Ayana's Talent

These thoughts flashed through Chiba Shun's mind, but now he was in danger.

His already strained defense immediately became full of openings after losing one sword.

At such close range, he had no time to use Ninjutsu for defense.

Killer B's next strike was something Chiba Shun could no longer block.

Fortunately, Yozuki A stepped in at that moment. He used the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Killer B and punched his sword aside.

Killer B also snapped out of it when Yozuki A intervened.

Sakai Yushi hurried over to Chiba Shun's side. Seeing the small wounds covering him, he asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

Chiba Shun shook his head. His injuries were not serious, just flesh wounds.

Killer B said, "Thanks for the guidance. Here's your sword."

As he spoke, he tossed over the sword Chiba Shun had thrown to him earlier.

That was not all. Killer B threw over one of his own swords as well and said, "This is for you. Consider it compensation."

Chiba Shun instinctively caught both swords, then froze in astonishment.

What a tycoon!

Sakai Yushi was even more overcome than Chiba Shun.

At first, he had thought Killer B had gone too far. It was only a spar, yet he had actually cut Chiba Shun.

But he no longer thought so.

He desperately wanted to go up to Killer B and tell him, cut me a few times too, and break one of my swords as well!

But that was unrealistic.

He snatched the sword Killer B had given Chiba Shun and hugged it tightly, refusing to let go.

Killer B had successfully completed the Six-Sword Style, and Yozuki A was equally excited.

Just as he was about to say something, an Elite Jonin suddenly appeared and said to him, "Killer B needs to head back."

Killer B had used too much chakra today. Those responsible for protecting the Jinchūriki were worried that something might happen.

Yozuki A nodded. After sending Killer B off, he actually returned.

He walked up to Sakai Yushi, who was still rolling around while clutching Killer B's sword, and asked, "Sakai Yushi, are you training in the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique?"

Sakai Yushi nodded in confusion. "Yeah. Shun was the one who helped me exchange for this Ninjutsu."

Chiba Shun immediately understood what Yozuki A meant. He said, "You two talk. I'll head back to the Ninja Academy first."

Yozuki A was clearly planning to guide Sakai Yushi in the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique, and Chiba Shun could not listen in.

Sure enough, Yozuki A nodded, then said to Sakai Yushi, "I'll teach you."

After saying that, he performed the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique once in front of Sakai Yushi, then began teaching him a few techniques.

Sakai Yushi was overjoyed. Training in the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique alone had indeed given him quite a few difficulties. He had even overstimulated his body with Lightning Release chakra and suffered several minor injuries.

To treat those injuries, he had spent quite a bit of money. In just a few days, he had already spent tens of thousands of ryō.

If Yozuki A could help him quickly master the Lightning Release Stimulation Method, he could save Chiba Shun a great deal of money.

As the Raikage's successor, Yozuki A was quite dependable when teaching others. Under his personal instruction, Sakai Yushi quickly got the basics down.

Yozuki A also said that although Killer B had contributed greatly to the development of the Six-Sword Style Sword Art, it could still be considered something Chiba Shun and Sakai Yushi had developed. They could submit it to the village themselves in exchange for contributions.

However, Yozuki A also said that while this sword art had reached A-rank, it was honestly too unconventional. There probably would not be many people in the village willing to learn it.

So the village likely would not preserve it as an A-rank Jutsu.

It would be best to wait until it established its reputation on the battlefield before submitting it to the village. Only then would the village take it seriously.

In the end, Chiba Shun could not win against Sakai Yushi's stubbornness and gave him the sword Killer B had gifted him the next day.

Seeing Sakai Yushi become increasingly proficient with the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique, Chiba Shun felt quite envious.

If nothing unexpected happened, once Sakai Yushi completed his training in the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique, he would probably become a Jonin before long.

But Chiba Shun's current strength was still far from that of a Jonin. He still needed to train.

Chiba Shun reviewed the two A-rank Earth Release jutsu in his mind and made up his mind. Starting tomorrow, he would officially begin training in A-rank Earth Release.

The first A-rank Jutsu Chiba Shun trained in was Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique.

In the original story, Kitsuchi of Iwagakure had used this Ninjutsu to temporarily restrict the movements of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path after it absorbed a vast amount of Tailed Beast chakra.

Chiba Shun liked this Ninjutsu very much, so during his negotiations with Danzo, he had requested it.

Konoha's deep foundations made Chiba Shun both envious and pleasantly surprised. Danzo really did possess this Ninjutsu.

However, the difficulty of training in the Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique exceeded Chiba Shun's expectations.

His chakra reserves had already reached the standard needed to perform an A-rank Jutsu, yet even after many attempts, he was still unable to use one.

After calming down and thinking it through, Chiba Shun understood what he lacked.

Will, Ninja Way, and chakra level.

After all, he was only a Chunin. His chakra level was not yet enough to support an A-rank Jutsu.

The complexity of an A-rank Jutsu and the extreme demands it placed on chakra control were also beyond what he could accomplish at present.

