Kakashi's seemingly casual glance had lashed away the last trace of wishful thinking in Ling's heart like an invisible whip. His days of comfortable training-relatively speaking-were over, replaced by a survival training regimen Tobirama had devised that raised the intensity several notches at once.
From today onward, you will run one hundred laps around the orphanage's backyard every morning. Before dawn had fully broken, Tobirama's icy voice exploded in Ling's mind like a wake-up call.
Ling looked at the sizable, uneven yard and estimated the distance, his little face souring. For a body barely over three years old, this was almost impossible.
Hmph, scared already? Tobirama sneered. Chakra isn't just for making water balls! Distribute it evenly through the pathways in your legs to strengthen your muscles and reduce fatigue! I drilled the circulation route into you last night. Follow it! Until you finish those laps, don't even think about practicing Water Release!
Ling gritted his teeth and set his little legs moving. The first few laps were fairly easy, but burning pain soon surged through his lungs and legs. He struggled to recall the chakra circulation route Tobirama had taught him and tried to direct his meager energy into his legs.
The effect was immediate! A cool sensation spread through him, greatly easing his aching muscles and lightening his steps. But maintaining that continuous chakra output put enormous strain on his mind. Soon, his head began to feel swollen again.
Idiot! I didn't tell you to flood yourself with chakra like a stimulant! Fine control! Inject only the minimum necessary amount when your muscles reach the brink of exhaustion! Maximize efficiency! Do you think you have chakra to spare?!
Under Tobirama's roaring instruction, Ling stumbled and scrambled along, falling more times than he could count. By full daylight, he finally completed the hundred laps. He collapsed like a fish out of water, unwilling to move even a finger.
And that was only the start of his day.
Over the days that followed, Ling's life became a hellish loop: pushing his physical limits, precise chakra control, Water Blade shape training, sneaking in academic lessons, and enduring Tobirama's lectures on the Shinobi World and conspiracy theories whenever an opening presented itself.
His appetite became astonishing. Fortunately, while the orphanage's food was simple, there was enough to fill him up. He grew visibly thinner, but also considerably sturdier. More of the childish innocence faded from his eyes, leaving them increasingly calm and sharp.
His Water Blade training reached a new milestone. With a water source nearby, he could now instantly form a more stable blade fifteen centimeters long and launch it accurately enough to pierce a thick leaf within ten meters. Though the ability to "cut iron" that Tobirama demanded remained far out of reach, it had begun to possess real killing power.
You've barely grasped the basics of shape transformation, but your nature transformation is still a complete mess! Tobirama was never satisfied. Water's "sharpness" comes from extreme speed and pressure, not merely its shape! Your Water Blade is all appearance and no substance! Next, try giving it a spin as you compress it! Like a drill!
Ling was speechless. He felt Tobirama was asking the impossible of him.
That afternoon, Ling was doing reaction training-dodging the omnipresent "virtual water droplets" Tobirama simulated and hurled at him with mental energy. Covered in dust, he rolled and darted across the ground, looking thoroughly bedraggled.
Too slow! Anticipate! Use your perception of the water element to predict where they'll land! Is your "Pure Water" affinity just for show?!
Just then, another commotion rose at the orphanage entrance. It did not seem to be Kakashi this time, but another group.
Ling instinctively slipped into the shadows of a corner, suppressed his presence, and watched in secret.
The newcomers were several Konoha Chunin escorting a small handcart piled with damaged ninja tools, old clothes, and assorted odds and ends.
"...We've just rotated out of a border outpost. These are supplies we cleared out for disposal. Some are still usable, so we brought them here," the lead Chunin told the director.
The director hurriedly thanked them and instructed several older children to help unload the cart.
Ling's gaze swept over the pile of junk. Suddenly, Tobirama gave a faint sound of surprise within his spiritual space.
Hmm?
Teacher, what is it?
There's something interesting in that pile of scrap metal. A note of curiosity entered Tobirama's voice. The lower-left corner. That kunai snapped in half, the one with filthy cloth wrapped around its handle. Go get it.
Although puzzled, Ling obeyed, approaching with a show of curiosity. The children were busy moving things, and no one paid him any attention. He easily picked up the broken kunai. It felt heavy in his hand, its edge was chipped, and it looked utterly worthless.
Just as I thought... Tobirama seemed to have confirmed something. Sense it. Use the chakra metal identification method I taught you. Ignore the rust and damage on the surface, and feel the core inside!
Ling carefully fed a thread of chakra into the broken blade. At once, he sensed a tiny, peculiar core within the battered metal, capable of conducting chakra extremely smoothly and even amplifying it slightly! There was very little of it, and it was encased in a large amount of inferior iron, but that quality was unmistakable!
This is... chakra metal? Ling exclaimed inwardly. In the original story, this stuff had been worth a fortune!
It only has a little powder mixed in. The content is pitifully low, but it's better than nothing, Tobirama said disdainfully. It looks like some apprentice's failed work, or perhaps a few scraps were accidentally mixed in during forging. Still, for you as you are now, it would make a decent medium.
A medium?
Your "Pure Water" Water Blade currently cannot last long away from your body, and it relies heavily on water sources in your surroundings, Tobirama explained. If you can extract this trace amount of chakra metal and shape it into a fine needle or thin sliver to serve as the initial core and structural support for your "Pure Water," you may be able to greatly reduce the chakra cost of maintaining your Water Blade and improve its stability. You might even... keep it detached from your body briefly.
Ling's eyes lit up at once! This was exactly what he needed in his hour of need!
He clutched the broken, discarded kunai as though he had found a treasure.
Don't celebrate too soon. Tobirama interrupted his daydream. First, you need to master the most basic chakra metal extraction method, which requires extremely high temperatures and precise chakra manipulation. Second, how will you shape the tiny amount of metal you extract? Third, how will you combine "Pure Water" with it perfectly? There are plenty of problems to solve!
Starting tonight, you'll study basic metallurgical theory and introductory chakra metal extraction. Tobirama assigned him yet another course of study. It will also be a good opportunity to further hone your chakra control.
Ling looked at the unremarkable broken blade in his hand and felt as though he could see the seed of a faintly gleaming Water Blade that might one day cut through anything.
The gears of fate always seemed to turn quietly, in some unexpected way, just when he needed them most.
Before you continue