Jiraiya's revelation hung heavy, a cloak of shadowed purpose settling over Kaito. The mountain wind, once just cold, now felt like the breath of the unseen threats the Sannin described. The path wasn't just to Level 40 anymore; it was a desperate race against encroaching darkness, fueled by Ryo for Aiko and Jiraiya's terrifying gamble.
The training intensified, stripped of ambiguity. Every drill, every session, was a brick laid in the foundation of Jiraiya's "ghost."
Fuinjutsu Focus: The Tactician's Edge: Jiraiya moved beyond basic tags. He introduced complex, layered sequences:Linked Barrier-Alarm Systems: Kaito learned to inscribe proximity alarms that triggered weak, localized barrier domes, creating instant, temporary cover or containment zones.Chakra Drain Traps: Subtle glyphs etched onto rocks or Saisei-grown wood shards, designed to leach tiny amounts of chakra from anyone stepping on them. Not debilitating, but cumulative, and excellent for tracking or weakening pursuers over time. << Tactical Fuinjutsu (Rank F) >> → << Rank E >>.Environmental Sabotage: Using minimal chakra, Kaito practiced weakening rock faces, rigging deadfalls with delayed explosive tags, and creating camouflaged pitfalls lined with crude adhesive or disruption glyphs. Pure guerrilla tactics.Namikaze Refinement: The Unseen Step: Taijutsu became pure evasion and misdirection. Jiraiya forced Kaito to move through dense forest blindfolded, relying solely on Namikaze Perception to map the terrain and avoid obstacles and simulated attacks (pebbles became kunai, rustles became ambushes). The goal: move like a whisper, strike only when unseen or as a critical diversion. << AGI: 14 >> → << 15 >>. << PER (Effective): 16 >> → << 17 >>.Ninjutsu Efficiency: The Sparing Spark: Kaito mastered the minimalism. His << Water Release: Thin Mist Jet >> became a precise scalpel – putting out campfires instantly, clearing smoke from his own tags, or spraying a thin, distracting screen. The << Earth Release: Knee-High Wall >> was deployed solely as a momentary step for << Void Step >> or a tripping hazard, never sustained defense. << Chakra: 60/60 >> was hoarded like gold.The Void Step: Ghost's Gambit: Jiraiya drilled chaining short hops (<< Cooldown: 20s >> was still a limitation, but managing two hops within 40 seconds became possible). He forced Kaito to use it into cover – behind rocks, into thick foliage, even through thin waterfall curtains – maximizing the disorientation factor. Offensive teleports were still forbidden ("Arrive in front of a fist, become paste!").
The Genin Crucible:
Two weeks after the broker meeting, Jiraiya declared a change. They stood at the edge of a treacherous, avalanche-prone valley notorious for sudden rockfalls and territorial Snow Leopards (Level 12-15).
"Enough babysitting drills," Jiraiya stated, his voice devoid of its usual gruffness, replaced by cold assessment. "You've learned the pieces. Now survive the whole damn puzzle. Your trial: Cross this valley. Reach the marker I'll place on the far ridge before sunset." He tossed Kaito a small, glowing pebble that pulsed faintly with a directional pull. << Navigation Beacon Acquired! >>
"The rules:
No direct combat. Avoid or evade all threats. Engage only if evasion is impossible, and then only to disable or escape. Killing attracts scavengers and bigger problems.Minimal Chakra Expenditure. Your pool is your lifeline. Waste it, die.Use everything: Perception. Step. Seals. Terrain. That moss-picking control. Your brain. Survive. Reach the marker. If you trigger an avalanche or get yourself mauled, don't expect a rescue. Consider it the mountain claiming a failed investment."
He fixed Kaito with a hard stare. "Do this, and you're not just surviving, brat. You're operating at a baseline Genin level of field effectiveness – infiltration, evasion, environmental navigation under duress. << Level 10 >> isn't just a number; it's proof you're more than just a liability. Fail... and we reassess this whole arrangement." The unspoken threat hung heavy: failure meant Jiraiya might cut his losses on the cracked vessel.
The Valley of Whispers:
Kaito entered the valley, Namikaze Perception stretched to its absolute limit. The world became a symphony of danger: the groan of shifting ice overhead, the scrape of loose scree, the distant cough of a snow leopard, the subtle thermal signature of a sun-warmed rock ready to fall. He moved like a shadow, footfalls silent, path chosen not for speed, but for maximum cover and minimal disturbance.
