章節 21: Chapter 21: Shape Transformation and the Void State

In the days that followed, the guidance provided by Guy began to show its effects.

First, there was the management of training intensity. Before, Natsuro was unsure of how much his body could handle. But now, he could reach his training goals in a much shorter time.

Next was the regulation of training volume. Even the increments in his training had been carefully calculated, saving him a lot of time.

Natsuro had great respect for Guy's understanding of taijutsu—after all, this was the man who almost ended a major battle with a single kick using pure taijutsu.

However, Guy wasn't there every day. He only observed closely at the beginning to provide guidance, leaving most of the training sessions to Natsuro and Lee, who continued to train together.

Then there was the "stillness" of Sage Mode. Ever since that first day, Natsuro hadn't been able to enter that state again for several days.

But he wasn't anxious. He had already reached it once, and he could clearly feel that he was steadily progressing in the right direction.

Finally, after a few more days, Natsuro successfully entered the state of stillness again without pushing himself to his limits. This time, he remained in the state much longer than before.

Yet, even in this state, he still couldn't sense natural energy—it was just a vast emptiness.

Over the next few days, the threshold for entering this state became easier to overcome. He could enter it more easily, though it didn't seem to serve much purpose once he was in it.

Natsuro wasn't disappointed by this. After all, it was just the precursor to Sage Mode, and its lack of immediate usefulness was within his expectations. What he needed to do next was to continue lowering the threshold for entering this state until he could do so at will, even in a relaxed condition.

After all, in a real battle, there would hardly be time to train to the limit just to enter this state. Even if he did, how much energy would he have left for the fight?

So, further practice was necessary.

However, as he continued practicing, Natsuro noticed something strange. After entering the stillness state, he seemed to think more clearly, and it felt as though he could even observe things around him.

Though he wasn't sure what he was observing, he wondered if he might eventually be able to perceive natural energy.

One day, when Lee approached him while he was nearing this state, Natsuro suddenly opened his eyes, shock lingering in his gaze as he looked at Lee.

He had seen—no, sensed—the flow of chakra within Lee's body and the naturally dissipating chakra around him.

Was this state similar to the Byakugan?

Natsuro shook his head. Not at all. He had merely sensed the flow of chakra and simulated an image of Lee's chakra pathways. The range of perception provided by the Byakugan was far beyond what his state could achieve.

Still, he felt this state had more to offer—he just hadn't discovered it all yet.

As for Lee's chakra, it wasn't surprising. Lee couldn't use chakra, but that didn't mean he didn't have any. If he had no chakra, the Eight Gates technique wouldn't work on him either.

After all, Natsuro remembered that the later stages of the Eight Gates involved releasing berserk chakra locked within the body. Without chakra, there would be nothing to release.

Since he had already emerged from that state, Natsuro decided to continue practicing chakra transformation. He began concentrating chakra in his palm and releasing it.

This time, he clearly felt that even when the chakra was released outside his body, his connection to it seemed to deepen significantly.

This was strange. Just yesterday, it wasn't like this. He looked at the spherical chakra he had successfully condensed for the first time, thought for a moment, and then transformed it into a cube.

He stared at the cube for a moment before trying again. This time, he failed, and the chakra quietly dissipated into the air.

Had he really made that much progress in just one day? Natsuro had a good sense of his improvement rate after so much training.

Was it that the stillness state had enhanced his perception, allowing him to more clearly sense and control chakra even when it was outside his body? Was that the reason for such progress?

He wasn't sure, but if that was the case, then the benefits of this state were greater than he had imagined.

This realization strengthened his resolve to master Sage Mode. For now, his goal was to maintain the stillness state for longer periods.

One day, while in the stillness state, Natsuro's perception became even sharper. Although it still couldn't compare to the Byakugan, it was enough to cover most close-range combat scenarios.

With this enhanced perception, he could observe the chakra states of his opponents, allowing him to anticipate the timing of their jutsu. This was a significant advantage.

Unfortunately, he could only sense chakra in close-range combat. At such close distances, even if he sensed something, he might not have time to react. And at this distance, combat would likely involve taijutsu, making this perception less useful for now.

As he continued to maintain the state, Natsuro suddenly realized something—why hadn't he noticed this earlier? He should have realized it when he first sensed Guy.

But he had been misled by his own assumptions—that this state was purely for sensing natural energy. So he never thought to use it to sense chakra, which, compared to natural energy, was much easier to perceive. Not only was it more abundant, but it was also a type of energy he had been familiar with from the beginning.

Had he missed something else due to the limitations of his previous thinking?

The stillness state had strong perception, but it generally only allowed him to sense where chakra was located. Only when someone was extremely close could he sense the subtle flow of chakra in their body, and the range was very limited.

Within this small range, how could he experiment with observation without asking Lee for help?

