Chapter 106: Blue Lotus, Bloom! [Bonus Chapter]

"Captain, can you cover me for a bit? I want to test a new technique I developed," Shūichi said after finishing his sensory scan.

Under his mask, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's eyes narrowed. "Is it the one from the end of last year?"

Last year, Shūichi had collapsed in exhaustion after developing a new jutsu, spending two full days and nights unconscious. Both he and Chihiro had visited him, so they had some idea of what had happened.

Recalling Shūichi's power and fighting style during his battle with the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Shinnosuke nodded, "Alright, I'll cover you."

"But don't push yourself too hard."

Shūichi chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, Captain, I value my life too much for that."

Handing his mask to Shinnosuke, Shūichi pulled down his hood and silently waited.

Soon, five figures appeared about a hundred meters ahead.

"Is this the kid who defeated Roshi?"

"It should be him. We could be wrong about the person, but our sensory data doesn't lie. Don't underestimate him just because of his age—we saw what his shadow clone could do earlier."

"Exactly. This damn brat must be killed!"

"Be careful, there's still one more hiding—probably that woman who's good with genjutsu!"

…

The moment the Iwa-nin saw Shūichi's youthful face, they were momentarily stunned. Some of them even showed brief signs of underestimation, but recalling the previous battle, their contempt was quickly replaced by caution and hatred.

Out of the original twelve, only five of them remained. Six were dead, and one was gravely injured in the last explosion—unlikely to survive.

After such heavy losses, only a fool would underestimate him again.

At that moment, Shūichi brought his hands together: "Blue Lotus, bloom!"

A blue light appeared at the center of his forehead, spreading like the blossoming petals of a lotus flower.

The brilliant blue glow rapidly enveloped Shūichi's head, torso, and limbs.

Boom!

Blue flames ignited all over his body, as if he had donned a divine robe adorned with lotus patterns made of blue fire.

Shūichi's hair, now laced with blue flames, billowed backward as if caught in an invisible wind. The rain that fell from the sky evaporated before it could even touch him.

Beneath him, the muddy ground quickly dried up, and the surrounding grass and trees spontaneously caught fire.

Feeling the intense heat, Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately retreated to a safer distance, staring in shock at the fiery chakra cloak surrounding Shūichi.

"Is this similar to the Four-Tails Jinchūriki's... Fire Release Chakra Mode?"

"No, there's also Wind Release power mixed in!"

"Incredible chakra... and such precise control!"

Shinnosuke's shock quickly turned to admiration. "This is probably on par with the Cloud-nin's Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"

"Shūichi truly is Konoha's unrivaled Fire and Wind Release prodigy!"

At that moment, Shinnosuke couldn't help but be in awe of Shūichi's abilities.

On the other side, the Iwa-nin were equally astonished.

Shūichi's current state immediately reminded them of Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, and his Lava Armor—also known as the Lava Release Chakra Mode.

But that required the support of a Tailed Beast's chakra.

Could this kid be the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki from Konoha?

Impossible!

"This guy's Fire Release has reached a level comparable to the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"

"Be careful. Avoid close combat if possible. Like Roshi, this kid's body temperature must be insanely high!"

"Create favorable terrain to drain his strength. A mode like this must consume a massive amount of chakra. If he's not a Jinchūriki, he won't be able to sustain it for long!"

...

Several Iwa-nin quickly exchanged ideas.

At that moment, Shūichi Hoshita, having fully prepared, turned to Sarutobi Shinnosuke and said, "I'm going in!"

Before his words even fully landed, his figure had already darted forward, leaving behind a trail of distorted blue afterimages.

"So fast!"

Shinnosuke was inwardly shocked. This speed was even greater than when Shūichi used Fiery Lotus Steps before.

"The fusion of Fire and Wind Release... Even though it hasn't formed a Kekkei Genkai, it's already terrifying, altering the very nature of his Body Flicker Technique."

As this thought crossed his mind, Shinnosuke followed after him.

On the other side, the Iwa-nin shouted as soon as Shūichi moved, "Here he comes!"

One of them crouched down and pressed his hands to the ground.

In front of the rapidly advancing Shūichi, walls of earth shot up from the ground one after another.

Shūichi unsheathed his sword—not the Totsuka Blade, but the standard Anbu katana. As he drew it, he slashed forward in one fluid motion. A burst of blue light exploded, shattering the walls in his path.

This was the Blue Flame Waterfall Blade in Fire Release Chakra Mode, enhanced by Wind Release. The combination of Fire and Wind formed a detached blue flame that took on a crescent shape.

"Blue Flame Sky Blade, Second Form—Blue Flame Vacuum Slash!"

Cleaving a path forward, Shūichi dashed through the shattered walls. But now, the ground around him had risen, transforming into a sheer cliff face.

