[Great Sage: ...Insufficient data. Unable to estimate an exact time.]
I knew it would be more of this useless nonsense.
"Then when will you be fully repaired?"
[Great Sage: ...Unable to estimate an exact time.]
Ugh!
At least give me a progress bar!
[Great Sage: Actually, as the host continues to model and calculate various abilities, the resulting data streams indirectly accelerate my self-repair process.] [Successfully calculating another one or two new kekkei genkai is estimated to improve my core computational capabilities by another 10%.]
So that was how it worked?
Calculating and developing kekkei genkai could feed the Great Sage, too?
"Then judging by your current recovery progress, I'll probably have to work myself to death developing seven or eight kekkei genkai before your computational abilities fully recover!"
[Great Sage: Based on model projections, at least ten different types of kekkei genkai will be required.]
Fine. Even more grinding than I'd expected.
"Ten kekkei genkai!"
Actually, when I put it that way, it wouldn't take that long.
At my current pace, I could finish in two or three months at most. That was still acceptable!
"All right! Ten it is! Just a little homemade kekkei genkai, right? Let's do this!"
Lei Dou clapped his hands excitedly. He now possessed all five basic chakra natures, so developing kekkei genkai through different combinations should theoretically pose no problem.
Before that, however, Lei Dou wanted to sort out how to use Lightning Release.
"If developing kekkei genkai helps repair you, what about developing ordinary ninjutsu?"
[Great Sage: Also effective, but less efficient.]
"Every little bit counts. That's good enough!"
"Use my existing knowledge to calculate a low-level Lightning Release Ninjutsu for me! It doesn't have to be powerful, just usable!"
[Calculating...] [20%...] [40%...] [60%...]
The calculation speed really was astonishing.
Developing C-rank or even D-rank ninjutsu was child's play for the Great Sage now. It hardly seemed to pose any challenge.
Unless it involved the complex chakra shape transformations of an S-rank technique.
[Calculation successful.] [Congratulations. The host has acquired a new skill: Lightning Release: Lightning Strike.] [Lightning Release: Lightning Strike: Releases a concentrated bolt of lightning from the fingertips to attack in a straight line.]
With such a short, plain description, no wonder it had been calculated instantly. It was probably just a D-rank technique.
Still, it would do as a starting point.
Now that he had a Lightning Release technique, Lei Dou could hardly wait to see whether he could perform the legendary combination ninjutsu.
He raised his hands!
He formed hand seals!
His left hand rapidly shifted through the seals, casting Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
His right hand finished its seals at the same time, casting the Lightning Release: Lightning Strike he had just learned. Then he slammed his right hand onto his left forearm.
Lightning instantly slithered like snakes, while water surged like a dragon...
Water churned, and lightning raged.
The next second, dazzling blue-white lightning burst from Lei Dou's palm, while a powerful torrent of water materialized along his arm.
The water coiled around Lei Dou's arm, forming a massive water dragon that surged straight ahead.
Wild lightning erupted, racing through the conductive water straight to the dragon's head.
"Combination ninjutsu!"
"Lightning Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A terrifying roar thundered out as a gigantic dragon wreathed in lightning lunged into the sky, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.
Blue arcs leaped wildly inside the transparent water dragon, creating a spectacular sight.
Crackle! Boom!
The lightning dragon bullet slammed into the distant forest. The terrifying physical impact of the exploding water snapped seven or eight trees thick enough to encircle with both arms, instantly clearing an area roughly ten meters across.
At the same time, the water carried deadly high-voltage electricity across the damp ground, instantly scorching the surrounding grass black.
Seeing that destructive power, Lei Dou whistled in satisfaction.
But!
"Great Sage, where's the system notification? Doesn't this count as a newly developed skill?"
[Great Sage: Analysis-all fundamental components used in this skill have already been recorded. The host merely combined different existing skills within an extremely short time interval. No new nature transformation occurred, so it does not qualify as a new skill.]
Uh!
Fine. That logic was sound. It really didn't count!
"Then what exactly would count?"
[Great Sage: Insufficient database information. Unable to define.]
Lei Dou had tried combination ninjutsu because he had been holding out hope that the system would recognize it as a new skill.
If that really worked, he could use different combinations to make all his Five Basic Nature Transformations cost-free.
Clearly, however, that shortcut was a dead end.
Lei Dou was not too disappointed that his idea had fallen through. Just because it did not work now did not mean it never would.
Someday, he could create an ultimate ninjutsu possessing all five nature transformations at once. Then making all five releases cost-free would be easy.
