Chapter 179: Scorch Release, Electric Fields, and Diamond!

After some banter, Shuichi had Kakashi sit cross-legged in the center of the formation, then carefully infused a portion of Eight-Tails chakra into Kakashi's body.

The experiment officially began!

However, Shuichi didn't stay for long himself; after three minutes, seeing that Kakashi was still holding on, he left a shadow clone to watch over him and quickly disappeared with the Body Flicker Jutsu.

Meanwhile, at the experimental facility in the Daimyo's compound, Shuichi's shadow clone was also conducting tests.

The Daimyo's selected ninja, however, were clearly no match for Kakashi. Out of the six candidates, not one managed to hold out beyond three minutes before losing control to the Tailed Beast chakra and going berserk.

Shuichi hadn't expected much from them. If Tailed Beast chakra was that easy to master, Jinchuriki would have no use at all.

He swapped in new candidates.

As for the failed subjects, Shuichi didn't return them to the Daimyo. Instead, he kept them as extra hands for Pakura.

Back on Kakashi's side, he endured a solid ten minutes during his first attempt. Each day, Kakashi would test himself once, enduring longer each time. Though it became increasingly difficult, his resilience proved truly extraordinary.

Time passed, and it was already March 4th, Konoha's 46th year, Shuichi Hoshita's 13th birthday.

Since everyone was here, Shuichi held a casual dinner party in his courtyard.

Along with friends like Kakashi, Kurenai, Guy, Shisui, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke, older figures such as Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and even the legendary Sannin were all present.

Of course, Tenka came too.

After giving him her gift, she pulled Shuichi aside to whisper, "My, Shuichi, you've gotten taller again!"

"Oh, and here's some happy news: my elder sister is pregnant!"

Shuichi's face lit up. "Please send my congratulations to your Sister! When the baby arrives, I'll visit to celebrate."

Tenka blinked playfully at Shuichi, "And?"

Shuichi blinked back, "And what?"

She pinched his cheek, "A present, of course! That's going to be your future nephew!"

Putting on a mock-serious look, Shuichi said, "But I'm only thirteen, Tenka-san; you're far too mischievous!"

Tenka laughed, gave him a quick peck on the forehead, and teased, "Oh, you're spoken for already, Shuichi-kun. A genius like you won't slip through my fingers. The kids we'd have are sure to be prodigies!"

Shuichi widened his eyes, "Tenka-san, that's heartbreaking; am I only good enough for the children?"

She laughed again, "It's also because you're amazing, Shuichi."

"And…" she leaned closer, whispering in his ear, her breath warm against his skin, "I won't force you to make it official, either."

"So, grow up soon; I'll be waiting!"

Despicable! Seducing a thirteen-year-old boy? Far too mischievous!

Shuichi decided he'd have to rein her in someday, firmly disciplining her to keep her out of trouble. But for now…

With a raised chin, he declared proudly, "Tenka-san, I'm a serious person."

She chuckled and nodded, "Oh yes, Shuichi-kun, a true gentleman—no wonder so many girls adore you."

"Speaking of which," she continued, "When your nephew is born, I'd like you to be his teacher."

Shuichi thoughtfully stroked his chin as though in deep contemplation, then, under her hopeful gaze, nodded slowly. "But only because it's you asking, Tenka-san."

She smiled, her eyes practically sparkling.

…

The dinner was lively and joyful, though a few familiar faces were missing.

Rin Nohara was still bedridden, Obito Uchiha was MIA, and Sarutobi Asuma was stationed in the Daimyo's palace.

At 9 p.m., as the dinner ended, Shuichi saw each guest out one by one.

---

The next day.

In his training ground, Shuichi sat with his hands clasped, eyes lowered in concentration as the wind and fire chakras within him collided and fused repeatedly. Gradually, a new form of power emerged.

A new nature transformation—Scorch Release!

After months of nightly training with Pakura, plus his pre-existing mastery over Wind and Fire, and his simultaneous use of the two chakra natures in his Fire Release Chakra Mode, he had finally mastered it today.

It was the third Kekkei Genkai he could call his own.

Lava Release, Fire Nether Chains, and now Scorch Release!

Rising to his feet, Shuichi's form was soon encased in a blue chakra cloak adorned with delicate purple lotus blossoms.

Slowly, he lifted off the ground.

The Scorch Release Chakra Mode!

Although it resembled his Fire Release Chakra Mode in form, the power within was vastly different.

It was noticeably stronger.

Without the assistance of the Bijuu Sealing Mark, the lotus patterns shone a striking purple.

Furthermore, as Shuichi had previously speculated, this new mode also granted him a limited ability to hover in midair.

However, upon closer inspection, Shuichi realized that the hovering ability was quite slow and not particularly agile.

On the other hand, using Fiery Lotus Steps felt even easier in this mode than in the Fire Release Chakra Mode, with noticeably better results.

"Still, this mode doesn't drastically enhance my combat power."