After realizing that, Chiba Shun shed his impatient mindset and began carefully studying his first A-rank Jutsu bit by bit.

Ninja could raise their chakra level through battle, Ninjutsu training, or finding their own Ninja Way.

The last method was faster. As long as a ninja found their true Ninja Way within their heart, they could grow rapidly.

But such a thing was far too difficult.

Especially for Chiba Shun. His thoughts were too complicated for him to develop any pure, extreme conviction.

His thoughts differed from everyone else in this world.

He knew that a war of the sages would inevitably occur in the future, so his views on chakra and ninja differed from those of other ninja.

He rarely developed thoughts such as protecting others or sacrificing himself for the village.

So it was difficult for him to grow rapidly by finding his Ninja Way.

The only thing he could do was raise his chakra through battle or Ninjutsu training.

When he had advanced to Chunin before, he had done so through his day-after-day swordsmanship practice.

Too many messy things had happened recently, causing Chiba Shun's mindset to drift somewhat.

His negotiations with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and the others, along with his contact with the Third Raikage and the advisors, had caused Chiba Shun to misjudge his own position.

His exchanges with Minato Namikaze, Yozuki A, Killer B, and the others had made him misjudge his own talent even more!

Fortunately, he had sobered up now. He was still just an ordinary little Chunin.

And he had only become a Chunin a year ago!

"I'm at most a genius in the eyes of ordinary people. Compared to people like Yozuki A and Minato Namikaze, I'm far inferior."

"I can't start thinking I'm truly a genius just because I've had some contact with them!"

"The Third Raikage and Yozuki A value me not because of my talent, but because of my wild ideas. They see me as an adviser."

"Training in A-rank Jutsu and slowly raising my chakra level—that is the path to advancement for an ordinary ninja like me!"

After setting his mind straight, Chiba Shun began his monotonous day-after-day training.

Of course, Chiba Shun had not forgotten his actual work.

He had not neglected his work at the Ninja Academy. Every day, he still spent time searching among thousands of students for those with special talents.

Whenever he encountered students with some talent, he still showed them concern through the Will of Lightning and helped look after their daily lives.

One day, Chiba Shun went to Asano Yujin's office.

Asano Yujin had lost an arm in a surprise attack by Kirigakure shinobi. Because he was skilled with Sealing Scrolls, Chiba Shun had invited him to the Ninja Academy.

Today, Chiba Shun planned to check in on his colleague and see whether he had adapted to life at the Ninja Academy.

However, Chiba Shun saw Ayana in Asano Yujin's office.

After thinking about it, Ayana was also a survivor of the battle against the Kirigakure shinobi. Both she and Chiba Shun had helped Asano Yujin seal corpses.

So it was only natural that she knew Asano Yujin.

Ayana was seriously drawing something on a special sheet of paper under Asano Yujin's guidance.

Chiba Shun watched for a while. Only after they paused did he clear his throat and ask, "Ayana, why are you here?"

Ayana glanced toward the door upon hearing him, then said in surprise, "Teacher Shun?"

She rose and bowed to Chiba Shun. "Teacher Shun, Teacher Asano needs an assistant to make scrolls."

"When Teacher Shun and I helped Teacher Asano seal corpses at the border last time, I found Sealing Scrolls very interesting."

"Teacher Asano has some difficulties getting around, so I came over to help."

Ayana's physique was now much better than it had been before she went to Konoha.

When she, Shosuke, and the others had been in Konoha, they followed Chiba Shun's advice, eating diligently and training diligently every day. Their physiques improved somewhat.

After returning to the village, she had also received the fifty thousand ryō in cash Chiba Shun had given her.

Although she had grown up an orphan, perhaps because she had seen Konoha's grandeur and gone through a brush with death, she was not petty.

She knew that money only counted as money once it was turned into strength.

So, like Chiba Shun, she had maintained the same food intake she had in Konoha, and she had not neglected her daily training.

Her current strength was still weak, and fifty thousand ryō was enough to support her training for a long time.

Chiba Shun nodded to Asano Yujin, then looked over the scroll Ayana had made.

After some thought, Chiba Shun asked Asano Yujin, "Senior Yujin, how is Ayana's talent?"

Asano Yujin smiled. "Ayana's talent is quite good. At first, I only tried explaining the principles of Sealing Scrolls to her, but I never expected her to understand so easily."

"You should know that when I studied under my captain back then, theory alone took me more than a month."

"Ayana has only studied with me for a few days, yet she has already mastered the basics of making Sealing Scrolls."

Chiba Shun nodded. "Kumogakure lacks talent in every field compared to Konoha. If Ayana has talent in this area, then I hope Senior Yujin will guide her well."

After a pause, he added, "I'll allocate some funding for you to research Sealing Scrolls."

Though he called it research, Chiba Shun was really using his authority to draw from the Ninja Academy's funds and provide extra resources for Ayana and Asano Yujin.

This was authority Aoki Yuyi had given Chiba Shun, and it also aligned with the Ninja Academy's purpose of cultivating specialized talent.

So Chiba Shun was not breaking any rules.