Becoming the Tsuchikage in the Naruto World

Chapter 18: A Challenge

Ikura's departure surprised the group. They began speculating about the elusive quality that Ikura mentioned, the thing that separated them from "true ninjas." After some discussion, they turned to Ishiro for answers.

But this wasn't something one could explain just by talking. If it were that simple, Ishikawa-sensei would have taught them outright. Despite Ishiro's best attempts, no one seemed to understand.

"Does everyone have to experience life and death to figure this out?" Ishiro, lacking a good solution, decided to try a more direct approach.

He addressed the group: "You all know my ranking in practical battles – usually around the middle of our class. Ikura said I've found what we need, but I can't put it into words. Maybe I can show you instead, in a fight."

With that, Ishiro turned to a classmate whose level in sparring was similar to his own. "Want to have a match?"

The classmate, initially startled, grinned with excitement. "Sure. Let's see how strong you got after killing a Chunin."

The students quickly made space for them in the training ground.

They took their stances, formed the confrontation seal, and Ishiro charged without hesitation. Previously, these two were evenly matched, but now Ishiro's chakra had undergone a qualitative change, giving him a marked advantage. Relying solely on taijutsu, the opponent found himself on the defensive, unnerved by Ishiro's sudden boost in speed and power. Overwhelmed, he was soon knocked down. Ishiro formed the seal to end the match.

After that victory, Ishiro didn't pause. He turned to another classmate, someone who was usually stronger than him. The new challenger, feeling disrespected, eagerly stepped up. He had always outranked Ishiro in direct matches, so he had no fears.

But from the onset, Ishiro took the initiative. Though the challenger fought back, Ishiro's enhanced attributes now matched his own. They traded several blows; each exchange only boosted Ishiro's confidence. He felt that, somehow, his opponent appeared less skilled than before. Spurred by that feeling, Ishiro fought even better – quick, precise movements causing the challenger to falter, eventually succumbing to fear and losing his focus. One misjudged punch left him wide open. Ishiro seized his wrist, yanked him off balance, and he toppled to the ground.

Before Ishiro could catch his breath, yet another classmate of similar caliber stepped forward. Ishiro gave a hearty laugh; he felt fired up, wanting to keep fighting.

They exchanged a glance, and both lunged simultaneously. Riding the momentum of two earlier victories, Ishiro was in sync with battle flow, while the opponent, unfamiliar with this "new Ishiro," got swept up by his rhythm. After a few moments, the third challenger fell as well.

Then came the fourth, then the fifth – Ishiro managed to systematically defeat the second-tier fighters in the class, one by one.

Finally sated, Ishiro was about to say something when Shouhara stepped into the ring. Usually brash, Shouhara remained silent. The two simply exchanged a look and formed the confrontation seal. Then they moved. But unlike before, Shouhara made a direct charge while Ishiro slipped to the side to evade.

Noticing that Ishiro was employing the usual evasive strategy, Shouhara paid it no mind; he had plenty of experience hunting down slippery foes. Yet this time, Ishiro did something new. Instead of darting around the open training ground, he rushed into the crowd of classmates who were watching.

Shouhara blinked, then dived in too. Fighting in the crowd usually restricted the agile fighter more than the brute-force one, so Shouhara figured this would only help him.

The class looked on, puzzled by Ishiro's intentions. Only one student noticed something strange – the ninja tool pouch he was holding felt oddly lighter. But before he could figure out why, things changed rapidly. The "Ishiro" weaving through the throng suddenly went poof, transforming into an object. A closer look revealed it was the student's tool pouch. What was he holding now? He started to lower his gaze, but at that moment, a figure abruptly appeared at his side.

Simultaneously, students in front and to the side of Ishiro recognized the hand seal for the Substitution Jutsu. Ishiro's sign-weaving was so quick that by the time they identified it, he had already vanished, leaving only the tool pouch behind.

