In the small grove, wooden targets hung from every tree rising among the woods.
The targets were the size of soccer balls, with several black rings painted on them.
Aokiji stood in the silent grove with his eyes closed. His specially trained hands rapidly formed seals too quickly to follow, completing several hand signs in less than half a second before ending with his palms pressed together, held level in the "Monkey" sign.
"Ice Release: Shuriken."
Shouting out the name of a technique was not only incredibly cringe, but also easily alerted the enemy. Even so, most ninja still called out their techniques despite knowing that weakness.
It was not merely to build momentum. It allowed the Chakra within their bodies to resonate with the technique, thereby increasing the power of their ninjutsu.
If it existed, it had its reasons. The saying that a full-throated shout boosted output was not baseless.
After he called out the technique, eight shuriken suddenly appeared between the fingers of Aokiji's clasped hands. They were white as snow. These were not ordinary iron shuriken, but ice shuriken created through ninjutsu. Though made of ice, they were hard enough to match ordinary shuriken.
Aokiji took a light breath and poured Chakra into his slightly bent knees. The instant he opened his eyes, he forcefully pushed off with both legs and leaped into the air.
His body in midair was like a fish springing upward. After sweeping his gaze around, he needed only one glance before his hands, crossed before his chest, swiftly shot out to either side, throwing the ice shuriken toward eight different directions.
"Clang, clang..."
Amid a series of overlapping chimes, Aokiji landed safely, his toes touching down as lightly as a dragonfly skimming water.
"Truly perfect..."
A voice of praise rang through the