Becoming the Tsuchikage in the Naruto World

Chapter 15: Transformation

At first, Ishiro was running at full speed. However, once he realized the enemy had spotted him, he grew more cautious, constantly checking over his shoulder. After all, in the ninja world, weapons like kunai and shuriken could be lethal at considerable range.

When Ishiro saw the Mist ninja halt and start forming hand seals for a jutsu, his heart pounded. He knew he couldn't keep running straight. Still some distance from the nearest alley, Ishiro didn't dare gamble on outpacing the enemy's jutsu. He veered sharply, seeking cover behind a nearby water barrel.

Sure enough, no sooner had he ducked behind the barrel than he heard the sound of water arrows slamming into it.

Several water arrows struck the barrel, shattering it to pieces. The remaining arrows continued on, pelting Ishiro's hiding spot in a relentless barrage.

The Mist ninja, confident his Water Arrow Jutsu had hit its mark, rushed over to finish off Ishiro. But upon reaching the splintered barrel – one hand still clutched against his wound – he found no one.

His face darkened further, not just from the pain of his wound, but also from repeatedly losing the upper hand.

He scanned the area carefully, yet there was still no sign of Ishiro. Time was running short. Ignoring his injury, the Mist ninja dropped to one knee, one hand on the ground, attempting a sensing technique.

But the very moment he focused on his sensing, an object shot straight at his head from within another water barrel across the street.

Had he been uninjured, or at least not reeling from strenuous movement and chakra consumption, he might have evaded. Unfortunately, the odds were stacked against him. He barely managed to tilt his head to the side. The projectile struck the right side of his face, destroying his eye. Luckily for him, it wasn't sharp enough to kill instantly, but it inflicted a grave wound. The ninja reeled back. Instead of dodging further, he reached up to remove the embedded object.

Before he could do so, Ishiro shot forward, holding a jagged wooden shard. He slashed horizontally, slicing open the Mist ninja's exposed throat.

Blood sprayed forth, soaking Ishiro. Though he knew the enemy was finished, he drove the shard deep into the ninja's chest for good measure.

With that final attack, Ishiro quickly retreated, stumbling against the wall of the nearby building. He sagged against it, gasping for breath.

It had been an intense ordeal: chakra-consuming techniques, frantic evasion, and terror had left him physically and mentally drained. His chakra was completely spent.

This entire confrontation had happened so suddenly. Ishiro was utterly unprepared. Though he had dreamed of mastering chakra and ninjutsu, of ruling the ninja world, the truth was his mindset had always been that of a modern youth living in relative peace. He had been aware, in theory, of danger – but not like this. Now, for the first time, he truly confronted life-or-death peril.

In that moment, he realized that being a ninja was more than learning to control chakra and perform jutsu. It involved forging one's own nindō – a guiding principle worth giving everything to defend.

He looked at the corpse, watching the blood flow gradually slow. He was panting heavily; his entire body trembled with the shock. Yet, within him, he felt his blood heat and his heart steady. He felt a shift.

Before Ishiro could fully process the changes, two figures appeared not far away. One faced Ishiro while the other watched the corpse. Neither spoke nor moved unnecessarily.

Ishiro was about to speak when he caught sight of another silhouette, perched on a roof in the distance, also observing.

It was then that one of the nearer two turned to Ishiro. "Who are you, and what happened here?"

Without hesitation, Ishiro answered, "I'm Ishiro, a student at the Ninja Academy and an intern at the Barrier Division. Lord Onoki knows me. That body belongs to a foreign spy. He tried to kill me while I was heading home from my internship, so I killed him in self-defense."

The ninja wasn't surprised – the scene spoke for itself, and he had already formed his suspicions. He merely nodded. "We've just gotten back from a mission. We aren't official security, but the Anbu will arrive soon to investigate, and we'll need your cooperation."

Ishiro gave a respectful nod. "Thank you, seniors."

