This power… seems a bit… out of control.
Akashi Sora stared silently for a moment at the spectacular scene before him, created by a single "Great Fireball" he had unleashed.
He could feel it: after devouring hundreds of ordinary ninjutsu discs, his body's efficiency in utilizing chakra had reached an unimaginable level.
The same amount of chakra input now produced results amplified several times over.
This was not good news.
It meant that from now on, if he wanted to disguise himself as an ordinary Chunin, he would need to control his power with even greater precision.
One careless mistake, and a simple Water Bullet could turn into a massive tsunami—that would be a disaster.
"Troublesome."
Sora curled his lip, mentally noting the issue, then turned his attention to today's main topic.
Wind Release.
Against Cloud ninjas who primarily used Lightning Release, Wind Release was the best counter.
He sank his consciousness into the system space, focusing his mind on the brand-new disc.
[Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves]
This was Shimura Danzo's signature ninjutsu.
In terms of raw power, it was among the top-tier Wind Release attacks.
"Replicate and play."
No hand seals, no preparatory stance.
Sora simply opened his mouth calmly.
In the next instant, an invisible surge of mental energy was drained, and the system began guiding natural energy from the surroundings.
Shwick-shwick-shwick-shwick-shwick!
Dozens of paper-thin yet razor-sharp wind blades instantly erupted from his mouth!
The blades screamed through the air with a piercing whine, slicing precisely into the churning sea ahead.
There was no explosion, no deafening roar.
Only the eerie, silent sound of cutting.
The ocean surface was instantly dissected by countless invisible scalpels, revealing dozens of narrow, bottomless fissures. The seawater didn't even have time to close the gaps.
The edges of the cuts were smooth as glass.
This was true cutting.
"Beautiful."
Sora couldn't help but praise it.
This was the perfect combination of "flashiness" and "practicality" that he pursued.
Compared to the brute-force aesthetics of the Great Fireball, this extreme sharpness and precision fascinated him far more.
Most importantly, an attack of this magnitude cost him almost nothing in terms of personal reserves.
It only consumed mental energy.
And after devouring the Sage Body and Sharingan, his mental energy was now as vast as an ocean.
"Again."
[Replicate and play: Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves]
Shwick-shwick-shwick-shwick-shwick!
Another barrage of dozens of wind blades—this time, he guided them to carve complex geometric patterns across the sea surface.
"Again!"
[Re-pli-cate-and-play!]
One Vacuum Wave after another was unleashed without restraint, like a fire sale.
The waters in front of the isolated island were utterly ravaged.
The sea was sliced into fragments, massive waves surged skyward, and countless wind blades danced through the swells, shredding water vapor into nothingness.
The entire sky grew gloomy from the pervasive mist.
And the culprit behind it all simply stood on the shore.
"Haha…"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Sora finally couldn't hold back his laughter.
It started low, then grew louder, eventually becoming unrestrained, maniacal laughter that echoed through the howling sea wind.
He had been suppressing it for too long.
Ever since the night of the Nine-Tails attack, he had been acting, disguising himself, scheming at every step.
Playing the harmless little ray of sunshine, pretending to be an unremarkable ninja, calculating every gain and loss.
Only here, on this deserted island, could he finally drop all his masks and fully release the deep, soul-level craving for power.
He stood by the sea, frantically "playing" his Wind Release.
He watched the ocean he had thrown into chaos, his amber eyes reflecting the trails of wind blades tearing everything apart.
"Come on!"
"Hidden Cloud Village!"
"Let me see whether your Lightning Release is faster, or my Wind is sharper!"
He didn't know how much time passed until he felt a slight fatigue in his mental energy, and only then did he stop.
He exhaled a long breath, the frenzied excitement on his face gradually fading as he regained his calm.
"Testing complete."
"A single playback of [Vacuum Serial Waves] consumes approximately 0.1% of mental energy."
"In theory, I can release it continuously one thousand times."
"Sustained combat capability: qualified."
"Next, it's time to return to Konoha and continue playing my role."
He took one last look at the devastated sea, then activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
His figure vanished instantly.
