Traveling Through Multiple Realms: The Supporting Character's Counterattack

After Baiyun Yeshan disappeared, Genma wiped the sweat from his forehead and felt the flow of chakra within his body.

Although the battle just now was brief, in order to force out Baiyun Yeshan's true strength, he had already used 70% of his shurikenjutsu level.

The enhanced perception granted by his soul completion allowed him to clearly "see" how effortlessly Hayama handled the sword in his hand; this master swordsman was far from using his full strength.

"Let's go back and rest first; we have even tougher training tomorrow."

Genma said calmly, "During wartime, the village won't give us much time to adapt."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on Kai's enthusiasm, but they also quickly calmed him down.

Ebisu's expression also turned serious. He adjusted his glasses and said in a low voice, "I heard from my father that the situation at the front is not optimistic. The allied forces of Sunagakure and Iwagakure have broken through the defenses of the Land of Grass. We may soon be..."

The three walked silently out of the training ground and parted ways at the crossroads.

Genma didn't go straight home, but instead went to Konoha Hospital. He had promised Shizune that he would help process a batch of newly arrived medicinal herbs today.

The hospital was busier than usual, with stretchers being carried down the corridors from time to time, carrying mostly seriously injured people covered in blood.

The shadow of war has truly loomed over this once relatively peaceful place.

"Genma, you've arrived."

Shizune was checking supplies in the pharmacy when she saw him and a smile appeared on her tired face. "I heard that your Class 10 passed Teacher Yeshan's test. Congratulations."

"You're really well-informed."

Xuan took the list of medicinal herbs from Jingyin and began to help sort and organize them.

Shizune lowered her voice: "Lady Tsunade was just here. She had an argument with the Third Hokage. It seems to be about whether the newly graduated genin should be sent to the front lines immediately."

Genma paused slightly in his movements: "And the result?"

"Lady Tsunade strongly opposes it, but the higher-ups believe that the pressure on the front lines is too great, and they may give us at most another month of training time."

Shizune said worriedly, "Genma, you must be careful. I've heard that the ninjas of Sunagakure and Iwagakure are very cruel, especially Pakura, the Scorching Release user of Sunagakure. Several Konoha squads have already been wiped out."

"Scorch Release: Leafa..."

Genma silently recited the name in his heart, and related fragments of memory surfaced.

In the original work, she was indeed a female ninja known for her strength and ruthlessness. Her Scorching Release bloodline limit could instantly evaporate the water in her opponent's body, which was extremely terrifying.

He remained expressionless, simply replying softly, "Don't worry, I'll be careful!"

For the next three weeks, Class 10 entered a near-frenzied training mode.

Every morning at five o'clock, before dawn, the three of them would gather on time at the third training ground.

Baiyun Yeshan was indeed a teacher who taught according to aptitude and had high requirements. He quickly figured out the characteristics and weaknesses of each student and formulated a highly targeted, hellish training plan.

For Might Guy, the training focus is on improving the variability of his attack patterns and his tactical awareness, breaking away from his habitual, straightforward thinking.

Hayama often personally takes to the ring, using only an unsharpened training dagger to engage in high-intensity close-quarters combat sparring with Kai.

He guided Kai with his exquisite swordsmanship, allowing this martial arts fanatic to personally experience the importance of "circumvention," "adaptability," and "anticipation" in actual combat through repeated "playing tricks."

For Ebisu, the core challenge is to overcome the tension he is prone to experience in real combat environments.

Hayama designed a series of extremely high-pressure simulated situational response training exercises, such as accurately identifying the only way out in a dense trap attack, or instantly analyzing the weaknesses of the hypothetical enemy under multiple interferences, forcing Ebisu to maintain absolute calmness and high-speed brain operation under extreme pressure.

As for Genma Shiranui, the training that Hayama arranged was particularly special and demanding.

He seemed to keenly sense the chakra and combat potential hidden within Genma's body, far exceeding the level of a genin.

Therefore, his training of Genma often went beyond the scope of genin and even ordinary chunin.

Sometimes, he would engage in sword duels with multiple clones created by Hayama using the "Shadow Clone Technique," testing his ability to cope with various situations.

Sometimes, they would be blindfolded in complex forests full of obstacles, relying solely on their senses to deal with attacks from all directions and from tricky angles.

