Heavier Rock Technique

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Even when he left, Oguri Hayashi still could not remember who Atsui and Samui were, but that did not stop him from noticing their talent.

Compared to his own Chakra reserves, the two had far more. Though one was seven and the other eight, their Chakra already far surpassed that of ordinary Genin. While they had not yet reached his current Chunin-level reserves, they were comparable to Sasuke in the original manga—able to use whichever C-rank Fire Release they wanted, recklessly casting at least four or five C-rank Ninjutsu and roughly one B-rank Ninjutsu.

Second Pillar's Chakra reserves only seemed low compared to Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. In truth, Second Pillar had always stood among the best of shinobi in terms of Chakra. After reaching Jonin level, his Chakra reserves far exceeded Kakashi's, and he could cast several A-rank Ninjutsu like Chidori, Chidori Sharp Spear, and Chidori Stream without showing fatigue.

During his Genin days, he used Fire Release techniques like the Great Fireball Technique and Phoenix Sage Fire Technique as though they cost nothing.

Compared to that genius's dazzling performance as a Genin, Oguri Hayashi had only been able to use two C-rank Ninjutsu during his own Genin days.

Yes, he had not even been able to use B-rank Ninjutsu.

Compared to him, Samui and Atsui were undoubtedly geniuses on Sasuke's level. Aside from lacking the Sharingan, their Chakra reserves were on par with Sasuke's.

But in taijutsu training, they had already left Sasuke hundreds of thousands of miles behind.

Not just Sasuke—Oguri Hayashi dared guarantee that their taijutsu cultivation was already infinitely close to Rock Lee's.

There was a fundamental difference between the training of an expert backed by scientific principles and taijutsu training that simply worked the body without any foundation.

For example, Might Guy only knew that his future limit lay in opening all Eight Gates, while Samui and Atsui already knew that their goal was to become experts.

Before reaching that level, they still had to practice controlling and releasing their qi.

No matter what, three days had indeed allowed them to gradually get started.

Chakra cultivation became easier alongside martial arts training. Chakra was made from physical energy extracted cell by cell from the body's 130 trillion cells, as well as spiritual energy.

Martial arts training exercised both the spirit and the body, which caused their Chakra reserves to increase greatly and their Chakra capacity to expand substantially.

Oguri Hayashi's body was ordinary in that, even with his exceptional comprehension, his Chakra extraction speed could never compare to those genius shinobi. Both his extraction speed and the amount he could extract were merely average for a shinobi, close to Iruka's. In other words, if not for his outstanding mind, he would not even have been able to become a team captain.

Yet Chakra extraction speed and quantity were an extremely important part of battle. They directly affected combat strength.

In just three days, the two children had caught up to Oguri Hayashi in this regard. If his original goal had not been to reach the pinnacle of Nintaijutsu, his mentality would probably have become severely unbalanced.

He understood his weakness very clearly. His Chakra reserves were too low, below even those of the average shinobi. If he wanted to advance into the ranks of the strongest shinobi in the future, there were likely only two paths he could take.

One was to seal a Tailed Beast into his own body, transforming himself in one stroke from someone lacking Chakra into a Chakra monster.

The other was to make the most of his meager Chakra, using the least amount possible to unleash the strongest attacks.

Might Guy's Eight Gates Formation had greatly encouraged shinobi who followed the taijutsu path, showing them exactly where the limits of Nintaijutsu lay.

Oguri Hayashi rose from the wooden floor and dusted off his backside. "All right, the Kumogakure shinobi should have withdrawn by now. It's time for me to leave as well."

His words greatly alarmed Samui and Atsui.

Though it had only been three days, his guidance had allowed them to improve by leaps and bounds. People naturally developed feelings for things that benefited them, and once those feelings formed, they would be reluctant to see Oguri Hayashi leave.

He smiled faintly at them and waved both hands. Then two hand chops struck their necks.

Though they had established a relationship, Oguri Hayashi could not be sure whether they would report him to the Cloud Ninja after he left. Perhaps their interactions over the past three days had merely been an attempt to put him at ease and preserve their own lives. The moment he left, they might immediately seek out the Cloud Ninja.

So, for the sake of safety, he knocked them both unconscious.

He sorted out his equipment, draped himself in the Invisibility Cloak, and pushed open the door.

Over those three days, Samui and Atsui had improved rapidly, but he had not been idle either. After balancing the movement and stillness qi of his own style with his body and Chakra, he had reached an exquisite equilibrium.

Movement was taijutsu, while stillness was ninjutsu. Driving ninjutsu through stillness made his Lightning Armor as steady as a mountain, firmly elevating him to Jonin level.

It could be said that during the Second Shinobi World War, he was already solidly among the high-end combatants of the shinobi world. Other than Kage-level powerhouses, he no longer needed to be overly wary of anyone else.

As he walked along the road out of Kumogakure, he wanted to visit the battlefield between the Cloud Ninja and Stone Shinobi. He wondered whether there might be one or two teams of Reincarnators there.

But that would not do. He had already spent a month and a half on the Cloud Ninja side. He still needed to make a trip to the Stone Shinobi.

His successful theft from the Cloud Ninja had greatly boosted his confidence. The next step, naturally, was to make up for his shortcomings in ninjutsu. The Stone Shinobi possessed the strongest Earth Release, and among their techniques was one that shone brilliantly when facing Uchiha Madara later on—the Heavier Rock Technique.

The Fourth Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage had joined forces with that technique to directly shatter Susanoo, leaving a profound impression.

Ever since first using Chakra test paper to determine his affinities, Oguri Hayashi had possessed an optimal training route. But that route required not only Kumogakure's supreme Lightning Release Body Cultivation Technique, but also Iwagakure's secret Heavier Rock Technique.

Now that he had become a Jonin and stolen the Book of Thunder, why not take advantage of the war between the Cloud Ninja and Stone Shinobi, while they were too occupied to spare attention, and make a trip to Iwagakure?

He had already defected from Konoha and stolen the Book of Thunder. Now that he was a Jonin, he could go anywhere in this world.

There was only one thing he needed to watch out for: avoid the battlefield between the Cloud Ninja and Stone Shinobi!

Then, Iwagakure was the target. Depart!