When Ishiro agreed, the ninja said nothing more, waiting for Anbu to arrive.

Sure enough, only moments passed before an Anbu team showed up. They spoke briefly with the two returning ninjas before two members accompanied Ishiro to take his statement. The Anbu took charge of the body, leaving Ishiro free of further responsibility.

The process was quick. During wartime, infiltration attempts were far from rare. The Anbu confirmed Ishiro's story with ease, given his known background.

After his statement, Ishiro was escorted home by an Anbu member. As they'd said, one would stand guard through the night.

Free from further threats, Ishiro collapsed into bed, letting sleep claim him. Tomorrow, he would face whatever came next.

---

The Next Day

During the practical training session, Ishiro sought out Ishikawa-sensei, wanting to discuss his performance from the previous night – what he did right, what he could have done better. He wasn't concerned about revealing Anbu secrets since the incident was deemed an accident, not covered by confidentiality rules.

Ishikawa-sensei had already noticed Ishiro's unusual demeanor. As a Chunin, he recognized the signs of a student transitioning into the mindset of a real ninja. Ishiro's expression, body language, and aura had changed. Something crucial had happened during the night.

Worried, Ishikawa first checked the injuries that the Anbu had treated. Seeing that Ishiro's wounds were healing, he relaxed somewhat. Then he began analyzing Ishiro's actions.

Initially, Ishiro's approach had been careless – too curious, not nearly vigilant enough. This was surprising for someone with top marks in theoretical classes.

Next, a lack of experience showed. Ishiro's detection of the danger had been a result of heightened perception, but he had reacted in a way that nearly cost him his life. Rather than using that advantage, he almost turned it into a liability. His subsequent plan to flee was wise, but not knowing how best to handle the situation, he took no steps to strengthen his own combat potential while retreating. For instance, he could have looked for a weapon.

Though the street was mostly bare, it wasn't entirely devoid of objects. At the very least, he could have thrown a few stones to disturb the Mist ninja, hindering further jutsu use. Instead, Ishiro found himself unarmed until the shattered wooden debris from the water barrel lodged in his side, which he then turned into a makeshift weapon.

As for the final confrontation, Ishiro's tactics were commendable for a novice. He used deception to lure the enemy into a Water Substitution – a creative move. Ishikawa praised that portion of Ishiro's performance. He also encouraged Ishiro to formalize his Water Substitution method and submit it to the village, in return for contribution points.

Ishiro was excited, realizing that this variation of Substitution Jutsu could earn him more resources. After all, his supply of contribution points had run dangerously low.

Ishikawa merely smiled. "Of course. Iwa has never seen Substitution applied in this way. The greatest advantage here is the extended confusion you can cause. In battle, a split-second's distraction can be lethal." He added, "Still, it's more of a trick or adaptation than an all-new jutsu. Don't expect a huge reward."

Even so, Ishiro was delighted. After purchasing the Chakra Test Paper, he barely had any contribution points left. Now he could aim to trade for essential ninja tools.

Finally, Ishikawa offered one more insight: "You may not notice any changes to your body or chakra levels, but you've become stronger all the same. Your mindset has evolved, and your willpower is sharper. Even if your spirit's strength hasn't literally grown, it has become more focused. Your chakra quality has changed."

That was true: even with the same overall volume, some chakras were more formidable than others. The Nine-Tails' chakra, for example, was more potent than an ordinary ninja's, and Sage Chakra surpassed anything else in terms of raw might.

Ishikawa told Ishiro that, through his life-or-death struggle last night, he had taken the first step to a more mature chakra state. Barring elite Jonin, who experience further chakra refinement, most Genin and Chunin no longer had a "qualitative" edge over him. They might still hold the advantage of experience, jutsu efficiency, and overall volume, but not in the purity of their chakra.

While Ishiro was absorbing these revelations, in the Tsuchikage's office, the Anbu team that handled the infiltration case was making their detailed report to Onoki.