All at once, Ishiro reappeared to Shouhara's side and slightly behind him. Shouhara, taken aback by the Substitution, slowed down just enough to let Ishiro take the advantage. In a blur, Ishiro slipped behind him, tapped the back of his neck, and jumped away before Shouhara's reflexive counterattack could land.

It was all over in a flash, even faster than the previous matches. Everyone was left speechless. From the moment Ishiro started to fight until he defeated Shouhara, he had spent barely half his chakra, yet he won every bout decisively. Some of those challengers had equal or superior stats to Ishiro – especially Shouhara, who dwarfed him in raw physical power. But they posed little threat.

After a moment's heavy breathing, Ishiro said, "That is what Ikura's trying to find."

A hush settled over the training ground, giving way to stunned commotion. They recognized that Ishiro's basic power put him in the class's "middle tier," yet he had dominated opponents of the same level and even bested Shouhara, who'd usually overpower him in taijutsu. Ishiro clearly had something the rest lacked – the same thing Ikura, the class top dog, was seeking.

As the discussion reached a clamor, Ishikawa-sensei called for silence. Seeing Ikura head off earlier, he had come to observe and had quietly watched Ishiro's fights. Only now did he step in.

"Class, you've all witnessed Ishiro's progress. He's the first among you to truly grasp a ninja's will."

He paused to note the intent focus on him. "You must be wondering what this 'ninja's will' is. Let me tell you: a ninja is someone with emotions, not just a soulless tool for missions. They fight resolutely for their dreams, their beliefs – that is what we call the Will of Stone. Ishiro, being the class's top theoretical student, had the strongest grasp of this Will, so he was the first to develop his own ninja will. Learn from him."

Ishikawa's short speech signaled a fresh wave of preaching about the Will of Stone. Ishiro opened his mouth to add something, but the teacher's stern glare made him stay silent.

Not seeing any objections, Ishikawa carried on with a lengthy lecture. Surprisingly, no one showed impatience – they all listened avidly. The entire practical lesson turned into half a period of theory, which no one seemed to mind. When they finally resumed training, everyone was abuzz with new motivation.

That morale lasted for quite a while, and whenever it started to dip, Ishikawa would remind the class that Ishiro was already interning in the Barrier Division, which spurred them on again. Then he'd hint about Ishiro's new official mission record, triggering another surge of hard work. Even Ishiro, caught up in the fervor, trained harder than ever.

The result was dramatic: the entire class's performance soared – theory, chakra control, physical fitness, practical combat – everything improved. Teachers of other classes were left gaping, marveling that this was why Onoki had personally chosen Ishikawa to lead the elite students.

---

Time flew by, and Ishiro's group had now been in school for four full years. Because they'd enrolled early, they still had one more year at the academy, despite the ongoing war. The war had reached a quieter phase. While the Second Shinobi World War lasted longer than the First, it was less devastating in certain ways.

During the First War, the Kage of all five great villages fought on the front lines and were killed, including the Second Tsuchikage, Second Mizukage, Second Kazekage, Second Hokage, and Second Raikage. The Second War, on the other hand, saw the Kage behaving more cautiously, resulting in a war of attrition that ended up claiming even more ninja lives. In a sense, this actually benefited Iwa, which had the largest pool of ninja.

Konoha suffered the worst losses, bearing the brunt of actual warfare with all four other major nations, even though those other four had smaller-scale clashes among themselves. Yet every time Konoha was on the brink of defeat, new geniuses emerged to save the day: first the White Fang repelled Suna's puppet masters, then the Sannin took on Hanzo of the Salamander.

Speaking of Hanzo, he ended up depleting Amegakure's resources in this war. The Land of Rain's limited size doomed it to mediocrity, and although it inflicted heavy casualties on both Suna and Konoha, Hanzo himself started questioning his abilities when he failed to achieve a decisive victory. His self-doubt led to a weakened hold over Amegakure, paving the way for the Akatsuki to rise in the future.