Chương 161: Wind Style Chakra Mode

Time flowed on. A month slipped by unnoticed, and Year 51 of Konoha was drawing to a close. By mid-December, the northern climate had turned bitterly cold. The land lay draped in silver-white snow, with scarcely a trace of color left in the world. Even shinobi, whose bodies were naturally resistant to the cold, had begun wearing thick, specially tailored hooded cloaks. The Shinobi World's run of unusually warm winters had finally ended. Temperatures had plummeted.

According to veteran ninja with decades of experience, the next several years would likely remain this harsh. Even Konoha, situated relatively far south, would see heavy snowfall once winter arrived. This world was peculiar. Beyond the normal cycle of four seasons, it also exhibited faint signs of prolonged summers and extended winters—a bargain-bin version of Westeros. The good news? Only a bargain-bin version. There were no White Walkers in the north. No Night King. No god of winter looming in the heavens.

The bad news? There really were White Zetsu buried beneath the earth. And the Rabbit Goddess who had created them was currently imprisoned on the moon, spending every waking moment plotting her escape so she could descend upon humanity and reap the world like a field of wheat. The gods of this world never cared much for mortals. Fortunately, Kaguya's return was still sixteen or seventeen years away. Dongye zhen had yet to decide whether he would intervene ahead of time.

Too many variables were in motion—including his own rapidly evolving strength. The world had already begun changing because of his existence. Nothing was set in stone anymore. He would adapt as circumstances unfolded. After the reconnaissance mission into Kumogakure's activities concluded, Nara Suzaku had reported the findings to Konoha's leadership. The final decision was simple. Hayate, Yugao, and Yamato would return to the village and resume their duties with the Hokage Guard Platoon.

Dongye zhen, meanwhile, would remain on the northern front. There was no large-scale war at the moment. Konoha wasn't suffering from a manpower shortage, so there was little reason to keep young shinobi like Yugao stationed at the border. Returning to train under Minato was the smarter choice. The higher-ups naturally knew that Namikaze Minato was teaching Flying Thunder God to the Guard Platoon. Thanks to Dongye zhen's success, they were all hoping to cultivate a few more flashes of different colors.

The technique was essentially a lottery ticket. Minato and Dongye zhen were the jackpot winners. The odds for everyone else were slim, but what if one of them hit the jackpot too? As for Dongye zhen himself, the village elders didn't believe someone his age possessed the experience necessary to command an entire theater of war. But they trusted his strength completely. Stationing him in the north to stabilize morale was an ideal use of his talents.

Besides, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly didn't want to go chasing after his three troublesome disciples again. Every single one of them gave him headaches. Northern Hot Water Country. The relentless snowstorm finally ended after a full week. The morning sun shone brightly. The skies had been clear for days, yet temperatures continued dropping at dawn and dusk. Snowfall wasn't the coldest part. The thaw was. That law seemed universal across every world.

Deep within a forest far from Konoha's encampment, Dongye zhen trained quietly. The front lines were uneventful most of the time. Immersing himself in cultivation had become part of his daily routine. The path he walked differed from ordinary shinobi by... perhaps a tiny amount. A few billion miles. Yet it still fit within the three-system framework he had established long ago. The first system—and the most fundamental—was the cultivation of white natural energy.

This formed the cornerstone of his growth and allowed him to transcend conventional bloodline limitations. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. However, ever since entering the third stage of permanent Sage Mode on the night of the Nine-Tails Incident, active training had become unnecessary. The absorption of white natural energy had shifted from active to passive. In other words, Dongye zhen's body absorbed it every second of every day.

And when he entered his special consciousness state, the absorption rate increased even further. If there was a fourth stage beyond this... He eagerly anticipated what it might become. The second system focused on chakra control. After attaining permanent Sage Mode, his body continued growing stronger. Combined with the removal of chakra contaminated by foreign wills, his mastery over chakra had steadily advanced as well. He divided this path into three stages. The first stage represented ordinary shinobi.

Their chakra consisted of equal portions physical and spiritual energy. Yin and Yang remained balanced. The second stage involved deliberately altering that ratio and pushing chakra toward either Yin or Yang. This was the realm of Yin-Yang attribute cultivation. Most ninja never reached this stage unless they specialized in medical ninjutsu, genjutsu, or certain secret techniques. Civilian shinobi faced innate limitations even if they trained diligently.

Bloodline clans and hereditary secret-art families, however, were born at this level. Their ceilings were naturally higher. Beyond those limits lay an entirely different realm of power. The price of excessive imbalance, however, was physical deterioration and the risk of bloodline-related illnesses. Dongye zhen had no such concerns. White natural energy supported him. Permanent Sage Mode stabilized him. And his cultivation advanced along both Yin and Yang pathways simultaneously, preventing imbalance.

At present, he was pushing both aspects toward their absolute extremes. Once he succeeded, he would enter the third stage. The pinnacle of Yin and Yang. The domain of Yin-Yang Release. A realm forever beyond the reach of ordinary shinobi. The third system was naturally the study of elemental chakra—both shape transformation and nature transformation. Shape transformation was simple. With his current level of chakra control, molding chakra into any form had become effortless.

