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[Konoha] Chapter 58: Master Tags!
🕑 Added 2024-08-22 04:30:01 +0000 UTC"How should I reprimand him?"
Shūichi Hoshita pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin, and then a smile appeared on his lips.
The next moment, his figure silently transformed into Tsunade’s form.
He knew Tsunade very well, down to the smallest details.
He crossed his arms, furrowed his brows, tilted his twin ponytails, and shouted with authority, "Ji-ra-iya!"
On the rooftop, Jiraiya, who was thoroughly engrossed in his peeping and constantly shifting his position, heard the voice and turned his head.
He was shocked out of his wits.
"Tsunade!"
"Oh no..."
Shūichi, in Tsunade's form, had already lifted a leg and brought it down in a powerful axe kick.
Crack!
The ground split open, the force reverberating through the building, and the roof beneath Jiraiya gave way. He plummeted into the hot spring bathhouse below, accompanied by the shrieks of women.
Moments later, Jiraiya scrambled out of the bathhouse in a panic, with a group of women in bathrobes chasing after him.
Shūichi, having reverted to his normal form, quickly used the Transformation Jutsu to blend in with the women, joining them in pummeling Jiraiya with their fists.
Jiraiya was chased all around the area, finally escaping by relying on his mastery of the Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Clone Jutsu.
Feeling completely refreshed, Shūichi returned to the bathhouse. Still, in Tsunade’s form, he compensated the bathhouse owner for the damage and then chose another spot to enjoy a relaxing soak in the hot springs.
"Next time, I should come here with Director Nonō..."
Shūichi closed his eyes, letting his mind wander.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, now sporting several lumps on his head, sighed.
"Who would've thought there'd be a ninja involved..."
He chuckled afterward, "But this field study turned out to be quite fruitful!"
"Too bad Tsunade wasn't inside..."
Jiraiya felt a tinge of regret, but quickly dismissed the thought, recalling how close he’d come to being beaten to death last time.
As for whether the Tsunade he just encountered was real or not, he didn’t give it much thought—after all, this was Konoha, and Tsunade's personality was exactly like that.
...
Time passed unnoticed amidst training and missions, and before long, it was the 40th year of Konoha. Shūichi Hoshita’s seventh birthday quietly slipped by while he was on a mission.
On a cliff.
After a sparring match, Shūichi and Kakashi sat side by side, watching the sunset.
Down below, Guy and the others were still training, the area buzzing with activity.
"Kakashi, how's your jutsu coming along?"
After catching his breath, Shūichi asked.
Kakashi shook his head slightly, "Controlling the nature of Lightning Release is proving difficult."
"And you?"
Shūichi lay back on the ground, "I've made initial progress in the first step, which is incorporating Fire Release nature into my blade techniques. Of course, this also involves shape transformation, but it’s still far from mastering the ultimate technique."
"But everything needs to be done step by step. You can push forward gradually—the key is to have a clear direction."
"You need to know what kind of result you want, or what kind of effect you need to achieve. Then, figure out what conditions or qualities are required for that."
Kakashi listened thoughtfully, then stood up, "Thanks. But even though you’ve outpaced me again, the contest isn’t over yet!"
With that, Kakashi leaped off the cliff.
Shūichi Hoshita stood up, watching Kakashi's retreating figure with a smile.
Despite his cool and aloof demeanor, Kakashi was actually quite competitive. Cold on the outside, warm on the inside, with a touch of pride.
But developing a new jutsu from scratch was indeed a challenge.
Just look at Minato Namikaze—he was a prime example. Shūichi knew this all too well from personal experience.
Even with his Tag System’s boosts, enhancing his Fire Release and swordsmanship talents repeatedly, it still took him nearly half a year to truly complete the first step.
This step alone could already serve as a jutsu similar to the Chidori Blade.
The Tag Tree even recognized it as an A-rank technique, or perhaps a swordsmanship secret technique.
However, what concerned Shūichi the most at the moment was the tag titled "Taijutsu Expert."
After more than a year, he finally achieved his 50th victory over Kakashi in taijutsu matches today.
The tag he had been longing for was finally within his grasp.
Focusing his attention on the Tag Tree in his mind, Shūichi examined the "Taijutsu Expert" tag.
- Taijutsu Talent: Increased by 100%
- Physical Constitution: Increased by 100%
- Nerve Response Speed: Increased by 100%
His mind went blank, his body tingling as if electrified.
When he came back to his senses, Shūichi felt stronger than ever.
1st word: Amazing!
2nd word: Incredible!
While the boost in taijutsu talent was not immediately noticeable, the enhancements in physical constitution and nerve response speed were instantly perceptible.
His thought processes became quicker, his nerve responses faster, and his concentration more intense.
Shūichi could now clearly see the rapid flapping of a fly's wings!
"This dynamic vision—how does it compare to the Three Tomoe Sharingan?"
A smile spread across Shūichi's face as he relaxed his heightened focus. "Even if my dynamic vision isn't quite on par, how many Uchiha can match my nerve response speed?"
"The Sharingan may evolve and enhance vision, but the rest of the nervous system can't compete with me now."
After adjusting to the changes in his body, Shūichi turned his attention to another tag on the tree.
Tag: Fire Release Master
Condition to Obtain: On the basis of the "Fire Release Expert" tag, create five A-rank Fire Release jutsu or one S-rank Fire Release jutsu.
Effects:
- Fire Release Talent: Increased by 100%
- Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation: Increased by 100%
- Fire Release Shape Transformation: Increased by 100%
- Any Fire Release jutsu or Fire-related secret technique (excluding Kekkei Genkai-related ones) can be learned without obstacles.
This tag was clearly an upgraded version of the "Fire Release Expert" tag.
The three 100% boosts were certainly tempting.
However, the requirements were tough. Whether it's an A-rank Fire Release or an S-rank one, they're not easily created.
Especially in Fire Release! Shūichi couldn’t even recall any straightforward Fire Release ultimate techniques in the ninja world. Even A-rank ones are rare, let alone S-rank.
He then turned his gaze to another newly triggered tag.
Tag: Sword Master
Condition to Obtain: Defeat Sakumo Hatake in a swordsmanship duel or create one S-rank swordsmanship technique.
Effects:
- Swordsmanship Talent: Increased by 100%
- Physical Constitution: Increased by 100%
- Designated Ninja Tools: Quality increased by 100%
- Any swordsmanship or kenjutsu (excluding Kekkei Genkai-related ones) can be learned without obstacles.
Again, three 100% boosts, with the physical constitution boost being particularly enticing!
But the requirements made Shūichi's eyelid twitch.
He didn’t know what event in the original story led to Sakumo Hatake’s suicide, but anything that caused such great losses to the Land of Fire and Konoha wouldn’t be minor.
However, with his current status and strength, it wasn’t something he could intervene in at will.
"Thankfully, it's a choice between two options..."
Shūichi sighed in relief, his eyes turning to Kakashi as he furrowed his brows. "Could it have something to do with that incident in the Land of Rivers?"
Shaking off his thoughts, Shūichi considered his situation. "Two Master tags at once—how do I trigger the Taijutsu Master tag?"
Apart from that, since obtaining the "Sealing Expert" tag, no more advanced tags had been triggered.
"Oh well, these tags are already enough to keep me busy."
Putting these thoughts aside, Shūichi suddenly leaped off the cliff, sprinting downward.
With his enhanced physical constitution, he needed to explore its full potential, especially now that he was training in the Yin Seal.
(End of Chapter)