Shuichi mused, "The power of a jutsu depends on not only nature and shape transformation but most importantly on the chakra output."

"With nature transformation, there's no question. Scorch Release's attack power when using Flame Dragon Breath or Rasenshuriken will definitely surpass the previous combination of Fire and Wind."

"As for shape transformation, this Scorch Release Chakra Mode is more solid than before, but it still doesn't compare to the standard set by Susanoo."

Susanoo was indeed the pinnacle of form, representing an extreme that was hard to rival.

Although size doesn't always equate to strength, something larger is certainly not weak!

"So, I'll still have to try creating a 'Gundam' of sorts."

"It may not be something I rely on, but it's certainly something I need."

"Against something as formidable as Susanoo, matching its power seems like the best way to counter it."

Shuichi had already formulated the next step for his development or, at the very least, the direction to attempt.

If he were to create a 'Gundam,' Scorch Release seemed like a viable foundation for shaping it.

But it wasn't just Scorch Release; Lava Release could also be molded into a 'Gundam.'

In fact, from the perspective of shape transformation, Lava Release might even be better suited.

While combining Wind and Fire makes it easier to mold, it still falls short of Lava Release in terms of structural integrity.

"For defense, Lava Armor definitely outperforms Scorch Chakra Mode. But for offense, Scorch Release has the edge. In terms of raw power, though, Lava Style is superior…"

Shuichi pondered, "And it doesn't seem too challenging to combine Lava and Scorch Release."

His Fire Release Chakra Mode already combined both Fire and Wind, while his Blaze Release Chakra Mode was a blend of Fire and Yin.

Combining two chakra natures was already second nature to him, and handling three would be a manageable challenge.

Quickly forming a plan, Shuichi split into two shadow clones to begin the development immediately.

"Next after Scorch will be Magnet Style—it's almost ready…"

This reminded him of the Eight-Tails' ink.

Could that be categorized under Water Release?

Once he mastered Magnet Style, could he evolve it into Electromagnetic Release by adding an electric charge? Shuichi then recalled possible advanced Kekkei Genkai like Wood Style, Storm Style…

"It's clear I'll need to acquire 'Earth Release Master,' 'Water Release Master,' and 'Lightning Release Master' to build a solid foundation."

Shuichi rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, "An electromagnetic railgun would likely be considered a Kekkei Genkai jutsu, separate from standard Lightning Release."

"For an S-rank Lightning jutsu, Kirin could work, but it's too situational."

"Wait… My thinking doesn't have to be confined to the Shinobi world's concepts; a railgun operates through electromagnetism, while pure Lightning Release generates electric currents and fields…"

Shuichi's eyes brightened. "An electric field!"

"Yes, an electric field!"

"A high-energy particle beam—or, to be precise, a stream of charged particles!"

"Creating this technique could establish a foundation in electric fields, and once I learn Magnet Release from the One-Tail, I can combine it further to master Electromagnetic Release."

A satisfied smile spread across Shuichi's face.

His path with Lightning Release was now clear.

Which left only Water and Earth Release.

S-rank techniques often reach extremes in both nature and shape transformations.

Take Water Release's Severing Wave, for instance, which achieves a high degree of shape transformation. Though not technically S-rank, it approaches that level.

For Earth Release, Ōnoki's Light-Weight Rock Technique exemplifies pure nature transformation.

Though Shuichi had no experience with Light-Weight Rock Technique, from what he understood, they worked by altering an object's density.

Since the affected object didn't change in volume, it was the density that changed.

For Earth Release, nature transformations could also involve hardening or softening.

For example, jutsu that harden the terrain, or softening jutsu like Swamp of the Underworld or clay-based techniques.

"For Water Release transformations… I need to broaden my thinking. Water Release isn't limited to just water; it encompasses liquids in general."

"If the Eight-Tails' ink isn't a Kekkei Genkai, it's Water Release."

With his eyes closed, Shuichi dove into his memory, extracting every bit of useful knowledge.

Soon, he had new ideas.

Heavy Water!

A dense variant of water, in which neither plants nor animals could survive.

Royal Water!

A highly corrosive yellow liquid that could dissolve metals like titanium and gold.

Shuichi recalled the production process of the former but couldn't fully remember the latter, so he'd need to conduct some tests.

Once he analyzed each substance and understood its nature, he'd be able to recreate them through chakra-based transformations.

Both of these would be far more potent than regular water.

As for Earth Release—

In terms of hardness, the first thing that came to mind was the hardest natural stone: diamond!

Diamond was even harder than steel.

"If my nature transformation goal is hardness, diamond would be the ultimate choice."

With his thoughts expanded, Shuichi saw the possibilities open up, realizing diamond's remarkable characteristics.

Its extreme hardness, high melting point, and non-conductivity were all major advantages.

The fact that it didn't conduct electricity could even counter the idea that Lightning Release always trumps Earth Release.

So really, all these supposed "counters" balance each other out!

(End of Chapter)

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