"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Three sturdy earthen walls suddenly erupted from the ground, shielding Ishikawa and Kōichi within.
Even though he had already learned the Three Basic Jutsu and even developed a knock-off Shadow Clone Technique, Kōichi was still amazed seeing this ninjutsu that created walls of earth from nothing.
Is this the power of ninjutsu?
Kōichi had no doubt that these three earthen walls could block sudden attacks from enemies. He knocked on the wall;its solid thickness attested to its excellent protective qualities.
Facing Kōichi's astonishment, Ishikawa also smiled. Kōichi was always so calm and composed,rarely showing extra expression, almost making people think he was as mature as an adult. His current surprise rather pleased Ishikawa.
But as a teacher, ninjutsu instruction had to be thorough. "Your first ninjutsu isn't an offensive one.Are you a bit disappointed, Kōichi?"
Withdrawing his hand from the wall, Kōichi shook his head, his gaze turning calm again. "No,I think it's good. Compared to killing enemies, preserving oneself is the most important thing first." "Uh..."Ishikawa gritted his teeth, his head aching slightly. This student was almost too perceptive.
He began explaining the function of the Earth-Style Wall, the hand seal sequence, the timing for release, and other key points. "Towards the end of the Second Great Ninja War,I joined the battlefield. I didn't participate in the most intense major battles, but I encountered some small-scale combat." "The Earth-Style Wall's defensive performance was extremely effective in these small-scale engagements,saving my life several times." "The Three Basic Jutsu are too limited.As civilian ninjas, once war breaks out, we are very likely to become cannon fodder. With the protection of the Earth-Style Wall, your chances of survival, Kōichi, will be much greater. Only then will you have more opportunities to grow stronger."
While saying this, Ishikawa's words inevitably carried some personal, subjective emotions. He was also a civilian ninja,one who had just missed the most brutal period of the Second Great Ninja War. But he still remembered some of the village's practices vividly. And he held considerable resentment towards them!
Kōichi listened quietly, offering no opinion. Ishikawa sighed and didn't elaborate further,instead explaining the hand seal sequence for the simple C-rank Earth-Style Wall. "As a C-rank jutsu,the hand seals aren't complex: Ram, Boar, Monkey, Boar, Bird. Five actions in total. With proficiency, you can achieve quick execution." "You participated in the practical combat class today and must be tired.Rest early. If you have questions later, you can ask me then."
---
Ishikawa left, but Kōichi did not rest. He used the Recovery Jutsu on himself,then slowly walked home, constantly recalling the details of Ishikawa's Earth-Style Wall instruction in his mind.
After arriving home, Kōichi sat quietly for ten minutes. Then, his eyes snapped open, and he went to an open space. His slender fingers began to move,forming the seals slowly in the Ram, Boar, Monkey, Boar, Bird sequence. Once the seals were complete,Kōichi slammed his palm on the ground, uttering lowly, "Earth Release:Earth-Style Wall!"
Chakra surged out. The ground trembled slightly, and then a small mound of earth pushed upwards.
Failure? A slight smile touched Kōichi's lips.In his view, this was already a success. Mastering any ninjutsu was accumulated bit by bit.He created a small mound this time; next time, it would be better.
---
In the following days, besides his daily training, Kōichi added another item to his regimen: Practicing the Earth-Style Wall ninjutsu!
From the initial small mound, to a fragile earthen wall a few days later, to a solid single earthen wall after ten days, everything progressed according to Kōichi's plan.
Another night found Kōichi standing thoughtfully before a two-meter-high wall. "The same jutsu...Teacher Ishikawa can create three walls, all with equally excellent protective qualities. Why can I only create one?"
Frowning, Kōichi touched the wall he had created. In terms of thickness and hardness,it was actually not inferior to the walls created by Ishikawa, a Chūnin. If Ishikawa had been observing Kōichi closely during this time,he would have been utterly astonished. Even for a simple-seal jutsu like the Earth-Style Wall,even for a C-rank technique, mastering it in just ten days was shocking enough.
However, Kōichi didn't feel particularly proud. He knew his own situation best. The benefits brought by the Overlord System's Recovery Jutsu weren't as simple as ordinary people might think.
It was common knowledge that practicing ninjutsu required continuously expending chakra. A person's chakra storage capacity was quite limited.Once depleted, time was needed to refine more before ninjutsu practice could continue. But the Recovery Jutsu saved Kōichi this process,allowing him to release ninjutsu almost non-stop!
If an ordinary Genin could perform a C-rank jutsu twenty times a day, then Kōichi's number was ten, even a hundred times that figure! This was precisely the reason Kōichi could master the jutsu so quickly.
Of course, this sounded wonderful, as if Kōichi had unlimited chakra. But in reality,it wasn't that bug-like. What he saved was only the chakra recoverytime; his overall chakra capacity hadn't increased!
For example: Kōichi could use the Recovery Jutsu to continuously perform C-rank ninjutsu,and due to his physical and mental energy, even potentially attempt B-rank ninjutsu. But his chakra upper limit made it difficult for him to completely perform an A-rank, let alone an S-rank jutsu, even once. The Recovery Jutsu also took a few minutes to work,but performing a high-level jutsu wouldn't give you a chance to pause midway, recover, and then continue sealing.
Kōichi sighed. He roughly understood the reason for the difference between his one wall and Ishikawa's three. "He's an experienced Chūnin.His chakra capacity is simply greater than mine. It's that simple."
Kōichi bit his lip. This problem wasn't limited to just the Earth-Style Wall. He would likely encounter this issue later when practicing other high-level ninjutsu.
So, how to solve it? Kōichi quickly identified the directions. "Bloodlines!Tailed Beasts! Sage Mode! A super-strong body!"