Chapter 64: Sima Yi, Hidden Yet Unrevealed (Revised!) [Seeking First Publication]

It seemed that Sima Yi's arrival distracted Ying Shu, instantly exposing a huge flaw; Jin Huo let out a loud shout, suddenly flicked his tachi away, then pressed the blade against his neck.

"Being distracted in battle will get you killed!"

Jin Huo looked at Ying Shu with a serious expression; having been on the battlefield and experienced life and death, he was extremely sensitive to such behavior.

"Sorry, brother Jin Huo."

Ying Shu gave no excuse; he lowered his head and apologized immediately.

Jin Huo saw the fine sweat on his forehead and his breath disturbed, his tone gradually softened, "Take a rest first, we'll continue later."

Ying Shu nodded, pointing behind Jin Huo, and said, "Alright, brother Jin Huo, but Grandmaster Butler has arrived; he should have a mission for us, right?"

After Ying Shu's reminder, Jin Huo's face changed, and he hurriedly turned his head, horrified to discover that, unless seen with the naked eye, he had not noticed Sima Yi's arrival at all.

"Hm? Grandmaster Yi, your eyes?"

Jin Huo stepped forward, then suddenly realized that Sima Yi had actually activated his Copy Wheel Eye; although it was only a single tomoe, he had clearly heard that the other was just an ordinary low‑rank ninja in his fifties who hadn't been able to awaken the Copy Wheel Eye.

Seeing the two's startled exclamation, Sima Yi smiled and casually explained, "It opened by chance on the battlefield before, but I'm older now, so I probably won't have the chance to go to battle again."

Ying Shu's expression grew somewhat forlorn at the words, as if recalling some sad memory.

Jin Huo thought to himself, "Being able to activate the Copy Wheel Eye in one's fifties—who knows if that's an extraordinary talent?"

But his face was extremely enthusiastic as he leaned in front of Sima Yi and asked, "Grandmaster Yi, did you come because Lord Shisui gave us a mission to deliver?"

"Hahaha, I've been cooped up in the study for too long; I just wanted to stretch my muscles."

Upon hearing there was no mission, Jin Huo was initially a bit disappointed, but after the latter half he instantly became extremely excited.

With a swoosh, Jin Huo leapt backward onto the open ground, then brandished his tachi and shouted, "Since Grandmaster Yi wants to move his body, let me be your opponent. Don't worry, I'll be careful, hehe~"

Sima Yi raised an eyebrow; he saw the smile on Jin Huo's face was almost impossible to hide.

"No way, brother Jin Huo; if you hurt Grandmaster Butler, Lord Shisui will be angry!"

Ying Shu's complexion changed, and he hurriedly stepped between them, fearing that Sima Yi might actually go through.

He also has a single tomoe; whether physical techniques, ninja techniques, or genjutsu, they are all fully suppressed by the opponent. If both sides gave their all, he could only manage a few exchanges in front of Jin Huo.

And Sima Yi? If he doesn't employ the sealing formation set up in the courtyard, he doesn't think he could match Jin Huo. Although he boasts that he could live another twenty years, his body in his fifties—even as a ninja—has seen a significant decline in all functions.

Since he can't win, he'll wait for Shisui.

Sima Yi gave Jin Huo a meaningful glance and said, "No, I'm here to see how your ninja training is going. Later I'll mention it to Shisui; if he has time, he'll come to teach you."

At the mention of Shisui's instruction, the two's eyes lit up.

Especially Jin Huo; although he can't spar with Sima Yi, he still enthusiastically led Sima Yi to the small pond where they often practice ninja techniques.

A double‑tomoe Copy Wheel Eye grants the ability to replicate ninja techniques; although Jin Huo isn't old, he has already copied over a dozen techniques on the battlefield. If it weren't for his limited variety of chakra attributes, the number of techniques he could copy would be several times greater.

"How about the Phoenix Fairy Fire technique? Ying Shu has been training this ninja art lately, and I happen to know a bit of it. I'll demonstrate once so you can all see."

Jin Huo patted his chest, raised his head, and asked.

Ying Shu's gaze was odd as he looked to Sima Yi for advice.

"Then let's use the Phoenix Fairy Fire technique; you give it your all so I can watch closely," Sima Yi had no objection, seeing it as a chance to observe the power of Jin Huo's ninja technique.

