Akahoshi, who had frozen in place, quickly snapped back to his senses. His eyes lit up with barely restrained excitement.
"I never expected the Star to actually respond to Ryan… This hasn't happened in centuries—it may not be a bad thing after all. Let's observe carefully…"
The sudden changes during Ryan's Star Training had ignited a flicker of hope in Akahoshi's heart. If Ryan could perfectly accept the Star's chakra, it might finally persuade the Third Star Shadow to lift the ban on Star Training.
Bathed in the purple glow, the Star hovered steadily above Ryan's head. Beam after beam of visible purple chakra streamed down, engulfing his small figure in radiant light…
That purple light was chakra—Star Chakra—transformed into a harmless form by the Dimensional Seal. Streams of powerful chakra surged into Ryan's network of chakra pathways, quickly overwhelming and assimilating his own weak chakra. It flowed rapidly through his meridians, and at first, Ryan only felt a comforting, warm sensation spreading throughout his body…
But that comfort didn't last.
Soon, Ryan felt a dull, painful pressure in his meridians. He immediately realized they had reached their limit—his chakra system was saturated. His expression grew serious.
The real pain… starts now.
Sure enough, the next wave hit hard. Ryan felt as though his entire body were about to burst. Every meridian stretched tight under the pressure of overwhelming chakra, pain blooming throughout his limbs like wildfire.
Moments later, it felt as if he'd plummeted from heaven straight into hell. His entire body began trembling as the Dimensional Seal initiated the forced expansion of his chakra network. The pain was beyond excruciating—like invisible hands pulling and tearing at every vein in his body.
And it wasn't just that.
The Dimensional Seal was also strengthening his physical form, enabling him to withstand the titanic chakra flows within. His body felt like it had been tossed into a giant cauldron and left to boil. His temperature skyrocketed, his skin burned—an inferno tearing him apart from within.
Inside the training hall, Akahoshi, Night Hawk, and Dead Burial watched with tense eyes. None of them dared to blink as the Star floated in midair, its glow flooding over Ryan's trembling figure.
"…Something's changing."
"There's nothing we can do now—it's all up to him. Forcing the Star away from him might only make things worse!"
Though Akahoshi had become a jonin through Star Training, he wasn't clueless. From what he saw, Ryan had clearly formed some kind of connection with the Star. Otherwise, its chakra would never pour into him so wildly.
Star Training couldn't be interrupted once it started. Trying to forcibly separate Ryan from the Star could spell disaster.
"Ahhhh—!"
Ryan let out a muffled cry, his body spasming from the pain. It felt like his entire chakra network was being torn apart. Sweat poured off him like rain. His face had gone pale with patches of strange redness, and waves of heat rose visibly from his skin.
The mat beneath him was completely soaked through.
Still, Ryan gritted his teeth and held on. His clenched jaw had already begun to bleed from the pressure. Every muscle in his face was pulled tight as a drum.
Hearing the occasional pained moan and seeing his frail silhouette quivering under the purple light, Night Hawk grew anxious.
"Lord Akahoshi… Should we inform the Star Shadow? I'm afraid something might go wrong…"
Before Akahoshi could speak, a strained voice rang out:
"…Don't worry… I'm fine… the Star's chakra… is strengthening my body… Aghhh!"
Ryan, still barely conscious, forced the words through clenched teeth. Despite the agony, he didn't want anyone to interrupt.
His voice was weak, but Akahoshi and his men—trained shinobi—heard it clearly.
Their eyes widened in shock. Then, smiles broke across their faces.
"That's amazing!" Akahoshi finally let out a long breath.
Though he was no saint and often used questionable means to reach his goals, at this moment he was genuinely happy. He had come to regard Ryan as his true disciple—and hearing his resolve filled him with pride.
Dead Burial stared at the glowing Star, eyes full of awe.
"In all these centuries… the Star has never taken the initiative to help someone strengthen their body…"
Just then, an aged voice spoke from behind them:
"This child… may be the blessing we've been waiting for. If he truly absorbs the Star's chakra without side effects, his future will far surpass any of us. The future of Hoshigakure might rest on his shoulders."
The sealed wooden door to the training hall creaked open.
Standing in the doorway was the Third Star Shadow, flanked by two ANBU wearing animal masks. No one knew how long he had been standing there, but he now gazed at Ryan's glowing silhouette with a deeply serious expression. Even he couldn't hide his excitement.
Akahoshi and his men almost fainted from fright.
After all, this was a secret Star Training session, and they'd just been caught red-handed.
They had no intention of revolting against the Third Star Shadow—not yet. And unlike the decrepit man he would become ten years later, the current Third Star Shadow was still strong—a true elite jonin.
"L-Lord Star Shadow, we—" Akahoshi stammered, panic all over his face.
"You're all too bold. If I hadn't suddenly decided to drop by, how long were you planning to hide this from me?"
Though his voice was quiet, it carried the stern authority of a village leader. While self-proclaimed, he was still Hoshigakure's ruler—and a powerful shinobi to boot.
Akahoshi and the other two quickly dropped to one knee.
"We accept any punishment, my lord!"
They hoped that admitting guilt would lead to mercy. The Third Star Shadow was known for being fair, and the alternative—resisting—would've ended terribly.
"Enough. We'll deal with your punishment after Ryan's condition becomes clear. Get up."
The Third Star Shadow sighed.
Many in the village had questioned his decision to ban Star Training. But he had done it to prevent further deaths. Still, if a miracle had truly occurred…
Ryan had no idea the Third Star Shadow was present.
He was in a state of constant torment—every nerve screaming in agony. But even when the Dimensional Seal offered to knock him unconscious, he refused.
If I can't endure even this much pain, he thought grimly, what right do I have to chase strength?
So he bore it.
The pain of expanded meridians and a burning body. Every second was an eternity.
Akahoshi, the Third Star Shadow, and the others stared at the figure bathed in light—he was like something out of legend.
This had never happened in Hoshigakure's entire history. Other trainees had never triggered such a reaction. But with Ryan…
Could this boy truly be their miracle?
In the end, Ryan passed out.
But just before losing consciousness, his pale face managed a faint, almost defiant smile.
He'd made it.
Thud!
The moment he blacked out, the Star suddenly lost its levitation and dropped to the floor with a heavy clunk. Its radiant glow vanished instantly. The once-dazzling meteorite now rolled harmlessly across the wooden floor—just a roundish rock, utterly mundane.
The others rushed forward.
Akahoshi and the Third Star Shadow lifted Ryan from the ground. After checking his vitals, they gasped.
Ryan's chakra reserves had reached jonin-level, and… his body was perfectly healthy. None of the terrible symptoms that had plagued past Star trainees were present.
The Third Star Shadow's old face broke into an ecstatic grin.
"Hoshigakure… finally has hope!"
Tears welled in his eyes as he clutched the unconscious boy and laughed with joy.
Akahoshi, meanwhile, picked up the fallen Star. But as he examined it, his expression changed.
"Lord Star Shadow—! The Star… its chakra… it's gone!"
"What?!"
The entire room froze.
Everyone stared at the now-lifeless meteorite in Akahoshi's hands. It looked no different from a regular rock.
The Third Star Shadow quickly set Ryan down and took the Star, inspecting it with chakra—only to confirm it himself.
The Star had been completely drained.
His gaze shifted in disbelief… to the unconscious boy on the floor.
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