Hey guys, This is an extra chapter as a thank you for all the support and power stones you've given to encourage me and support the fanfic. If we reach 100 power stones, I'll release another chapter. Enjoy this extra!
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Three days after returning from the C-rank mission.
Sunagakure had returned to its usual rhythm: the scorching sun that seemed intent on melting the compacted sand walls, the dry wind dragging fine clouds of dust through the narrow streets, merchants shouting offers in the central market while protecting their stalls with ragged tarps that waved like surrendered flags.
The smell of spicy seasonings, tanned leather, and sweat permeated the hot air. Guards at the gates checked caravans with the same routine as always, as if the village had never been on the brink of a larger war. Life went on, indifferent to the scars some carried on their bodies or minds.
But for Team 1,
the last three days had been a strange, almost unreal respite. Takumi had given them a full week off after the mission.
"Rest and think about your fights, along with new ways to improve. We'll get back to work when you're at 100%," he had said before disappearing in a whirlwind of wind.
Daigo had made the most of every minute.
Though he hadn't been injured despite facing a fairly strong opponent, his body had to pay a price for using the Second Breath—sore muscles and lungs that had worked double.
So he rested the first day, and the next morning, he went out before dawn to Training Ground No. 1 to practice his usual jutsu.
The second day wasn't as intense, but he did it anyway. Constant breathing to keep the rhythm, taijutsu against sandbags he had reinforced himself with Doton.
Basic chakra control exercises to stay sharp. He wanted to be ready for whatever came next while mastering his current jutsu better.
He hadn't talked to Sasori, as he spent the days locked in his workshop, rebuilding and improving puppets and creating his new work of art that he had thought of during the mission.
If Daigo didn't drag him out, Sasori would never leave. Shizuka, for her part, had secluded herself in her clan's compound and trained nonstop on infusing her weapons with wind chakra.
She was succeeding, according to a casual comment she made when they crossed paths on the street.
Though that wasn't all. She also said she was practicing more with her Whisper Release to make it less detectable and more dangerous.
On the third day, fully recovered, Daigo did his usual training.
He was in his home's yard, practicing taijutsu katas under the midday sun. The heat was brutal, but his body, forged through months of punishment, barely noticed it. Sweat ran down his back, but every movement was precise, every imaginary strike aimed at vital points on the clay training dummy.
The dry air scratched his throat, but he kept the First Breath active, inhaling deeply to test his endurance.
That's when Takumi appeared without warning. A whirlwind of wind, and there was the jōnin, purple scarf fluttering, expression as serious as ever.
"Sensei," Daigo greeted, stopping abruptly and wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Is the week off over already?"
Takumi shook his head.
"I have something for you."
He pulled a small scroll from his vest and handed it over.
Daigo took it curiously. He opened it slowly and began reading. Soon he was surprised: though it was fairly complete, information was missing in several parts.
"This jutsu isn't exactly the same as the one the ex-chūnin we fought used," Daigo asked.
Takumi crossed his arms.
"That's right. Since we captured him alive, the interrogators managed to extract information about Iwa and everything he knew, including this jutsu. It's B-rank: Doton: Kengan no Jutsu. Rock Fists."
Daigo nodded, understanding that was normal when a ninja fell into enemy hands.
"So… you're giving it to me to train? I thought the village would keep it and I wouldn't get anything."
"Normally it would be like that, but the Kazekage summoned me today and gave it to you. Though it's incomplete. So you'll have to figure out what's missing."
"Don't worry, I won't fail."
Takumi looked at him for a long second.
"Not just the Kazekage. There are also several high-ranks keeping an eye on your progress. The village expects a lot from you, Daigo."
Daigo nodded, and a smile appeared on his face—it seemed his idea of attracting the attention of strong people was working.
"Understood, Sensei."
Takumi disappeared in a whirlwind of wind, leaving Daigo alone with the scroll.
The remaining four days of the week off turned into planned training to make the most of the last days.
Daigo divided his time precisely: mornings with his father reinforcing Breathing and taijutsu along with conditioning to stay active,
afternoons studying the Kengan scroll and practicing the basics, trying to complete the missing parts of the jutsu, and nights meditating to recover chakra and increase his control.