The answer was obvious—he could observe himself. No matter how small the range, he was always within it!

With this in mind, Natsuro turned his "gaze" inward for the first time, directing it into his own body. He saw the chakra flowing through his chakra pathway.

Unlike with others' chakra, which required perception, he could directly observe his own chakra without any need for sensing. The clarity of this observation far exceeded his expectations!

This observation revealed something different, he saw both wind and lightning natures contained within his chakra.

He had always known they were there but had never been able to sense or use them. His plan had been to focus on chakra control and transformation before tackling elemental changes. He hadn't expected to see them so clearly now.

He observed the wind and lightning elements within his chakra, silently experiencing their flow and transformation.

At that moment, he seemed to understand something. If anyone were paying close attention, they would have noticed tiny arcs of electricity jumping across his body and a gentle breeze swirling around him.

For the first time, Natsuro opened his eyes and exited that state intentionally. He moved to an open area, recalling the power he had just seen, and formed hand seals for a technique he had memorized but never used.

Even though it was his first time using it, he was confident he could not only perform the jutsu but do so effectively.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

As the hand seals were completed, the jutsu was successfully executed. However, instead of a wide, weak gust, the Great Breakthrough was compressed into a small area, firing off like an air cannon—a stark contrast to the traditional version of the jutsu.

Natsuro looked at the modified Great Breakthrough with a sense of realization. By following the hand seals and chakra flow as described in the scroll, he could have used the standard Great Breakthrough, which was mostly effective against Hidden Mist Jutsu but lacked power due to its wide dispersion.

Even without understanding wind, he could still create a strong wind using the prescribed hand seals and chakra control. But now that he had seen the wind within his chakra and grasped a bit of its nature, he could compress the wind generated by the Great Breakthrough into a focused blast, forming an air cannon.

The compression wasn't strong enough yet, resulting in a weak air cannon. Still, the experiment was a success!

Then, Natsuro looked at his arm, where tiny arcs of electricity began to jump. A smile appeared on his face.

That day, he had truly taken a significant step forward in chakra transformation.

This state certainly couldn't be called Sage Mode. Since it's just a state, he decided to call it the Void State. He pondered whether this state could be akin to meditation in a world of magic.

Perhaps there was some truth to that.

But while others used this state to sense natural energy, he had used it to observe his own chakra—and found it quite effective.

This approach was especially useful for Natsuro. Most others who learned Sage Mode had long since mastered chakra transformation. While this state might have other uses, its benefits weren't as significant for them—they would rather focus on mastering Sage Mode quickly.

But for him, who was still at a lower level, this state was like a low-tier machine suddenly gaining access to a high-level function, naturally boosting the performance of all other low-tier functions as well.

創作者的想法
SaintXI

Please donate some power stones to the cause :)

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章節 22: Chapter 22: Secret Art of Lightning Release

EDIT: After careful consideration, I've decided to make a small amendment to the main character's name. Changing his name from 'Natsuri' to 'Natsuro'. Which will be reflected in all the released chapters by the time this chapter comes out.

Reasons:

I've realised that the MC's name is quite feminine, with -ri in Japanese naming convention often being used on female names. While in some cases it can be considered gender neutral it can be confusing and I've noticed some readers comment that.

While I had other options that were better suited to the direct translated meaning, I believe Natsuro will be the easiest name for readers' to transition to since it's phonetic familarity to Natsuri.

I believe it was best to make this change earlier on in the novel than down the line when the story progresses further. I apologise for the potential inconvenience it could have for the current readers.

----------------------------------------------

EDIT: Natsuri now is referred to as Natsuro

At this moment, Natsuro felt a tingling, somewhat pleasurable sensation in his body. He knew this was due to the effects of the recent electric arcs, and it made him reflect.

Indeed, the bodies in this world are far from ordinary compared to his previous world. What felt comfortable here would have been quite shocking and painful back in his old world.

He pondered about lightning-based chakra, shape transformation, and body enhancement. The Cloud Village's secret art of Lightning Release Chakra Mode came to mind. Their technique was notably impressive.

Unfortunately, such secret techniques were not available in Konohagakure.

It was likely that Konoha and other ninja villages were also developing similar Lightning Release techniques. After all, Cloud Village's technique was quite remarkable, and the principles behind it weren't too complex.

However, just because the principles are straightforward doesn't mean it's easy to develop. Especially with techniques like Lightning Release that can potentially harm the body if not handled carefully.

Natsuro even suspected that Konoha might have successfully developed similar techniques in secret, but the side effects were likely significant, and their effectiveness might be far inferior to Cloud Village's, which is why they remained unused.

The more critical aspect was understanding the underlying principles of these techniques for better preparation against Cloud Village ninjas.

