The night air hummed with spiritual energy as Ashura made urgent preparations. His Divine Sense had detected what he'd been both anticipating and dreading—Tsunade was approaching her first spiritual breakthrough, days ahead of schedule.
"Too soon," he murmured, rapidly adjusting formation arrays. Through his connection, Izuna paused his own cultivation.
"Master, her spiritual pressure... it's affecting the village's spirit veins."
Indeed, even regular shinobi were unconsciously reacting to the disturbance. Hashirama had already sent a messenger asking about the "strange chakra fluctuations" near the academy.
Tsunade burst into the training chamber, her body glowing with barely contained spiritual energy. "Elder! Something's wrong—my chakra is—"
"Not chakra," Ashura corrected, activating his strongest containment formations. "You're breaking through to true Qi Refinement. The others will join us shortly."
Right on cue, Dan arrived, drawn by his spiritual connection to Tsunade. Moments later, Jiraiya crashed through a window ("Use the door next time," Ashura sighed), followed by Orochimaru emerging silently from the shadows.
"Watch carefully," Ashura commanded. "You'll all face this soon."
He guided Tsunade to the chamber's center, where hidden formations began stabilizing her wild spiritual energy. Her confusion turned to wonder as she finally perceived true spiritual essence.
"This power... it's what you've been preparing us for?"
"Indeed. Now, circulate your energy exactly as I taught you. The Nine Yin Manual's Profound Foundation technique—what you thought was merely an advanced healing exercise."
As Tsunade began the circulation, Ashura turned to the others. "Observe. This is true cultivation, beyond mere chakra manipulation. Each of you is approaching this threshold in your own way."
Dan watched intently, his spiritual sense already resonating with Tsunade's breakthrough. Jiraiya's eyes were wide, his own yang energy responding unconsciously. But Orochimaru...
"The formation arrays," the pale boy observed. "They're not just containing her energy—they're reshaping it. Teaching it new patterns."
"Correct." Ashura nodded. "True power requires proper foundation. Attempting shortcuts..."
He let the warning hang as Tsunade's spiritual core finally stabilized at early-stage Qi Refinement. The visible glow faded, but her presence had fundamentally changed.
"Amazing," she breathed, looking at her hands. "The spiritual energy... I can see it flowing through everything."
"Your first step on the true path," Ashura confirmed. "Though maintaining secrecy becomes crucial now. To others, explain your advancement as improved chakra control."
"What about us?" Jiraiya demanded. "When do we—"
A surge of yang energy from his core interrupted him. Ashura moved swiftly, activating more formation arrays.
"Sooner than expected, it seems. Your spiritual roots resonate with others' breakthroughs. Dan, Orochimaru, step back. This could cascade—"
Too late. Dan's balanced spiritual core and Orochimaru's pure yin energy began responding to the disturbance. Within moments, all four students were undergoing simultaneous breakthroughs.
*Of course they couldn't do this one at a time*, Ashura thought wryly, rapidly adjusting formations throughout the chamber. *That would be too simple.*
Each breakthrough manifested differently:
- Tsunade's spiritual energy flowed like pure life force, resonating with healing essence
- Jiraiya's yang energy blazed like a small sun, wild but powerful
- Dan's balanced core created perfect harmony between yin and yang
- Orochimaru's yin energy moved with serpentine precision, seeking deeper mysteries
Working quickly, Ashura guided each unique transformation:
- Tsunade received the Nine Yin Manual's Vitality Nurturing technique
- Jiraiya learned the Nine Yang Manual's Force Tempering method
- Dan was taught the Harmonious Spirit approach
- Orochimaru began the Path of Profound Understanding
Hours passed as spiritual energy reshaped four young cultivators. By dawn, the chamber held four exhausted but transformed students.
"Remember," Ashura instructed, "true cultivation must remain secret. Your powers will seem like advanced chakra techniques to others. This protects both you and our path."
"But why the secrecy, Elder?" Orochimaru asked, studying his newfound abilities with barely concealed excitement.
"Because power attracts power," Ashura replied. "And some powers are not ready to meet. Focus on your foundations—true strength comes from proper progression."
He assigned each student specific training methods:
- Tsunade: Spiritual healing techniques disguised as medical jutsu
- Jiraiya: Energy control exercises hidden within sage training basics
- Dan: Spiritual essence harmonization presented as chakra balance
- Orochimaru: Careful foundation building masked as research techniques
"Your paths will seem different to outside eyes," he explained. "Tsunade, your 'medical advances' will actually be cultivation-based healing. Jiraiya, your 'sage training' provides cover for yang energy cultivation. Dan, your 'unique chakra control' masks spiritual harmony. And Orochimaru, your 'research' allows for controlled cultivation experimentation."
Through his Divine Sense, he felt Izuna's approval. "They're progressing faster than I did, Master."
"Different times require different methods," Ashura replied privately. "Though managing Orochimaru's curiosity will be... challenging."
That evening, after his exhausted students departed, Ashura modified the academy's formation arrays again. Their breakthroughs would attract attention—better to have observers see only what he wanted them to see.
As night fell, he sensed Orochimaru secretly returning to study the formations. But this time, Dan followed to keep watch, while Tsunade and Jiraiya "coincidentally" trained nearby.
*Already protecting each other*, Ashura thought approvingly. *Though we'll need to work on their stealth.*
The spirit veins thrummed with new energy as four fresh cultivators began their true journey. Above, Izuna approached his own breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
Change was accelerating. The next phase would require even more careful guidance.
*But first*, Ashura mused, *I should probably explain to Hashirama why parts of his forest are now growing golden leaves from the spiritual energy overflow.*
Some side effects, it seemed, were harder to hide than others.