On the training ground.
Boom!
The moment the fist connected with the ground, accompanied by a huge explosion, a pit several meters in diameter was directly blasted out of the ground, gravel splattering everywhere, and the figure was also covered by the sudden dust.
After the dust settled, the pit was still covered with shocking cracks, extending deeper into the ground.
Ruri's skin on her fist was a little red, and she felt a faint pain, but soon the pain disappeared without a trace.
"Is this the power of natural energy? It's really not to be underestimated. Just a casual punch created the same effect as a ninjutsu."
Not only that, Ruri felt her body become incredibly light. Using natural energy to amplify her body instead of chakra had such a significant effect.
This made Ruri begin to feel some awe for the power of nature.
Compared to all of nature, the natural energy within her body was just a drop of water in the ocean.
Lost in such contemplation, Ruri suddenly felt that humans, or ninjas, were truly too insignificant.
Survival was inseparable from this land, and also from this sky.
No matter how strong they became, they could not transcend this world.
Everything was bestowed by nature.
And the chakra formed within the human body was not worth mentioning before this great power.
"What's wrong? You look distracted."
Shiraishi carried a portable medical kit, precisely to prevent Ruri or himself from getting injured during the upcoming practice, allowing for quick treatment.
Seeing Ruri fall into contemplation after testing the power of taijutsu, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Nothing, I just suddenly felt how small humans are in the face of nature."
Upon hearing this, Shiraishi suddenly burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?"
Ruri narrowed her eyes, a fierce glint appearing in them, and her fist was already raised.
"Ah, nothing, I just think that contemplating life here is completely unlike your style, Ruri."
"..."
"Alright, alright, actually there's no need for that. Ultimately, we humans are also an inseparable part of nature; it's just that humans are a relatively prominent animal group in the natural world. Never think about the relationship between humans and nature based on the idea that humans are a higher life form that transcends nature. How does that saying go? The more knowledgeable one is, the more one realizes their own powerlessness."
Carefully considering Shiraishi's words, Ruri found herself quite in agreement.
Her former self was too ignorant, which was why she feared nothing.
As she grew older and gained more experience, she could better understand what true vastness and profoundness were.
Before such immense power, she realized that her former self was merely a frog in a well.
"Alright, how does the natural energy feel?"
Shiraishi asked about the main topic.
Ruri didn't answer verbally but directly punched Shiraishi's face.
Shiraishi slightly tilted his head, letting Ruri's fist brush past his ear, as if precisely calculated.
"As you said, this feeling is very powerful, completely on a different level from my previous self. Now, with the power of the Sharingan, I should be able to catch up to Sakumo-sensei's speed and counterattack at the right time."
Ruri felt an inexhaustible amount of energy in her body. This state, where every cell in her body seemed to be cheering, made her feel unprecedented comfort.
"That's right. Next, let's experiment to see if natural energy can be directly applied to ninjutsu and genjutsu."
Natural energy, in fact, like physical energy and spiritual energy, requires many steps to extract.
Absorbing natural energy from nature is just a general concept. How to absorb it effectively, how to store it in the body, and which part of the body is most suitable as an entry point all require continuous accumulation of experience.
The same goes for physical energy and spiritual energy.
The amount of food consumed that day, the type of food, and whether the emotional state of the day is stable, etc., all affect the amount of physical and spiritual energy extracted.
Theoretically, chakra can be used for taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu. Since it has been proven that natural energy can enhance taijutsu, then ninjutsu and genjutsu should also not be a problem.
Ruri did not object; she also wanted to know if natural energy could be used to release ninjutsu and genjutsu.
Saying that, she began to form hand signs to better balance the natural energy gathered in her mouth for ninjutsu release.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
As the Uchiha clan's signature Fire Style jutsu, it was far stronger than the Fire Style jutsu of ordinary ninjas.
Although Ruri successfully formed the hand signs and natural energy did gather in her mouth, there wasn't much reaction.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Ruri's slightly unnatural face, looking a bit pained, Shiraishi ran over worriedly and asked.
Ruri turned her head, opened her mouth, took a breath, and her expression eased a little.
"My tongue got burned..."
Shiraishi: "..."
It seemed to be a failure.
The natural energy only emitted an unimaginable heat in Ruri's mouth, but it did not transform into a fireball to materialize.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball..."
...After that, every time Ruri used the Great Fireball, she had to drink a large gulp of water to reduce the heat in her mouth.
