Clap, clap, clap!
Just as Yahiko and Konan were about to launch their attacks, applause suddenly echoed across the open training ground.
Asahi, clapping his hands, approached from a distance. Seeing him, the three of them quickly halted their movements.
Asahi had been observing them closely since the moment they began their spar.
Truth be told, he was quite satisfied with their performance. Although their exchange may not have seemed thrilling, it was due to their deep familiarity with each other.
Every move they made during the spar had multiple escape routes, but their mutual understanding allowed them to anticipate and neutralize those moves in advance.
Had their opponents been anyone else, it wouldn't have been as straightforward. A momentary lapse in attention could have resulted in devastating blows.
In a sense, despite not yet having learned ninjutsu, thanks to their proficiency in puppet control techniques and exceptional taijutsu, the three of them were already on par with chunin-level shinobi.
"Well done, well done! You've all completed this stage of the training," Asahi said with satisfaction, ceasing his applause and nodding at the trio.
Upon hearing this, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were overjoyed. While their skills had indeed improved significantly, their daily routines had remained unchanged for the past year and a half.
In fact, two months earlier, they had already completed all the tasks Asahi had assigned to them. However, after Asahi had reviewed their progress, he felt their foundational skills needed further reinforcement, so he had them continue training for an additional two months.
With no other choice, the three of them had diligently repeated the same daily routines, day in and day out.
Despite their patience with the monotonous lifestyle, they couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of leaving it behind.
"Really? Master? Can we move on to the next stage of training?" Konan asked in excitement. They had long been aware that the next stage would involve the study of ninjutsu.
For Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, who had eagerly anticipated learning various ninja techniques, ninjutsu offered a welcome change from their daily physical training.
With a gleam of approval in his eyes, Asahi nodded and replied, "That's right. From now on, you can begin your ninjutsu training."
"Hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!" The three of them cheered in unison.
"Okay! Stop!"
Asahi extended his right hand into the air and clenched it tightly.
The cheers from the three disciples immediately subsided. Asahi reached into his pocket and retrieved three pieces of paper.
"Before you begin your formal training in ninjutsu, you must test your chakra nature to determine which ninjutsu suits you best."
"These papers I hold are specialized chakra nature test sheets."
With that, Asahi handed one sheet to each of the three disciples.
Don't ask him where he obtained these chakra paper sheets; he borrowed them from the Hidden Rain Village.
As for why this step was necessary, it was all about maintaining a low profile. Even though Asahi had long known the innate abilities of these three, they still needed to go through the customary procedure.
It was all about the sense of ceremony!
"As you all know, the basic chakra natures are water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, yin, and yang."
"Of course, there are also chakra natures that result from the fusion of different attributes, such as Ice Release and so on, but those belong to bloodline limits."
"Now, infuse your chakra into the chakra paper, and you will discover your chakra nature."
After listening to Asahi's explanation, Yahiko eagerly became the first to test his chakra nature.
As Yahiko channeled his chakra into the paper, it instantly became soaked with water. In one corner, it even cracked.
Yahiko looked at Asahi with a puzzled expression, and Asahi nodded in approval, saying, "Well done, you possess the Water chakra nature."
"Moreover, its intensity is quite high. This means that when you train in Water Release in the future, you'll make rapid progress."
"Yahoo!" Yahiko cheered.
Asahi paid him no mind and turned his gaze to Nagato, who was in the process of testing his chakra.
The procedure was the same, but the results were drastically different. Nagato's chakra paper displayed several different manifestations all at once. It tore in the middle, part of it crinkled, part became moist, part caught fire, and part shattered.
This left Konan, who was preparing to test her chakra nature next, momentarily stunned. "Master, look at Nagato's test paper."
Asahi had known that this would happen and simply smiled.
"It's fine. Nagato has excellent talent. He possesses all five basic chakra natures, and they are all quite powerful."
"Great job, Nagato!" Asahi's words were barely out of his mouth when Yahiko enthusiastically wrapped his arm around Nagato's shoulder. "Your talent is truly exceptional. You'll make incredible progress in your training!"
"Congratulations, Nagato!" Konan also wore a joyful smile as she offered her congratulations.
"Konan, it's your turn now. Hurry and test your chakra nature," Yahiko urged, releasing his embrace of Nagato's shoulder.
Nagato also gazed at Konan with anticipation. "Yes, Konan, please test yours as well."
Both of them were eager to discover Konan's chakra nature, hoping she would possess remarkable talent.
"Okay!" Konan nodded with determination. She was equally eager to learn her chakra nature.
As Konan channeled her chakra into the paper, it slowly began to change. Similar to Nagato's results, the paper split down the middle, with one side becoming wet with water, and the other side shattering.
"Wow! Water, Earth, and Wind natures!" Yahiko shouted in excitement. Even though he had only one chakra nature himself (Water), his comrades having multiple natures excited him.
Nagato's eyes sparkled with delight, relieved that Konan had displayed talent as well.
However, for Asahi, he silently shook his head. He couldn't help but notice that Konan's multiple chakra natures weren't particularly strong. But he didn't mind; Konan's unique talent wasn't tied to the Five Elemental Releases. In the original story, her angelic name came from her Paper Jutsu, an innate and incredible ability.
"Don't celebrate too soon. While Konan has multiple chakra natures, their individual strengths aren't very high."
"Sometimes, having multiple chakra natures doesn't necessarily mean it's a good thing."
Asahi doused their excitement with a dose of reality.
The three disciples were left momentarily stunned, and Yahiko was the first to express concern, "Master, what should we do about this? Please, think of a solution!"
Nagato chimed in with a worried expression, "Yes, Master, please help Konan. You must have a solution."
Konan looked at Asahi with a pleading expression, knowing that when he wore that particular expression, it meant he had a plan.
Or, in other words, she had never encountered a problem that Asahi couldn't solve.
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