Chapter 118: Nature Crystals
"Where and how are those nature crystals produced?" Kaito asked Renjiro.
Renjiro sighed. "It seems you're quite insistent on this. Alright, I'll explain."
"Nature crystals are mined from crystal veins. A few hundred years ago, these lands were filled with such veins. In fact, these lands were named based on the most abundant type of vein in the area. For example, the Land of Fire had abundant Fire Crystal veins."
"Nature crystals provided immense help to ninja, so they were extensively mined. About a hundred years ago, all the veins began to deplete."
"As far as I know, the depletion of the veins during that period led to intensified conflicts, and everyone started fighting over them. By the time the Five Great Ninja Villages emerged, all the veins had been exhausted and destroyed."
"However, even after the veins were destroyed, there were still more ninja with similar affinities in these lands. The Second Hokage researched this and concluded that the environment of the Land of Fire gave its ninja a strong affinity for Fire Style manipulation. The same was true for the other four great villages."
"As for crystal veins, only one place still had some low-quality ones left, which is now the Land of Iron."
"To avoid another war over these veins, the First Hokage temporarily protected them. The Daimyo quickly reached an agreement, and the Land of Iron became a neutral country where ninja didn't use those crystal veins. Instead, the Land of Iron would mine a limited quantity and sell a certain amount to each village."
"So all nature crystals today are received from the Land of Iron. And the quantity received is very small. Most of these nature crystals are distributed to various clans. The rest are kept by the Hokage for ANBU training."
"Additionally, due to the low quality and quantity of these crystals, they can only be used effectively when combined with appropriate barrier seals."
Kaito processed all this information. He analyzed, Hmm, it seems they're not as useful as I thought. Without sufficient quantities, they won't be that helpful.
Kaito asked, "Does the effect of each crystal depend on our affinity?"
Renjiro nodded. "Yes. They work best for your corresponding affinity. Have you checked all five rooms?"
Kaito nodded. Renjiro said, "Good. Chakra paper for testing affinity can only show your strongest affinity unless you have a kekkei genkai. However, trying to absorb the energy of nature crystals can also tell you your affinity. Compared to Wind Style, how quickly do you absorb other natures?"
Kaito replied, "Fire Style is about 35%. Earth Style is about 6%. Water and Lightning Style are both 0%."
Upon hearing this, Renjiro showed a disappointed expression. He sighed. "It seems you don't have a very high affinity for other natures."
Kaito, looking disappointed, asked, "What level of affinity is considered having an affinity?"
Renjiro explained, "If your affinity for a nature reaches 70% or above, it can be considered your secondary affinity. Your Wind Style affinity is very strong, so any nature above 50% might be considered a secondary affinity."
"As for a tertiary affinity, it needs to be above 30%. Your Fire Style meets this condition. But I advise you not to waste time on it. After all, it's extremely rare for a Konoha squad to not have someone with Fire Style."
Kaito nodded. Renjiro continued, "Even with your Earth Style jutsu, I suggest you stop after learning Earth Style: Mud Wall. Focus entirely on your Wind Style jutsu, making it as powerful and lethal as possible."
Kaito replied, "Yes, sensei."
Renjiro said, "Alright. Now let's get back to this month's training."
Kaito listened intently, with a hint of excitement. It turned out that training with Renjiro was very productive.
Renjiro chuckled. "Actually, I don't have much left to teach you. I've already taught you all the basics I can—mainly, you need to work hard yourself to improve."
Kaito gave his teacher a speechless look. He asked, "Sensei, what are we training this month?"
Renjiro smiled. "We're going to have actual combat practice!"
Kaito looked at his teacher's smile and couldn't help but feel a chill.
Renjiro continued, "Every time you spar or fight, you hide behind clones. While this is a good strategy, and I admire how successfully you execute it, you're missing out on important combat experience that you'll need in the future."
"So this entire month we'll be doing live combat drills. You can use clones, but I'll still attack your real body. By the end of this month, I'll make you experience everything you'll face on a mission."
Kaito said nervously, "Okay, sensei."
No sooner had he spoken than Renjiro threw a punch at him.
But Kaito, wary of Renjiro's smirk, used the Body Flicker Technique in the blink of an eye!
Renjiro also grinned triumphantly and instantly used the Body Flicker Technique to chase after him.
The Night Before the Match
Kaito lay on the training ground, panting heavily. If anyone saw him now, they would surely think, How many people beat him up?
He was covered in bruises, and his chakra was completely depleted. Renjiro walked up to him. "Are you ready for the match?"
Kaito looked at him, screaming in his mind, Why the hell isn't there a child protection law here? In my previous life, if someone leaked even a minute of my combat training with this monster, the media would be all over it for weeks!
In my old world, I might even get cyberbullied by internet warriors! I can't even take a break on my birthday here! This bastard isn't giving me cake—he's giving me his fists and stinky feet!
Unfortunately, Kaito had neither the strength nor the courage to talk back to Renjiro.
Renjiro chuckled softly, picked Kaito up, and placed him on his shoulder. "Alright, you can't participate in the match in this state. I'll take you to the hospital to recover."
Kaito didn't answer or struggle. In the past month, he'd been carried to the hospital like this 11 times!
He received all sorts of strange looks. Any feeling of embarrassment had long since vanished and been buried.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the medical ninja treated him as usual and let him sleep there.
As Kaito drifted off to sleep, he thought, No wonder the adults in this village are so shameless. It seems their sense of shame was beaten out of them when they were young.
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