Kakashi's intensive recovery lasted a full day and night. During that time, Tazuna's house became a temporary fortress. Tsunami took care of everyone's meals, while Inari stayed shut away in his room, isolating himself through silence and hostility.
Naruto was indignant at Inari's attitude, but had nowhere to vent his frustration. All he could do was drag Sasuke into monotonous tree-climbing practice, hoping to improve his chakra control as quickly as possible for the crisis ahead. Though Sasuke scoffed aloud, the stimulus of the Sharingan and the deadly pressure Zabuza had brought drove him to train harder than anyone. Sakura, meanwhile, worked on her basic exercises as she worried about Kakashi and her teammates.
Ling did not join their training. After confirming that the surroundings were relatively safe, he signaled to Sakura, the temporary-and self-appointed-captain, then headed alone to a secluded bay behind the house. Rocks crowded the shore, the mist was relatively thin, and the waves crashing against the rocks would do a good job of masking the sounds of his training.
"All right, make the most of our time." Tobirama's voice held no trace of relaxation. "Until Kakashi recovers, we have a valuable window to improve. First, consolidate the Water Mirror Barrier you used to block Zabuza's slash. Make it a routine technique, shorten the time needed for hand seals, and reduce its chakra consumption."
Ling began practicing as instructed. He formed hand seals, pure azure chakra surged, and a curved water shield instantly took shape, smooth as a mirror and slightly distorting the light. Under his precise control, it dispersed, formed again, and repeated the cycle.
[Not fast enough! Imagine an enemy who won't give you time to prepare! The moment you will it, the water shield must appear!]
[You can optimize the structure further! Put more chakra into maintaining structural stability rather than sheer thickness! Deflecting an attack is better than taking it head-on!]
Tobirama's guidance was precise and demanding, constantly pushing Ling's control to its limits.
After hundreds of tedious cycles of formation and dispersal, Ling could finally produce a small, highly stable Water Mirror Barrier almost instantly. Its chakra consumption had also fallen by nearly thirty percent.
[Passable,] Tobirama assessed. [Now, the next step. Try changing the water's shape.]
Ling focused, manipulating the water shield before him. At his will, the smooth mirrorlike surface began to ripple, extending into the beginnings of several sharp ice spikes. But a moment later, they collapsed, reverting to ordinary water that spilled to the ground.
"It's no good..." Ling panted lightly. "The precision required for shape transformation is too high. And... I'm missing the core concept of 'freezing.'"
[Hmph. What's the rush?] Tobirama snorted. [You haven't mastered Wind Release chakra nature transformation yet. Forcing an imitation of Ice Release's form will naturally give you half the results for twice the effort. I'm not having you practice this so you can use Ice Release right now. It's to familiarize you ahead of time with another extreme shape transformation of water, hone your control, and lay the foundation for truly awakening Ice Release in the future. More importantly-]
Tobirama's tone grew serious:
[-it's to help you adapt to Haku's fighting style in advance. According to your memories, his Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals is a technique that uses reflections in ice mirrors for extremely high-speed movement and attacks. Its core lies in the refraction of light and the instantaneous movement of his actual body. Your Water Mirror Barrier already has a rudimentary ability to distort light. That's the first step toward countering his visual attacks.]
Understanding dawned on Ling. Every part of Tobirama's training had a highly specific purpose.
[Next, sensory training,] Tobirama ordered. [Close your eyes and rely entirely on your senses to attack driftwood appearing at random among the waves with shuriken. I'll simulate Haku's movement patterns and interfere with your judgment using mental fluctuations.]
Ling immediately complied. He closed his eyes and spread his perception across the entire bay like a spiderweb. The sound of waves, the wind, the movement of moisture... countless pieces of information flooded his mind. He had to distinguish "targets" from "interference" in an instant.
Whoosh! A shuriken flew out and struck a piece of driftwood.
But in the next instant, Tobirama's simulated mental interference appeared, flickering and leaping like reflections in ice mirrors!