This continued until evening, when the experiment of releasing ninjutsu with natural energy finally ended.
The result was a failure.
◎
A week passed after that.
Experiments to use natural energy instead of chakra to release ninjutsu and genjutsu all ended in failure.
In other words, currently, natural energy alone, apart from being able to amplify physical and mental vitality, cannot replace chakra in releasing ninjutsu and genjutsu.
But this does not mean the experiment was a complete failure. Shiraishi believed that the inability to achieve the desired effect might be due to incorrect methods.
Suddenly, at this time, an order came from above: Sakumo's team needed to immediately take action and head to the front lines of the Land of Fire battlefield for support.
Thus, Shiraishi had no choice but to stop his work, swiftly concealing everything in the laboratory, and entrusting the experimental equipment to the ninja cats summoned by Ruri for transfer.
After nearly twenty days of relaxation, Sakumo's team finally ushered in a new round of mission life.
They gathered at the main gate of Konoha.
When Shiraishi and Ruri arrived, Ayane and Sakumo had already been waiting there for a long time.
Because concealing the experimental equipment took a lot of time, Shiraishi and Ruri were a little late, but there was still half an hour until the agreed meeting time, so it wasn't considered late.
The four did not speak much after meeting. More than half a month had passed, and the four of them had subtle differences in their appearances. Sakumo's aura was the most obvious, with a sharp, outwardly radiating presence about him, indicating that his sword skills had reached a new level.
"Sakumo-sensei, everyone is here. We can go."
Shiraishi prepared to move after seeing everyone assembled.
"Wait a moment, another team will be moving with us. They should be here soon."
Sakumo smiled, calmly waiting on the side.
Another team? Shiraishi and the other two looked puzzled.
As Sakumo said, about half a minute later, two people, one tall and one short, arrived.
The adult, like Sakumo, wore Konoha's jounin uniform. He was a white-haired adult male who looked a bit sly and unconventional, yet possessed an extraordinary demeanor.
The smaller person following him was about the same age as Shiraishi and the other two, with bright golden hair that shone, and a sunny, handsome smile. Compared to his shyness and easy embarrassment a few years ago, he was now a more mature young man.
—Minato Namikaze.
Shiraishi recognized the identity of this young man.
Like the three of them, he was a student who entered the Ninja Academy at the same time, meaning they were classmates from the same year.
However, he skipped grades in his fourth year, graduating earlier than the three of them to become a genin and participate in missions.
He didn't expect to meet him under these circumstances.
Shiraishi greeted Minato in a friendly manner, and Minato returned the smile.
"Sorry, sorry, I was delayed by some things. I hope I didn't hold things up, Sakumo?"
The white-haired ninja scratched his head with a smile; he was an easygoing and cheerful person.
"No. But I didn't expect you to be back in the village, Jiraiya. It's been several years since we last met, hasn't it?"
Sakumo called out the white-haired ninja's name.
One of the Sannin of Konoha, Jiraiya, the disciple of the Third Hokage.
Upon hearing this name, Shiraishi subtly sized up Jiraiya.
From his outward aura, he was indeed a jounin of considerable strength. There were no obvious flaws in his every move, indicating that his taijutsu was definitely not weak.
Even so, Shiraishi wouldn't have paid him much attention.
However, a while ago, many toads suddenly appeared in Konoha, and he was the prime suspect.
The other party quickly became friendly with Sakumo, chatting and laughing, and Shiraishi secretly nodded.
This kind of guy is troublesome: thick-skinned and very good at socializing. Therefore, when talking to him, one must avoid the important points and focus on the minor ones; even in casual conversation, he has a strong ulterior motive.
Setting aside his strength for now, his personality was definitely the type Shiraishi least wanted to encounter.
They didn't reminisce for long before Sakumo and Jiraiya took the lead, heading towards the front lines of the battlefield.
On the way, Jiraiya secretly sighed.
Although he had placed some toads from Mount Myōboku in Konoha, Jiraiya wasn't confident if they could find anything.
Moreover, he now had to go to the front lines of the battlefield and had no time to think about this matter.
If the Great Toad Sage's prophecy ability were a bit more precise, that would be great.
Speaking of which... Is there really such a powerful ninja in Konoha?
But the powerful ninjas he knew in Konoha all had close ties with him; he might not know everything about them, but their loyalty to Konoha was absolutely unquestionable.
So, who exactly is the person prophesied to bring endless war to the ninja world and cause ninjas to be destroyed from the ninja world?
And in what corner of Konoha are they?