Leaving the stunned silence of Searing Sand behind, Kaito turned his gaze eastward. The vast, ochre canvas of the desert slowly began to shift. The relentless wind, once his constant companion, softened, carrying the faint scent of damp earth rather than parched sand. Day after day, he flew, not as a desperate fugitive, but as a sovereign of the air, his trajectory unwavering. He bypassed the occasional, isolated nomadic tribes, sensing their primitive Ryu and keeping his distance.
After what felt like an eternity of desert, the landscape began its transformation. Faint patches of hardy scrub gave way to sparse, tough grasses, then to scattered, stunted trees. The air grew perceptibly cooler, heavier with moisture. He spotted the first shimmering ribbon on the horizon, a colossal river, wide and slow-moving, teeming with life. Beyond it, the world erupted into a riot of green. Towering trees, their leaves a hundred shades of emerald, stretched as far as the eye could see, forming an unbroken canopy. The constant roar of the wind was replaced by the rustle of leaves and the distant murmur of flowing water.
Hundreds of miles into this verdant expanse, nestled within a natural clearing carved by the river's ancient meander, Kaito found it: the village of Verdant Current. It was undeniably primitive compared to the structured sandstone of Searing Sand, a sprawling collection of elevated wooden huts and thatched longhouses, connected by rope bridges spanning small tributaries. Yet, there was an organic beauty to it, a harmony with the lush forest.
As he descended, his senses, sharpened by the Soul Formation stage, immediately began to map the village's Ryu landscape. The pervasive element here was overwhelmingly Water. He felt gentle currents, robust flows, and even sharp, defensive sprays of Ryu. It was a refreshing contrast to the fiery, earthen energies of his former home.
He landed silently on the bank of the main river, his presence undetected. From this vantage, he could observe. The villagers moved with an easy grace, their movements fluid, almost like water. He saw children playing, their small hands already learning to manipulate droplets of water, making them dance in the air. Older villagers tended to fields nourished by sophisticated, Ryu-powered irrigation systems, their bodies radiating steady, strong Core Formation Ryu.
Then he sensed him. A single, powerful presence, its Ryu shimmering with a distinct, refined purity. It was the Kage of Verdant Current, and his Ryu indicated he had reached the Nascient stage, a level of cultivation Kaito hadn't encountered in Searing Sand. While still far below Kaito's own Soul Formation, it was a significant leap for this world. This Kage was undoubtedly the strongest person in the village, revered for his ability.
Kaito decided to make his presence known. He strode towards the village's main entrance, a simple archway of woven branches. Almost immediately, two guards, their expressions serious, stepped forward, their hands subtly gathering Water Ryu.
"Halt!" one commanded, his voice firm. "State your purpose, stranger. You are deep within Verdant Current territory."
Kaito stopped, his stance relaxed. "I am Kaito. I mean no harm. I simply seek passage and perhaps, information."
The guards exchanged glances, sensing the quiet power that radiated from him, though they couldn't quite place its nature. It wasn't Water Ryu, and it didn't feel like the blunt Earth or Fire of the occasional rogue.
"You carry an unusual aura," the second guard remarked, his voice wary. "Wait here. We will inform the Kage."
Within minutes, the Kage himself appeared. He was a powerfully built man with a confident, almost arrogant bearing, his dark, flowing hair adorned with river pearls. His name, Kaito learned, was Kage Toru, and his very presence exuded the calm, yet formidable power of a mighty river. His eyes, the color of deep river water, assessed Kaito with a mixture of curiosity and thinly veiled superiority.
"So, you are the one our guards sense," Kage Toru boomed, his voice carrying an inherent authority. "A wanderer from the desert, by the looks of you. You possess a unique Ryu, I can sense. Not of our elemental affinity, clearly. Tell me, outsider, what brings you to the heart of Verdant Current? Do you perhaps seek to learn the true strength of water, something your sandy home could not provide?"
Kage Toru's tone, while hospitable on the surface, held a palpable undercurrent of pride, almost a challenge. He was used to being the strongest, the most skilled. Kaito, however, merely looked at him, sensing the immense potential within the Kage's Nascient stage, yet keenly aware of the vast chasm in their power levels.
"I seek only passage, Kage Toru," Kaito replied, his voice calm, but with a subtle resonance that seemed to stir the air around them. "And perhaps… answers to questions that only ancient knowledge can provide."
