Chapter 34:
Asakawa Naoki, unaware of the turbulence within the ninja world, finds himself in a situation requiring immense concentration.
With the weekend upon him, he planned to retreat into solitude. After enjoying a hearty lunch, buying supplies from the supermarket, and heading home, he secured all doors and windows, preparing for the uninterrupted meditation that would define his next few days.
It had been almost three years since Asakawa Naoki arrived in this world—a journey that began with him obtaining the basic Qi Refining Art and stepping onto the path of immortality.
During this time, he acquired various advanced immortal arts like Samadhi True Fire, Beans into Soldiers, External Incarnation, and Sword Control. Despite mastering these powerful techniques, he never neglected his practice of the basic Qi Refining Art.
He had long since broken through to the middle stage of Refining Essence into Qi two years ago. Though his cultivation had not advanced beyond this stage, the volume of mana in his body had grown considerably over the years.
A few days ago, he realized that his Dantian was filled to the brim, unable to contain any more mana. His cultivation had reached the peak of the middle stage, yet he chose to wait until the weekend to push for the breakthrough.
"Today is the day I make the leap," he thought, ready to break through into the late stage.
With calm focus, he began to circulate the Qi Refining Art, compressing the mana within him. As he did, he used the Samadhi True Fire to transform his body into a furnace, burning off impurities and purifying the energy he had absorbed from his meals.
"I'm lucky to have the Samadhi True Fire," Asakawa Naoki mused. "Without it, progress would be much slower."
Initially, he had thought of the Samadhi True Fire merely as an offensive art. But over time, he had come to appreciate its true potential. Though he had yet to master the Fire of Qi and Fire of God, the Fire of Essence alone sped up his cultivation immensely.
The fire accelerated the digestion of his food and helped purify the essence, making it easier to convert into mana. As a result, Samadhi True Fire had become more of an auxiliary art than an offensive one.
"Just like the legends say—Sun Wukong used the Samadhi True Fire to refine his indestructible body," Asakawa Naoki thought, impressed by its versatility.
He continued compressing the mana in his Dantian, focusing entirely on refining it until his body felt like a furnace. At that moment, he used his mental power to guide the mana, imagining it as a storm within a pond.
If before the mana had been like still water, now it was wild and tumultuous, expanding the boundaries of the Dantian. Under his firm control, the pond's size doubled without risk of bursting.
The effort was intense, but after a while, he finally felt the expansion reach its limit. His Dantian had grown considerably, and the mana within it now exceeded what he could hold at the peak of the middle stage.
"I've made it," he sighed with relief, feeling the weight of the breakthrough sink in. His body was now able to store nearly three times the mana it had before, and the widened meridians had enhanced his mana circulation speed.
His strength had roughly doubled, and he knew that in a direct confrontation, he could easily defeat his past self.
"Now, it's time to test my abilities," Asakawa Naoki said, as he conjured the Sword Control technique.
Two slender flying swords, about the size of chopsticks, emerged from his sleeves, dancing around him like living creatures. The intricate patterns etched into their surfaces shimmered with vitality as they followed his mental commands.
"Go!" he commanded.
The swords soared through the air with the agility of fish swimming through water. But despite their size, their lethality should never be underestimated. With his mental power, Asakawa Naoki could send them to strike with deadly precision from over a hundred meters away.
He then jumped into the air and landed gracefully on one of the flying swords. The ability to fly was something he had dreamed of, but only now, after reaching the late stage, could he truly master it.
"Flying on a sword... With my mana reserves now, it's possible," he realized, noting that the technique still consumed a great deal of energy.
The ability to fly was rare among ninjas, with only a few exceptional techniques like Ohnoki's Light and Heavy Rock Technique or Deidara's Earth Escape offering such a power.
"Thanks to this ability, I can escape any situation if necessary," he thought confidently, knowing that only his mana reserves would limit his flight.
He smiled, wondering about the abilities of powerful ninjas like the second Hokage. "Could they fly as well? But it's still too early to challenge someone like that."
At the age of 10, Asakawa Naoki had much more time ahead of him, and his youth was his greatest advantage. His breakthrough in Qi Refining was just the beginning. Once he reached the higher stages of cultivation, perhaps he would be able to face more formidable opponents like the shadow-level ninjas or even the Jinchūriki.
For now, however, he needed to replenish his energy. His mana reserves were nearly drained from the breakthrough, and he needed food to restore his strength.
Taking a break, he sat down, eating the supplies he had prepared. In a short while, his energy levels were back to normal. He stretched and looked at himself in the mirror, noticing how tall he had grown.
At just 10 years old, he stood at an impressive height of 1.7 meters. This height was unusual in a world where most children didn't grow that tall, especially in Konoha's early years.
His height had become a source of discomfort for him. The teachers and classmates often gave him strange looks, uncertain whether he belonged in the same age group.
He had applied for early graduation to escape the awkwardness, but now, he knew it was just one of many hurdles to overcome.
"Let them think what they want," he muttered. "I am me. I'm different, and that's fine."
With a chuckle, he decided that being tall was better than being short and heavy like the Akimichi clan. He examined his body again, noting his lean but strong muscles.
Despite their smooth appearance, his muscles were far beyond ordinary. His physical strength, honed by years of training and the Samadhi True Fire, far exceeded that of most ninjas.
"Physical strength is important," he thought, "especially when close combat makes some ninjutsu difficult to use. But it feels like I've reached the limit for now."
Asakawa Naoki suspected that to improve further, he would need a body-refining technique.
"If I ever get the chance, I'll learn the Eight Gates. That should take me even further."
With his mind on the future, he continued to practice the Samadhi True Fire, feeling the heat of his body increase. As the flame of essence began to kindle within him, he realized he was on the cusp of an even greater breakthrough.
"The essence fire is close to igniting," he murmured.
This was a critical moment. Not only had he broken through to the late stage, but he was also about to ignite the essence fire, a dual achievement he had not expected today.
He focused more intently, pushing through the pain as his body became a furnace once again. But this time, the heat was overwhelming, and his blood seemed to boil within him.
A real flame emerged from his Dantian and began to travel along his meridians. The intense heat burned most of them, but they healed rapidly under the purifying effects of the essence and mana.
He gritted his teeth, holding on. "I can't let go now. Just a little longer."
If someone had been there, they would have seen Asakawa Naoki glowing red with white steam rising from his head, as though he was about to transcend. But inside, his body was in grave danger.
The flame from his Dantian continued to burn, searing through his meridians, but with his focused control, he repaired the damage as it occurred.
"Endure… just a little longer."
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