The Mystery of the Scrolls

Central Tower, the finish line.

Pushing open the heavy doors, they were met by a cold, empty atmosphere.

The enormous room was completely bare. Only a hanging scroll bearing the words "Heaven and Earth" hung on the wall, along with a baffling inscription.

"Finally... we made it."

Naruto plopped down on the floor, panting heavily. "That was way too dangerous! Especially that upperclassman Kabuto—he split off from us halfway through. I wonder if he made it."

"Hmph, that guy was suspicious from the start. Forget about him." Sasuke snorted, his gaze warily sweeping the area. "The question now is, how do we use these scrolls?"

Ye Tian, who had been leaning against the door pretending to be dead, slowly shuffled inside. He glanced at the words on the wall, the corner of his mouth curling into an amused smile.

"So this is the so-called 'secret'? What a crude Summoning Technique formula."

Ye Tian chuckled inwardly, then pointed at the hanging scroll with his cane. "Cough, cough... Doesn't it say so right there? 'If there is no Heaven, prepare it with wisdom; if there is no Earth, pursue it through exertion.' It means you need to open the Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll at the same time."

"If Ye Tian says so..." Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance and each took out a scroll.

"One, two... open!"

Bang—!

As the scrolls unfurled, two clouds of white smoke instantly burst forth.

A familiar Chakra fluctuation emerged from within.

"Th-this is?!" Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened.

As the smoke cleared, a man wearing a Chunin flak jacket appeared before them, a horizontal scar crossing the bridge of his nose.

"Yo, it's been a long time, everyone."

Umino Iruka wore a gentle, pleased smile. "Congratulations. You have passed the second stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams."

"Iruka-sensei!!"

Naruto instantly burst into tears and shot forward like a cannonball, throwing his arms around Iruka in a huge hug. "Waaah! I was scared to death just now! I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Alright, alright, Naruto. You're already a ninja who can stand on his own." Iruka patted Naruto's head, then turned serious. "As the guide for the Chunin Ninja Exams, it is my duty to explain the meaning behind these words on the wall."

Iruka pointed at the words "Heaven and Earth" on the wall, his expression solemn:

"The so-called 'Heaven' represents the human mind, while 'Earth' represents the body."

"'If there is no Heaven, prepare it with wisdom'—this means that if your mind is empty, you must work hard to learn knowledge."

"'If there is no Earth, pursue it through exertion'—this means that if your body is weak, you must diligently train it."

"Only when both Heaven and Earth are complete can one guide others onto the right path during dangerous missions. That is the Ultimate Intent of a Chunin."

Iruka spoke passionately. Naruto and Sakura nodded again and again, as though they had undergone some great spiritual cleansing.

However.

"Cough... cough, cough, cough..."

A fit of utterly ill-timed coughing, as though someone were about to breathe his last, interrupted the warm educational moment.

Ye Tian found a comfortable position against a pillar, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. His eyes were somewhat unfocused—pretending to be, of course—and his weak yet clear voice carried through the entire room:

"Iruka-sensei... isn't that explanation... a little too shallow?"

"Hm?" Iruka froze and turned toward the student he had once worried about most. "Ye Tian, do you have a different interpretation?"

Ye Tian slightly raised his eyelids. Within those seemingly clouded eyes, a glint of brilliance beyond the mortal world now flickered.

"To a Chunin, perhaps it refers to the union of intellect and physical strength. But in my view... this so-called 'Heaven and Earth' should refer to 'spirit' and 'qi.'"

"Spirit?" Iruka frowned.

"Heaven is Divine Sense, the root of the soul and the bridge that communicates with Heaven and Earth."

Leaning on his cane, Ye Tian looked as though he might collapse at any moment, yet his tone carried an inexplicable air of a grandmaster. "Earth is the physical body, the vessel that bears the Dao and the source of vital essence."

He swept his gaze over everyone present and said something astonishing:

"When ninja refine Chakra, they forcibly fuse the energy of their body's cells with spiritual energy. In essence... that is a form of 'exploitation.'"

"It is like lighting a candle. The flame may shine brightly, but once the candle burns out, so does the person."

"So... cough, cough... powerful ninja in this world often fail to live long lives. Some even die in their prime."

At that, Iruka's pupils abruptly contracted.

Sasuke's entire body shuddered. He thought of Itachi Uchiha, thought of those legendary experts, and realized they truly did seem unable to live long lives.

Ignoring everyone's shock, Ye Tian continued his "cultivation theory lecture":

"True 'completion of Heaven and Earth' should not be about consumption. It should be about 'using the false to cultivate the true.'"

"Use the body of Earth as the furnace and the Divine Sense of Heaven as the guiding thread. Draw the natural qi of Heaven and Earth into the body to nourish oneself, rather than exploiting oneself to fight against Heaven and Earth."

"This is what is known as... Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul."

After saying that, Ye Tian coughed violently twice more and returned to his sickly appearance, as though those profound and unfathomable words had never come from him.

"Ah... I said too much... not enough oxygen to the brain... dizzy..."

The entire room fell silent.

Iruka stared blankly at Ye Tian, his mouth slightly open.

As an experienced Chunin instructor, he had heard countless theories regarding the ninja way, but never had he heard anything so unconventional that nevertheless seemed to point directly toward Truth!

Ninja were exploiting their own lives?

Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul?

Though these terms were unfamiliar, the more one thought about them, the more terrifying they became—and the more one longed for them.

"This child..." A storm surged through Iruka's heart. Has his perspective already transcended the confines of the profession known as 'ninja'?

Meanwhile.

Inside the Hokage Office.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had witnessed the entire scene through the crystal ball's Telescope Technique.

"Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul... Divine Sense as Heaven, the physical body as Earth..."

The Third Hokage took a deep draw from his pipe. Amid the curling smoke, unprecedented contemplation flickered in his aged eyes.

"Orochimaru seeks immortality by taking the evil path of constantly replacing vessels. But this child..."

"He seems to be exploring a path... one that achieves a leap in the level of life through self-elevation?"

The Third Hokage set down his pipe and looked at the sickly youth in the crystal ball, who seemed liable to collapse at any moment. A meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Cough, cough... Though his body is a bit frail, this level of insight and theoretical knowledge makes him a born educator."

"Perhaps having him teach theory at the Ninja Academy someday... or serve as a consultant specializing in the development of forbidden techniques, would be more valuable than sending him to the front lines?"

Inside the tower.

"S-so profound!" Though Naruto had not really understood it, he felt that it sounded incredibly impressive. His eyes were full of admiration as he looked at Ye Tian. "Big Brother Ye Tian, I don't know what you were talking about, but it felt even more amazing than what Iruka-sensei said!"

Iruka: "..."

I think what he said was more impressive too, but do I not have any pride at all?

"Alright, alright." Iruka gave an awkward cough and forcibly brought things back on track. "No matter what, congratulations on all of you passing! Next, gather in the main hall. The preliminaries... are about to begin."

Ye Tian nodded and slowly followed at the very back of the group, leaning on his cane.

His objective had been achieved.

By taking advantage of the chance to explain the scrolls and casually throwing out a little superficial cultivation theory, he could not only further cement his image as someone unfathomable, but also make an impression on Konoha's higher-ups—especially that voyeuristic Third Hokage.

"After all, only by displaying enough value will someone give me the green light when I want to conduct some 'special research' in Konoha or apply for some 'rare medicinal ingredients' later."

Ye Tian touched the Flying Sword prototype he had just refined inside his sleeve, an imperceptible smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"The preliminaries... a gathering of geniuses and fellow patients. Here I come."