On the second day
after studying the jutsu along with his other Doton ones, he noticed there wasn't much difference—the only thing was that instead of creating a wall or sinking into the sand, the technique was to put a layer of stone on your fist.
It sounded simple, but that's how it was.
So heading to Training Ground No. 1, he didn't take long to get in shape and perform the jutsu seals:
-Tiger, Dog, Boar, Ox, and Snake-
with those seals, he put his hand against the ground, and the sand began to move, guided by chakra, then started hardening and covering Daigo's fist.
Seeing the fist now covered in a layer of stone, Daigo moved it to test mobility and weight—it didn't feel uncomfortable, just something different about his fist.
Seeing he needed time to get used to it, he started training his taijutsu katas with the stone fist, and it started working by the second day.
Haru treated it with bandages and an improvised splint.
On the third day,
already using it in taijutsu practice, today he would test how resistant the stone was and if there was any issue when striking.
He had created 4 stone walls, each larger than the previous, making the challenge of breaking them harder.Standing in front of the smallest wall, he prepared the jutsu, covering his fist in stone, and struck with all his strength.
The stone wall broke—though that wasn't all; the stone around the fist had also disappeared, and Daigo's fist started trembling from the clash of forces.
Daigo, looking at his hand, noticed it was numb along with pain in his fingers and hand—it wasn't supposed to be like this. Taking out the scroll and reading, normally when striking with the technique, the stone fist wouldn't break so easily and wouldn't leave any pain in the user's hand.
Looking at his hand, he tried again—this time striking a larger wall, and his fist now covered with more stone than before.
Throwing the punch, the same thing happened—though now blood came from his fingers from the burning pain as the stone broke and injured his fingers.
Realizing why it was happening, Daigo could only shake his head—there was always a problem in this world when learning a technique.
Though that's what made it fun: having challenges to overcome. He had to train his hands so the stone wouldn't hurt him.
So he remembered a training method.
He had seen this type of training in his previous life. Some people strengthened their hands with a method called Iron Palm: putting the hand in a spear shape and plunging it into sand over and over. After many trainings, the fingers and hands hardened a lot. Daigo thought that way the technique wouldn't hurt him as much when the layer broke.
So he filled the same box he had used for sand hardening when training his affinity and started little by little.
In the first minutes, he didn't feel much—just continued. But as more time passed, his hands hurt, and drops of sweat fell from his forehead. Each plunge was an impact against the compacted sand, a dull pain rising from the fingers to the forearms. But he didn't stop. A hundred times. Two hundred.
The sun moved in the sky while he continued, the yard filled with the rhythmic sound of his hands striking sand.By the end of the day, his hands were red, swollen, but not broken. The skin felt thicker, more resistant.
What he did was bandage them and sleep with his sore hands.
On the fourth day, Sasori and Shizuka appeared in the yard.
"What are you doing?" Sasori asked, curious to see Daigo sitting in a chair with a drink in his left hand and a scroll in his right.
Daigo showed the scroll.
"Kengan no Jutsu. The Kazekage gave it to me to learn," he said without showing too much amazement.
Shizuka raised an eyebrow.
"The Kazekage gave it to you? A B-rank?"
Daigo smiled.
"Exactly."
Sasori sat on a rock.
"Have you mastered it already?" he said, looking at Daigo's bandaged hands.
"No, my hands aren't ready to use the jutsu, so I've been training them. And while doing that, I'm studying it to complete the jutsu."
Sasori nodded, knowing from experience that if your body wasn't ready, you couldn't use the technique without causing irreparable damage.
By the end of the week, an idea had come to him from looking at everything. Though he'd have to wait, since missions would start again and Daigo wouldn't have time to train it fully. But with this, he was 100% sure he'd succeed in creating it without hurting himself.
The next day, the week off ended.
Team 1 gathered at the main gate at dawn.
Takumi looked at them, evaluating.
"Did you rest?"
The three nodded.
"Good," the jōnin said. "Because the next mission is a real B-rank. And this time… there won't be bandits."
Daigo, along with the others, felt their fists clench—though each for their own reasons.
And Daigo wanted to test his strength against real ninjas.
He was ready.
End of chapter