"Then watch closely! Fire Release: Phoenix Fairy Fire Technique!"

Seeing the two agree, Jin Huo grinned, his ten fingers moving in succession: Zi‑Yin‑Xu‑Chou‑Mao‑Yin; he performed four seals per second, at lightning speed.

As he formed the seals, chakra surged as well; after six seals, he opened his mouth and expelled eight small fireballs that shot out at extreme speed from multiple angles toward the ice surface.

Boom— the fireballs slammed into the ice with a fierce roar; the ice cracked, splashing a torrent of water and sending up plumes of white mist.

"The Phoenix Fairy Fire technique's power is relatively dispersed; compared to a massive fireball, it's better suited for wide‑area attacks. If I can pull it off, it's just so‑so. How about it, pretty cool, right?"

Jin Huo laughed loudly, hands on his hips, clearly pleased with the technique's power. Sima Yi furrowed his brow, recalling Shisui and Hui's Majestic Dragon Fire technique, as well as the Great Fire Extinguish that Shisui once used on the high platform.

The exaggerated flames spread like a sea of fire, covering the entire area and almost lighting up the whole sky.

After comparing the before and after, he realized that Shisui truly was a god in the eyes of ordinary people.

"Hmm, not bad. Ying Shu, how's your training going?"

But Sima Yi didn't strike directly; he nodded in encouragement and then looked at Ying Shu.

Ying Shu replied at once, "I can already use it in a basic way, but the power and number of fireballs are insufficient, far behind brother Jin Huo's."

As he spoke, he also demonstrated, his speed lagging behind Jin Huo's; he managed just over three seals per second.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Fairy Fire Technique!"

Four fireballs flew out, striking the shattered ice and raising white mist and splashes.

In comparison, the fireballs' speed, force, and quantity were all inferior to Jin Huo's.

The gap was stark; Sima Yi, with his single tomoe, quietly observed the differences in chakra flow as the two performed their ninja techniques, then began recalling the method of deploying Phoenix Fairy Fire. Having perused thousands of ninja techniques, he possessed his own insights.

The power of a ninja technique depends not only on the amount of chakra but also on the degree of chakra control.

"Ying Shu, note the spot where my finger points; when you perform Phoenix Fairy Fire, start controlling the chakra from here, don't overexert, and release it from this point."

Sima Yi lifted a finger and slid it across Ying Shu's body, adding, "Use the depth of my pressure to gauge the chakra's strength; focus your attention on chakra control, not on over‑concentrating the seals."

Ying Shu was startled, then quickly recovered, nodding repeatedly and firmly memorizing each sensation.

When Sima Yi raised his hand, he immediately began forming seals; after six seals, eight slightly weaker fireballs sped toward the ice surface.

Sss—

Jin Huo's eyes widened as he looked at the two, his gaze filled with disbelief.

"Ying Shu, you didn't collude with Grandmaster Yi to deceive me, did you?"

Sima Yi shook his head and said, "Ying Shu's chakra control is still lacking."

Then he looked at Jin Huo, "Note my pressure, then form the Zi‑Xu‑Chou‑Yin four seals, and pay attention to chakra control."

"How can you execute it with only four seals?"

Jin Huo was astonished, but Sima Yi gave no explanation; instead he directly moved his hand to slide, and Jin Huo immediately closed his eyes, carefully feeling the pressure and the corresponding meridian points of the sliding direction.

Zi‑Xu‑Chou‑Yin

"Fire Release: Phoenix Fairy Fire Technique!"

Eight fireballs shot out violently, but their power was slightly inferior to before.

"Simplified seal! It actually worked!"

Jin Huo stared blankly at the water's surface and shouted in surprise.

"The seal is only to aid in controlling chakra; with enough mastery, perhaps it can be done without a seal."

Sima Yi gained a further understanding of ninjutsu, and after speaking, stroked his beard and left, leaving a profound silhouette.

"Damn, he's really cool!"

Jin Huo showed an admiring gaze; he'd of course heard of simplified seals, but that requires deep knowledge of ninjutsu and precise control of chakra, which at least makes one a Jonin.

Yet Sima Yi, with just a single lesson, barely enabled him to execute it.

Could it be that "Lord Sima Yi is actually concealing his true power?"

(End of chapter)