Chapter 49: Gaining Spoils of War! Training Progress Multiplied by a Hundredfold!
Chapter 49: Gaining Spoils of War! Training Progress Multiplied by a Hundredfold!
Terumi Mei excitedly rushed towards Ishihara.
Ishihara quickly extended his hand to stop her, pointing at Yagura as he said, "The genjutsu on him has been lifted. You can handle the rest yourself."
With Ishihara's presence as a deterrent, Yagura didn’t dare to make any move against Terumi Mei. Furthermore, Yagura's reputation in Kirigakure had already plummeted to rock bottom. If it weren’t for the presence of Tobi, Terumi Mei and others would have already overthrown Yagura as the Mizukage.
Now that Tobi had fled, Terumi Mei and her group no longer needed to hold back.
"Yagura!" Terumi Mei’s attention was immediately diverted, and she glared at Yagura with deep resentment.
"Terumi Mei!" Yagura was also enraged as he stared back at her.
He was furious that Kirigakure’s resources had been depleted without any enhancement to the village's strength.
Not wanting to get involved in Kirigakure’s internal issues, Ishihara started to walk away.
Orochimaru, who followed beside him, couldn’t help but ask, "What happened to the enemy?"
"He escaped. He also possesses space-time ninjutsu," Ishihara replied, slightly regretful.
"I see. It seems we’ll have to wait until next time to kill him," Orochimaru said coldly, licking his lips.
"In the meantime, I plan to enhance my strength," Ishihara's eyes flashed with determination. If his strength had been sufficient, he wouldn’t have let Tobi escape this time.
Orochimaru nodded. He too felt the urgency to grow stronger. But then, with some frustration, he said, "Our base has been destroyed, so we’ll need to find a new place for training and research."
"Not to mention, a lot of research data and equipment are buried underground," Orochimaru added, becoming increasingly irritated. Although the Kirigakure base was temporary, it had the highest configuration among all their bases. Now, it was gone.
At that moment, Yagura approached them and offered, "If you don’t mind, I can find a place for you."
Orochimaru looked surprised. Yagura was known as a ruthless ruler, enforcing the Blood Mist policy as soon as he took power. It was odd for someone like him to willingly allow two powerful strangers to remain in the Land of Water.
"I have a deal with him," Ishihara explained briefly, then turned to Yagura and said, "Then, thank you, Lord Mizukage."
He didn’t want to waste time searching for a new base, so it was best to accept Yagura’s offer if it saved time.
"The place I have in mind was where the Three-Tails often stayed. The environment is beautiful, and there are buildings nearby," Yagura eagerly introduced, ultimately arranging for one of his trusted subordinates to lead the way.
Ishihara picked up the arm Tobi had severed earlier, grabbed the scroll containing the Water Mirror Technique that Yagura had given him, and set off for the location Yagura had mentioned.
Terumi Mei didn’t accompany them, as she had to first deal with matters in Kirigakure.
After Ishihara left, the atmosphere between Terumi Mei and Yagura became extremely tense, leading to a negotiation that would determine the fate of the entire Kirigakure.
…
Ishihara was unaware of what transpired with Terumi Mei.
He, along with Orochimaru, Kabuto, and others, followed Yagura's trusted subordinate to a small lakeside.
The water was crystal clear, with ripples shimmering under the sun. The banks were lined with willows, and the surrounding area was covered in lush green grass, creating a serene environment that seemed out of place in the usually grim Blood Mist Village.
Not far from the lake were a few buildings, once used by Yagura when he trained there.
"The environment here is nice, but it’s too close to the water to build an underground base," Orochimaru remarked, somewhat dissatisfied. He preferred darker environments, while this place was too bright.
"I’ll leave the base construction to you, Sensei. Let’s use this place as a temporary training ground," Ishihara suggested. Their base held too many secrets, so it was better to build it underground.
Orochimaru agreed and then asked, "Are you planning to train here?"
"Yes, the area is spacious, but underground might not be ideal," Ishihara replied.
"A large area?" Orochimaru looked at him curiously. "Do you need a lot of space for your training?"
Ishihara smiled. "You’ll see soon, Sensei. Perhaps my training method will even give you some new insights."
Orochimaru’s interest was piqued.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Ishihara exclaimed.
With a series of pops, over a hundred clones of Ishihara appeared around them. Each clone immediately picked up a blade of grass, placing it in their palm and channeling Wind Release chakra.
The sharp whistling sound of wind filled the air, making the entire space feel charged with a cutting aura.
"So, you’re using shadow clones to accelerate your training speed. That’s indeed a clever idea!" Orochimaru exclaimed. "Ten clones mean tenfold speed, and a hundred clones mean a hundredfold speed! Using this method, you can drastically reduce training time!"
Orochimaru was impressed, but he also noted with some regret, "However, this method may be fast, but the strain when the clones are dispelled is a hundred times heavier as well! Aside from you, I can’t imagine who else could endure such a burden."
Ishihara remained silent, but his eyes flickered with an unspoken thought.
He knew that in the future, Naruto could simultaneously use several hundred, even a thousand shadow clones for training. Even with his superhuman perception and Sage Mode-enhanced body, a hundred clones were his current limit.
To be honest, he couldn’t comprehend how Naruto managed to endure the cumulative fatigue and memory overload from a hundredfold effort.
"But you, Sensei, can use a small number of clones to aid your training, which will still speed things up significantly," Ishihara suggested.
Orochimaru smiled. "With my strength, I should be able to manage three or four clones training simultaneously."
Being able to multiply his training speed by three or four times was exhilarating, even for someone like him.
At that moment, Ishihara dispelled his clones.
The accumulated memories, experience, and fatigue instantly crashed down on him. His body trembled slightly, his head pounding, but he recovered after a while and smiled bitterly.
"Even for me, training with a hundred shadow clones is extremely taxing," Ishihara admitted. "Based on the current progress, it’ll take me three days to complete the Wind Release chakra nature transformation training!"
Maintaining this level of intensity for three days straight felt even more challenging than his research into Kekkei Genkai.
Orochimaru was left speechless.
Being able to master Wind Release chakra nature transformation in just three days, and yet, you’re still not satisfied?!
For others, this kind of training would take years, or even decades to complete. How much faster do you want to be?!