Training under the guidance of Old Man Roshi, Shi Yan improved by leaps and bounds with every passing day. His natural combat instincts were nothing short of unparalleled; on the training field, he moved with a terrifying grace, as if he were the physical reincarnation of the God of Battle himself.
But Shi Yan knew that absolute strength required more than just mindless swinging of fists. To complement his martial journey, he immersed himself deeply in the study of traditional medicine and extensive research into rare herbs.
As the days blended seamlessly into one another, his daily routine evolved into a highly calculated, grueling regimen:
Weight Training: Constantly pushing his muscles to their absolute structural limits using heavy iron seals.
Medicinal Baths: Brewing specialized concocations using heavily researched herbs combined with a large array of alchemy knowledge he inherited. He used these baths to soothe his muscles, heal micro-tears, and force latent impurities out of his body.
Deep Meditation: Spending hours in absolute stillness, refining his internal energy pathways.
Grueling Duels: Engaging in endless, high-speed spars against Roshi to sharpen his real-time reflexes.
Wild Animal Hunting: Venturing out into the deepest, untamed forests surrounding the Fire Nation to battle ferocious wild beasts, testing his survival instincts against raw nature.
Days rapidly turned into weeks, and weeks slowly transformed into years.
Twelve years later.
In the center of a beautiful, pristine courtyard within the Nakamura compound stood a tall, slender youth dressed in immaculate white robes.
At seventeen years old, Shi Yan had grown into a breathtakingly stunning young man. He stood at an imposing 6'1" with a slim yet deceptively sturdy, muscular build. Having released a copious, near-infinite amount of biological dregs from his body over twelve years of continuous cultivation, his naturally exceptional genes had been refined to absolute perfection.
He possessed porcelain-like skin so flawless and beautiful that it would make the most elegant women turn red with burning envy. His pitch-black hair was neatly tied behind his back, cascading all the way down to his waist, perfectly framing an extraordinarily handsome face punctuated by a pair of mesmerizing, radiant golden eyes. To anyone who looked upon him, he was bound to be the ultimate "Bane of All Women."
Yet, all of these superficial physical traits were of absolutely no concern to Shi Yan. His singular, driving obsession had always been and would always be, the pursuit of absolute strength.
This focus was especially vital now, as he had just survived an incredibly difficult, emotionally trying year. Not long ago, the only person in this world who truly cared for him, loving him with every single fiber of his being, had departed from this world: Old Man Roshi.
While outsiders might argue that death is a tragedy, Roshi would have completely disagreed.
In a brutal world where human lives were reaped easily on the battlefield, the old shinobi had lived a long, fulfilling life. He passed away peacefully of natural old age, completely surrounded by his loved ones.
It was a great, honorable death. Loving Shi Yan immensely and witnessing the boy grow into such a phenomenally capable, excellent young man, Roshi had died with a serene smile permanently etched onto his face.
He left for the afterlife entirely content, carrying absolutely no lingering worries or regrets with him.
Shi Yan had been profoundly devastated by the loss. Yet, rather than dangerously bottling his grief up inside his soul, he chose to let his raw emotions flow freely, crying his heart out in the empty halls to properly honor the old man's memory.
Throughout these twelve years, Shi Yan had lived a remarkably blissful life. Shielded completely from any financial troubles, exhausting mundane matters, or corrupt political blowback, he had been able to dedicate his entire heart and soul to his training. His senses had sharpened to an impossible degree, and his physique had improved drastically.
Now, as he stood entirely alone in the quiet courtyard, a sudden, powerful shift rippled through his spirit. He was going through yet another profound metamorphosis.
Suddenly, an immense, overwhelming wave of pain and spiritual struggle slammed into Shi Yan's body. Instead of resisting it, he leaned into the sensation, achieving a sudden, cosmic epiphany.
Shi Yan's consciousness detached from the physical world, swimming deeply within an unending, bottomless River of Insight.
Deep within the spiritual void, he witnessed four blinding spheres of celestial light burning with absolute majesty:
A Blazing Red light (The Vermilion Bird)
A Shining Yellow light (The White Tiger)
A Marvelous Blue light (The Black Tortoise)
A Brightening White light (The Azure Dragon)
All four primordial forces suddenly rushed inward, swirling together and violently compressing themselves into his strong yet physically fragile mortal vessel.
At that exact moment, he reached a profound cosmic insight into the ultimate meaning of Extremity: the fragile, interlocking balances between Living and Death, Good or Bad, Kind or Evil, Dark or Light, Blissful or Baleful.
He abruptly dropped to the ground, sitting cross-legged as he entered a rare, legendary mental state— Braham Alamata.
With great vigor and unparalleled spiritual might, his internal energy violently crashed against his cultivation bottleneck.
BANG!
A quiet, localized shockwave erupted from his core, rustling the grass around him.
Shi Yan slowly opened his eyes. His face remained entirely neutral, displaying absolutely no emotional turmoil. For a split second, a brilliant, rotating hue of red, white, yellow, and blue flashed across his golden pupils before fading away.
"I finally broke through," he murmured, looking down at his hands. "It feels amazing... it's as if I can sense every single atom around me with perfect clarity. This pulse of raw strength and rejuvenating energy is quite addictive."
A small, triumphant smile played on his lips. He had officially reached the Heaven Level: First Realm of the Nirvana Stage.