Ling's second shuriken veered noticeably off course and fell into the sea.
[Too slow! He's ten times faster than this! Concentrate! Don't let appearances fool you! Sense the true source of the chakra! And tie steel wire to your shuriken, or you can go into the sea and fish them out yourself!]
Ling gritted his teeth and tried again. Failure, adjustment, another failure, another adjustment...
Time flew by amid the tedious, grueling training. By the time the setting sun dyed the sea gold, Ling could maintain a hit rate above eighty percent under a certain degree of mental interference from Tobirama. He had also grown somewhat accustomed to that pattern of high-speed movement through refraction.
When he dragged his exhausted body back to Tazuna's house, he found Kakashi awake, sitting at the table and drinking fish soup Tsunami had made. His face was still a little pale, but he was clearly much more alert. Naruto and Sasuke were still outside, climbing trees as though competing, while Sakura watched anxiously nearby.
"Kakashi-sensei." Ling nodded in greeting.
"Oh, Ling. Were you out training?" Kakashi glanced at him, noticing the weariness in his face and the moisture still clinging to him, mostly from sweat and the sea breeze.
"Yes. I familiarized myself with Water Release and practiced my sensory skills," Ling replied vaguely. Those were all things he could openly display.
Kakashi nodded without probing further. "How's your recovery? I'm afraid we still have a tough fight ahead."
"I can fight at any time," Ling answered calmly.
Just then, Naruto and Sasuke returned amid noisy bickering. Both were utterly exhausted, but their eyes had gained a sharper edge. Clearly, the tree-climbing training had been effective.
After dinner, Kakashi gathered everyone together.
"In my judgment, Zabuza isn't dead." Kakashi's opening words made Naruto and Sakura cry out in surprise, while Sasuke's brow tightened. Only Ling's expression remained unchanged.
"That Kirigakure Anbu was his accomplice. He used a special method to induce a state of apparent death," Kakashi continued his analysis. "They must be recovering somewhere right now, and they'll return soon. Next time, their attack will be fiercer, and they'll very likely target our weakness-the three of you."
He looked at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. "So, starting tomorrow, I'll put you through special training. At the very least, you need the ability to protect yourselves in a battle at that level, and perhaps even disrupt the enemy."
Then he turned to Ling. "Ling, your strength and composure have exceeded my expectations. Your responsibilities will be heavier. Besides participating in team coordination training, I need you to take on more of the perimeter watch and reconnaissance. Your sensory abilities are the key to detecting danger ahead of time. Also..."
Kakashi paused, his single visible eye sharpening. "If that boy who uses Ice Release appears, I want you to keep him occupied as much as possible. His technique seems unusual. Your Water Release may be able to counter it to some extent."
"Understood," Ling replied briefly. That was exactly what he wanted.
That night, everyone went to bed early to rest and regain their strength.
Late that night, Ling lay on his makeshift floor bedding, but did not fall asleep immediately. Following Tobirama's instructions, he slowly extended his perception like invisible feelers, carefully exploring the area for several hundred meters around the house.
The waves, the wind, the chirping of insects... the sounds of nature formed the night's background noise.
Suddenly, at the edge of his perception, he caught an extremely faint fluctuation of cold chakra, distinct from the natural chill. It vanished in a flash, as elusive as a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected on water.
[...He's here.] Tobirama's icy voice rang in his mind. [It's well concealed, but that distinctive chakra, carrying the chill of ice and snow... that boy named Haku is watching from a distance. It seems they're checking our condition and location. Don't alert him. Remember this feeling.]
Ling inwardly tensed and quietly withdrew his perception, as though he had noticed nothing.
The white snake had emerged from its den and was flicking its tongue in the shadows.
The sense of an approaching decisive battle grew stronger alongside the salty tang of the sea mist. And Ling, guided by a mentor who knew everything, was already prepared to face the prism of ice.
Before you continue