Time to swap out the passive skill bar.
Next step—training.
Right now, what needs to be honed is chakra control.
Ordinarily, basic chakra control training comes down to two exercises: tree climbing and water walking.
Shigure had already mastered both.
But just like in school, when both the top student and the struggling one score 100, it doesn't mean they're the same. One reached that number with ease and potential to spare; the other pushed their limits to barely get there.
Mastery doesn't mean there's no room for improvement.
"So how can I strengthen my chakra control training?"
"Should I increase the difficulty?"
That was the first thing Shigure thought of.
[Great Sage: The host only needs to activate skills from the passive skill bar. Even normal activation will produce ten times the training effect.]
"Then if I raise the difficulty myself, the effect should be boosted even further, right?"
[Great Sage: Correct.]
"Perfect!"
Since he was already dedicating time to cultivation, Shigure wanted to make every second count—push the limits, deepen the training, maximize the results.
He glanced at a nearby boulder—it looked to weigh about 700 kilograms.
With Shigure's physical strength, lifting it wasn't an issue.
But standing on water while carrying it?
SPLASH!!
As expected, Shigure plunged straight into the river.
Thankfully, it was shallow—only waist-deep.
"Looks like the added weight makes water walking much harder… The chakra control needed is way more intense."
With the weight centered on his feet, the chakra flow had to be faster, more focused, and much denser. To stay balanced, he needed to release chakra evenly in a narrow area beneath his soles—dense enough to support himself and a 700-kilogram stone.
This demanded absolute precision.
"Let's drop the weight a bit and try again."
With his current level of chakra control, Shigure could manage about 500 kilograms while staying balanced on the river's surface.
But under the rushing waterfall, the current was harsh and fast.
Even then, he managed to last around ten seconds before plunging in again.
Despite falling repeatedly, Shigure didn't feel discouraged. On the contrary, he could clearly sense the tenfold training effect the Great Sage had mentioned.
He decided to activate the acceleration effect, amplifying his progress even further.
Finally, Shigure began to experience what it meant to improve rapidly.
Each session gave him new insights. He could feel real, measurable improvement every time.
The first attempt lasted only a dozen seconds.
The second, twenty-five seconds.
The third? Over thirty seconds.
The obvious progress thrilled him.
Fall, rise, improve.
Each failure pushed his limit further.
"The training effect is ten times stronger… This is insane!"
Though soaked from head to toe, Shigure was full of energy.
"I should also focus on refining chakra at night. Just relying on passive skill growth is too slow!"
SPLASH!
Rain started falling again.
This time, Shigure had upped the weight back to 700 kilograms.
Three hours flew by during his intense and relentless practice.
BOOM!!
With a deep rumble, Shigure casually tossed aside the boulder—dozens of times his size.
It hit the ground with an earth-shaking crash, carving out a small crater. Even the ground seemed to tremble from the impact.
The stone weighed nearly a thousand pounds.
And yet, Shigure managed to stand on the swiftly flowing surface of the river, holding it aloft for nearly half an hour.
He could keep training his water-walking technique, but the next step was clear—increase the weight.
However, holding that boulder for three hours straight wasn't just a challenge to his chakra control.
It was a challenge to his body.
Even Shigure was beginning to feel the fatigue creeping in.
It was time for a break.
But Shigure didn't plan to waste even his rest time.
He opened his palms and began releasing chakra, slowly shaping it into different forms. This too, in a way, was chakra control practice. Even without actively performing ninjutsu, he was still refining his skill—and still reaping the tenfold training benefit.
Watching the chakra shift and morph with increasing fluidity according to his will, a new idea suddenly came to him.
Chakra threads—like the ones puppeteers use.
He didn't know exactly how puppetmasters manipulated them in detail, but what would happen if he tried condensing chakra into threads and controlling them?
Without hesitation, Shigure raised his hand and attempted to release chakra threads for the first time.
Several thick strands of chakra shot forward, extending three or four meters before coming to a halt—already straining at his control.
But Shigure's eyes lit up in excitement.
In the process of shaping and releasing those threads, he felt it—his chakra control was improving even faster than it had with the boulder training.
Encouraged, he continued, focusing on refining his control further.
He began condensing the chakra into finer, thinner threads, trying to extend them further and further.
Minutes passed. Then hours.
Soon, the once finger-thick threads had become so fine they resembled spider silk—nearly invisible, save for the soft glow of chakra around them.
And they were long.
Over fifty meters.
Shigure stood in awe.
"But… what can I even do with chakra threads?"
He knew puppetmasters used them to control their creations, manipulating intricate joints and weapons through their chakra lines.
But Shigure didn't know how to use puppets—and he had no intention of learning.
He could ask the Great Sage to simulate the secret techniques behind puppetry, but such a calculation might take weeks, and he wasn't willing to spend that much time chasing a completely different path.
Still, looking at the fine threads of chakra flickering in his hand, another idea formed.
"If I increase the density of the chakra in these threads... could I give them cutting power?"
Even if they weren't immediately lethal, the ability to pull or snatch something across a distance could be incredibly useful.
But there was a problem.
Maintaining such slender threads while also increasing their density?
That wouldn't be easy.
It would require a whole new level of precision and control.
A new challenge.
A new path of cultivation had just revealed itself.
...
TN:
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