My Techniques are a bit off

[Power…]

"Thud!"

As night fell, Uchiha Sasuke collapsed sideways to the ground. Without dinner, his energy reserves were long depleted, and the mounting mental exhaustion became the final straw.

To be honest, Link had expected him to drop much sooner. He hadn't anticipated Sasuke lasting this long.

Approaching him, Link pressed a hand to Sasuke's body. Physically, there were no serious issues—just extreme fatigue coupled with mental strain, which had caused him to faint.

At the start of their training, Link had outlined a plan. However, after discovering the secrets of Delicate Illness Extraction, Sasuke had thrown caution to the wind, plunging into a frenzy of relentless effort. Plans were discarded entirely.

In truth, such extreme training—pushing himself past his limits—was Sasuke's habitual method of effort. This time, though, he had far surpassed even his usual boundaries.

"How much longer are you going to watch, Kakashi?" Link asked, not bothering to turn around.

"Ah, you caught me," Kakashi Hatake said, stepping out of the bushes. "I was just a little curious about my subordinate."

You don't need to explain yourself, Link thought, standing up and looking at the masked man under the moonlight.

"You've got it rough."

"That's part of being a Jonin instructor," Kakashi replied, scratching his temple with a finger. "Especially with students as troublesome as you all."

"I was kicked back to the Academy once, so don't call me troublesome," Link said lightly.

The two exchanged words casually. Before long, Sasuke slowly regained consciousness, lying silently on the ground.

Even with a healed body, the sensation of complete exhaustion and weakness was unbearable.

"Plop."

Link tossed him a bag of soldier pills and asked, "Do you need me to walk you home?"

Sasuke's trembling hand retrieved a pill, swallowing it with difficulty. After a long pause, he slowly stood up.

"Sorry. Thank you," he murmured, his steps unsteady as he left. He didn't ask for help from his peers or his teacher.

Like Naruto before him, Sasuke wasn't ready to have friends or rely on others.

"Didn't have dinner, did he? I should take him out for food," Kakashi said, watching Sasuke disappear into the shadows.

Link had already begun walking home. He'd sent his shadow ahead to start cooking, and a leisurely stroll back would ensure dinner was ready and waiting.

Kakashi, notorious for making Yamato pay for ramen, now had his eye metaphorically glued to Sasuke's back. He was clearly worried about the state of his student.

"Troublesome kids, all of them…"

Watching Link leave without a word, Kakashi disappeared into the night with a body flicker.

…

A Week Later, Training Ground Seven.

"Finally… success."

Link looked at his hands in awe. Just now, as he attempted Mystical Palm Technique, the chakra vanished into thin air, and something extraordinary happened to his hands.

"Swish!"

At the mere thought of moving his hands, they blurred into a flurry of motion, faster than he could consciously react to.

The speed… it was incredible.

His hands moved so quickly that they outpaced his ability to process the movement, as though they were executing commands ahead of his thoughts. Even forming hand seals felt instantaneous and effortless.

"Only my hands changed… have my palms become 'immortal'?"

Link furrowed his brow in thought. In exchange for consuming a standard amount of chakra, Mystical Palm Technique only lasted a few seconds before fading.

Based on his observations, the more chakra a mutated technique consumed, the more powerful it became. This technique should have immense potential—but as it stood, all it seemed to do was speed up his hands.

Link activated Mystical Palm Technique again, entering a testing phase.

"The durability of my hands has slightly increased, but they can't withstand ninja tools. Speed seems to have no limit, adjusting to my reflexes. The optimal use might be pre-programming complex actions, like commanding my shadow..."

After about 30 minutes of intermittent testing, Link still hadn't pinpointed the technique's proper application. Unlike his previous techniques, the mutation of Mystical Palm Technique remained elusive.

Judging by the name, Mystical Palm, the term "palm" clearly referred to his hands. But what about "mystical"? Unlike Substitution Technique or other techniques, where the meaning was straightforward, the mystical aspect of this technique left him stumped.

As for the increased hand speed…

He could achieve something similar by actively channeling chakra to enhance his body—like with the Body Flicker or sharpening his senses. Using so much chakra for a temporary speed boost seemed wasteful.

Link could sense that there was something more to the technique—some hidden potential in his hands—but he had no idea how to unlock it.

"Is this some bizarre Japanese concept, like a 'Hand Speed Sage'? That'd be ridiculous."

He found himself missing the absurd dream version of Mystical Palm Technique—the one where he slapped legendary sages left and right. At least that had looked cooler.

"Well, understanding a mutated technique always takes time…"

Link accepted the situation surprisingly well. He had spent weeks overthinking this technique, so finally completing it—even without knowing its full potential—lifted a weight off his shoulders.

"Time to focus on regular training."

Determined, Link threw himself into physical exercises. But within ten minutes, he abandoned his regimen, his expression blank as he stormed into the woods. Moments later, he returned with two rabbits in hand.

"Still bothering me, huh."

He had resolved to focus on physical training, but his mind kept drifting back to the technique, like a mischievous cat scratching at his thoughts.

Testing the technique on the rabbits, he confirmed it lacked healing capabilities. Scratches on their bodies showed no reaction.

It wasn't elemental either; touching fire or water yielded no special effects. The technique did grant slight fire resistance and marginally improved durability, but nothing game-changing.

Even stroking the rabbits with his Mystical Palms didn't produce any discernible effect.

Link spent the entire afternoon and several subsequent days experimenting with the technique. As June gave way to July, he reluctantly admitted defeat:

He had exhausted every test he could think of, and the technique's true potential remained a mystery.

Perhaps it would only reveal itself through chance someday.

"Never mind. One incomplete technique won't change much. I should focus on dealing with Orochimaru."

His thoughts turned to the looming Chūnin Exams.

"I just hope the story hasn't diverged too far…"

~~~

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