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[Konoha] Chapter 93: S-Rank Swordsmanship Secret - Flaming Lotus of the Inferno, Natural Energy!
🕑 Added 2024-09-05 06:30:01 +0000 UTCAfter parting ways with Shinnosuke and the others, it was already past 9 PM. Shūichi strolled along the streets, the night breeze brushing against him as his thoughts wandered.
The future Fourth Raikage, who perfected his Lightning Release to the extreme, possessing a formidable physique—based on his current strength level, he should already surpass the elite jōnin class, at least reaching the level of a quasi-Kage.
A ninja like Shinnosuke, who leans towards ninjutsu, lacks the diverse techniques and sheer power necessary to take down someone like A.
Then there's Ōnoki, the old but still strong man, whose Dust Release is maxed out in terms of attack power, though its speed leaves something to be desired.
From thinking about Shinnosuke, Shūichi couldn't help but consider the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
In terms of ninjutsu ability, Sarutobi Hiruzen would definitely surpass Shinnosuke, both in experience and casting speed.
In close combat, the Third Hokage, wielding the Enma Staff, would be far more formidable.
Facing the current Third Raikage, they would probably have to rely on stamina to determine the outcome.
"And then there's the Mizukage..."
Shūichi knew very little about the Mizukage.
But the Third Mizukage, who created the terrifying atmosphere of the Hidden Mist Village, likely had his Water Release maxed out as well, considering he once served as the First Mizukage's bodyguard.
"And then the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumī... she's probably around my age..."
As Mei Terumī's image flashed in his mind, Shūichi thought, "Kekkei Genkai..."
"My current Fire Release is actually no weaker than most Kekkei Genkai."
"My age and chakra reserves are holding me back."
"If I were an adult... with my current physique, I wonder if I could rival Jiraiya, who is considered the chakra ceiling among ordinary people."
Shūichi remembered that Jiraiya's stamina was rated a 10, even higher than Tsunade, who has the Senju bloodline.
Kakashi, as he vaguely recalled, only had a stamina rating of 6.
The difference of just 4 points between Kakashi and Jiraiya might seem small, but in terms of chakra and stamina, it could represent a gap of several times.
After all, the rating system caps at 10.
Naruto's chakra was also rated a 10, but could Jiraiya really compare to him?
But without the Nine-Tails...
"Shinnosuke's chakra is also strong. Roughly estimated, it's about ten times mine—not as much as Asuka's, but much more than the Director's."
Shūichi recalled his understanding of the original series.
He remembered that Kakashi's peak chakra reserves were actually not that low.
Without the Yang Nine-Tails, Naruto's chakra was rated at 4 units, but at that time, Naruto was far from fully grown.
With the Yang Nine-Tails, it was around 100 units, but that was just the minimum estimate.
And at that level, it was comparable to Senju Hashirama...
Shūichi couldn't help scratching his head. "How many times would I have to increase my physique to reach that?"
Currently, he's at 3 units, but that's compared to Kakashi at this age.
If we stretch the timeline to adulthood and still estimate at 3 units...
Doubling it would bring it to 6 units.
...
Shūichi carefully calculated and figured that he would need to increase his physique by 100% at least five more times to reach something similar to Senju Hashirama's level.
If he could do it six more times, he might be able to surpass that and barely compare to Naruto with the full Nine-Tails.
But the Ten-Tails...
Even though this was the simplest way to estimate, Shūichi felt a bit of a headache coming on.
He quickly reviewed the Tags he currently had that could increase his physique.
Tags: Swordsmanship Master, Space-Time Envoy, Ninjutsu Professor, Poseidon(King of the Sea), Big Eater.
Exactly five.
"Taijutsu Master surely has a physique boost too, but I haven't triggered it yet. Same with Ninja Tool Master."
"The Tags above Space-Time Envoy probably have boosts as well..."
Shūichi shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I have a seven-day break coming up—I'll aim to unlock Swordsmanship Master during that time!"
"With another physique boost, I'll have a better chance of winning the Big Eater competition."
Shūichi wasn't too confident about winning first place in the Big Eater competition—after all, Konoha was full of talent.
...
When he got home, it was just before 10 PM. Yakushi Nonō and Asuka were both waiting for him. As soon as they saw Shūichi return, they immediately sprang into action.
Asuka went to fill the bathtub, adding medicinal herbs to the water. Yakushi Nonō helped Shūichi with his clothes, preparing them for washing. The warmth of this domestic scene instantly erased all the mental fatigue Shūichi had accumulated over the past couple of days.
In the days that followed, apart from his daily training and using shadow clones to practice other jutsu, Shūichi didn’t even visit Orochimaru’s lab. He focused all his efforts on mastering the S-Rank Sword Technique.
Time flew by, and five days of his vacation had already passed.
In a small grove, Shūichi stood with his sword, eyes lowered in concentration.
After a moment, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and he thrust his sword into the ground with both hands.
In the next instant, the earth trembled. Fissures spread from where the sword was embedded, and fiery orange-red flames erupted from the cracks, as if fire lotuses were growing from the ground.
