Over the next month, Chiba added Ninjutsu training to his regimen, practicing deep in the dense forest—a fact unknown even to Hirohiko and Yukina.
He confirmed that his Chakra attributes were both earth and water. Wind, lightning, and fire techniques seemed beyond his grasp.
This realization dampened Chiba's spirits somewhat. Techniques like *Chidori* and *Rasengan*, pivotal in the original series, were out of his reach. However, Chiba refused to be disheartened. He believed that with diligent practice, mastering the wind and lightning nature transformations wasn't impossible.
The earth and water attributes had their advantages, too. The Second Hokage was renowned for his water techniques, and the Third Hokage for his earth techniques. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, earth-attributed Ninjas had proved their worth with a variety of practical Earth Release techniques.
Training daily with Kushina had significantly improved Chiba's combat experience. He was no longer easily bested by her, managing to last a full two-hour match. His Chakra reserves had increased across physical exertions, Ninjutsu, and even outside of Eight Gates Mode, lending his attacks considerable force without relying on Eight Gates Mode.
Chiba felt confident he could handle elite opponents now.
However, recent solo training sessions, especially those focusing on enhancing his physical strength, had revealed the immaturity of his power. Gathering Chakra for attacks took time—a slight delay that could decide the outcome of a battle. Emulating Tsunade's ability to deliver explosive punches required more effort.
Yet, the foundation of this strength was Chakra. The more Chakra he had, the stronger his attacks. Chiba was confident in his Chakra control; even Tsunade might be impressed by his finesse.
The key was increasing his Chakra volume.
In the dense forest, Chiba punched a tree, leaving a faint fist imprint amidst a shower of sawdust.
"Five hundred punches, done," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
He longed to unlock the Fourth Gate soon, feeling his physical limits nearing a breakthrough. This goal seemed closer than ever, thanks to Kushina's rigorous training. Initially, he had thought it would take a year to open the Fourth Gate, but now he was tantalizingly close.
Yet, this feeling of being on the cusp had persisted for the past half-month without progress, causing Chiba some frustration.
Discovering his Chakra natures had given Chiba a new direction in Ninjutsu. His frequent visits to the Konoha library had alleviated much of his anxiety.
He had learned that the library's B-rank and lower Ninjutsu scrolls were available to all villagers. Despite this, Chiba had mastered only three techniques in the past month: two Earth Release and one Water Release.
Chiba's talent for Ninjutsu was evident; he could memorize and learn techniques just from observing the hand seals. However, scrolls didn't offer the same miraculous comprehension, emphasizing the need for practice.
He had memorized over ten techniques but had fully learned only three.
This focus shift from the Fourth Gate to Ninjutsu had helped Chiba avoid becoming overly obsessed with the dangerous technique, which could lead to dire consequences.
The *Eight Gates* were a formidable and risky technique, not to be forced open.
As Chiba finished his five hundred punches and prepared for side kicks, Kushina's voice suddenly rang out: "Stop everything, gather up!"
At her command, Chiba turned in confusion. Hirohiko nearly mishandled his shuriken, causing a dangerous rebound that narrowly missed him.
The shuriken flew past, nearly missing its target.
Yukina, who was practicing Gentle Fist in the open space, remained vigilant. Her Byakugan's 360-degree vision allowed her to narrowly dodge the incoming shuriken. Had she not been so alert, the consequences could have been severe.
"Sensei Kushina, that was dangerous!" Chiba exclaimed, his heart racing. "It could have been fatal!"
Kushina, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, but I have something important to announce!" Her face lit up with excitement as she spoke.
Chiba and the others exchanged puzzled looks. 'Why is Kushina-sensei so happy? Could there be some good news?'
Before they could gather to ask, Kushina couldn't contain her excitement and announced, "In ten days, the Chunin Exams will be held!"
The Chunin Exams?
Chiba was startled by the news. Not just him, but Hirohiko and Yukina were also visibly surprised.
"I've already signed you up today!" Kushina continued, oblivious to their stunned reactions.
"Ah, the Chunin Exam..." Chiba responded with little enthusiasm. His focus was solely on training, and he didn't see much value in the Chunin Exam or the promotion that came with it. The special benefits didn't matter to him.
Before he could finish, Chiba felt a sharp pain on his head as he received a punch, causing a familiar swelling to appear.
"Be serious!" Kushina admonished, her red hair seeming to bristle with anger.
Hirohiko and Yukina quickly nodded, signaling their commitment to take the matter seriously.
"But we've only been Genin for a few days," Chiba pondered aloud. "Signing up for the Chunin Exam so soon... would the Third Hokage even agree?"
"It's already been done. I have faith in you," Kushina assured them, her eyes shining with confidence. She was immensely proud. Now that they had grown stronger, capable of enduring two more hours of sparring training, she believed the Chunin Exam would be a breeze for them.
Seeing Kushina's confident demeanor, Chiba touched his nose, contemplating. 'Well, considering we haven't completed a single mission since becoming Ninjas, it's surprising that the Third Hokage would allow us to take the Chunin Exam.'
'A Ninja's worth isn't measured solely by personal strength but also by performance on missions.'
However, Chiba kept these thoughts to himself, not wanting to dampen Kushina's spirits.
"Ahem! Then, Hirohiko and Yukina, we have to train even harder!" Chiba declared, feigning enthusiasm for the challenge ahead.
Hirohiko and Yukina nodded vigorously in agreement.
The three of them then returned to their individual training, each lost in thoughts about the upcoming exams.
Kushina watched them with a smile, thinking to herself that she would train them even more rigorously tomorrow. That was her plan, and she was determined to see it through.