Chapter 20 — Lying Low
Half a month had passed since Raizen returned from the battlefield. Only now had he finally managed to take a proper rest.
The memory of that day still lingered vividly in the underground exchange office.
When he had walked in and casually tossed the severed heads of several jonin onto the counter as if they were nothing more than ordinary goods, even the hardened staff had been stunned speechless.
At first, they had merely assumed he was another capable bounty hunter.
But then the rumors from the ninja world began to spread.
A lone figure appearing on the battlefield.
Both Konoha and Sunagakure forces suffering devastating casualties.
Dozens of jonin slaughtered.
When the staff realized the quiet man standing before them was the same figure whispered about across the continent, the atmosphere inside the exchange office had instantly changed.
Their eyes carried shock. Fear. Reverence.
Even those who had spent years dealing with ruthless criminals and blood-soaked mercenaries could not hide the chill creeping down their spines when they looked at him.
After all, the young man before them was practically a living legend of terror.
One person defeating the forces of two major ninja villages on the battlefield… and killing so many people.
Such a feat was almost unimaginable.
In the underground world, the name "Kazane" had already begun echoing through countless black-market networks.
No one knew his origins, no one knew his real identity.
But none of that mattered. In that world, strength alone commanded respect.
And Raizen possessed strength terrifying enough to command both respect… and fear.
Several powerful figures with deep ties to the black market had even attempted to recruit him.
The offers they made were astonishing.
Enormous sums of money.
Private intelligence networks.
Exclusive bounty privileges.
Any of these conditions would have been enough to tempt most bounty hunters into immediate agreement.
But Raizen rejected every single offer without hesitation. He had no intention of becoming someone else's weapon.
Freedom was the life he desired—moving wherever he wished, taking whatever missions interested him, and leaving whenever he pleased.
Life was full of danger.
But to Raizen, that danger was precisely what made it thrilling.
Of course, that did not mean he had grown arrogant. On the contrary, he remained extremely cautious.
He knew perfectly well that after the battle, the major ninja villages would certainly begin paying attention to him.
Someone capable of massacring dozens of jonin on the battlefield was not a person they could afford to ignore.
Sooner or later, they would attempt to eliminate him.
Perhaps the situation wasn't quite as dire as he imagined.
But caution never hurt anyone.
Moreover, the golden card he had once borrowed from the system was no longer available. It was a trial card gotten through negotiation, after all.
Without that trump card, wandering carelessly across the ninja world would be reckless.
Especially now that his bounty had already risen to a staggering "Two Hundred Million".
The last time he had borrowed the golden card, the price had been steep—he had sacrificed all future mission rewards.
Fortunately, this time the mission rewards remained intact.
However, Raizen had deliberately postponed claiming them. There was one important matter he needed to determine first.
His chakra nature.
After purchasing several chakra test strips, he had quietly retreated deep into the mountains to lie low.
For the time being, strengthening his power was far more important than continuing bounty hunts.
---
Raizen pushed open the door of the bamboo hut he had built with his own hands.
Several days of work had finally produced something barely livable.
To be honest, the hut was rather crude.
It leaned slightly to one side, and the roof was uneven.
But for a first attempt, it was already decent.
On the first day alone, he had spent hours fumbling with bamboo poles and rope without making any progress at all.
Still, at least now he had shelter.
Outside the hut lay a quiet mountain valley.
A clear lake reflected the sky like polished glass. Not far away, a narrow waterfall poured down from a rocky cliff, producing a steady and calming roar.
Mist rose from the water, drifting slowly through the surrounding forest.
The entire place felt like a hidden paradise.
Wild beasts inhabited the mountain, which meant ordinary travelers rarely came here.
That suited Raizen perfectly.
Holding a chakra test strip between his fingers, he slowly infused chakra into it.
He recalled the descriptions from memory.
Wind chakra would slice the paper.
Fire chakra would burn it.
Lightning chakra would crumple it.
Water chakra would moisten it.
Earth chakra would cause it to crumble.
A faint surge of chakra flowed from his palm.
The test strip reacted immediately.
With a soft tearing sound, the paper split cleanly down the middle.
Nothing else happened.
Raizen looked at the result and let out a quiet sigh.
"So… only wind."
He clicked his tongue slightly.
It seemed he did not possess the rare talent of dual chakra natures.
For a moment, he couldn't help thinking of a certain black-haired brat.
"Sasuke… that lucky little genius."
Natural dual-nature chakra was a rare advantage.
Still, Raizen quickly shrugged it off.
Wind nature suited him just fine.
After all, the original series had explained the training method for one extremely famous technique in great detail.
The Rasengan.
With that knowledge alone, he already possessed a powerful foundation.
Opening the system interface, Raizen finally claimed his long-delayed rewards.
He selected three wind-nature jutsu.
