These were the results of a year of training.
The three-tomoe Sharingan had completely stabilized, chakra had reached 388, and combat power stood at 155.
Judging from the numbers alone, his combat power was already approaching the 200 mark of a jonin.
His chakra reserves were nearing the 500 level of an elite jonin.
This wasn't because Kyoshin himself had so extraordinary physique.
It was all thanks to the system's linear potential.
He had adopted Naruto's training thod from the original story, using shadow clones for training.
When shadow clones refined chakra, the total amount of chakra would increase.
After dispelling the shadow clones, all the chakra accumulated during that process would return to the original body.
As the shadow clones refined chakra, the original body's chakra reserves rapidly grew.
The greater the chakra reserves, the more shadow clones he could maintain.
The more shadow clones he had, the faster his training speed beca.
It was a positive cycle.
At present, he could maintain twenty shadow clones simultaneously for daily training.
The price, however, was that at night, once the shadow clones were dispelled, a full day's worth of fatigue and experience would flood into his mind at once, causing him to collapse face-first onto the bed.
It solved his insomnia problem quite effectively.
And Kyoshin had also noticed that his body's recovery speed from training fatigue was getting faster and faster.
That was probably due to the combined effect of the human body's resilience and linear potential.
As a result, the speed at which his injuries healed had beco astonishing.
He had tested it before. A cut half a centiter deep only needed two days to heal completely, the kind that didn't even leave a scar behind.
After taking a bath, Kyoshin returned to his bedroom, lay down on the bed, and ford a hand seal.
The shadow clones training outside were dispelled.
Kyoshin's legs jerked once, and he imdiately blacked out stiffly on the bed.
In the next room, Kitsuchi skillfully pushed open the door, picked Kyoshin up, and placed him into a dicinal bath barrel that had already been prepared.
The gentle dicinal herbs slowly restored Kyoshin's body.
An hour later, Kitsuchi carried Kyoshin back to bed and tucked him in.
As usual, the broad-built man muttered a complaint. "Stronger than yesterday again, and still this stable. What a freak."
———
[The Next Day]
Kyoshin created shadow clones and began researching and training with the six scrolls Onoki had given him.
———
[One Month Later]
[Tsuchikage Building]
Kyoshin's footsteps echoed against the stone walls.
The guarding ninja saw him and nodded in greeting.
The door to Onoki's office was open.
Kyoshin walked to the entrance and knocked lightly.
"So it's Kintsuchi. Co in." Onoki looked up and smiled when he saw Kyoshin. "Did you run into so difficulties? But don't get discouraged. I know it's difficult..."
Kyoshin coughed lightly. "I think I've mastered the prerequisites for training Dust Release."
Onoki: "?"
In Onoki's estimation, even with Kyoshin's exceptional talent and the help of shadow clones, it should still have taken at least half a year to master those prerequisites. That was already the shortest possible estimate he could make.
Onoki's expression beca serious. "It's not that I don't believe you, but hearing is one thing and seeing is another."
———
[Ten Minutes Later]
[Training Ground]
Onoki watched as Kyoshin demonstrated the results of his training one after another, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
'Did Hiruzen Sarutobi know this kind of thing would happen?'
Onoki took out a scroll and handed it to Kyoshin as he began explaining, "Dust Release is a Kekkei Tota ford by fusing earth, wind, and fire chakra attributes."
"The principle is to mix the three chakra attributes in a specific ratio to create a stable chakra structure."
"That structure possesses the property of decomposing matter, allowing it to break targets down to the atomic level."
Kyoshin listened carefully, not daring to miss a single word.
Onoki continued explaining the training thod. "The training is divided into three stages."
"The first stage is controlling the three chakra attributes simultaneously while maintaining balance."
"The second stage is attempting fusion using the correct ratio and structure."
"The third stage is stabilizing the output and forming a Dust Release ninjutsu."
"What you need to begin now is the first stage. Simultaneously controlling three chakra attributes is extrely difficult."
"The differing natures of the three attributes interfere with one another. You need to find the balance point and make them coexist peacefully."
Kyoshin sat cross-legged and began attempting to control the three chakra attributes simultaneously.
The earth, wind, and fire chakra attributes were guided through his body and gathered toward his palm. But because they were so close together, they imdiately began interfering with one another.
The balance was almost instantly broken, and the chakra beca chaotic.
Bang!
The stream of chakra that had just begun gathering in Kyoshin's palm underwent a tiny explosion, then dissipated into white mist in midair.
Watching this familiar yet unfamiliar scene, Onoki comforted Kyoshin just as his own teacher had once comforted him. "Don't rush it. There are no shortcuts with Dust Release."
"From the mont I mastered the prerequisites to the first successful use of Dust Release, it took five years and nearly a hundred thousand failures."
"Experience is built up little by little."
Kyoshin wasn't discouraged. He imdiately began a second attempt.
Onoki nodded in satisfaction, and a faint mist actually rose in his eyes. "If I could see a young person from the Hidden Stone Village use Dust Release even once, just once, then I could close my eyes without regrets."
As soone who had trained Dust Release tirelessly for five years straight, Onoki was not lacking in patience.
But he had already waited too long.
He was old now. An accident could happen at any ti.
Forget finding another person in the village capable of using Dust Release, there were barely any ninja who even t the prerequisite conditions, and all of them had only barely reached that level after accumulating over fifty years of experience.
Kitsuchi's talent wasn't bad, but he was still extrely far from Dust Release.
Kurotsuchi and Deidara were far more talented than Kitsuchi, but they were too young, and their chakra attributes were too limited.
Before they could even learn the prerequisites, they first needed to learn the prerequisites to those prerequisites: trying to draw out the other two hidden chakra attributes within their bodies and beco familiar with them.
So now that he was seeing Kyoshin genuinely training Dust Release, Onoki was truly emotional.
Kyoshin's heart trembled slightly as well. The emotions contained in those words were too heavy. It was the expectation of inheritance, the entrustnt of an elder.
Kyoshin grew serious. "Lord Tsuchikage, it won't take very long."
"And you'll definitely live a long life and personally witness the Hidden Stone Village becoming even stronger."
Those weren't words ant to comfort him, because Onoki really did live to be over a hundred years old.
Onoki burst into laughter. "If that really happens, then that would be wonderful. But I'll take your blessing. I'll do my best to live until that day."
After the laughter faded, Onoki's expression turned serious again. "There's one more thing."
"Your strength has already reached a certain level, but shutting yourself away to train isn't enough. A ninja needs real combat experience and mission training."
Kyoshin listened quietly.
"Although you technically joined the Anbu already, you haven't actually carried out any missions."
Onoki continued, "Considering that Konoha's actions targeting you have greatly decreased, and their people haven't been seen within or near the Land of Earth for quite so ti..."
"So I'm thinking of assigning you to an Anbu squad. Three people total. The other two are experienced elite jonin."
"They'll guide you through mission procedures and help you gain experience. The assignnt will last one month."
"But there's no rush. Your teammates haven't been finalized yet. Focus on training Dust Release first. That's the highest priority."
"If one day you run into a bottleneck, then going out for so fresh air and clearing your mind may produce unexpected results."
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