Chapter 45

The Land of Waves is an island nation, surrounded by water on all sides, and the most abundant resource is water.

By the seaside, a cylindrical block of ice, about two meters in diameter and as tall as a person, stood quietly. Upon closer inspection, a vague human-shaped black shadow could be seen within the white ice.

Mizuki Shiro made hand signs with both hands, his face drenched in sweat. It was clear he was doing his utmost to maintain the ice block not far away.

Bang!

A loud explosion, and the ice block suddenly shattered, revealing Su Zhong inside.

He supported his knees with both hands, panting heavily. Breaking free from the ice was no easy task.

Clenching his fists, he carefully felt the slight swelling sensation, and Su Zhong nodded to himself: "This method is indeed effective. After just a week of practice, the original bottleneck has already loosened."

"Shiro, maintain the same intensity and continue," Su Zhong instructed.

Shiro did not respond. His hands skillfully made the hand signs and began to activate the Cold Moon Frost to freeze Su Zhong again.

For a week, his daily routine was to continuously cast the same ice jutsu, turning Su Zhong into an ice sculpture.

Once Su Zhong struggled free from the thick ice, Shiro would freeze him again.

This cycle continued until he was exhausted and could no longer cast the jutsu.

He had to cast the jutsu hundreds of times each day. The repeated practice made Shiro proficient; he could almost activate the Cold Moon Frost with his eyes closed.

Su Zhong was frozen in the ice again.

Shiro, who initially treated the task indifferently, gradually became surprised and admiring. Now, he no longer resisted Su Zhong's instructions.

He had witnessed Su Zhong's self-torturing dedication.

Apart from normal physiological activities, Su Zhong devoted all his time to training.

Even the strict Zabuza wasn't as relentless.

Su Zhong was not interested in Shiro's surprise; he was excited about his own decision.

"Bringing Shiro over was the right choice," Su Zhong sighed more than once.

Being frozen again, Su Zhong did not rush to break free. This was the result of a week's training.

First, he completely relaxed himself, allowing his mind to fully sense his body.

Following the flow of his blood, Su Zhong meticulously observed himself. With the Insight Eye fully activated, he could feel every cell in his body.

"This is probably a form of internal observation," Su Zhong thought to himself, feeling satisfied.

This was not a random effort. Carefully sensing the flow of blood in his capillaries, Su Zhong felt secretly pleased.

"In just a week, I have already mastered most of my capillaries. Except for the brain, which is too intricate to tamper with, I have achieved detailed control over other areas. I am not far from controlling my entire body. Breaking through the bottleneck of Hard Qi Gong is just around the corner."

Su Zhong was invigorated, determined to persist with this training until success.

Su Zhong invested even more enthusiasm.

A powerful mental force enveloped his body, and with a burst of strength, Su Zhong began another session of breaking free.

...

"Since Zabuza's assassination failed, should we be more cautious?" In a dimly lit room, three people whispered in discussion.

After a moment of silence, the green-haired man in the middle said sinisterly, "Uchiha Shu is truly adept at hiding. He almost deceived me."

He secretly resolved that if not for thorough investigation, which revealed that Uchiha Shu could severely injure Zabuza, he might have rashly attacked and ended up on the losing side.

"It seems we will need the two of you to assist," the green-haired man said politely.

He was a top-level ninja trained by the Root organization, skilled in assassination techniques. Knowing Uchiha Shu's strength, he could handle the situation carefully on his own.

However, he was not about to let Uchiha Shu off easily; he wanted to torture him to death. That's why he needed help.

"No problem. We are here to assist you," the tall, black-haired ninja said after exchanging a glance with the other.

The shorter ninja thought for a moment and then asked, "Should we take advantage of his injuries to deal with Zabuza?"

The green-haired man hesitated, "The mission comes first. After completing the mission, we will deal with him along with Kato."

"Yes!"

...

In the dense forest, a sharp cry suddenly echoed.

"Chidori!" Sasuke thought to himself.

Electricity flickered in his right hand, the air being cut by the chaotic currents, producing a sharp sound.

Sasuke focused entirely on the changes in the lightning on his right hand, carefully controlling the flow of chakra within his body.

After a moment, bang! The electric light in his hand shattered into a glow, and he failed again.

"Sasuke, don't be discouraged. Achieving this level in just a week is already very impressive. I thought it would take a month," Kakashi said with admiration.

A flash of disappointment crossed Sasuke's eyes, but he quickly hid it.

Reaching into his pocket, he took out a small ceramic bottle about the size of a thumb. Opening the stopper, he poured some green oil onto his right hand.

Putting the bottle away, Sasuke carefully applied the green oil to his right hand.

Kakashi's admiration grew.

Sasuke was not as anxious as Kakashi had imagined; instead, he trained methodically. After each training session, he would carefully maintain and repair his right hand.

This attitude of hard training without reckless action made Kakashi appreciate Sasuke even more.

As for Su Zhong, who could guide Sasuke to such behavior, Kakashi's curiosity grew, along with his vigilance.

Such talent, if he were to defect from Konoha, would cause immense damage!

...

Bang!

After breaking free from the ice again, Su Zhong supported his knees with both hands, breathing heavily.