C-rank:
Wind Release — Vacuum Wave
B-rank:
Wind Release — Crushing Harm
B-rank:
Wind Release — Wind Killing Formation
Each technique had been chosen after careful consideration.
With his current chakra reserves still relatively limited, Vacuum Wave was extremely practical.
Its chakra consumption was low, allowing it to be used repeatedly in battle.
In the future, it could even evolve into a stronger technique—Wind Release: Continuous Vacuum Waves, a B-rank jutsu capable of launching relentless air blades.
Next was Crushing Harm.
This technique excelled at wide-area destruction. Among large-scale wind techniques, it offered one of the best balances between power and chakra efficiency.
Finally, there was Wind Killing Formation.
This was Raizen's personal favorite.
According to the scroll, the technique created a powerful vacuum current by infusing chakra into swirling wind.
Enemies caught inside would be relentlessly sliced by countless invisible blades.
The technique also possessed defensive properties.
Where the wind flowed, sand and debris would rise, disrupting enemy movement and even tripping opponents.
More importantly, the vacuum current could weaken or even nullify many types of attacks—fire techniques, sound-based jutsu, explosive techniques, and bomb weapons.
It was an extremely versatile technique.
Attack. Defense. Counter.
All in one.
With the Rasengan included, Raizen now possessed four jutsu.
Many ninja spent their entire lives mastering only two or three elemental techniques.
By comparison, he was already ahead of most.
He even knew how the Rasengan could evolve into stronger forms in the future.
Unfortunately, there was still one limitation.
He couldn't use Shadow Clone Technique yet.
Shadow clones could share their training experience with the original body.
That ability alone was practically a cheat.
Still, Raizen was already satisfied with what he had gained.
He opened the system's master panel.
His attributes appeared clearly before him.
Strength: E+
Endurance: E+
Agility: D
Mana: E+
Luck: ???
Artifacts: None
His strength and endurance had increased through the brutal battle.
His mana—essentially chakra—had grown slightly through training.
But overall, the improvements were still limited.
Without hesitation, Raizen spent 100 magic crystals.
Mana rose from E+ to D.
Then he spent another 100 crystals.
Strength rose to D as well.
After the upgrades, he checked his remaining resources.
1,080 magic crystals from battlefield gains.
Plus the bounty rewards from the jonin he had hunted—1.8 billion ryo, which converted into 1,800 crystals.
Altogether, he possessed nearly 3,000 magic crystals.
It was a considerable fortune.
Yet Raizen had no intention of spending them all immediately.
He believed true strength should be earned through effort.
Training, struggle, hardship—these were the things that forged real power.
Magic crystals were better saved as a backup.
Raising mana had been necessary. Otherwise, his chakra would be completely drained after a single jutsu.
The strength upgrade was simply a convenient bonus.
According to the system's estimation, D-level mana was roughly equivalent to the chakra reserves of a mid-level ninja in this world.
Raizen stretched his shoulders and smiled faintly.
"Time to train."
He stepped forward and began focusing chakra toward the soles of his feet.
The location he had chosen was perfect for training.
Dense forest.
Solid trees.
And a calm lake nearby.
He would begin with the most basic yet essential exercises.
Tree climbing and water walking.
Both were fundamental skills that greatly improved chakra control.
The concept sounded simple. But in practice, it required delicate precision.
Too much chakra and the feet would repel from the surface.
Too little chakra and gravity would pull the body down.
Finding the perfect balance was the true challenge.
Raizen stepped onto the trunk of a large tree.
He pushed chakra into his feet—
—and immediately lost balance.
Thud.
He fell flat onto the ground.
"…Again."
He climbed up once more.
Another fall.
Then another.
And another.
Hour after hour passed.
Sometimes he managed to walk several meters up the trunk before slipping.
Sometimes he barely took a single step before crashing down.
His clothes were soon covered with dirt.
Bruises appeared across his body, but Raizen never once complained.
The next morning, he rose early and continued training.
Gradually, he began to sense the correct flow of chakra.
The balance.
The control.
Then—
He stepped onto the tree trunk.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
He continued walking upward.
For the first time, he reached the branches without falling.
"I did it!"
Excitement surged through him.
Unfortunately, the sudden emotional spike disrupted his chakra flow.
A moment later—
Thud!
He fell again.
Fortunately, his physique was far stronger than that of an ordinary person, so the fall caused no serious injury.
Laughing to himself, Raizen climbed up once more.
He focused on memorizing the sensation he had just experienced. By the time the sun set behind the mountains, he could finally move along the tree trunk with stability.
The training was complete.
For now.
However, Raizen did not rush into the next step—walking on water.
First, he needed to fully consolidate what he had learned today.
Only then would he move on to the next stage.
After all…
This was only the beginning of his growth.