In a flash, a 50-meter radius around Shūichi was covered in these fiery lotuses.
The lotuses, initially in bud form, bloomed and exploded in unison.
The blooms burst in different directions—some towards the sky, some to the left, some to the right.
In that instant, the 49-meter ring around Shūichi became a chaotic maelstrom of fiery waves, distorting the light and even making it seem like the very space was trembling.
Every tree within this range was shattered by the explosions and quickly reduced to ashes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The terrifying roar of explosions filled the air, and a raging firestorm erupted outward, reducing tall trees in its path to ash in seconds.
When everything finally calmed down, the entire 300-meter area of the grove had been reduced to scorched earth, with only a few charred tree remnants remaining on the outskirts.
Huff, huff!
Shūichi was breathing heavily, gripping his sword for support to keep from collapsing.
The chakra expenditure had been enormous, almost draining him of all his strength.
But as he looked out over the scorched landscape, a brilliant smile spread across Shūichi's face.
The S-Rank Sword Technique Secret—Flaming Lotus of the Inferno—was complete!
Within the area of this technique, not only would one have to endure the chaotic shockwaves and the terrifying heat from the explosions, but they would also face the vacuum environment created by the blazing flames.
The lethal range was the ring surrounding him, and the damage range encompassed the entire grove.
This was the very move he had used in his fight against Killer B—when the flames scattered after the "Blade Aura" shattered and exploded around Killer B.
But at that time, it was only in its infancy.
So, there wasn’t just one form for using the Flaming Lotus of the Inferno.
“There shouldn’t be many jutsu that can dodge this—Reverse Summoning, Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Tailed Beasts…”
Shūichi was very satisfied with his creation.
The key was that this technique was flashy enough!
And the more chakra you have, the more powerful it becomes.
What he had just used was only orange-red flames—there were still higher temperatures like white flames, green flames, and even blue flames.
Not to mention flames as hot as the surface of the sun...
Shūichi mused for a moment.
However, he would need to find a new place to train.
After swallowing a soldier pill and downing a bottle of saltwater, Shūichi left the scorched area, found an empty forest, and sat down under a tree. He focused his attention on the Tag Tree in his mind.
Swordsmanship Master—Activated!
The leaves of the Tag Tree glowed, enhancing his swordsmanship talent by 100%, increasing his physique by 100%, improving the quality of his designated weapon by 100%, and removing any learning barriers for any sword or blade techniques, except those tied to bloodlines.
His body immediately felt warm and cozy.
Chakra began to surge like a spring, flowing into the Yin Seal on his forehead and abdomen.
Then, Shūichi drew his Totsuka Blade.
Since the last enhancement was to the Totsuka Blade, he naturally wanted to continue with it.
With a single thought, just like before, a surge of power flowed into the Totsuka Blade.
Soon after, he noticed that dense seals began to appear on the blade, quickly spreading across its surface, forming complex and mysterious patterns.
But just as quickly, the seals and patterns vanished, and lotus patterns emerged on the blade. In the sunlight, a faint glow of firelight seemed to flow along the surface.
"Hmm?"
Shūichi sensed a power gathering within the Totsuka Blade.
"This is..."
His heart raced as a possibility came to mind.
Natural Energy!
He was certain that the energy from the Tag Tree had been fully consumed to modify the Totsuka Blade and create that mysterious technique.
So this newly formed energy must be coming from that technique!
Soon, the power within the Totsuka Blade subsided.
Shūichi immediately injected his chakra into the blade.
Sure enough, as soon as his chakra entered the blade, it encountered a different, unique energy!
And very naturally, it merged seamlessly with his chakra.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The blade hummed softly as the lotus patterns glowed with a blue light.
Shūichi felt his chakra and the energy within the blade combine, naturally altering its nature.
Moreover, this alteration was specifically for Fire Release.
His Fire Release properties were significantly amplified, resulting in the blade's blue flames.
However, the Blue Flame Sky Blade was not just about changing the nature—it also involved shape transformation, with multiple layers of enhancement creating high-temperature flames.
Originally, after acquiring the Fire Release Master Tag, Shūichi could instantly raise the temperature of his flames to their peak—white flames.
This was similar to Pakura's Scorch Release, but there was still some distance to reach blue flames.
Now, after the enhancement, he had jumped straight to that level.
"So then..."
Shūichi’s eyes narrowed as he activated the Blue Flame Sky Blade.
In the next moment, the blue flames on the blade rapidly transformed. The blue lotuses also began changing color, shifting from blue to a blue-green mix.
“One more hit like this, and Killer B would be split in half.”
Shūichi grinned widely.
But after withdrawing his chakra, Shūichi immediately felt a pang of regret and smacked his thigh in frustration.
"Damn it, that mysterious technique must have been for gathering Natural Energy and enabling nature transformation."
Shūichi closely examined the blade.
Unfortunately, now he could only see the lotus patterns and not the technique.
Of course, he had memorized the part of the technique he had seen.
But the blade had two sides, and he could only see one.
This meant he only had half of it!
“It hurts so much!”
Shūichi couldn’t help clutching his chest.
(End of Chapter)