He could feel himself getting closer to controlling his entire body.

Su Zhong stood thoughtfully, reflecting on his training.

This was his usual practice; after each training session, he would have a clear understanding of himself.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he was startled: "Something's wrong!"

Before he could react, two black shadows slithered from the ground, like two black snakes, moving swiftly across the ground.

Snap!

A sound like a taut rope echoed, and the two black shadows firmly bit into Su Zhong's feet, their curved forms suddenly straightening.

Su Zhong looked down and his face darkened: "Shadow Bind Jutsu? The Nara clan!"

Looking at Shiro not far away, he saw him standing stiffly, with two black shadows connecting to his feet, clearly under control.

Su Zhong gritted his teeth, ready to use all his strength to break free.

A loud slap, and a black shadow suddenly appeared behind Su Zhong.

A yellowish-brown hand struck Su Zhong's back: "Ninjutsu! Light and Heavy Rock Jutsu!"

Bang!

A massive force hit Su Zhong, making him feel as if a mountain had suddenly pressed down on him.

With a thud, he knelt on one knee.

His strength erupted, his face turning red, but he could not break free at all!

Swoosh!

A pale blue blade flashed, and a cut appeared under Su Zhong's right rib.

His blood, flowing rapidly, found an outlet and spurted out several meters.

Su Zhong immediately closed the wound, stopping the bleeding, but the pain made him grit his teeth.

A green-haired ninja appeared in front of Su Zhong, a mocking smile on his face: "Uchiha Shu, did you ever think you would end up like this?"

Su Zhong looked at him coldly: "Who sent you? Can Konoha ninjas just assassinate civilians at will?"

"Ha!" The green-haired man sneered, "Uchiha Shu, don't pretend. We are ANBU, a special assassination team to eliminate threats to Konoha."

The green-haired man twirled his long sword, circling around Su Zhong: "I didn't expect you, this chakra-less waste, to have such strength. Pity."

The green-haired man clicked his tongue, occasionally laughing mockingly.

"The defense you rely on is nothing to me!" He slashed his long sword, and a cut appeared on the inside of Su Zhong's right arm.

Blood splattered, and the sharp pain hit his brain.

He had trained in Hard Qi Gong, and his body had been beaten with iron rods, but he had never felt such pain.

"Damn!" Su Zhong couldn't help but curse, desperately urging his blood to flow, his muscles tightening like steel.

But the green-haired man's sword was imbued with chakra.

The wind-natured chakra gave his sword unparalleled cutting power.

The saw-toothed, pale blue chakra easily tore through Su Zhong's skin.

The green-haired man smiled with satisfaction, carefully examining Su Zhong's angry face: "See, isn't it like paper?"

Su Zhong's eyes turned red with anger. He felt an unprecedented humiliation.

But the immense pressure and strong binding force prevented him from moving an inch.

"Feeling the pain? Ha, it's because of you, this little bug, that I've suffered a hundred times more!" The green-haired man roared at Su Zhong, his eyes wild.

He swung his long sword, and another cut appeared on the soft flesh under Su Zhong's left rib.

He was deliberately torturing Su Zhong.

The inner side of the arm and under the ribs are highly sensitive areas. Special techniques made the pain even more intense.

Seeing the green-haired man's deranged smile, Su Zhong cursed inwardly.

"You got punished, go after the one who punished you! You coward, only daring to take out your anger on me. You're a human dog, a dog relying on human power."

The green-haired man's smile faded, his face turning green.

Su Zhong was right; the Root members never dared, or never thought, to go after Danzo. Danzo's brainwashing was too powerful.

Mission failure led to punishment. The first target for revenge was the mission objective. Danzo effectively transferred the hatred and increased the mission success rate.

"Still defiant, it seems you haven't suffered enough!"

The long sword swung repeatedly. Cuts appeared on the inner thighs, the back of the knees, and under the ribs.

Blood splattered, and Su Zhong quickly became a blood-covered mess.

The green-haired man methodically tortured Su Zhong, occasionally laughing in a deranged manner.

Su Zhong endured the pain, his anger nearly bursting his chest.

Closing his eyes, he tightly held back the icy killing intent in his eyes.

Su Zhong's heart pounded forcefully, and a powerful mental force enveloped his body. He desperately mobilized his strength.

Suddenly, the boiling blood in his brain calmed down.

The brain, which had become overheated due to the boiling blood, suddenly became clear.

It was like adding cold water to boiling water, making it calm.

Su Zhong immediately noticed the change.

Before he could understand it, the change became more intense.

Starting from the brain, it swept through his entire body. The boiling blood completely calmed, and the agitated muscles became gentle.

In the past, when he fully activated Hard Qi Gong, his blood flowed like a torrent, and his muscles roared like a lion. The immense power made him feel out of control.

Now, a sense of complete control over everything emerged!

Every bit of strength in his body became gentle and obedient.

But this calmness contained energy like a volcano.

As soon as he willed it, the violent power would surge out!

"Controlling the entire body! The fusion of spirit and flesh! Excellent, excellent, this is it! Finally, I've broken through the bottleneck of Hard Qi Gong!" Su Zhong was overjoyed.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends