Day Four - Hope Fades Away
By the morning of the fourth day, Satoru rubbed his eyes, sitting slumped on the riverbank, waiting.
Waiting for the promised duel for food.
Waiting for his last chance to regain even a sliver of energy left in his exhausted body.
Every cell in his body was crying out, his entire frame trembling with anticipation for a single bite of food.
He waited…
And waited…
But nothing happened.
7 AM…
Then 10 AM…
Then 3 PM…
Satoru still sat, hugging his knees by the river, eyes scanning the horizon for a glimpse of that familiar white-haired figure.
But…
Jiraiya never came.
No duel.
No food.
Nothing at all.
Satoru sat frozen, his mind blank, as if the last bit of hope had been stripped away from him.
He let out a hollow laugh, weak and hoarse, filled with exhaustion.
He didn't know if Jiraiya had done this intentionally or simply forgotten about him.
But right now…
None of that mattered anymore.
He had completely given up.
**Letting Go - Hearing the Whispers of Water**
Satoru let everything go.
He abandoned the cursed waterfall.
He abandoned the idea of meditation.
He abandoned the thought of perseverance.
At this moment, he no longer cared about anything.
He just wanted… to lie down and feel this world one last time.
Lying on the water's surface, arms stretched wide, eyes gazing up at the endless night sky, he allowed himself to listen to the sounds of the world.
The full moon hung high above, casting its reflection upon the still lake.
Gentle ripples caressed his exhausted body, cradling him like a mother would her child.
For the first time in three days of relentless struggle and fatigue, the beauty of nature soothed his weary mind.
And then…
Satoru realized something.
The lake was not cold.
The water was not harsh as he had thought.
The water was not cruel like the raging waterfall above.
Instead…
The water embraced him.
Gentle.
Warm.
Full of life.
**Water - One of the Five Great Elements of the World**
Satoru felt as though he was dissolving into the lake.
He no longer felt hunger.
No longer felt exhaustion.
No longer felt heavy.
He heard whispers.
Faint, small murmurs, almost imperceptible, yet they carried an irresistible pull.
The whispers of water.
He closed his eyes, letting his mind truly listen…
And then…
He saw it.
The connection between the water in the lake and the water flowing inside his own body.
He sensed the breath of water in every cell.
He understood that the human body was created from water, and that water was flowing within him, just like the small streams weaving through his chakra pathways.
He felt himself merging with the lake, as if he was part of the water.
And the water…
Was a part of him.
**A Flood of Knowledge**
A massive torrent of knowledge surged into Satoru's mind like a great flood, washing over every corner of his consciousness.
He saw how water moved.
He understood how water wove through every barrier.
He realized the gentle yet boundless power of water.
Water had no fixed shape, yet it could become anything.
A calm stream.
A raging tide.
A destructive tsunami.
A fragile mist.
Or a razor-sharp ice blade.
Satoru grasped the true nature of water.
Water…
Does not resist, yet does not yield.
Has no form, yet can become anything.
Water can drown the world, yet can also nourish all life.
He was beginning to comprehend it.
But…
He was not yet complete.
There was still a long way to go before he could truly grasp the essence of water.
But at least…
He had taken the first step.
---
**The Dawn of the Fifth Day - A Shocking Sight**
Early on the fifth morning, Jiraiya, eyes half-closed, let out a long yawn, casually carrying his sake bottle as he strolled toward the training grounds.
He wasn't expecting much.
Perhaps Satoru was still floating somewhere on the lake.
Perhaps the two boys had passed out from hunger.
But…
When he arrived at the riverbank, Jiraiya froze in place.
His eyes widened.
The scene before him was utterly shocking.
Beneath the roaring, ferocious waterfall, like an enraged silver dragon, sat a lone figure.
Still.
Unshaken.
Satoru.
He was meditating, right in the heart of the raging current.
Water crashed against him, yet could not topple him.
He was as delicate as a leaf, yet as immovable as a great stone.
Though his body was visibly thinner, his face radiated an unprecedented serenity.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful glint flickering across his gaze.
"Hmph…"
He smirked slightly, a rare, satisfied expression.
"These two brats… truly are extraordinary."
---
**END OF CHAPTER 73.**