Chapter 12: Setting a Small Goal
Chapter 12: Setting a Small Goal
The joy that comes with an improvement in one's strength is undeniable.
However, Feng Ye quickly tempered this joy, as he was aware of the awkward position he found himself in. While he bore the title of 'Special Jonin', his capabilities were not well-rounded enough to be considered a true Jonin.
"I still lack endurance..." Feng Ye mused.
Without the Uzumaki clan's physique or a tailed beast sealed within him, his chakra levels were barely at the level of an elite Chunin. His physical strength was also that of a ten-year-old, which didn't amount to much. And with his time acceleration ability active, his stamina depleted even faster.
"If I learn the Eight Inner Gates on top of this, I'll truly become a five-second man." Feng Ye's face twisted in frustration at the thought.
Before attaining the body of a sage, his stamina and chakra would likely remain his weaknesses. And the body of a sage was something far beyond his reach at the moment.
However, upon further reflection, Feng Ye realized that as long as he could unleash tremendous power in a brief moment, a lack of endurance wouldn't be much of an issue. After all, wasn't the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, renowned throughout the ninja world for his chakra control and speed, able to instantly take down fifty Jonin?
"Looks like my combat style from now on will be to end battles in an instant..." Feng Ye muttered to himself.
Regardless of whether his endurance was lacking or not, he knew he had to continue training in the Eight Inner Gates. With the combination of the Eight Inner Gates and his time acceleration ability, he would truly have the means to end battles at lightspeed.
If his speed reached its extreme, who cared about endurance? He wouldn't need much battle time at all.
"At my current state, I should be no weaker than an elite Chunin. With my triple-speed state, I can be considered a Special Jonin. To progress further, there are three directions I can take..." Feng Ye contemplated.
The first path to improvement was the most conventional—to diligently train in taijutsu, nurture his chakra, and utilize his time-doubling ability to accelerate his body's growth. By the time his body matured to that of a thirteen-year-old, he would likely possess Jonin-level chakra control and taijutsu.
If he then learned a standard Jonin-level ninjutsu, he would be a standard Jonin even without relying on his time acceleration.
The second path involved continuing his training in the Hatake Clan's sword style.
If he could complete the second stage of the Hatake Clan's sword style, he would possess Jonin-level strength even if his chakra control and taijutsu were lacking, thanks to the sheer power of the 'White Fang'.
The third path was to master the Eight Inner Gates.
"...It would be best to pursue all three directions simultaneously," Feng Ye decided.
For an ordinary person, choosing one path and focusing all their efforts on it would be the wise decision, as they didn't have the luxury of time to spread themselves too thin. Attempting to walk down three paths often led to mediocrity, with little mastery achieved in any of them.
But Feng Ye was different.
With his time acceleration ability, he had more time to cultivate! As his control over the ethereal clock improved, he might even be able to achieve four or five times speed, making him absolutely capable of traversing all three paths!
"Let's set a small goal. In six months, I will become a Jonin," Feng Ye clenched his fist and took a deep breath.
Jonin!
By Jonin, he meant possessing Jonin-level strength without relying on his time acceleration.
If he could achieve this, then with his triple, or even quadruple and quintuple, time acceleration, he might be able to slaughter Jonin as easily as Minato Namikaze. Only by reaching this level would he have a chance of surviving the impending Third Great Ninja War and not dying from some unforeseen accident.
Compared to the previous two days, there were noticeably more ninja patrols on the streets, and they were making their rounds more frequently. This was just the visible security presence.
Hidden in the shadows, the Konoha Anbu and the monitoring units directly under Fire Shadow Hiruzen Sarutobi were undoubtedly keeping a vigilant eye on every corner of the village, searching for any possible infiltrators from enemy villages.
Feng Ye could sense eyes on him and felt himself being scrutinized. After confirming that he posed no threat, the feeling of being watched gradually faded away.
While this covert surveillance was uncomfortable, it was unavoidable during the tense period leading up to the Great Ninja War, as each village sent out spies to gather intelligence by any means necessary.
Due to the frequent issues with his time acceleration during training, Feng Ye's refrigerator was often depleted of ingredients. So, every day or two, he needed to restock. He headed toward the street where food was sold, intending to buy more supplies.
After walking just a few steps...
A somewhat familiar voice reached his ears from the neighboring meat shop.
Feng Ye turned to see a familiar figure standing in front of the beef vendor, holding a bag and glaring at the shop owner.
"What? Beef is now 450 ryo? That's way too expensive!" Might Guy complained.
The shop owner helplessly spread his hands and explained, "The procurement price has already gone up. It's not like I'm trying to make a killing here."
Inevitably, the tense situation in the ninja world had caused a rise in prices. Although Konoha Village remained relatively stable, the various channels through which the village obtained supplies had become strained. Even large shipments of goods required ninja escorts due to concerns about attacks from enemy ninja, further increasing the consumption of resources and manpower.
"Too expensive..."
Might Guy scratched his hair, feeling a bit frustrated.
As a genin, and one who struggled to find teammates, the limited missions he could take on meant that the rising prices hit him hard. However, his son, Might Guy, was in a critical growth phase and required a daily intake of meat.
After some hesitation, Might Guy bought a piece of beef but reduced the quantity, thinking that he could manage with a smaller portion.
"Tough times," Feng Ye muttered sympathetically as he watched Might Guy's predicament.
His situation was a little better. Although Sokumo had passed away, he had left behind a substantial inheritance that could support both him and Kakashi for several years. Additionally, Kakashi had already advanced to the rank of chunin and could support himself, so they didn't need to worry about the rising prices for the time being.
However, on another note, if Might Guy could defeat the Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist while opening the Eight Inner Gates, then surely he should have jonin-level strength when opening seven of the gates, even if his chakra control and taijutsu were lacking.
The problem was that the missions Might Guy undertook were mostly non-combat-related, such as cleaning garbage and searching for lost cats, leaving him with little opportunity to showcase his true power.
As a result, Konoha remained unaware of Might Guy's formidable strength.
After some contemplation, Feng Ye quickly purchased a few ingredients and made his way back home. After a simple meal, he once again left the house in search of Might Guy.
(End of Chapter)
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