"Hoo~Hoo~~"
Katsumi Kei transformed into a breeze.
Feeling the lightness—the freedom—he couldn't help but marvel at the freshness and mystery of it all.
It was silent. Liberating. Vast.
'I remember Kirigakure had a secret technique: the Hydrification Jutsu. It could liquefy the human body, letting the user sneak through buildings or nullify physical attacks.'
'But when hit by Lightning Style, they turned into jelly.'
That was the flaw of Hydrification.
But this... this Storm Body had no such flaw.
Elemental transformation. True flight. Speed. Immunity.
[Talent: Storm Body] made Kei immune to most physical attacks in the world. It also allowed him to fly. And combined with [Talent: Storm Power], he could control the wind and storm, whether or not he took his storm form.
With a mere thought, Kei lifted off the ground, hovered, and then descended softly.
He returned to his physical body, and immediately felt the chakra drain. His eyes narrowed in thought.
Half an hour. That was the limit—for now.
'I'm strong. But not invincible.'
'Chakra devouring techniques like Dark Style: Hungry Kido... sealing jutsu... even elemental countermeasures—Fire counters Wind.'
'If someone hits me with a high-tier Fire Style while I'm in storm form... what happens?'
'No room for arrogance. Just preparation.'
Still, a part of him couldn't help but feel it: a quiet joy, blooming deep in his chest.
He had become something else—no longer just human.
A whisper of awe joined his thoughts. 'I've touched the domain of the elements.'
He exhaled and opened his palm.
Wind gathered.
A spinning sphere of storm began to take shape.
And just as easily, with another thought, it dispersed.
'No hand seals. Wind Style with pure will. This is real power.'
Kei turned toward Hayate, who was practically vibrating with excitement.
The Storm Dog radiated strength now. His tail wagged joyfully as he looked at Kei with proud, loyal eyes.
Shadow watched from the side. And though his features were calm, the flicker of envy in his eyes was unmistakable.
But it wasn't resentment.
It was resolve.
'I'll prove it to master. That choosing me was the right decision. Someone with this kind of ability doesn't need waste. So I won't be waste. I'll work hard.'
That single thought pulsed through Shadow's body as he stood straighter, chest slightly puffed.
Kei smiled.
"I know, Shadow. You'll have your turn. But listen well, both of you. Evolution gives you power, but not mastery. You still have to train. Refine yourselves. Understand the power, dominate it."
"The stronger you become, the more materials I gain access to. So go. Work hard. Become stronger."
"Woof!"
"Caw!"
Hayate and Shadow bowed respectfully before heading off to train.
'Now then... Shadow needs ten Nara Clan hairs to evolve. I might get those once I enter the Academy.'
'And Hayate... 1,000 units of Shukaku's Chakra. How much is that really?'
'No matter. When the Chūnin Exams come, I'll defeat Gaara. I'll suppress the One-Tail directly if I must.'
'I already have the strength of a Jōnin... maybe even an Elite Jōnin. A Shadow-level fight isn't so far off.'
He nodded once to himself and walked out to the training field.
He had a new power now. He needed to learn its limits. Shape it. Weaponize it.
Especially [Storm Power].
'Logia-like elementalizing ability. Like the Gale-Gale Fruit.
If I treat it like that, then I know my next step.'
'Ability development. What wind techniques do I know that could mesh well with an elementalized body?'
Rasengan? Rasenshuriken?
'Rasengan is rotation. Rasenshuriken is destruction through multiplication.'
'Recreating those wouldn't take too long. But if I just copy techniques someone already did, isn't that just plagiarizing? If I'm going to copy, I at least have to improve it.'
'What if I infused those concepts into body techniques—like Leaf Whirlwind—while in partial storm form? Elemental limbs, storm impact... Enhanced taijutsu, maybe?'
He paused.
'Mm. Probably not a direction worth investing in long-term. But the thinking helps. It's about concept synergy. If I can shape the storm into techniques without losing form control... then the possibilities multiply.'
One thing was clear:
Kei's path of Wind Style development had only just begun.
And tonight, he would begin charting that path—through scrolls, through memory, through experimentation.
....
'Isn't that just plagiarizing? If I'm going to copy, I at least have to improve it.' - Kei
That's a pretty accurate reflection of my approach to this project too.
The original chapters are imaginative but often hard to follow due to machine translation and lack of editing. My goal is to stay faithful to the spirit of the original while making the story enjoyable and immersive for you.
So if you notice small differences in phrasing or structure, they're likely intentional—meant to preserve the emotion, logic, and power of the world Kei lives in.
Thanks for sticking with Kei and his beast companions. I hope you're enjoying the ride.