Take It Slow

From somewhere on the roof, the faint rustle of fabric quickly faded away.

Fang Xu waited a little longer. Only after confirming that the feeling of being watched had vanished did he close the door.

The instant the bolt slid into place, he finally let out a breath.

"An old fox."

Fang Xu rubbed his brow.

Tonight's conversation had seemed gentle, but there had been something behind every step.

First came compensation to draw him closer, then questions about the Will of Fire and the village to confirm his stance. Finally, the scroll had been produced—an investment, and a binding measure.

If he had been a real child, he probably would have been so moved that he would have wanted to fight for the village immediately.

Fang Xu did not resent it. The Third Hokage had his own aims, and Fang Xu had his own needs.

At least the scroll was genuine. Getting the benefits was what mattered most.

Fang Xu returned to the room, shut the windows, and moved the lamp to the table.

He did not immediately unseal it. Instead, he inspected the sealing paper, and only after confirming there were no strange jutsu fluctuations did he carefully open the scroll.

Once the text unfurled, he quickly became absorbed in it.

The beginning of the scroll stated clearly that this technique was incomplete.

Hidden Cloud's true core techniques—Lightning Release: Body Protection, extreme-speed bursts, and secret methods for adapting the body to intense strain—were all absent.

However, the foundational sections had been preserved in great detail.

The first section covered stable control of Lightning-nature chakra.

It was not simply about releasing lightning. It involved keeping Lightning-nature chakra at a level the body could withstand, letting it slowly flow along the skin, muscles, and fascia.

The second section covered the order of body tempering.

Limbs first, then the torso.

Skin and muscles first, then bones and joints.

The internal organs and head had to be approached with caution. They were never to be touched before sufficient control had been achieved.

The moment Fang Xu read this, his spirits lifted.

This matched the principles he had set for himself last night, but the scroll was far more detailed.

For example, when tempering the arms, he had to start with the fingertips, wrists, and forearms. He could not cover the entire arm right away.

When tempering the legs, he had to pair it with footwork training. Otherwise, his muscle response would improve while his coordination failed to keep up, making him more likely to fall and injure himself.

The third section covered brief activation during combat.

This part was the most helpful to Fang Xu.

When he had previously used Lightning Activation, he had mainly relied on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's electric current to stimulate his body. The effect was fierce, but the drain was great and the control was not precise enough.

This incomplete Hidden Cloud scroll, however, offered a new approach. He did not need to activate his whole body every time.

If he needed to throw a punch, he could focus on activating his shoulder, elbow, wrist, waist, and back.

If he needed to move, he could focus on activating his ankles, calves, thighs, and waist.

If he needed to evade, he could first use Lightning-nature chakra to stimulate his neural responses, then drive his body into motion.

This would consume less and carry less risk.

The more Fang Xu read, the more excited he became.

"So that was the problem."

Previously, he had been treating lightning like a hammer, smashing it into his body with brute force. It was crude, but effective.

Enel's Lightning Body-Tempering Technique was powerful because of the fruit ability itself. Its lightning was purer, changed faster, and erupted with greater force.

This incomplete Hidden Cloud technique was strong because of the ninja system's precise control. It knew how to guide Lightning-nature chakra through the body's structure, how to stimulate it in layers, and how to reduce damage.

Each had flaws when used alone, but on him, they complemented each other perfectly.

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit provided high-quality lightning and Enel's development experience.

The chakra system provided stable circulation and methods of adapting the body.

The incomplete Hidden Cloud technique then filled in the specific tempering procedures and the details of combat activation.

Fang Xu picked up a pen and quickly began making notes on a sheet of paper beside him.

"Lightning Body Tempering cannot merely pursue stronger stimulation. It has to be layered."

"Fruit lightning is responsible for quality. Lightning-nature chakra is responsible for guidance."

"Combat mode should shift to localized activation to reduce consumption."

"Lightning Fist does not need to flood the entire fist with lightning every time. First activate the force chain, then release the current at the instant of impact."

"Lightning Assault also needs adjustment. The ankles and calves bear the greatest strain. The lower body must be strengthened first, or once the speed rises, the body will fail to keep up."

As he wrote down each thought, Fang Xu's mind grew clearer and clearer.

He did not rush to train. He had only received the scroll tonight; understanding it was the most important thing.

Blind practice could easily lead to disaster.

He read the scroll from beginning to end three times.

The first time, he studied its contents.

The second time, he compared it against Enel's experience with lightning.

The third time, he compared it against his own tempering process from last night and today's real combat in the alley.

Each reading revealed new problems.

He had previously thought his Lightning Activation was already good enough, enough to instantly drop three thugs.

Looking at it now, there were plenty of flaws.

The consumption was too high, the burden on his body was excessive, and his distribution of current during attacks was not precise enough. It was fine for crushing weak opponents, but against a true Jonin, all of these issues would be magnified.

With this Incomplete Cloud Lightning Body Tempering Technique, he at least knew how to improve next.

Rather than blindly increasing the current, he needed to make both his Lightning Body Tempering and combat mode more stable, more precise, and more efficient.

Fang Xu looked at the scroll on the table, then at the paper covered in his notes. The excitement in his heart finally began to settle.

Tonight's gains were greater than simply acquiring another ninjutsu.

It gave his previously rough path of lightning a direction that could truly be refined.

The Incomplete Cloud Lightning Body Tempering Technique, combined with Enel's Lightning Body Tempering experience, was just what he needed to optimize his own Lightning Body Tempering and combat mode. The harvest had been considerable.

Early the next morning, while the sky was only beginning to brighten, Fang Xu left the house.

He had studied the Incomplete Cloud Lightning Body Tempering Technique until very late last night.

If he had not been worried that his body had yet to recover and that he would be unable to get up for morning training, he would even have wanted to read it a fourth time.

That scroll had helped him tremendously.

Before, he had relied entirely on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's instincts and Enel's experience when using Lightning Body Tempering.

It was fierce, but far too crude.

Now that he had Hidden Cloud's foundational ideas for body tempering, he finally understood that lightning could not simply be poured into the body all at once. It had to be divided by body part, intensity, and rhythm.

If his arms needed stimulation, he stimulated his arms. If his legs needed activation, he activated his legs.

He absolutely could not recklessly touch any part his body could not withstand.

So during this morning's training, Fang Xu did not rush to increase the intensity. He jogged along Konoha's outskirts, keeping his breathing and footsteps steady.

Running looked ordinary, but it was the most suitable way to build a foundation.

No matter how powerful the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was, it still required a body capable of bearing it.

No matter how effective Lightning Body Tempering was, he still needed a foundation worth tempering first.

By the time he reached his second lap, sweat had already begun to bead across Fang Xu's forehead.

He did not accelerate. He merely adjusted his breathing in silence.

"Don't rush."

"Build up endurance first, then gradually add localized activation."

"Only when the body can adapt can I consider higher intensity."

Fang Xu understood this clearly.

He was no longer the ordinary Ninja Academy student he had once been.

But he was still far from being a powerhouse.

Before a true Jonin, once his few trump cards were understood, he could be countered.

So the more good things he obtained, the less he could let them go to his head.

Just as he rounded a narrow path, a familiar shout suddenly came from ahead.