Nature transformation remained his primary focus. Among his innate affinities, Wind, Water, and Earth were the most developed. Wind stood far ahead of the others. Water and Earth followed. As for Fire and Lightning, they remained merely average. He could cast techniques efficiently, but little beyond that. Even bloodline limits—whether Ice Release, which he had already mastered, or Wood Release, which remained under development—served only as tools to deepen his understanding of chakra nature transformation.

In the future, he might attempt to recreate Iwagakure's Dust Release or even engineer entirely new fused bloodlines. Yet all such pursuits existed solely to expand his grasp of chakra's nature. They weren't things he expected to rely upon regularly in battle. That no longer suited his combat style. Now, the first and second systems had become the true core of his cultivation. The third? Ordinary ninjutsu and bloodline techniques looked impressive. But beyond looking impressive, what did they really accomplish?

Before Yin-Yang Release, all chakra-based techniques were little more than clay chickens and porcelain dogs. One exception existed. Sealing Arts. Praise be to Uzumaki Kushina. Developing a unique sealing system tailored to his own abilities and founded upon the Shinobi World's existing sealing knowledge—that was a path he intended to pursue indefinitely. After all, if he ever encountered an opponent beyond his ability to defeat... He could always seal them instead.

Within the forest, Dongye zhen flew as freely as a bird. His clothing was relatively light, yet the icy wind rushing toward him seemed incapable of touching him. Naturally. Dongye zhen possessed Ice Release. His cold resistance surpassed that of ordinary ninja by several levels. What was a mere ten degrees below freezing? Take Haku, for example. Before awakening Ice Release, the boy could wander through winter wearing little more than thin clothing.

After awakening it—and gifting his father and fellow villagers a complimentary Frostmourne package—he spent months roaming snowy lands barefoot and dressed in rags. Aside from hunger, nothing happened to him. His cold resistance was maxed out. Dongye zhen was vastly stronger than Haku. If he returned to his previous world right now, he could probably stroll naked through Antarctica and discuss mobile-game top-up cards with penguins.

Among his elemental affinities, his deepest understanding lay in the nature of wind's flow. Since entering permanent Sage Mode and eliminating foreign chakra influences, his control had advanced even further. Especially his comprehension of wind. After months of refinement, the flight technique he had developed through Wind Release had finally evolved. After Lightness Technique. After Levitation Technique. It had reached its third stage. Wind Release: Sky Dance Technique.

At this moment, he seemed to merge with the wind itself. Wherever he wished to go, he went. Acceleration and deceleration obeyed his thoughts. Flight had become instinct. Compared to the awkward levitation of earlier stages, Sky Dance Technique concealed Wind chakra to an extraordinary degree. It generated almost no disturbance and consumed remarkably little chakra. From now on, he could drift around like Onoki's floating old skeleton all day long. If translated into terms shinobi could understand...

This state was essentially a Wind Release Chakra Mode. Much like the Lightning Release Chakra Mode employed by Kumogakure's Raikage. At this point, Dongye zhen had become the foremost master of Wind Release in the entire Shinobi World. And if anyone disagreed? They were welcome to fly over and argue. Only a few days after the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince of Hot Water Country, the old Daimyo finally kicked the bucket and departed for the Pure Land, thoroughly unwilling to leave.

Until his dying breath, he never received news that the Jashin cult had succeeded in creating immortality. His dream of eternal life ended in failure. All he left behind was a pack of lunatics continuing to torment civilians within his country. Though still physically weak, Crown Prince Yuan Geng inherited the title of Daimyo. On the very day of his ascension, he personally visited the prison and subjected his younger brother to a brutal beating. Yuan Chen, now permanently crippled, found no release.

His beloved elder brother chose not to kill him. Instead, he condemned him to continue living a fate worse than death. The new Daimyo hated Kumogakure with a passion for nearly taking his life. His trust in Yugakure had also evaporated. While reaffirming Hot Water Country's alliance with the Land of Fire, he simultaneously issued a long-term contract hiring several Konoha teams as permanent bodyguards. Konoha had saved his life. As a result, he possessed an almost irrational faith in Konoha shinobi.

The leadership of Yugakure, including Chikura and every ninja beneath him, could only smile awkwardly. In the end, they had somehow managed to offend everyone involved. After failing to bring Hot Water Country into their orbit, Kumogakure refused to withdraw. Their forces remained stationed near the border, engaging Konoha in constant low-level clashes. No major battles erupted. Only small skirmishes from time to time. Until they accurately gauged Konoha's true condition, they had no intention of retreating.

It was a classic strategy of attrition. As for Hot Water Country itself? They barely acknowledged its existence. What could it do? Bite them? The weak nation had no answer to Kumogakure's bullying. Konoha did. And Konoha was more than willing to sink its teeth into those dark-skinned barbarians whenever the opportunity arose.