The Sannin's return, the white finger sword

While Qingyun quietly ate, the Sannin gathered at Konoha's temporary outpost on the battlefield in the Land of Rain. At their head stood a young man with Haku hair, hawklike eyes, a resolute face, and a short blade at his waist.

"How are things on the various fronts?"

The young man looked at Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Dan Katō as he asked.

"Iwagakure hasn't made any moves yet. They're still holed up in their outpost. They seem to be waiting for us and Sunagakure to wear each other down before they strike."

"The Sand Ninja's offensive has slowed for now. I've countered every poison Chiyo developed. She's probably working on new ones right now, preparing for a major assault on Konoha's frontline positions."

After Tsunade and Jiraiya reported the intelligence from their respective fronts, they stepped back into place.

"I've eliminated all the ninja Sunagakure sent to harass our supply lines."

Orochimaru gave a sly smile and recounted his achievements.

"The men Iwagakure sent to harass our rear have all been killed as well. Things are quiet back there now."

Not to be outdone, Dan Katō added his report.

The Haku-haired young man nodded in satisfaction.

"In that case, Tsunade, the three of you should return and get some rest! Thank you for all your hard work lately. Dan Katō, you'll take over Jiraiya's defensive line and keep watch on Iwagakure. I'll personally hold the front against Sunagakure and guard against a surprise attack."

After considering matters for a moment, the young man addressed Tsunade and the other two.

"Sakumo, even if Chiyo has gone back to develop poisons, they still have three powerful ninja in their camp: Ebizo, Chiyo's Son, and her daughter-in-law. Can you really handle them alone?"

Tsunade looked at the young man worriedly and shared her intelligence with him.

"Don't worry! I already have a way to deal with Chiyo's Son and daughter-in-law. As long as they dare show themselves, I'll find a way to cut them down with this White Fang blade and show them that Konoha's White Fang hasn't earned his reputation for nothing."

The young man was none other than Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, who would later become the Hokage's Aide. Before Minato Namikaze, he had earned the distinction of being a ninja whom enemies could abandon their missions upon encountering without facing punishment.

Seeing Hatake Sakumo's confident expression, Tsunade could only suppress her unease. Her beautiful eyes shifted toward Dan Katō. "Dan, should I stay here with you?"

Hearing Tsunade's words, Jiraiya stood dejectedly to one side, looking at Dan Katō with a complicated expression.

Dan Katō smiled slightly and stroked Tsunade's face. "Tsunade, don't you know how strong I am? Unless the Third Tsuchikage comes in person, how could those sorry excuses for ninja from Iwagakure possibly handle me? Go back and get some rest! You haven't seen your family in so long. You must miss them terribly!"

Tsunade blushed faintly when Dan Katō stroked her cheek in front of everyone. His words warmed her heart, and she couldn't help nodding.

Seeing such a gentle side of Tsunade melted Jiraiya's heart. Unfortunately, that tenderness wasn't directed at him.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, watched Tsunade and Dan Katō say their goodbyes with some impatience. This dithering was nothing like Tsunade's usual manner. "Enough, Tsunade. Dan is exceptionally strong, and his Spirit Transformation Technique is extremely difficult to counter. Right now, Iwagakure has no ninja who poses a threat to him.

"So rest easy! Sakumo, the three of us will take the wounded back to recuperate. If anything comes up, you can send word through this snake. Once we receive the message, we'll return to the battlefield as quickly as possible."

As he spoke, he summoned a messenger snake and handed it to Hatake Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo accepted the messenger snake from Orochimaru and nodded. "Understood. If anything happens, I'll have this snake send word to you. Stay safe on the road, too."

"Understood, Sakumo. Dan, we'll be going now. Tsunade, let's go!"

After bidding the two men farewell with some urgency, Orochimaru addressed the reluctant Tsunade.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. This cold-blooded snake had no sense of romance and only knew how to ruin the mood. But after what Orochimaru had said, she felt too embarrassed to linger. She nodded to Dan Katō and followed Orochimaru out.