'Even in the primordial Immortal World, this kind of cultivation speed would be considered absolutely freakish,' Shi Yan thought, his mind blown. 'To ascend all the way from the base Human Level to the Heaven Level in just twelve years is entirely unprecedented.'
He quickly began to mentally map out his newly unlocked combat capabilities.
Years ago, Grandpa Roshi had estimated that Shi Yan could compete evenly against standard Hidden Leaf Jonin.
Now, having stepped into the Nirvana stage, he felt entirely confident that he could battle world-class Elite-Jonin like Kakashi Hatake or Might Guy without suffering a single disadvantage.
Over the years, he has developed an absolute Genjutsu Immunity, it's because ecause his cultivation fundamentally fortified and purified both his physical physique and his immortal soul simultaneously, it granted him an incredibly high, near-impenetrable resistance against all forms of illusionary Genjutsu.
Supreme Taijutsu, with his newly evolved, heaven-tier physique, he could effortlessly go toe-to-toe with the absolute best physical combatants in the world.
Hand-Signless Ninjutsu, now that he was in the Nirvana stage, he could finally exhibit the true strength of the Four Auspicious Beasts Technique.
He could manifest and manipulate pure Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, alongside their various basic derivative elements.
While he could not yet perfectly combine them at a flawless level to create complex bloodlines like Wood, Lava, Boil, or Shadow, his raw elemental output was more than enough to completely dominate the ninjutsu department. Best of all? He had absolutely no need to perform troublesome ninja hand-signs.
"Shi Yan! Where are you?!" a loud, youthful voice suddenly echoed from the front of the mansion.
"I am here in the backyard, Naruto," Shi Yan called back smoothly but his voice effortlessly travelled to Naruto.
Yes, it wasn't a mistake. The person coming to meet him in his private estate was none other than Naruto Uzumaki, most likely visiting because he knew about Grandpa Roshi's recent passing.
As to how the two had originally met, it had happened years prior. Once, while accompanying Roshi into the village to gain some real-world experience, they had stopped at Ichiraku Ramen on their way back.
There, sitting alone at the counter, was the loudmouthed, isolated blond child. Having always felt incredibly bad about the horrific, cold way the village civilians treated the boy, Shi Yan had taken the initiative to approach him and strike up a genuine friendship.
At first, Old Man Roshi had heavily protested the interaction. After all, everyone in the village knew about the "Demon Kid," and Shi Yan's entire biological birth family had technically been wiped out during the Nine-Tails' attack.
But as time passed, Shi Yan gradually convinced Roshi and all of his household servants to open up their hearts.
Assisted by Naruto's naturally infectious personality and unconscious "Talk-no-Jutsu," the blond boy was eventually accepted with open arms by everyone residing in the Nakamura Mansion.
Over the years, they had spent a massive amount of time together. The Nakamura estate had effectively become a sacred sanctuary for Naruto, the one place in the entire Hidden Leaf Village where he was treated normally, fed well, and loved as a regular human being.
Naruto sprinted into the backyard, skidding to a halt. His eyes were wide with genuine concern. "Are you doing okay, Shi Yan?"
Shi Yan had wiped his tears before and he offered a warm, reassuring smile and nodded. "I'm doing well, Naruto. Thank you."
"Oh... okay! Well... guess what?!" Naruto's somber mood instantly vanished, replaced by his trademark, explosive energy.
He pumped his fist into the air. "I have the official Ninja Graduation Exam tomorrow! Just you wait and watch, I'm going to show everyone my amazing skills and finally become a true ninja!"
Shi Yan smiled softly at his friend's familiar antics. He accompanied the hyperactive boy back into the main hall of the mansion, where the two sat and talked comfortably until the sky turned completely dark outside. Shi Yan easily convinced the boy to have a massive dinner with him and stay over at the estate for the night.
After a hearty, filling dinner, the two boys sat quietly in the lounge.
"Say, Naruto," Shi Yan spoke up offhandedly, staring down at his teacup. "What do you think I should do with myself? I mean... I've always wanted to roam outside, travel, and truly enjoy what this world has to offer. But now, I'm feeling kinda conflicted. I don't really know what to do with my life."
"Do whatever the heck you want to do!" Naruto shouted loudly, his booming voice vibrating right through Shi Yan's eardrums.
He grinned widely. "You are super strong, and you're way smarter than anyone else I know! Just do whatever you wish, dattebayo!"
Shi Yan blinked, momentarily stunned, before falling into a deep, introspective thought.
'Whatever I wish, huh...'
A brilliant, genuine smile broke across Shi Yan's exceptionally handsome face. The answer was actually incredibly simple.
In his very first life back on Earth, he had always been completely pressurized, restricted, and suffocated by strict social etiquette, rigid protocols, and the crushing expectations of everyone surrounding him.
But here, in this new life, he had the ultimate power to live exactly as he wished and do whatever he wanted. Wasn't a life of absolute, unshackled freedom the exact existence he had always deeply desired?
He would do exactly that. He would walk his own path, entirely on his own terms.
"Naruto," Shi Yan said, his golden eyes crinkling with amusement. "When you officially pass your exam tomorrow, make sure to call me. I want to come along and watch your very first training drill with your new ninja sensei."
Though visibly confused by the sudden, specific request, Naruto still grinned and nodded his head vigorously. "Heck yeah! You got it!"
With that final agreement, a long, historical, and winding day finally came to a peaceful stop.