…
The next day was another rare day off.
Sora's shadow clone had diligently maintained his persona outside all day, dispersing on schedule at dawn and transmitting an entire day's worth of boring memories—"basking in the sun," "burning my tongue on ramen broth"—back to the original body.
Sora got out of bed, stretched luxuriously.
"Let's go eat barbecue today."
Who knows when I'll next get to enjoy a meal this leisurely.
He changed into clean civilian clothes, humming a tune as he headed out.
Konoha's streets were as lively as ever.
The sun was perfect, warming his skin pleasantly.
Sora skillfully greeted passing neighborhood aunts, flashing his energetic, full-wattage smile, and was rewarded with a small bag of tangerines forcibly pressed into his hands.
Perfect.
He walked into his usual barbecue restaurant and chose a seat by the window.
"Boss! One portion of premium marbled beef, one beef tongue, and one pork neck!"
"Coming right up!"
Soon, vibrant red slices of meat were served, sizzling pleasantly on the grill, filling the air with the aroma of melting fat.
This is the life.
Sora narrowed his eyes in contentment, savoring this brief moment of peace.
"Huh? Isn't that Akashi Sora?"
A somewhat familiar voice came from the entrance.
Sora looked over and saw two people—unexpected, yet somehow not surprising.
Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai.
Asuma had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking lazily relaxed. Kurenai wore standard Chunin attire, her red eyes carrying a hint of valor.
They were in the same year as Kakashi—seniors several grades above Sora back in the academy.
"Asuma-senpai! Kurenai-senpai! What a coincidence!" Sora immediately stood up, waving enthusiastically with a dazzling smile.
Inside, his mind was already racing at full speed.
Sarutobi Asuma—son of the Third Hokage, master of Wind Release.
Yuhi Kurenai—Konoha's genius in genjutsu.
Two top-tier "material libraries" had delivered themselves right to his door.
"Eating barbecue alone? You're really living the easy life, kid." Asuma strolled over and naturally sat across from him. Kurenai smiled and took the seat beside him.
"Yeah, it's a rare day off!" Sora poured them tea. "Are you two seniors here on a date?"
Kurenai's cheeks flushed slightly, looking a little embarrassed.
Asuma waved it off casually. "Don't talk nonsense. We're here to discuss a mission."
He picked up the menu. "Boss, three more portions just like his!"
"I heard from Kakashi that your team is heading to the Land of Lightning border?" Asuma asked casually while flipping the meat.
"Yeah! We're going to the front lines—I'm so excited!" Sora clenched his fist, putting on the appearance of a hot-blooded youth thrilled to head into battle.
Kurenai looked at his enthusiasm with some concern. "Sora, the battlefield isn't like village exercises. Cloud ninjas are extremely fierce—don't let your guard down."
"Got it! Kakashi-taichō told me the same thing." Sora nodded earnestly like an obedient student.
"Stop scaring him, Kurenai." Asuma blew out a smoke ring. "A little fire in the belly is good for a young guy. But listen up, kid."
He placed a perfectly grilled piece of marbled beef into Sora's bowl.
"On the battlefield, you need to know exactly what you're fighting for. Some fight for the village, some for their comrades, some for the Will of Fire."
Asuma's expression grew unusually serious.
"Find the 'gyoku' you want to protect, then risk your life to defend it. That's what it means to be a shinobi."
The "gyoku" he wants to protect?
Another way of saying the Will of Fire? It sounded far more practical than slogans like "burn yourself to light the village."
Sora felt no ripple in his heart—he even wanted to laugh a little.
Gyoku—as in the king piece in shogi.
To protect the king, you sacrifice rooks, bishops, knights, horses… every other piece can be discarded.
A cruel yet realistic metaphor.
But on his face, he showed a thoughtful expression, then nodded firmly. "I understand! Thank you, Asuma-senpai! I'll find my 'gyoku'!"
Asuma smiled with satisfaction, clearly pleased with Sora's "quick understanding."
The barbecue meal ended in a pleasant atmosphere.
Asuma snatched the bill and left with Kurenai.