As for Jiraiya, seeing Tsunade part from Dan Katō delighted him. He eagerly trotted after her and left the tent.

Elsewhere, Qingyun had no idea the Sannin would soon return. After finishing his meal, he leaned against a tree and closed his eyes to rest, pondering his next training plan.

By now, Qingyun had mastered his various Martial Arts. Cultivating his internal force required steady, patient effort and couldn't be rushed. Unless he came across pills or other things that could enhance it, a rapid breakthrough was unrealistic.

As for ninjutsu, Qingyun had practiced the many C-rank techniques Orochimaru had traded him once, then stopped studying them in detail. Instead, he focused on the Great Fireball, Flame Bullet, Phoenix Flower Jutsu, Lightning Release: Earth Flow, and Lightning Bind.

Qingyun planned to concentrate on these techniques first. Although all of them except Flame Bullet were C-rank ninjutsu, if he mastered their nature and shape transformations and then improved them, their power would rival some A-rank techniques.

Time slipped by as he pondered nature transformation with his eyes closed. When evening dismissal finally arrived, Qingyun darted away. "Minato, take care of dinner yourself. Just save me a portion."

Minato Namikaze, Kushina, Nawaki, and Uchiha Mikoto all froze at Qingyun's words, unsure what had him in such a hurry.

Meanwhile, Qingyun used Lingbo Micro-Step and only stopped once he reached the River. His internal force surged as his hands rapidly formed seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball burst from Qingyun's mouth and struck the water. Its scorching heat made the river's surface boil, but after losing the support of his internal force, the water simmered for a while before settling again.

What was fire? Qingyun cast the Great Fireball Technique again and again, sending fireball after fireball from his mouth as he considered the nature of fire.

Fire represented light and heat. What would happen if I kept compressing it?

After muttering to himself for a while, Qingyun quickly put the idea into practice. He continually condensed his internal force and circulated it along the pathway used for the Great Fireball Technique.

His internal force flowed repeatedly through several meridians until they began to feel hot. Then Qingyun abruptly unleashed the Great Fireball Technique.

A miniature Great Fireball, roughly the size of a basketball, shot out.

Though this fireball was many times smaller than the previous ones, its temperature was much higher. Its original red color had also changed to a mixture of red and white.

Boom!

The instant the fireball hit the water, it blasted a huge crater into the surface. As its scorching heat met the cold River water, billows of white steam gathered, soon covering an area a kilometer across.

Qingyun ignored the mist and stared blankly at the spot where the fireball had struck.

Fire's simplest property was scorching heat. Taken to the extreme, that heat became explosive. Ordinary fire was fueled by burning material, while the Great Fireball Technique burned internal force.

What if I linked my internal force through the Six Meridian Divine Sword and kept feeding the fireball? Would the flames remain until I severed the connection, only gradually dissipating afterward?

Qingyun's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He circulated his internal force, continually condensing and compressing it. Rather than releasing the Great Fireball Technique through his mouth, he first sent his internal force along its circulation pathway. Once it took the form of White Flame, he abruptly channeled it toward his right thumb through the hand taiyin liver meridian.

Qingyun raised his right thumb and fired a Finger Sword shining with white light toward the water. The moment it shot out, a sharp, scorching aura burned through the air. When the White Finger Sword struck the surface, the River churned violently, blasting water high into the air before it fell like two waterfalls.

Not only that, but the broad stretch of River around him seemed to have lost an entire layer. Vast amounts of white mist rose all around as the surface rapidly burned away.

Only when Qingyun's Internal Force began to run low did he gradually sever his connection to the Lesser Shang Sword.

After Qingyun severed the connection, the Finger Sword slowly dissipated. By then, the water level had fallen at least ten centimeters since his arrival. Ten centimeters was no small amount: given the River's width, that layer contained several tons of water.

Qingyun couldn't spare a thought for replenishing his Internal Force. He stared dumbfounded at the power of this Lesser Shang Sword. "If that hit someone, they'd probably vaporize on the spot! It looks like I've developed something incredible. And the temperature of this White Flame probably rivals Amaterasu!"