Currently, most ninja villages had not made much progress with their versions of such techniques. It was only natural, given that Cloud Village relied heavily on this technique for their standing, making it difficult for others to replicate.

Although he was somewhat envious of Cloud Village's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he knew that he was unlikely to acquire it.

However, temporary body enhancements similar to those performed by Sasuke during the Chunin Exams were still achievable.

Sasuke, being a main character, had advantages that ordinary ninjas did not, and the risks involved were not negligible. The intense stimulation might even have harmed his body.

While he needed such enhancements, he did not require immediate improvements in combat power meaning he could afford to explore enhancement methods gradually and safely.

His first step would be to study more about human anatomy from the library to ensure a safer and more comprehensive approach to body stimulation.

Natsuro sighed, reflecting that he had read some anatomy books before but had not delved deeply into them. Now, it seemed he had a new task.

At this moment, he began to understand Orochimaru a bit better—he also wanted to delve into research.

The quickest way to acquire a technique like Lightning Release Chakra Mode would naturally be to seize it directly, but that option was not feasible for most ninjas.

The next alternative would be taboo research like Orochimaru's. Conducting live experiments would accelerate the process significantly. Capturing Cloud Village ninjas who could use the Lightning Release Chakra Mode would be ideal.

Even studying deceased subjects would be useful. Although their secrets would dissipate quickly, analyzing their enhanced bodies could potentially reveal their techniques.

With enough samples, even some techniques could be reverse-engineered. Each ninja uses specific chakra pathways for their techniques, and understanding these pathways might help in reverse-engineering the techniques.

However, the vast array of techniques a ninja might know adds many variables. To reverse-engineer effectively, more samples are needed, and one must confirm the techniques used by the ninja during their lifetime.

Secret techniques, due to their distinct training methods compared to ordinary techniques, are somewhat easier to reverse-engineer. Hence, even deceased ninja bodies are valuable. They are usually collected by the village's secret forces or destroyed to prevent other villages from obtaining them.

Despite this, reverse-engineering such techniques is not a straightforward task and cannot be achieved quickly. Moreover, obtaining a sufficient number of bodies using Lightning Release Chakra Mode for research would be almost impossible.

The efficiency of using ordinary humans for research would plummet, and using animals would be even less effective.

Overall, it's a complex process. If he had access to forbidden methods, he was confident he could achieve some results before the plot progressed, though they would likely come with significant side effects.

But the problem was that there weren't enough subjects for experimentation. Even Root wouldn't be able to capture such numbers, and if they did, the situation would be exposed soon after.

Moreover, no one would allow a six-year-old boy to conduct experiments—becoming a test subject was more plausible.

From the start, Natsuro knew that pursuing a research path was not feasible for him. The timing of his transmigration was too late, leaving him no time for research or securing funding.

Who would fund research for a child?

To pursue research effectively, he would have needed to travel further back in time, ideally to Orochimaru's era, where there would be more operational opportunities. Discovering issues and potentially shifting blame to Orochimaru could have been viable strategies.

He sighed, realizing that although being a "normal genius" might make research a promising path, he was unable to follow it due to time constraints, lack of relevant talents, and his unwillingness to cross many ethical boundaries. At most, he could study deceased ninjas.

Even if he couldn't pursue this path, Natsuro was still confident in his talent for more conventional methods.

As for predicting the future, even with knowledge of the plot, it would require those around him to be foolish or for him to possess wisdom far surpassing theirs.

He felt this was beyond his capability. He lacked the wisdom required and decided to focus on becoming stronger through hard work.

Sitting cross-legged, Natsuro allowed the electric arcs to jump across his body again. Although developing advanced enhancement techniques was challenging, using them to alleviate physical fatigue was still feasible.

With the electric arcs continuing to flicker, he felt a soothing, tingling sensation throughout his body. The more fatigued the area, the stronger the tingling, and he almost moaned when it reached the most intensely trained parts.

Soon, he opened his eyes. His chakra was depleted from using a C-rank jutsu, and he had used up too much.

However, even in this short time, he could feel his recovery was much faster than before. He had only performed the most basic level of 'massage' for safety.

As his proficiency improved, he believed the effects would become even better. A faster recovery would also lead to a quicker replenishment of chakra.

His current plan was to continue practicing shape transformation in the Void State and focus on familiarizing himself with it. The remaining chakra would be used for 'massaging' his tired body.

Natsuro's eyes glinted with anticipation. Discoveries in the Void State and Lightning Release Mode made him feel hopeful about his future, and he was slightly excited.

創作者的想法
SaintXI

(A/N) Edit: I have decided to change the MC's name from Natsuri to Natsuro. For reasons stated in the beginning of this chapter.

The new name was designed to be the easiest transition possible for current readers while encapsulating the bulk of his name's meaning. I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience but for the future of the novel I believe it was better to do now than later.

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