Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
The events of that night, whether in Konoha or Kirigakure, didn't cause much of a stir.
As for Kirigakure, there was no need to publicize a failed mission.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, some might even hope for more such incidents to tie up Kirigakure's resources.
Unfortunately for them, after that night, Ao Ming acted with much more caution.
Even though he had Heaven's Transit as a fail-safe, intentionally walking into a trap when he knew the enemy was targeting him would be foolish, not brave.
Because of this, no matter how much Shinobu Sano—the commanding Jonin at the Black Stone Outpost—hinted at him, Ao Ming pretended not to understand.
Sano, of course, couldn't force him into such a dangerous situation.
To everyone else, Ao Ming didn't have Heaven's Transit as protection, and forcing someone into a likely death scenario would be seen as crossing the line.
If Sano pushed too hard, it would create unease among the rest of the troops. People were willing to die for their village, but not to throw their lives away meaninglessly.
Even as the commanding officer, Sano wouldn't risk the unity of his troops by being overly demanding.
And, even if he tried, he'd have to deal with the Uchiha clan.
Ao Ming was recognized as a prodigy of the Uchiha, and sending him to his death would be a direct affront to the clan's pride—a situation no one wanted to deal with.
After several failed attempts, Sano gave up on the idea.
From then on, Ao Ming behaved in a measured way, flying to Flying Fish Town daily to observe Kirigakure's movements and report the intel back to Konoha.
Over time, he noticed a growing restlessness on Kirigakure's side.
Likewise, Konoha was showing similar signs.
Both sides had been making intense preparations, and it was clear the battle was drawing closer.
However, Ao Ming remained indifferent to the looming conflict.
For him, improving himself was far more important than the clash of armies.
It was another late night.
After completing his routine reconnaissance, Ao Ming returned to the rocky shore.
Just as he finished another round of training, his eyes lit up.
No wonder—he had just successfully developed his Earth Release chakra.
Looking at the chakra swirling in his palm, it seemed ordinary at first glance. But Ao Ming knew this was Earth Release chakra.
This marked another major step on his journey toward mastering all chakra natures.
Suppressing his excitement, Ao Ming dispersed the chakra in his palm.
Developing Earth Release chakra was only the first step of a long journey. To use it proficiently, he needed to master its shape and nature transformations.
These were the keys to unleashing the true power of Earth Release.
Most Jonin, with enough time and effort, could unlock different chakra natures. However, mastering shape and nature transformation was an entirely different story.
Without these, a jutsu would be nothing more than a parlor trick.
Because of this difficulty, most Jonin specialized in two or three chakra natures to avoid being spread too thin.
Ao Ming, however, was different.
He didn't need to train specifically for shape or nature transformations.
As long as he leveled up his jutsu enough through the system, he would naturally master the corresponding transformations.
It was a reverse-engineered process.
While others had to master shape and nature transformations to perfect their jutsu, Ao Ming simply maxed out the jutsu first, which then granted him mastery over its transformations.
A truly broken ability.
And Ao Ming loved it.
With that in mind, he reviewed the requirements for Earth Release: Earth Spear,Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, and Earth Release: Harden.
He then formed seals and cast Shadow Clone Jutsu.
This time, he created twelve clones.
Nine continued their usual training, while the remaining three focused on the three Earth Release jutsu.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Two hours later, after recalling his clones and processing their experience and memories, Ao Ming's system displayed a new skill:
Earth Release: Earth Spear – Level 0 (1/100).
Looking at the new skill on his interface, Ao Ming couldn't help but smile.
Even though it was still at level 0 and far from mastery, the fact that it appeared in his system meant it was now on the fast track.
From here on, as long as he supplied enough chakra, he could effortlessly level it up, bypassing bottlenecks or barriers.
This guarantee of progress filled Ao Ming with satisfaction.
The only downside was that Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall and Earth Release: Harden didn't make it into the system yet.
Despite hours of effort and a considerable chakra investment, they remained elusive.
However, Ao Ming wasn't discouraged.
The difficulty level of Earth Spear was C-rank, while the other two were B-rank.
The difference in complexity explained the disparity in progress.
Still, with Earth Spear as a foundation, mastering the other two was only a matter of time.
There was no rush.
After reflecting briefly on the key principles of Earth Spear, Ao Ming formed seals again, creating twelve more shadow clones to resume training.
An hour flew by.
As dawn approached, Ao Ming prepared to return to the Black Stone Outpost.
But before he could leave, his clones alerted him to something unusual on the horizon.
Far in the distance, several black dots appeared on the ocean.
Activating his Sharingan, Ao Ming took a closer look.
"Ships?"
His heart sank.
Without hesitation, he formed seals for Wind Release: Wind Wings and ascended into the sky.
Rising several hundred meters to avoid detection, Ao Ming flew toward the black dots.
As he got closer, the shapes became clear:
They were Kirigakure warships.
On their decks were familiar faces—shinobi he had often observed in Flying Fish Town.
"If that's true, then..."
A thought struck Ao Ming, and his expression darkened.
Without wasting time, he turned and sped toward the Black Stone Outpost.
If his suspicions were correct, Kirigakure was likely planning to launch a surprise attack on the outpost by sea.
Logically, attacking by land would have been easier given the town's position.
However, the outpost's defensive focus had shifted to the land after the fall of Flying Fish Town, leaving the sea relatively unguarded.
Kirigakure's plan exploited this vulnerability.
Their timing was also deliberate—matching Ao Ming's reconnaissance schedule perfectly to create a window of opportunity.
It was clear they had done their homework.
But what they hadn't anticipated was Ao Ming lingering near the rocky shore to train after each mission.
Their carefully laid plans had been exposed.
"Well, this is..."
Ao Ming didn't know whether to call himself lucky or them unlucky.
Regardless, this was a golden opportunity for him to claim a significant achievement.
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