Kage Toru chuckled, a sound that seemed to ripple like flowing water. "Ancient knowledge? We have our own, boy. Our history flows as deep as this river, and our Ryu has nourished this land for centuries. You speak of ancient knowledge when you've barely escaped the clutches of the desert's harsh realities. Come, let us speak further. Perhaps a demonstration of your unique Ryu might be in order, before we consider granting you passage."
The challenge was unmistakable. Kage Toru was sizing him up, asserting his dominance. Kaito felt a flicker of something akin to amusement. He had traveled hundreds of miles, transcended the very notion of 'junior,' only to encounter a new Kage, equally confident in his own, lesser, power. The stage was set, not for conflict, but for a crucial re-education.
Kaito met Kage Toru's gaze, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "A demonstration it is, then." His voice was calm, devoid of challenge, yet it rippled with an undeniable undercurrent of latent power.
Kage Toru, perhaps misinterpreting Kaito's composure as naive confidence, led him to a wide, open clearing near the riverbank, a customary dueling ground. The villagers, sensing an unusual spectacle, quickly gathered, forming a wide circle. They whispered amongst themselves, their eyes curious, assessing the lone, desert-worn stranger.
"Do you know the rules of engagement?" Kage Toru asked, adopting a formal stance, his hands already gathering a significant amount of Water Ryu, the air around him growing humid. "A duel between Kage-level practitioners is not to be taken lightly."
Kaito simply nodded. "I understand." He made no move to gather Ryu, no visible stance, no preparation. He stood relaxed, his hands loosely at his sides. This apparent lack of effort seemed to further fuel Kage Toru's confidence.
"Very well," Kage Toru declared, his voice rising, resonating with his built-up Ryu. "Then let us begin!"
With a powerful surge, Kage Toru unleashed his attack. A torrent of pressurized water, as thick as a tree trunk and moving with devastating force, erupted from his palms, roaring straight towards Kaito. It was a technique capable of pulverizing stone, a testament to his Nascient stage mastery. The force of it alone made the ground tremble.
The crowd gasped. Such a direct, powerful opening usually signified the end of a duel.
But Kaito didn't move. He didn't deflect, didn't dodge, didn't even brace himself. Just as the watery missile was about to engulf him, he subtly shifted, a barely perceptible ripple in the air around his form. The torrent of water passed through him, not around him, but through him, as if he were made of mist. It smashed into a distant cluster of trees, tearing them from their roots and sending them crashing into the river with a mighty splash.
The clearing fell silent. Kage Toru's eyes, wide with disbelief, stared at the spot where Kaito had been—and still was, utterly unharmed, not even a drop of water clinging to his cloak. Kaito had used an advanced application of his Whispering Gale Ascension movement technique, making his form temporarily insubstantial by perfectly blending with the air currents, allowing physical attacks to pass harmlessly through his manipulated Ryu.
"Impossible!" Kage Toru breathed, his usual arrogance replaced by genuine shock.
Kaito merely raised a hand. A gentle, imperceptible breeze stirred the air, caressing Kage Toru's face. It was so subtle, so non-threatening, that the Kage barely registered it. Then, with a mere flick of Kaito's wrist, the breeze intensified, not into a powerful gust, but a precise, surgical manipulation of the air around Kage Toru.
The Kage's eyes widened further as he felt it. The very Ryu currents within his body, the carefully cultivated flow through his meridians, seemed to stutter, to become momentarily sluggish. His ability to gather and command Water Ryu vanished, leaving him feeling utterly drained, his formidable power temporarily nullified. He tried to force a small orb of water to form in his palm, but nothing happened. He was completely disarmed, without even a touch. Kaito had used a refined Soul Formation stage technique to disrupt Kage Toru's internal Ryu flow, a silent, non-lethal, but utterly dominating display of power.
Kaito lowered his hand, the subtle manipulation ceasing. Kage Toru's Ryu immediately returned, but the message was clear. He had been rendered powerless without even a fight.
The villagers stared, awestruck. They had witnessed a level of Ryu mastery beyond anything they had ever conceived. Kage Toru, their proud and powerful leader, had been utterly outmatched in a single, impossible moment.
Kage Toru looked at Kaito, not with anger, but with a newfound, profound respect. He bowed deeply, a gesture of absolute deference. "Forgive my arrogance, Kaito. Your power… it is beyond our understanding. You are no mere wanderer. You are a true master."