The Third's personal visit was like a stone cast into a tranquil lake, its ripples slowly spreading. The sense of surveillance outside the Hatake Residence grew noticeably stronger. Although it was no longer the malicious scrutiny that had stalked him at close range, Ling could clearly feel more than one pair of eyes watching the residence at all times, from farther away and better-hidden vantage points.
This actually came as a relief to Ling. An unknown venomous snake lurking nearby was the most frightening threat of all. Now, although the surveillance had intensified, it had moved out of the shadows into a relatively visible position. That meant the other side had adopted a more conservative strategy of observation for the time being, giving him room to breathe.
The pressure had not diminished. Instead, it became an even stronger source of motivation. Ling's training entered a new phase of frenzy.
Under Tobirama's direction, the focus of his training shifted again. Since his "genius" persona had already been established and drawn the attention of the higher-ups, displaying a few suitably "visually striking" achievements had become necessary to solidify his position and secure resources. Meanwhile, his true trump cards still had to remain deeply hidden.
[It's time for the Water Blade to make its first appearance,] Tobirama instructed. [Naturally, a weakened, simplified version that looks like something you cobbled together on your own.]
Under Tobirama's guidance, the true Glimmering Water Blade had grown increasingly terrifying. After incorporating high-frequency wind-nature oscillations, its cutting power had reached an astonishing level. Ling could even use it to slice through hard pebbles without a sound. What he showed others, however, had to be an entirely different matter.
He began "trying" to condense water nature chakra into a fixed shape in his hand. At first, there were naturally all sorts of failures: the ball of water swelled and shrank, its shape collapsing. Gradually, however, in the eyes of Kakashi and any observers who might be watching, this gray-haired child seemed to have genuinely "figured out" a thing or two-he could barely hold the water in the shape of a short rod or a thin sheet. Though its edges were blurred and it was extremely unstable, it at least showed the beginnings of Shape Transformation.
When Kakashi saw this, he stopped turning the pages of his book for a full three seconds.
A few more days passed, and the sheet of water in Ling's hand seemed to grow a little "sharper." Occasionally, a faint, cold gleam flashed along its edge, and it could even "accidentally" score marks deeper than those made by a shuriken into a training post-naturally, he always chose spots near existing damage and strictly controlled the depth.
"Oh? You can already give it a basic shape?" Kakashi seemed a little interested when he "happened" to see it one day. Remembering the marks on the training post, he took the rare step of asking another question.
"Mm... I think... I'm starting to get the hang of it." Ling panted, his little face showing a mixture of "exhaustion" and "excitement." "It's just... I can't keep it going. It uses so much chakra..."
He perfectly played the part of a child who had stumbled across the threshold through sheer luck but lacked the strength to go any further.
Kakashi studied the sheet of water on the verge of collapsing, then nodded without saying anything else. The next day, however, a small box of Soldier Pills appeared outside Ling's bedroom door, along with a photocopy of a notebook whose yellowed pages suggested it was quite old. It contained insights on water nature chakra Shape Transformation, written in a sharp, unfamiliar hand that was nothing like Kakashi's.
The instant Tobirama saw the notes, he snorted inside Ling's mind. [Hmph. Those are young Kagami's training notes from his early years. The Monkey certainly isn't holding back-he even dug out an old relic like this.]
Ling treasured the notebook. Although it was neither as profound nor as extensive as Tobirama's instruction, many of the basic techniques and approaches it recorded matched the level he was currently "displaying." It would perfectly explain his upcoming "progress."
And so, Ling's "Water Blade" training gained a more "credible foundation." Holding the notebook, he alternated between frowning in deep thought and excitedly trying things out. With the support of Soldier Pills, the Water Blade he "successfully" formed became more stable and lasted longer. Occasionally, he could even send it flying a few meters from his hand, though its power left much to be desired.
Without a doubt, all of this found its way through some channel to the Third's desk.
His true training took place deeper underground. Tobirama began instructing Ling in Rending Space-using that tiny grain of chakra metal as a core to attempt teleportation over extremely short distances. This was the most basic precursor to the Flying Thunder God Technique, yet its difficulty was akin to reaching the heavens.
[Sense the metal core! Make your chakra resonate with it! Imagine space as a sheet of paper and yourself as the tip of a pen, piercing two points in an instant! Your soul has a powerful affinity for space. This should be easy for you!]
[Fool! I didn't tell you to charge straight ahead with chakra! It's about locating coordinates through resonance and folding space!]