Actually, wasn't that the very principle behind the legendary Truth-Seeking Orb?
As long as I mastered the Truth-Seeking Orb technique, it wouldn't just cover the five releases, but Yin-Yang Release as well.
Cost-free ninjutsu of every nature was no pipe dream.
Now that he had tested the combination ninjutsu he wanted to try, Lei Dou ought to focus on reviving active skill 1, Glutton, as quickly as possible.
That meant immediately getting to work on a new kekkei genkai to accelerate the Great Sage's repairs.
But!
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Lei Dou. He remembered something that had long puzzled him, something he had always wanted to try.
"If fusing two chakra natures produces a kekkei genkai, what kind of explosive result would I get by fusing two kekkei genkai?"
At that thought, Lei Dou's eyes instantly burned with enthusiasm, his interest soaring.
Fusing two chakra natures could produce a kekkei genkai, but a kekkei genkai was really just a new, higher-level chakra nature transformation.
Strictly speaking, it meant mutating chakra to produce a special nature transformation outside the five basic natures.
Thus, two kekkei genkai could also be viewed as chakra with two special nature transformations.
Theoretically, a second fusion between two kekkei genkai should also be possible, like nesting dolls.
"Great Sage, from a theoretical standpoint, do you think this is feasible?"
[Great Sage: Building a model for analysis...] [...] [Great Sage: The host's hypothesis is theoretically valid. This falls under kekkei tōta or an even higher level of power. However, achieving it would be immensely difficult and extremely risky.]
"Immensely difficult?"
Lei Dou had already prepared himself for that. After all, fusing an ordinary kekkei genkai was already nearly impossible. Taking an already stable kekkei genkai and fusing it with another on top of that would be like walking a tightrope!
Challenges were stepping stones on the path to strength.
"Great Sage, if I forcibly fuse these two kekkei genkai, how much would it help repair my body?"
[Great Sage: Modeling...A perfect fusion of two kekkei genkai is estimated to have an effect equivalent to developing three entirely new kekkei genkai simultaneously.]
The combined effect of three kekkei genkai-the payoff was simply enormous.
"With returns that high, shall we get started?"
The Great Sage in his mind fell silent, evidently leaving the decision in his hands.
Then enough talking. Let's get straight to it!
From a theoretical standpoint, fusing the five basic chakra natures could create new natures. Bringing those newly formed natures together should produce even more incredible chemical reactions.
Following that logic, there was probably nothing in the world that chakra could not create.
The power unleashed by fusing two kekkei genkai would definitely make jaws drop.
Lei Dou narrowed his eyes, no longer able to suppress his eagerness to try.
As luck would have it, he had two kekkei genkai on hand that were naturally suited to pairing.
One was the extreme cold of Ice Release, the other the extreme heat of Boil Release.
Biting frost and billowing steam-the two extremes of ice and fire.
Lei Dou was dying to know what kind of monster these two utterly opposite powers would produce once they intertwined.
"Let's do it. Target locked: fuse Ice Release and Boil Release!"
"Great Sage, give me a detailed plan. I need to know what preparations will keep this fusion from blowing up in my face!"
[Great Sage: Performing in-depth analysis...] [A fusion plan has been generated based on the host's concept.] [First, chakra control must be raised to an absurd level, sufficient to shape chakra into threads and manipulate them at will.] [Second, the host must specifically strengthen the nature transformations of Ice Release and Boil Release.] [Third, and most importantly, the host's current body is too fragile. Physical conditioning must be intensified drastically, or the extreme temperature difference generated during fusion could tear you apart instantly.]
It boiled down to three things: fine control, firepower, and a body that could take a beating.
With a clear direction established, it was time to adjust the passive skill slots.
"Huh? There's a hidden mechanic like that?"
[Great Sage System: It is merely a basic system function.]
"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"
[Great Sage: I assumed someone as intelligent as the host had already noticed.]
Sometimes he really wanted to drag this system out and beat it up. Its intelligence seemed more like a snarky contrarian than anything else.
Forget it. No point arguing with artificial stupidity!
Thinking back carefully, whenever he equipped a skill, he only had to activate it with a thought for its effects to become ridiculously powerful.
Now that he knew the trick, relying solely on idle training would clearly waste resources.
Active training actually received a tenfold boost. That efficiency was like riding a rocket. Combined with the passive effects, the resulting speed was almost too glorious to imagine.
[Great Sage: Incidentally, activating thought acceleration mode can also substantially improve the efficiency of active training.]
"Thought acceleration can do that, too?"
[Great Sage: Obviously.]
