Having acquired new ninjutsu, Shiranui Hayate's first order of business was to head to the training grounds for a trial run.
His consciousness materialized within the training space. Looking at the row of targets lined up dozens of meters away, he curled his lip in a faint, dismissive smirk.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In the next instant, a massive Fuma Shuriken appeared behind him. Along with the skill Ninja Art: Returning Shuriken, Hayate had simultaneously mastered the specialized summoning for ninja tools.
Summoning tools was far less cumbersome than summoning a contract beast; a single hand seal was all it took.
"Ninja Art: Returning Shuriken!"
Hayate threw the giant blade with everything he had. The Fuma Shuriken tore through the air with a predatory howl, spinning into a blurred disc of steel.
Whir—! Whir—! Whir—!
Bolstered by Hayate's monstrous physical strength, the shuriken reached incredible speeds, its kinetic energy peaking.
It didn't just hit the targets; it obliterated them. The blade punched through the training dummies, sliced through the reinforced perimeter wall, and vanished into the distance. Anything in its path—whether stone walls or ancient, thick trees—was severed like paper.
Upon reaching its maximum range, it looped back with undiminished lethality, whistling through the air until it came to a dead stop right before Shiranui Hayate.
He reached out and snatched the returning weapon by its center. He nodded, satisfied with the sheer destructive force.
Hayate tested the directional control several more times. Just as the description promised, he could manipulate the flight path with ease.
I can strike from any angle.
There was no need to worry about an enemy predicting the trajectory or dodging. With a thought, the blade would track.
After finishing with the shuriken, Hayate turned his attention to his new elemental technique: Earth Style: Earth Shaking.
His hands blurred into a series of rapid seals. He slammed his palms onto the ground and barked:
"Earth Style: Earth Shaking!"
In a heartbeat, the earth before him fractured. Countless jagged rocks and pillars of soil erupted upward, designed to launch an enemy into the air and leave them defenseless.
Since it was his first time, Hayate didn't manually regulate his chakra output. He allowed the system's "muscle memory" to guide the flow. Consequently, the affected area was modest—covering only about ten square meters.
Having grasped the essence of the release, Hayate began to experiment with manual control over the chakra volume.
His first attempt was a disaster. Because he flooded the technique with too much raw chakra, the structure collapsed, and the jutsu failed to manifest.
This served as a stark reminder: his mastery of the newly acquired Earth-attribute chakra was nowhere near as refined as his mastery over Fire or Lightning.
He tried again and again. He focused on the conversion of chakra attributes and the precision of the output. Finally, after numerous failures, he found the golden threshold—the maximum amount of chakra the technique could handle without breaking.
"Earth Style: Earth Shaking!"
As his palms hit the dirt, a massive surge of chakra poured into the ground. The entire training field began to pitch and roll. A second later, the ground burst open, surging upward in a violent upheaval.
As the dust settled, Hayate realized he could do more than just raise the ground; he could also force it to sink.
This feels remarkably like the "Moving Earth Core" jutsu from the series, or even its advanced versions.
In the original world, that jutsu was primarily a utility skill used for digging trenches or changing terrain. However, under the influence of his system, this support-type skill had been weaponized into a legitimate offensive power.
While Hayate practiced, the other summoned ninjas also received the knowledge of these two techniques. The hand seals and release methods were etched into their minds.
However, unlike Hayate, they didn't automatically gain the Earth-attribute affinity. If they wanted to use the Earth Shaking jutsu, they would have to develop that affinity on their own.
While Hayate was perfecting his jutsu, Tony Stark was deep in his own world in the underground laboratory.
"Day 11, test 37, version 2.0."
Tony looked at his robotic arm assistant.
"Since I have no other choice, Dummy, you're still on fire safety duty. If you spray me again when I'm not actually on fire, I will donate you to a community college."
He then looked over at Paku, who was lying nearby.
"Paku, if things go sideways, remember to catch me. Just like before."
Paku lifted his head, eyeing the mechanical skeleton strapped to Tony's legs and arms.
"Understood, Mr. Stark."
"Alright," Tony said, turning his attention to his AI. "JARVIS, let's keep it steady this time. Start with only one percent of full thrust."
"Ready. Three... two... one."
Whir—!
With a high-pitched whine of charging capacitors, flames erupted from the soles of Tony's boots and the palms of his gauntlets.
Tony rose into the air. He fought to maintain stability, hovering for several seconds before cutting the power and landing.
"Paku, did you see that? It's working!"
Paku stood up, his eyes widening in genuine surprise as he watched the billionaire hover.
In the shinobi world, the ability to fly was exceedingly rare. Many ninjas were powerful enough to level mountains or shatter boulders, but very few could actually take to the skies.
In Paku's estimation, a ninja capable of flight was a high-value asset.
"Mr. Stark... your scientific prowess is truly impressive."
Hearing the praise from the dog, Tony's ego flared. "Of course! I'm Tony Stark. I'm a world-class genius."
Just then, Dummy the robot pivoted, aiming the fire extinguisher directly at Tony again.
Tony turned on the machine instantly. "Hey! Don't keep that thing pointed at me like I'm about to explode! Relax. Wait until I'm actually on fire before you pull the trigger."
"Alright. Let's kick it up. Set thrust to twenty-five percent."
"Three... two... one!"
This time, the thrust was far more violent. The flames from his limbs roared, spitting sparks across the lab.
With the slightest shift of his weight, Tony's position shifted drastically. He went careening toward his collection of luxury cars parked on the side.
"Wait, wait! I didn't want to go over there!"
The flames from his boots scorched the air just inches above a car's roof.
"My cars! Not the cars! Not the cars!" Tony screamed.
Seeing the panic, Paku blurred into motion. He delivered a swift, precise kick to the wheel of a red sports car that was about to be scorched, sliding the entire vehicle several feet out of the danger zone.
"Thanks, Paku!"
After a frantic series of adjustments, Tony finally managed to steer himself back to the center of the lab and power down.
He landed heavily but wore a triumphant grin.
"I can finally fly!"
With the flight test a success, Tony immediately turned his attention to the fabrication of the rest of the armor plating.