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[NTU] [ARC-05-CHUNIN] Chapter : 61
🕑 Added 2024-06-04 22:16:32 +0000 UTCThe next morning
On a white beach, the blue sea stretched out, its colorful shells illuminated by the morning light, becoming even more vibrant. The ebb and flow of the waves occasionally caused one or two red-haired crabs to wash ashore.
As the hours passed, a light mist began to spread across the sea. This gave the island a mysterious aura.
Toshiro, enjoying a rare, lazy sleep, opened his tent and surveyed the surroundings. There was a crucial reason he chose to rest directly on the beach. The open space allowed him to avoid certain dangers. If he encountered a land animal, he could escape to the sea; if he faced a sea creature, he could retreat inland. Amphibians from the sea generally moved slowly on land. The only potential threat was large birds, but they typically did not hunt at night.
However, with the morning fog, the situation was uncertain. Toshiro was momentarily stunned by the fog, but he didn't dwell on it. After ensuring the area was safe, he collected the warning traps he had set up the previous night. Though these items were not costly, he needed to conserve them. He expected to spend the next two weeks on this island, even if it wasn't his intended destination.
After packing up, he waded into the shallow sea, catching some fish to prepare breakfast for himself. He knew he needed a good meal before exploring the island further, but he had to wait for the fog to lift.
After breakfast, he did some warm-up exercises on the beach. By around seven, as the sun grew brighter, Toshiro looked at the island, still partially shrouded in fog, and began his journey inland.
As he ventured deeper, he discovered the island was quite large. Standing atop a towering coconut tree, he could not see its edges. The northern part was mountainous, ending in a huge volcano, while the southern part was a vast plain with trees and rivers crisscrossing it like a tropical rainforest.
As the fog gradually lifted, the island's true appearance revealed itself. Looking at the sky, even from a distance, he could see large beasts, which filled him with excitement and confidence. He felt he had been lucky to find this place so quickly, realizing that his investment of 1 million ryos had not been wasted.
Toshiro's hunch was correct. This island, located in the sea between the Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Iron, and the Land of Hot Water, was indeed what he was looking for. Historically, the island had frequent incursions by giant summoned beasts, which were managed by the original Uzumaki clan. After the Uzumaki clan's decline, the island became uninhabited.
In the original work, Might Guy, Naruto, Yamashiro Aoba, and others were traveling by boat when they passed by this island. Might Guy was captured by a bird while foraging and brought to the island to be used as food. Naruto and the others followed, unveiling the mystery of the island.
(AN : I'll skip the filler story. You guys can look it up)
As Toshiro continued his exploration, he became increasingly confident that he had found the right place. He encountered giant mantises over ten meters tall, house-sized spiders, and centipedes tens of meters long. These colossal beasts confirmed his discovery. His superb stealth skills were the only reason he managed to survive, as the beasts were massive and densely populated. Any misstep could have led to his demise.
These beasts, lacking intelligence, would attack any intruder on sight, creating significant commotion. A chain reaction of angry beasts could spell certain death, even for someone as skilled as him.
"This is it!" he declared after finding a relatively safe spot to settle for the next month. After spending a day traversing the island, he chose an inconspicuous hill of normal height that also had a small water stream nearby.
Toshiro invested considerable effort into making this place habitable. The island's harsh environment, teeming with large beasts, posed constant survival challenges. Simply finding food was no easy task. Daily, dozens of bloody hunts took place, creating a spectacle of survival on the island.
The next day, before the sky had fully brightened, the fading moon was still visible in the sky. Toshiro had already risen early, preparing for his practice. He couldn't afford to waste any more time; achieving the sage mode required intense dedication, and he needed to seize every minute.
By a pond, seven Toshiros sat cross-legged, their hands held together in a meditation pose, trying to sense natural energy. The reason they were shirtless was so they could better feel the breath of nature. Although Toshiro wasn't sure if this would help, it was worth a try.
To accelerate his progress, he created six shadow clones, so with his original body, seven people were practicing together. He couldn't create more clones due to his current limitations. At ten years old, despite his rigorous training over the years, he faced innate constraints. A ninja's chakra increases with age, typically experiencing growth periods, and Toshiro's next rapid growth phase was approaching.
At six years old, he could attend school with his shadow clones, but his limit hadn't significantly increased since then. As time passed, small animals from the hill came to drink from the pond. Strangely, none of these animals panicked or fled from Toshiro's presence. Instead, they often passed by him, sometimes even rubbing against him or perching on his body. This was a testament to his six years of persistent meditation practice.
Although he hadn't yet sensed natural energy, he believed it was only a matter of time. With patience, the door to the sage arts he sought would eventually open for him.
Seven days later...
Bang!
With the dissolution of his shadow clones, Toshiro, who had been sitting there for seven days without food or water, finally made progress. Without his long-term meditation practice, he might not have persevered. Coming from an era of information overload, he never imagined he could sit cross-legged, motionless, for seven days, emptying his mind and feeling nature. He would have gone crazy without his phone and internet for a morning.
Reining in his chaotic thoughts, Toshiro focused on the sensation he just experienced. It felt as if an invisible door had opened slightly for him. Through that door, he seemed to "see" a new world. "See" isn't entirely accurate; a more precise description is that he seemed to have awakened a "sixth sense" beyond the traditional five senses of sight, touch, and hearing.
In this world perceived by his "sixth sense", the forests, land, oceans, and sky transformed into a colorful ocean of light.
Things that once seemed ordinary now appear to possess their own emotions, frolicking freely in this vibrant world. A smile played on his lips, but he reminded himself not to celebrate prematurely. This was just the beginning. Many more challenges lay ahead.
After seven days of relentless effort, Toshiro had changed significantly from when he first arrived on the island. His skin was tanned by the sun, and his face bore light cracks from the harsh sea breeze. He looked very different from his time in Konoha, but it was all worth it.
Another three days passed swiftly. During this time, Toshiro did nothing but consolidate his achievements from three days prior, ensuring he could consistently sense natural energy. He practiced in various environments—by the beach, on mountain tops, and even in the sea—until he could successfully sense the natural energy in all these places. Only then did he return to his base by the pond.
Today, he would attempt to absorb natural energy. He knew that merely sensing natural energy wouldn't enhance his strength. To truly grow stronger, he needed to cross this critical threshold. However, this step was fraught with danger; a misstep could turn him to stone.
In the anime, Naruto, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze trained in Myoboku Mountain under the watchful eye of Fukasaku, who could intervene if something went wrong. Fukasaku also possessed a staff capable of drawing natural energy out of the body. Toshiro had none of these safeguards, making the risk evident.
Despite the difficulties, Toshiro knew he had to face them head-on. Time was of the essence. The Third Ninja World War had already begun, and even the 'troublesome guy' Itachi had been born. If he didn't prepare himself in advance, the future looked bleak.
The next few years were crucial. At ten years old, he was entering a period where his strength would rapidly increase. If he merely trained step by step, his potential ceiling would be set in advance. At best, he might reach the level of a strong Kage, or perhaps a Kage level shibobi with significant risks, potentially even blindness.
