"Shigure! You're finally back!"
"You're back so late—where did you go?"
As soon as Shigure reached the entrance of his home, he was stopped by Hayate.
He wasn't far from his doorstep when the encounter happened.
"I went to the ninja tool shop. I finally picked up the custom-made ninja sword."
As he spoke, Shigure revealed the blade strapped to his back—Zangetsu. But Gekkō Hayate didn't seem particularly interested.
After all, no matter how special a ninja sword looked, you couldn't tell much while it remained sheathed.
"So eager, huh?" Hayate smiled. "Didn't I promise to get you a sword once you graduated from the Academy?"
Shigure opened his mouth to respond, but Hayate waved his hand dismissively.
"Forget it. Since you already bought one, no need."
"Brother Hayate," Shigure asked, "did you want to talk about something?"
At that, Hayate scratched his head awkwardly, then spoke slowly.
"Um… do you mind showing me your swordsmanship?"
Ah, so that's what this is about.
Shigure smiled. "Of course not."
After all, his personal Breathing Sword Style was tailored specifically to him—passed down from the Great Sage. No one else could copy it, even if they tried.
But if Hayate just wanted to observe, there was no harm in that.
Not to mention, Hayate had previously taught him the Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu—Leaf-Style Swordsmanship. It had been a huge help during his early training.
It wouldn't hurt to repay him a little now.
"The usual place," Shigure said casually.
"The usual place?" Hayate blinked in confusion. "What place is that?"
"The forest you took me to back then. It's my secret training ground now."
Realization dawned on Hayate, and he nodded. "Alright."
After a quick dinner, the two of them made their way to the grove.
But this time, the place looked completely different from how it had been.
Hayate stood still, stunned for a moment. Then he chuckled. "So all of this is your doing?"
"That's right."
The ground was uneven and scarred with cracks. Fallen trees and splintered trunks littered the area.
These were clearly the remnants of Shigure's intense training.
"Let's get started," Shigure said.
He drew Zangetsu from its scabbard.
A faint blue light flowed along the pitch-black blade like a gentle stream.
Gekkō Hayate was momentarily speechless.
"This ninja sword... it's not ordinary."
Swish!
Shigure swung the blade.
This was the first time he had wielded Zangetsu in combat, performing his Breathing Technique through the weapon crafted for him.
A deep satisfaction surged through him.
This time, the true power of his Breathing Style was fully unleashed.
As Shigure executed one technique after another with fluid precision, Gekkō Hayate, who stood watching nearby, began to feel an overwhelming sense of awe—and helplessness.
Soon, Shigure finished his demonstration and turned to Hayate.
"So, what do you think, Brother Hayate? Can you understand it?"
Hayate smiled awkwardly.
"To be honest… I don't think I can compare to you in swordsmanship anymore. I couldn't grasp your technique at all."
"Though I could sense the power behind it, learning it—or even imitating it—seems impossible."
Seeing Hayate's slight frustration, Shigure offered a reassuring smile.
"That's normal. The Breathing Style is a technique I developed myself. Maybe it's just not something others can replicate."
Hayate could only nod in resignation.
Just then, Shigure looked down at his hands, where chakra—infused with a distinct elemental nature—was still circulating.
It had been over a day since he added Water Release to his skill list.
And just now, while using the Breathing Technique, he had noticed something strange.
Not only had the Breathing Style grown stronger, but most noticeably, his control over Water Release had improved dramatically.
He felt that with just a thought, he could alter the chakra's nature.
Even a small amount of chakra now produced substantial elemental effect.
Is this what they mean by an enhanced nature transformation?
A strange sensation stirred within Shigure—one that had less to do with swordsmanship and more with ninjutsu.
He closed his eyes and slowly sheathed Zangetsu.
The next second, his fingers started weaving hand seals.
In a flash, he opened his eyes and looked forward.
A surge of chakra burst out from behind him—exploding outward with an unstoppable rush.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An overwhelming roar echoed through the grove. A massive ten-meter-high wave rose and charged toward the forest like a crashing tsunami.
Hayate, still mulling over what he'd seen, looked up just in time—and froze.
A downpour?!
What kind of ninjutsu was this?
Water Release?!
But what kind of Water Release could unleash this level of destruction?
If he knew that what Shigure had just used was nothing more than a basic technique—Wild Water Wave (Mizu no Muchi)—how would he even react?
As the flood gradually subsided, Hayate opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But Shigure stood still, his expression focused, as though deep in thought.
A small, dazed smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
What's going on with him…?
That smile came from realization—his Water Release power had increased more than tenfold.
Using the same amount of chakra, the output had been amplified drastically.
Now Shigure finally understood why someone like Uchiha Madara had been able to force the entire Allied Shinobi Forces to unite just to counter one Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame.
This is what it means to enhance the nature transformation of chakra.
But there was more.
The water had not been expelled from his mouth or a hand seal alone—it had been generated directly from chakra manipulation outside his body.
That was a whole new level of transformation.
He realized something else, too.
When you changed chakra nature externally, the ninjutsu's control increased, but its power slightly decreased.
In contrast, if you transformed it internally, the power increased significantly, but control became more difficult.
Once one's mastery of nature transformation reached a certain level, you could even release techniques externally—without the traditional expelling from the body.
Shigure stood there, quietly reflecting on this newfound understanding of chakra manipulation.
That's when Hayate approached and lightly patted his shoulder.
"Shigure... are you okay?"
Pulled from his thoughts, Shigure blinked and quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Hayate didn't know if Shigure really was fine—or just pretending to be—but looking around at the devastation, he could only give a wry smile.
"Shigure… I think you'll have to start using the Advanced Training Ground from now on."
"If you keep practicing like this every day, this place'll be a wasteland soon."
Hmm?
Advanced Training Ground?
Shigure paused. Konoha has something like that?
"Advanced training ground? What kind of place is that?"
Hayate tapped his forehead, realizing something. "Right—you're not officially a ninja yet, so you wouldn't know."
He sighed, then explained.
"It's similar to the regular training fields in Konoha, but reserved for Chūnin and Jōnin."
"Once you reach that level, some techniques are too dangerous—or too secret—to be performed in public. Everyone has their own jutsu or forbidden techniques they want to keep hidden."
"That's why the advanced training grounds are where most higher-ranking shinobi go to train."
As he finished, Shigure's eyes lit up.
...
TN:
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