Challenge 1: The Unstable Pass. A narrow path beneath an overhang laden with snow and fractured rock. Perception screamed instability. Instead of chancing it, Kaito backtracked, finding a steeper but more solid route. He used Chakra Enhancement sparingly for critical jumps, landing silently. << EXP +50 (Environmental Navigation) >>Challenge 2: The Leopard's Lair. He spotted the large feline (Level 14) guarding the only viable path through a rock maze. Direct confrontation was suicide. He spent precious minutes observing its patrol pattern. Using Perception to time its turn, he laid a subtle Chakra Drain Trap on its path and a Crude Explosive Tag rigged to a loose rock pillar further down its route. As the leopard stepped on the drain glyph, feeling the slight sting, Kaito triggered the distant explosion. The sound and falling debris startled the beast, drawing it away from his intended path. He slipped through unseen. << EXP +100 (Tactical Evasion/Setup) >> << Chakra: 50/60 >>Challenge 3: The Crevasse. A deep, hidden crack in a snowfield. Perception spotted the weak snow bridge just in time. No safe way around. He used Earth Release: Knee-High Wall to create a small, stable platform on the far edge. A single, perfectly timed Void Step carried him across the gap onto the platform. << Chakra: 40/60 >> << EXP +75 (Resourceful Maneuvering) >>Challenge 4: The Avalanche Trigger. Near the ridge, a massive, unstable snowfield lay between him and the marker. Perception mapped the stress points. One wrong step... He used the last of his Wooden Seal Tags – not explosives, but Barrier-Alarm combos. He placed them strategically on safe outcrops around the snowfield's perimeter. He then threw rocks onto the stress points from a distance. The first rock triggered a localized slide, setting off one alarm-barrier. He watched the flow, learned its pattern. The second rock triggered a larger slide, caught by another barrier. Using the barriers as temporary shields and the alarms as distractions, he identified a narrow, safe path revealed by the controlled slides and dashed across, heart pounding, as the mountain roared around him. << Chakra: 30/60 >> << EXP +150 (High-Stakes Environmental Manipulation) >>
The Crest:
Exhausted, chakra depleted, but alive, Kaito scrambled onto the far ridge as the sun dipped below the peaks. The glowing beacon pulsed atop a solitary rock. He touched it.
<< Objective Complete: Valley Crucible >>
<< EXP +500! >>
<< LEVEL UP! Shade is now Level 7! >>
<< LEVEL UP! Shade is now Level 8! >>
<< LEVEL UP! Shade is now Level 9! >>
<< LEVEL UP! Shade is now Level 10! >>
<< Title: "Ghost in the Stone" Unlocked! >> (+5% Stealth/Evasion in Mountainous Terrain)
<< Rank: Genin (Field Designation - Rogue) >>
<< Attribute Points (20): Allocate! >>
<< STR +2 >> (11) - Necessary for endurance<< AGI +4 >> (19) - Core of his style<< VIT +3 >> (15) - More HP/Stamina<< INT +4 >> (23) - Fuinjutsu/Tactics paramount<< CC +4 >> (15) - Essential for future growth<< PER +3 >> (14 Base -> 20 Effective) - Perception is life
<< Chakra: 100/100 >> << Stamina: 150/150 >>
<< Void Step Cooldown: 18s >>
Jiraiya materialized beside him, silent as mist. He looked at Kaito, then at the untouched valley below, no massive avalanches triggered, no signs of a desperate battle.
"Hmph." A single grunt. Then, a rare, genuine nod. "Clean. Efficient. Used your head. Used your skills. Didn't get dead." He clapped a heavy hand on Kaito's shoulder. "Welcome to the bottom rung, Genin Shade. Don't get cocky. It just means the real dangers know you're worth noticing now."
Kaito slumped, gasping, but a fierce grin split his grimy face. Level 10. Genin. Not just surviving. Operating. He'd passed Jiraiya's brutal test. He had a long, dark road ahead to Level 40 and beyond, but he'd earned his first true step on the path. The ghost had its first rank. The gamble lived on. And Aiko's next meal felt a little more secure. The mountain hadn't broken him; it had forged the foundation of something new.