But when the image returned, the situation had already changed.
In the image before them, Gen was now sitting by the campfire, his gaze fixed on the embers, showing no emotion as he waited for the food to roast.
However, a few meters away, the silent body of Hanyue lay motionless, the flickering firelight outlining the rigidity of his features.
"CURSE IT!"
Upon seeing the corpse, Yagura's expression darkened.
Although he had foreseen it, it was still difficult for him to remain calm upon confirming it.
…
Back to the forest.
Gen, who was sitting calmly in front of the fire, once again sensed the feeling of being watched.
Only this time, since he had already done everything he wanted to do, he didn't care about the presence of prying eyes.
'Although this secret technique cannot be said to be superior to ninjutsu, training it is even more complex…'
To be precise, it should be said that for someone outside the Hōzuki Clan, the difficulty of training it would increase.
Rewinding time a few moments.
After shaking off the feeling of being spied on, Gen simply leaned forward, looking at the half-dead Hanyue beneath his feet.
"Give me the method of your clan's Hydration Technique..."
In a low voice, his eyes, partially covered by his disheveled hair, silently revealed the Sharingan.
In his crimson eyes, each of the two tomoe spun rapidly.
Although he had never displayed it, he had been honing it in the shadows.
Hanyue's will, already shattered by pain and blood loss, crumbled within seconds under Gen's mental assault.
His screams died out with a spasm, and his gaze turned glassy, as if his thoughts had been brutally torn from his body.
Under his hypnosis, he had become a puppet completely controlled by Gen, answering all his questions with absolute truthfulness.
He had severed that feeling of being spied on with the purpose of obtaining the Hōzuki Clan's Hydration Technique without having to expose his Sharingan.
…
Thinking about the Hydration Technique that had just fallen into his hands, he remained silent before the fire, letting the breeze caress his face as he reflected.
This technique, which falls outside the category of a Kekkei Genkai like the Sharingan, was still extraordinarily complex.
In fact, learning it was even more complicated than mastering many of the ninjutsu he knew, due to the peculiarity of its principles and execution.
After all, a secret technique is born and developed within a clan, nurtured by the unique characteristics of its members and fed by traditions passed down from generation to generation.
For someone outside that clan, even if they managed to obtain knowledge of the technique, the challenge of learning it would skyrocket, and the real power they could exert would be drastically reduced.
Thus, the cost of time and effort was not equally compensated by the results, which diminished the value of the secret technique for someone who did not possess the clan's natural inheritance.
Even so, Gen trusted in his talent. Although he could not say with absolute certainty that he would master the Hydration Technique, he was aware that he needed to practice it, to feel it, before truly knowing how far he could go.
However, even if he did not master it, he could not say that it had been in vain. The mere fact of scratching the surface of the mysteries of this technique already represented a leap in his understanding.
'If I manage to fully unravel the secrets of the Hydration Technique, then I could research elementalization with other elements…' His eyes gleamed faintly at the thought.
He had not seized the Hydration Technique merely for direct use but to fuel a broader purpose. He intended to squeeze out each of its particularities, derive new possibilities, and make changes to his own abilities.
For instance, his specialty was Fire Style. If he managed to fuse the principles of the Hydration Technique with his mastery of fire, he could transcend his current barriers and take a giant leap forward.
Moreover, while elementalizing a single type of chakra was an achievement, it also made one more susceptible to being countered. Just like the Hydration Technique, which sees its effectiveness reduced against Lightning Style and can be seriously damaged by sufficiently intense Fire Style, any technique based on a single element has clear weaknesses.
The site of this test, the forest area, was approximately the same size as Konoha's Forest of Death.
As the days passed, the number of candidates continued to drop. In the end, even if one intended to look for someone, it was difficult.
Of course, this was mainly because those who managed to stay until the end had the most outstanding abilities.
So naturally, it was difficult to find traces of them if they deliberately hid.
During these days, Gen remained the same as on the first day, not deliberately hiding, simply strolling around the area.
Only, compared to the first days, he rarely encountered fights in the later ones.
This was not only because the number of candidates had drastically decreased but also because those who had the courage to attack him had become even scarcer.
The people he encountered in the last few days generally chose to stay away when they saw him.
Such behavior was not only due to the fact that other villages already knew his information but also because of the deterrent effect of the more than ten badges he wore on his chest.
The badge was like a medal: the more you won, the more you demonstrated your strength.
Without realizing it, the exam reached the seventh day.
Gen wandered through the forest, filled with a tranquil atmosphere, as usual.
!
Suddenly, the sound of massive amounts of water moving was heard not far away. Not only did his senses perceive it, but even an ordinary person could hear it clearly.
"Someone is using Water Style?"
He stopped abruptly, turned his head, and looked in the direction of the sound of the waves.
After thinking for a moment, he changed direction and headed toward the source of the sound.
If it had been a few days ago, he probably wouldn't have paid attention, but since he had already explored the entire forest and it was difficult to find other people, he decided to go see the situation and, in passing, kill some time.
…
Let's rewind a little in time.
'Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave'
Amidst the dense forest, chakra condensed into water. First, a powerful liquid spiral rose into the sky. Then, it furiously cascaded down like a waterfall, sweeping away all vegetation that dared to stand in its path.
'Earth Release: Earth Shore Return'
Facing the massive amount of water stood a figure. Without hesitation, they brought their hands together in a rapid sequence of seals and pressed both palms against the ground. In response, a great rock wall rose from the earth.
________
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