techniques would lead to only one outcome.

Before he mastered Geppo, both his legs would be ruined in the dormitory.

Qian Ye rubbed his aching calves as his mind rapidly analyzed the situation before him.

The Pirate World valued the body, while the Naruto World valued energy.

Since pure muscular explosiveness would not work, he could use an external force to compensate for his body's shortcomings.

He had chakra!

This miraculous energy called chakra could itself be used to enhance the body's vitality.

The Basic Body Flicker Technique taught at the Ninja Academy involved concentrating chakra beneath one's feet before releasing it in a brief burst.

But the Basic Body Flicker Technique had one fatal flaw.

It required hand seals before activation, and chakra's burst path was extremely fixed.

In a true life-or-death battle, even half a second of preparation for hand seals would be enough for an enemy to chop off his head.

What if he combined chakra bursts with the Marines' continuous stepping technique?

Qian Ye's eyes lit up. He immediately sat cross-legged and began refining chakra again.

Tiny streams of chakra flowed through his body bit by bit.

He carefully guided the energy, concentrating it in the muscles of his legs and the acupoints beneath his feet.

He did not intend to use chakra to directly generate propulsion. Instead, he would use it to stimulate his muscle fibers.

That would allow his muscles to gain explosive force beyond their usual limits for a short time.

Once he was ready, Qian Ye abruptly stood up.

Chakra surged rapidly through the meridians in his legs.

He raised his right foot and stomped down hard at the floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With the stimulation from chakra, his legs stomped the ground five times in rapid succession within an instant.

A powerful recoil surged up from beneath his feet.

Qian Ye could not control that force, and his entire body flew sideways.

He slammed heavily into the wooden dormitory door with a dull thud.

The door shook violently from the impact, dust pattering down from it.

Qian Ye lay sprawled on the floor, feeling as if his internal organs were churning.

Yet he could not stop himself from grinning.

He was on the right track!

The initial burst of speed just now had absolutely surpassed the limit of his full-speed running.

As long as he could control the chakra output and master the rhythm of his stomps—

He could create a chakra version of Geppo that required no hand seals at all.

Qian Ye climbed to his feet, dusted himself off, and threw himself back into training.

Failure. Crash into the wall.

Another failure. Fall flat on his face.

For the entire latter half of the night, dull impacts echoed continuously through the narrow single-person dormitory.

It was not until dawn was approaching that Qian Ye finally found that subtle point of balance.

He stood in the center of the room, his knees slightly bent.

Chakra adhered precisely to his muscle fibers.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

Ten rapid stomps in succession.

Qian Ye's figure vanished from where he stood.

The next moment, he appeared beside the windowsill three meters away.

No hand seals, no windup.

It was a pure burst of speed, so fast that even he could barely react to it.

Though the movement distance was only three meters, far inferior to the true Six Powers—

That three-meter burst of displacement could mean an extra life at a critical moment!

If he encountered a Sunagakure puppet ambush, he could use this move to unexpectedly widen the distance.

Qian Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath.

Just then, the Cross-Border Brothers Mutual Aid Group in his mind chimed twice.

[Zhao Hai]: "Damn, that's seriously impressive! Son, the stuff you gave me is incredible!"

[Zhao Hai]: "Holy crap! This chakra stuff is practically a divine skill!"

Qian Ye summoned the virtual screen. Looking at the messages in the chat window, the corners of his lips could not help but rise.

[Qian Ye]: "You refined it already? That fast?"

[Zhao Hai]: "Of course! I've had nine years of compulsory education, after all. My comprehension skills are top-notch."

[Zhao Hai]: "Not only did I get the hang of it, I even tried out the Transformation Technique."

Looking at Zhao Hai's messages, Qian Ye could practically feel his smugness through the screen.

In a backwater like East Blue, aside from the occasional Devil Fruit user passing through—

No one had ever seen a technique that could alter one's appearance at will.

In the Pirate World, the Transformation Technique was absolutely a top-tier skill for gathering intelligence and screwing people over.

[Qian Ye]: "Use it carefully. Don't let anyone spot a flaw."

[Zhao Hai]: "Relax, I know what I'm doing. That one attempt nearly drained me dry, so I wouldn't dare mess around with it. How are things on your end?"

[Qian Ye]: "I've figured out a little of the Marine combat techniques too. I made a simplified version of Geppo. It should be enough to keep me alive."

[Zhao Hai]: "That's good. You're heading to the front lines today, right? Don't get reckless. Staying alive is what matters most."

[Qian Ye]: "I know. That's enough for now. I need to gather with the others."

After closing the chat group, Qian Ye glanced outside the window.

The sky on the horizon had already begun to brighten.

Cold wind poured through the cracks in the window, carrying the distinctive chill of late autumn.

Qian Ye changed into his faded ninja clothes and stuffed his few Kunai and Shuriken into his Ninja Tool Pouch.

He also tucked the Marine handbook, carrying a briny sea scent, close against his body.

This was his greatest trump card at the moment. He absolutely could not lose it.

Once he had finished preparing, Qian Ye pushed open the door and strode toward the village entrance.

The streets of Konoha were especially deserted in the early morning.

The occasional villagers who were up early hurried along with unshakeable worry on their faces.

The shadow of war had already fallen over this once-prosperous village.

By the time Qian Ye arrived at the village entrance, more than a dozen people had already gathered there.

Several large carts loaded with supplies stood at the roadside.

The carts were covered with thick waterproof tarps, concealing Explosive Tags and medical supplies bound for the Kikyo Pass front lines.

Chunin squad leader Yamada stood beside the first cart, counting heads.

When he saw Qian Ye approach, Yamada's movements paused.

His gaze darted away, as though he did not dare meet Qian Ye's eyes.

Qian Ye understood perfectly well what Yamada felt guilty about.

Trading the life of a civilian orphan for the life of his own nephew—

Anyone would have trouble living with that.

But Yamada had still done it, because that was the cruel reality of the Ninja World.

Qian Ye did not expose the matter.

He merely walked quietly to the back of the group and stood in an inconspicuous spot.

At that moment, a burly ninja emerged from behind the supply carts.

He wore a Chunin flak jacket, and a savage scar ran from the corner of his eye to his chin.

He held a roster in his hand, his brow knotted tightly.

"Yamada, this is the replacement manpower you found for me?"

The scar-faced man walked up to Yamada and rudely pointed at Qian Ye at the back of the group.

"A civilian Genin who just graduated from the Ninja Academy?"

"Are you kidding me?"