Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique

In the forty-second year of Konoha, after spending a year at the Ninja Academy, he was still the dead last in physical fitness, with ninja tool throwing skills too awful to look at. Yet, in the unseen realms of the mind and theory, his progress had been astonishingly rapid.

He had long since read Shaliu's scroll of insights on Wind and Earth Release cultivation countless times. Though his thread-thin chakra prevented any actual practice, that did not stop him from repeatedly deducing and simulating everything in his mind—the sequence of each hand seal, the flow path of every wisp of chakra, and how they drew upon natural energy to produce the corresponding release techniques. His immense mental energy and exceptional memory made this kind of "armchair theorizing" remarkably effective.

His chakra control had also been honed to an increasingly monstrous degree through this extreme "microscopic" training. Manipulating that single wisp of chakra was like using the most precise instrument to control an embroidery needle; it demanded absolute accuracy and stability, not brute force.

One afternoon, the weather was unusually less scorching. Shaye was alone in the small courtyard at home. Looking at the dry sandy ground beneath his feet, a thought he could not suppress surfaced—he wanted to try the Earth Release technique he had simulated countless times in his mind.

He chose the most basic D-rank Earth Release technique—Double Suicide Decapitation Technique. This technique was not intended for direct attack. It infused chakra into the ground, softened the earth around the user, allowed the user to sink underground, then launched a surprise attack from beneath the enemy's feet, dragging them into the soil with only their head left exposed. It was an auxiliary ninjutsu that emphasized technique and surprise attacks.

"In theory, this technique doesn't require an especially large amount of chakra. It focuses more on the instantaneous release of chakra and the precise alteration of soil properties..." Shaye recalled the key points from the scroll and his own analysis. "With my control... perhaps I can try operating it at minimum power?"

His intense curiosity and desire to put it into practice overwhelmed everything else. He took a deep breath and began forming hand seals, slowly but extraordinarily steadily—Ram, Snake, Tiger. Every seal was as standard as a textbook illustration, the result of thousands upon thousands of repetitions in his mind.

At the same time, he precisely mobilized the pitiful wisp of chakra within his body, circulating it along a specific meridian route before finally concentrating it in his feet.

"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"

He shouted low and fiercely injected chakra into the ground beneath his feet!

Bzz...

A weak but exceptionally precise chakra fluctuation spread outward. The ground beneath his feet instantly turned soft and muddy, like quicksand. His body immediately began to sink!

It worked! Shaye's heart surged with excitement.

However, the joy of success lasted less than a second.

Just as he had sunk into the earth up to his shoulders and was preparing to use chakra to maintain a small underground space and move according to the technique's principles, a problem arose—his chakra had run out!

That wisp of chakra, controlled with such precision, had only been enough to complete the first step: softening the ground and sinking into it. As for the continuous chakra output required to "maintain underground space" and "move through the earth," that was utterly impossible for him!

His descent came to an abrupt halt.

He was like a radish planted in the ground, completely buried below the neck in the softened soil, with only his small head exposed. Without chakra to sustain it, the soft dirt quickly began to harden and compact, trapping him firmly within it!

"???"

Shaye froze. He tried to struggle, but his body was tightly wrapped in the rapidly solidifying dirt, and he could not move at all. With only his head sticking out, he looked utterly ridiculous—and somewhat pitiful.

He tried to mobilize his chakra, but his body was completely empty. That lone wisp had been used up cleanly. His powerful mental energy was useless at this moment; even the cleverest housewife could not cook without rice.

The sun slowly set, stretching his shadow long—though it was only the shadow of a head. The courtyard was quiet, save for the faint sound of wind sweeping across the sand and gravel. For the first time, Shaye experienced what it truly meant to be completely unable to move.

He began reflecting on the entire process and analyzing the reason for his failure. "Calculation error. I underestimated the technique's sustained consumption and overestimated my total chakra volume. The energy output was precisely controlled, but insufficient total energy reserves are a critical weakness. I need to remodel the process, or... find a lower-consumption alternative..." He was completely immersed in technical analysis, even temporarily forgetting the embarrassing predicament of being stuck in the ground.

After an unknown amount of time, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Shaliu, returning home from work with weary steps, entered the courtyard and habitually wanted to see what his son was doing. Then he saw an astonishing sight—in the middle of the flat ground in his yard, a little head had suddenly sprouted! It was his son, Shaye! Those black eyes were looking at him, filled with calm analysis... and a trace of helpless embarrassment.

"...Shaye?" Shaliu wondered whether exhaustion had made him hallucinate. "You... what are you doing?"

"Father," Shaye said calmly despite the bizarre scene, "I'm practicing the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique. But I didn't have enough chakra and got stuck. Can you help me out?"

"..." Shaliu stood stunned for several seconds before his shoulders began trembling uncontrollably. He desperately held back his laughter, and the absurd sight dispelled much of the fatigue from his face. He stepped forward, looked at his son seriously stuck in the dirt, and finally burst into loud laughter.

"Hahahahaha... Double Suicide Decapitation Technique... hahaha... you really did get the 'head' 'chopped out' and leave it sticking up... hahaha..." Shaliu laughed as he crouched down and began digging away the hardened soil around his son with his hands.

Seeing his father laugh so heartily for once, Shaye's little face showed a helpless smile as well. This was indeed rather embarrassing.

Before long, Shaliu had "dug" his son out of the ground. Shaye was covered from head to toe in dirt, looking like a little mud monkey.

"You..." Shaliu patted the dirt from his son's body, his tone both amused and distressed. "The idea was good, and your control seems fine. Your hand seals were standard too. But your chakra reserves... sigh..." He sighed and rubbed Shaye's head. "Next time you want to practice, wait until I'm home, understand? It's too dangerous."

"Mm." Shaye nodded obediently. This experience made him understand his current greatest weakness with incomparable clarity—energy reserves. He had a top-tier control system and design principles, but no power source to drive them.

At the same time, it made his advantages even clearer. With such a minuscule amount of chakra, he had still precisely activated the first stage of the technique. That level of control was likely beyond even many Chunin. Moreover, during the time he had been buried underground, his powerful sensory abilities had clearly captured every minute detail of chakra flow and changes in soil properties. That, too, was valuable experience.

The road to becoming stronger remained long, but his direction had never been clearer.