So there was such a place in Konoha after all.
Shigure's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
It also explained why the regular training grounds were mostly occupied by Genin—and why their training sessions weren't anything particularly impressive.
After all, the jutsu most Genin learned were basic and not considered secrets.
Any advanced techniques—especially clan-specific ones—were taught privately within their families, far away from the eyes of outsiders.
As for Chūnin and Jōnin?
They had their own special training grounds.
That made things... convenient.
Shigure turned to Gekkō Hayate.
"Let's call it a day," Hayate said. "It's getting late, and with your current level, you could graduate any time now."
Shigure nodded. He agreed.
Normally, he wouldn't have left so early. It would've felt like wasting time.
But today was different.
The Great Sage was still working on deciphering the Art of Instant Teleportation, which left Shigure with nothing to do on that front.
The only thing left was to check on his skill progression...
But tonight—he had something else planned.
After walking home with Ji Feng, the two parted ways near their neighborhood.
Shigure went straight back to his room.
Once inside, he carefully removed his ninja blade, changed into more agile clothing, and wrapped a black cloth around his face.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he had to admit—he looked like someone up to no good.
"Thanks to Hayate-senpai, I wouldn't have even known this place existed in Konoha," he muttered.
"I wonder if any Jōnin will be training there tonight..."
Heh heh!
Tonight, he planned to make full use of a technique he rarely employed: Transparent Escape.
A power every man probably dreamed of possessing.
To have such a rare ability and not use it? That would be the real crime.
"Tonight... I'm going to peek."
Under the cover of night, Shigure activated the Transparent Escape Technique.
His presence vanished completely—body and breath alike.
He already knew the location of Konoha's advanced training grounds, thanks to Hayate's intel.
Dashing through the moonlit streets of Konoha, Shigure moved like a shadow.
Along the way, he spotted several ANBU operatives patrolling.
Even this late at night, the village's security was airtight.
But for the first time, Shigure truly realized just how powerful Transparent Escape was.
The ANBU didn't notice him at all.
At one point, he even stood directly behind one of them—no reaction.
The operative didn't sense a thing.
Satisfied with his little test, Shigure felt far more confident.
If even ANBU couldn't detect him, most Jōnin wouldn't stand a chance either.
As long as he didn't draw the attention of an elite Jōnin, he should be fine.
Soon, he reached the so-called Advanced Training Grounds of Konoha.
Even at night, lights still shone from within.
It made sense—most Jōnin had packed mission schedules and little time to train during the day.
For them, evenings and holidays were their only chances to sharpen their skills and maintain peak form.
After all, Jōnin had to be ready for dangerous missions at any time.
Silently, Shigure slipped past the outer walls.
Transparent Escape kept him hidden. He was practically invisible.
No one noticed him.
The layout here was completely different from the usual outdoor training fields.
The advanced grounds were divided into multiple sealed sections, each its own small training area.
There were even rooms specialized by elemental affinity—Fire, Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water.
It was a perfect setup for targeted jutsu training.
No wonder they don't train with the regular troops, Shigure thought. This place is on a whole different level.
By now, it was nine in the evening.
Seven training rooms still had their lights on.
"Seven Jōnin still at it this late?" Shigure mused, nodding to himself. "Impressive. These guys really do work hard."
He scanned the rooms, spotting one that looked like it specialized in escape and movement techniques.
Time to investigate.
Circling around the perimeter, he carefully climbed through a small window.
Inside, the terrain simulated a flowing river, complete with obstacles.
A Jōnin stood atop a stone platform in the middle of the training room, channeling chakra as he prepared his technique.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Boom!
Water surged violently, swirling around him before taking the shape of a massive serpentine dragon.
Crash!
The watery dragon slammed into the far wall with explosive force—yet, not even a scratch was left behind.
The wall had clearly been reinforced with special material.
But Shigure wasn't focused on the wall.
Crouched in a shadowy corner, his eyes gleamed as he stared intently at the senior ninja in front of him.
"It's you!"
Let's hope you've got something impressive for me tonight!
"Great Sage, begin analysis!"
[Great Sage: Initiating analysis…]
[Progress: 4%]
[Progress: 12%]
[Progress: 19%]...
The parsing speed was excellent.
Nice!
[Great Sage: Due to the host's Water Style mastery surpassing 99% of Water Style users, analysis speed has been greatly increased.]
So, better elemental control also means faster analysis... Makes sense!
[Congratulations! The host has acquired a new technique:
Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique]
The acquisition instantly pushed Shigure's overall calculation progress forward by 5%!
Just one jutsu had given such a boost.
That got Shigure even more excited. Now he hoped the Jōnin would demonstrate at least two more techniques.
As if on cue, something shifted—
From the same wall that had been struck earlier, a hidden mechanism triggered, releasing a volley of sharp projectiles.
The Jōnin reacted instantly, flying through a series of hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
A stream of water surged up, forming a barrier in front of him that deflected the barrage of weapons effortlessly.
Then—
"Water Style: Raging Waves!"
A powerful stream blasted from his mouth, the torrent nearly the size of a log, crashing into the far end of the chamber with a deafening roar.
Crack!
The sheer force behind the blast dwarfed anything Shigure could currently produce with his own version of Raging Waves.
[Congratulations! The host has acquired new techniques:
Water Style: Water Formation Wall
Water Style: Raging Waves]
Just like that, two more jutsu added to his arsenal.
In less than ten minutes, his analysis progress had jumped significantly.
He'd just saved himself several hours of grinding.
Tonight's little "voyeur mission" was a massive success.
The Jōnin, having performed three techniques in succession, now seemed to be winding down. He sat and rested for a while before preparing to leave.
The other Jōnin in adjacent training rooms looked to be finishing up as well.
Shigure, satisfied, began preparing his own exit.
Three new ninjutsu in a single night.
A more than worthy harvest.
He smirked under his mask.
Time to come back tomorrow night and peek again.
...
TN:
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