[Energy loss exceeds ninety-nine point nine percent! Again!]
Failure, failure, and still more failure. Every attempt consumed an enormous amount of energy without yielding any progress. Yet as Ling's chakra repeatedly washed over the grain of chakra metal in resonance, it seemed to become increasingly clear and lustrous, and its connection to him grew stronger.
Aside from training, Ling also began paying attention to gathering information. He used trips into the streets to buy daily necessities as opportunities to secretly observe Konoha's layout and the guards' shift patterns. He eavesdropped on villagers' conversations, gathering snippets about missions, the major clans, and "that blond-haired troublemaker"-Naruto.
He even tried intervening once when he "happened" to encounter Naruto being bullied by other children. From a distance, he pretended to casually kick a small stone over, striking the ringleader precisely behind the knee and sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt. In the resulting chaos, Naruto seized his chance to escape.
Having done all that, Ling immediately lowered his head and left, as though he were merely a passing child who had been frightened by the commotion.
[Pointless sympathy,] Tobirama commented, but he did not reprimand him further.
Time passed amid this frenzied training, divided between what was visible and what remained hidden. Ling could feel himself growing stronger at a terrifying pace. His chakra reserves, control, understanding of water and wind, and even physical conditioning far surpassed those of his peers and were approaching those of some genin.
But the price was immense mental strain and physical exhaustion. Soldier Pills became a staple, and the dark circles beneath his eyes never faded.
Kakashi saw all of this. Sometimes he frowned, but in the end, he said nothing. The food supplies at home simply began to grow, no longer consisting solely of cup noodles and Ichiraku takeout.
Until one evening.
Ling was in the courtyard, facing the setting sun as he practiced the "weakened version" of the Water Blade one last time. This time, he deliberately held it a little longer, keeping the thirty-centimeter blade of water, its edge flickering with an unstable glimmer, intact beneath the sunset for another dozen seconds or so.
Just as the Water Blade was about to collapse-
Something changed without warning!
Perhaps he was mentally overexhausted, or perhaps an infinitesimal error had crept into his chakra control. The wind-nature chakra surrounding the Water Blade's edge, which should have remained contained, suddenly underwent an extremely slight distortion-a high-frequency oscillation!
Bzzzt!
A sharp, fleeting sound rang out!
The air in front of the Water Blade seemed to have been pierced by an invisible awl. An exceedingly thin, short black fissure appeared, almost impossible to catch with the naked eye! It vanished in a flash, like an illusion!
But both Ling and Tobirama inside his mind clearly sensed it-in that instant, a tiny, insignificant opening seemed to have been torn in space!
The Water Blade collapsed completely in an instant! The sudden backlash and shock sent Ling dropping onto his backside, his face deathly pale as he gasped for breath.
What was that just now?! A spatial fissure?! It had been so small it was almost negligible, but there was no mistaking that unique, heart-stopping fluctuation!
*[...!!]* Even Tobirama fell silent for a rare moment. Then his tone became extraordinarily grave, with a trace of disbelief. [...To think... under these conditions... you accidentally brushed against the spatial barrier?! It was only a disturbance lasting a fraction of a billionth of a second... but this talent...]
Just then, a soft slap came from beneath the veranda.
Ling jerked his head up. Kakashi had risen to his feet at some point, utterly oblivious to the copy of Icha Icha Paradise that had fallen beside them.
Every trace of laziness had vanished from his face. His exposed right eye was fixed on the air where Ling's Water Blade had just been, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's and filled with unprecedented shock and disbelief!
Even if he had failed to see the fleeting black fissure clearly, he had definitely sensed it! He had sensed that instant of abnormal spatial fluctuation and the ultimate sharpness of an edge that could almost sever anything!
That was no ordinary Water Release Shape Transformation! The "sharpness" and "penetration" contained within it had already brushed against the boundary of some fundamental law!
Ling's heart sank.
It was over! He had gone too far!
One of his greatest trump cards had revealed a trace of itself in the most unexpected way!
Kakashi's gaze slowly shifted from the air to Ling, who sat slumped on the ground, pale-faced. His expression was impossibly complicated: shock, confusion, scrutiny, and even the faintest hint of... wariness?
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze.
The blood-red sunset bathed the courtyard in crimson.
After a brief, deathly silence, Kakashi slowly spoke. His voice was low and hoarse, utterly stripped of its usual languor:
"What... was that just now?"
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