"Genma, your shuriken technique is already an art form, precise and deadly."

After an intense sparring session, Hayama wiped the sweat from his brow and bluntly pointed out, "But relying too much on a particular advantage can become the most fatal weakness on the path to becoming a strong ninja. A true top-tier ninja must strive to have no obvious weaknesses. Your taijutsu is currently decent, but you lack the explosive power to win with a single blow. Your basic resistance to genjutsu has only been tested and is at an average level; and the expansion and application of chakra attributes are areas you urgently need to improve."

Genma kept these teachings firmly in mind.

Under Hayama's guidance and the pressure of "battles," he began to consciously integrate the local hardening ability of "Armed Hardening" into his own martial arts system in a more refined way.

He experimented with micro-manipulation-level hardening and de-hardening in the instants of attack and defense with fists, feet, elbows, and knees, which gave his originally unremarkable physical attacks unexpected defensive penetration and powerful explosive force, gradually forming a unique fighting style of his own, which combines fierceness and unpredictability.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Hayama, Genma used his nightly rest time to continue his intensive training of "Fire Release: Rasengan" using the Shadow Clone Technique.

With thousands of repetitions of experience, his mastery of this A-rank ninjutsu, which incorporates fire nature transformation, has increased day by day. He can now cast it almost instantly, and the stability of its chakra form and nature has reached a whole new level.

Three weeks later, late one night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

Genma ventured alone into the depths of the Death Forest.

He selected a towering tree that would require several people to encircle, stood before it, raised his right hand in a gesture of support, and his chakra surged and gathered within him, spinning at high speed.

Unlike before, the Rasengan that formed in his palm this time was no longer a fiery red. Its core color had become deep, presenting a dark red to black hue. It seemed as if viscous lava was slowly flowing inside, and it no longer emitted scorching heat waves, but a terrifyingly high temperature of annihilation that seemed capable of burning everything.

"Fire Release·Rasengan!"

Genji gave a low shout and gently pressed the dark red sphere containing terrifying energy in his hand against the solid tree trunk.

There was no violent explosion as expected, nor a deafening roar.

The moment the Rasengan touched the tree trunk, the wood fibers vaporized and disappeared silently, like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun.

A smooth, mirror-like circular hole was cut straight through the tree trunk, the edges of which even showed signs of crystallization. It ran straight through the thick tree trunk, revealing the dark woodland behind it.

"Very good. I can finally control the Fire Release: Rasengan with ease. Its condensation speed, stability, and power control are all sufficient to cope with high-intensity combat."

Genma dispersed the chakra in his hand and examined his work with satisfaction.

This dark red Rasengan is clearly the result of further compression and enhancement of the fire-style chakra nature transformation on the original basis, making its destructive power more concentrated and terrifying.

"Attack, defense, speed, sensory perception, chakra reserves—if I could also make up for my relatively obvious weakness in genjutsu, then in terms of basic abilities, I might be considered a 'hexagonal warrior' without any fatal weaknesses!"

Genma pondered to himself.

He recalled that Professor Hayama had previously commented that he had "average resistance to illusions," but that this assessment was not entirely accurate.

At the time, Genma was completely unprepared because he was facing his own mentor ninja. In addition, it was his first time experiencing the eerie feeling of being under a genjutsu, and he was unable to react immediately, which caused him to freeze for a moment.

With his extraordinary spiritual energy after his soul was restored, he felt that if the illusion cast by Teacher Yeshan were to happen again, it would be difficult for it to have any effect on him.

"However, the knowledge and skills of illusion still need to be learned systematically."

Genma's thinking was clear: "This is not only about practical combat strategies, but also about the power of 'Yin Release'!"

Yin-Yang Release represents his ultimate vision for ninjutsu. He has already mastered the medical ninjutsu of Yang Release, and it's time for him to start practicing the genjutsu system of Yin Release.

Genma knew that Shirakumo Hayama was not a ninja specializing in illusion techniques, and that he probably only knew a few common C-rank illusion techniques.

However, given the importance and expectations that Master Hayama has shown me so far, if I take the initiative to ask to learn illusion techniques, he will most likely teach me everything he knows, or at least point me in the right direction.

"I'll ask Mr. Hayama for advice tomorrow."

Having made up his mind, Genji's figure silently disappeared into the darkness of the Death Forest, as if he had never appeared at all.