Lei Dou felt as though he had asked a pointless question and merely invited humiliation.
He suspected that even if he asked why it had not told him earlier, it would just reply, "You never asked."
Taking a deep breath, Lei Dou tried to bring his skyrocketing blood pressure back down.
He focused on the translucent panel before him again and began adjusting his passive skill slots.
A towering building needed a solid foundation. Chakra control, chakra refinement, taijutsu, and genjutsu were essential foundations he absolutely could not touch.
As for the two Ice Release Ninjutsu, he could not casually unequip those either, not if he wanted to stay alive.
That left the two Breathing Techniques. His swordsmanship now earned even Kakashi's lavish praise, though passive idle training was still improving it slowly.
But their current efficiency really was underwhelming. He might as well remove them for now and free up space!
He decisively replaced them with chakra control.
With the skill slots adjusted, the tedious but necessary training could begin.
His most urgent task was to push his chakra control to its limit.
The Tree Climbing and Water Walking taught at the Ninja Academy were really just basic exercises.
Lei Dou had long since mastered those two little tricks.
But it was like a top student and a poor student both scoring a hundred. The poor student scored a hundred because that was all they could manage, while the top student scored a hundred because that was all the test offered.
Mastering the techniques did not mean he had reached his limit. Lei Dou intended to force a score of two hundred out of this hundred-point test.
"How should I make Water Walking training harder?"
"What about weighted training?"
That was the first thought that popped into Lei Dou's mind.
[Great Sage: As long as the host actively uses an equipped skill, ordinary practice will trigger tenfold critical gains.]
"Then if I deliberately increase the difficulty, can the effects stack?"
[Great Sage: Theoretically, yes.]
"Then we're all set!"
If he was going to spend time grinding, he had to squeeze every second for all it was worth. Raising the difficulty for greater gains was the way to go.
His gaze swept toward the riverbank, where a moss-covered Giant Boulder lay. By his estimate, it weighed around three hundred and fifty kilograms.
With Lei Dou's current physical strength, lifting it would not be difficult.
But standing on flowing water while holding such a massive object? The difficulty would be...
Splash!!
Without the slightest suspense, Lei Dou plunged straight into the river, boulder and all, throwing up an enormous spray.
Fortunately, the river was not very deep. Its chilly water only reached Lei Dou's waist.
"Just as I thought, it's not that simple! With this much added weight, the precision needed in my chakra output to stand steadily on the water increases exponentially!"
The soles of his feet had only so much surface area in contact with the water. Supporting several hundred pounds on that tiny patch was no easy task.
That meant the chakra flowing from his soles had to move faster and be denser, while he maintained a dynamic balance at every moment.
He had to compress chakra like mad over such a tiny contact area.
The challenge to his control was like dancing on the tip of a needle.
"Take too big a step and you'll tear your balls! Better lighten the load first and get a feel for it!"
Based on his last plunge into the water, Lei Dou estimated that his current limit was standing with a load of roughly five hundred jin.
On top of that, the current beneath the waterfall was turbulent and struck with tremendous force.
Lei Dou gritted his teeth and held on for a little over ten seconds before losing his balance again and tumbling awkwardly into the water.
Getting soaked to the skin over and over was admittedly a little discouraging.
But the tenfold training effect promised by Great Sage had truly given Lei Dou a taste of its benefits.
With Thought Acceleration active as well, he could perceive every tiny fluctuation in his chakra with perfect clarity.
Lei Dou finally understood what it meant to improve by leaps and bounds.
After every failure, his mind raced through a review, and on his next attempt, he could clearly feel the improvement from those corrections.
On his first attempt, he had only managed to flounder for a little over ten seconds like someone who couldn't swim.
On his second attempt, Lei Dou could already stand steadily for twenty-five seconds.
On his third, that time jumped straight to over thirty seconds.
Seeing himself grow stronger so visibly made Lei Dou more and more hooked on training, his eyes blazing with fervor.
He kept falling into the water and climbing back out, breaking his record for how long he could stand with every attempt.
A tenfold boost feels incredible! Is this what it's like to cheat?
Even though he was soaked through and shivering with cold, Lei Dou couldn't stop grinning.
"Looks like I can't just sleep through the night anymore. I'll have to get up and refine chakra. Relying only on the system's passive gains is just too slow!"
Splash!
With another muffled splash, Lei Dou fell into the water again.
This time, however, he was already holding the seven-hundred-jin Giant Boulder in his arms.
Three hours slipped by in the blink of an eye as Lei Dou trained with an intensity that bordered on self-torture.