Next up was the training of C-rank Ninjutsu.
There were a total of 22 C-rank Ninjutsu in the notebook. Kirito first observed them carefully, circling and marking them with a pen, and finally discovered a pattern.
While C-rank Ninjutsu might include some powerful offensive techniques, their main focus was on transformation and support.
Take, for example, the Lightning Release he had trained earlier.
Lightning Attraction applied Lightning-attribute Chakra to Ninja tools, making them more lethal.
Kirito began to ponder seriously.
More than ten minutes later, he slowly stood up, placing his finger on the tip of his nose, gradually manipulating the Chakra in his body.
The Chakra gradually transformed into Water-attribute Chakra, which he applied to himself.
Immediately, Kirito's body underwent a huge change, rapidly merging into water. His entire being seemed to turn into a puddle, and water flowed from Kirito's body, gradually dripping onto the ground until—
Kirito's entire body turned into a puddle of water, lying motionless on the ground.
This was Water Release: Water Transformation Technique.
Immediately after, a figure gradually emerged from the flowing water.
That was Kirito.
However, it wouldn't be entirely accurate to call the person in front of him his true body. If someone were to fight Kirito at this moment and stab this body, it would once again turn into water.
This was another Ninjutsu, Water Release:
Water Clone Jutsu.
It was somewhat similar to Shadow Clone, but not entirely the same.
Shadow Clone Jutsu could be used in various situations—on land, in mountains, on water, or on cliffs.
Water Clone Jutsu, however, focused on water. In places filled with water, the Water Clone's abilities increased greatly, its physical authenticity surpassed that of a Shadow Clone, and because of its natural affinity with water, its combat effectiveness also rose.
After that, Kirito's real body gradually emerged from the water. He took two steps forward, picked up a piece of broken wood lying on the ground, threw it into a puddle, and then formed hand seals.
Snake, Ram, Horse, Rabbit, Ram, Horse, Rabbit.
"Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"
The water on the ground rose up, centered around Kirito's palm, connecting to his arm. Gradually, this puddle formed a watery prison.
If he remembered correctly, this move appeared in the anime as well.
Zabuza used this to restrain Kakashi, and later, Kisame even used it on himself, preventing anyone from approaching him as he took his own life inside the water prison, showing the iron resolve a Ninja should possess.
From this, it was obvious that although it was a C-rank Ninjutsu, its practicality was extremely high.
As for how strong this Water Prison Jutsu truly was, Kirito initially estimated that it depended on the user's Chakra volume. If infused with sufficient Chakra—at least enough to prevent the opponent from breaking it instantly—the water prison would remain intact.
Zabuza probably relied on this principle, which was why he managed to temporarily restrain Kakashi.
After several hours, Kirito finally finished his C-rank Ninjutsu training.
He wanted to continue training Earth Release and Fire Release immediately, but just as he formed the Confrontation Seal, Kirito felt a sense of weakness.
His stomach was already rumbling. During his fight with Minato Namikaze, he had maintained a state of high tension, exhausting massive physical strength.
While enduring hunger was something Ninja often had to do, the key issue was that his Chakra was also reaching its limit.
Comprehending a new Ninjutsu required a large amount of Chakra and time. Forcing continuous Chakra expenditure might bring rapid progress in the short term, but eventually, it would do more harm than good.
Overworking the body could easily cause hidden injuries—problems that would last a lifetime.
Kirito could only stop his Ninjutsu training temporarily, then look around.
Although he was currently in a battlefield zone, fortunately this dense forest had not been heavily affected by the war.
Moreover, wildlife was abundant here.
He walked in and easily caught a wild rabbit using the incredible speed of Earth Release, then began roasting it.
While eating, he recalled the Ninja education he had received in Kumogakure.
Kumogakure, like Konoha, had its own Ninja Academy. Although located in the northern mountains with fewer resources, and although the fierce and straightforward culture prevented Kumogakure from achieving the refined system Konoha had, the Academy still taught standard Ninja knowledge.
For example, Kirito remembered clearly that after ordinary Ninja depleted their Chakra, it generally took eight hours for Chakra to recover.
Perhaps those with immense Chakra, like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, could ignore this rule.
However, Kirito clearly had not reached that point yet and could not challenge his physical limits.
So, what he needed most right now was rest.
Moving from place to place, Kirito finally found a hidden spot and climbed a large tree trunk, closed his eyes, and rested quietly.
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning, Kirito jumped down from the tree trunk, ate something simple, and began his Earth Release training.
Forming the Confrontation Seal, a clone quickly appeared beside him.
"Release!"
As Kirito's voice echoed, the clone's eyes became unfocused, its body turning earthy yellow, then gradually collapsing into a pile of dirt.
Earth Release: Earth Clone Jutsu!
Next was a defensive Ninjutsu, Earth Release:
Earth Flow Wall!
This move was very common among Earth Release Ninja and was a basic defensive Ninjutsu.
To master it wasn't difficult. For example, Kakashi and the Third Hokage both learned this technique. Following the notebook's instructions and with the talent bonus from the Five Elements Dao Arts, Kirito learned this Ninjutsu in twenty minutes.
However, mastering it and executing it strongly were two different matters.
Looking at the one-meter-high, one-meter-wide Earth Flow Wall in front of him, Kirito felt something was off.
"Isn't this Earth Flow Wall a bit strange?"
Kirito vaguely remembered that when Kakashi used Earth Flow Wall, he not only created a dog's head shape but the wall itself wasn't just a single barrier. It was at least three layers thick.
As for its height and width, they far exceeded what Kirito currently produced.
He pondered and quickly found the answer.
Every Ninjutsu had its ranking, but ranking didn't necessarily represent the technique's potential.
The power of a Ninjutsu depended on how much Chakra the user invested and how proficient they were with it.
Every Ninjutsu was an experience distilled by Ninja predecessors through countless battles, gradually simplified into a series of hand seals that allowed quick release.
But from another perspective, since these were summaries of experience, outstanding individuals could always achieve greater results than the written technique.
For example, Great Fire Annihilation was only a B-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu. There should be many people in the Land of Fire, and even the entire Ninja World, who knew this move.
But how many could, like Uchiha Madara, exhale a sea of flames capable of scorching an entire battlefield?
At this point, Kirito reached two conclusions.
First, while high talent allowed one to learn Ninjutsu quickly, the true strength unleashed by a Ninjutsu depended entirely on the individual.
Second, Ninjutsu emphasized specialization, and the user must also specialize deeply to advance faster.
End of the chapter
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