Just as he was about to leap out of the pit, sharp stone pillars erupted from the surrounding walls, growing rapidly inward.

Shūichi snorted softly, preparing to slice through the pillars with his sword, but more massive stone pillars suddenly sprouted from the ground beneath him.

However, these pillars avoided him, colliding with the others growing from the walls.

Boom!

The stone pillars exploded.

It was Sarutobi Shinnosuke's jutsu!

Although it didn't completely neutralize the Iwa-nin's attack, it gave Shūichi enough space to maneuver.

With a flash of movement, blue streaks of sword light slashed through the air, and stone pillars collapsed one after another.

In an instant, Shūichi had reached the surface again, only to be greeted by a massive wave of rocks and sand surging toward him.

Earth Release: Earth Flow River!

Shūichi continued to run through the air, but hidden within the wave of sand were explosive tags.

Boom! Boom!

The explosion blasted debris everywhere, and shockwaves surged toward Shūichi.

Yet, Shūichi didn't bother dodging. Blue lotus flowers bloomed around his legs, emitting a high-temperature airflow that neutralized the impact of the explosion beneath him.

The scattering debris, naturally, posed no threat either.

However, two stone dragons suddenly dove from above, crossing paths to strike him down.

Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon!

Shūichi swung his sword, and both stone dragons exploded into rubble.

Down below, the Iwa-nin who had cast the jutsu watched in disbelief as their attack was so easily broken. A burly Iwa-nin jonin formed the Seal of the Boar with his hands, preparing to unleash an Earth Rock Cannon from his mouth, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a river of mud surging toward him.

It was Sarutobi Shinnosuke's jutsu, Earth Release: Earth Flow River!

The burly Iwa-nin had no choice but to abandon his attack, retreating as the mud river blocked his path. Landing on solid ground, he pressed his palms to the earth, raising an earthen wall to stop the advancing mud.

Meanwhile, in the air, two blue dragon heads appeared on Shūichi's shoulders, their mouths opening to release blazing white fireballs that rained down on the Iwa-nin's formation below.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions erupted one after another, sending rocks flying as Shūichi unleashed a barrage of firepower, bombarding the area.

The Iwa-nin retreated while continuing to reshape the terrain in an attempt to defend against Shūichi's aerial attacks.

"Hmm?"

The burly Iwa-nin jonin had just dodged a fireball when his expression changed. The ground beneath his feet had turned into a rapidly rotating swamp, pulling him downward.

That guy again! His Earth Release techniques are on par with my own!

"Damn it!"

The Iwa-nin jonin gritted his teeth, preparing to use an Earth Substitution to escape, but Shūichi suddenly appeared in front of him, standing on the rotating swamp, completely unaffected. Blue fire lotuses bloomed under his feet as he balanced effortlessly on the shifting ground.

The Iwa-nin jonin's pupils dilated. Abandoning his previous plan, he rapidly hardened his skin.

Earth Release: Hardening Technique!

At the same time, he swiftly formed seals with both hands.

Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!

Even if I die, I'll take you down with me!

A crazed expression appeared on the jonin's face as his right hand was covered in solid rock.

But before he could throw a punch, Shūichi had already swung his sword. The high-temperature blade, empowered by the combined forces of Fire and Wind Release, cut through the hardened skin with ease, slicing across the jonin's neck.

Shūichi vanished as quickly as he had appeared. The burly Iwa-nin jonin felt his strength drain away, sinking into the swamp and being swallowed by the mud in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, another Iwa-nin jonin's eyes went wide with fury.

"Damn it!"

"Die, you brat!"

Placing both hands on the ground, countless stone pillars began to grow upward, reaching toward the sky in varying heights.

But as Shūichi advanced, blue lotus flowers bloomed all over his body, and graceful blue butterflies danced in the air, effortlessly dodging the pillars.

However, as he reached the center of the area, the stone pillars suddenly exploded.

In an instant, rocks shot through the air, with countless shards rushing towards Shūichi.

"Earth Release—Earth Pillar Explosion!"

This barrage was so overwhelming that even Shūichi couldn't dodge it.

Yet, he didn't even try. He let the stones come, each one melting instantly upon touching his Chakra cloak, unable to harm him.

"His body temperature is too high—this kind of attack is useless."

"We have to trap him first. Otherwise, with his speed and defense, we won't..."

"I get it!"

"And we need to deal with that other guy too—he's getting in the way!"

"Watch out for the Genjutsu expert."

Despite their conversation, the four remaining Iwa-nin didn't stop their attacks.

As they spoke, chunks of rock broke off from the ground, forming sharp spears that flew toward Shūichi as he emerged from the forest of stone pillars.

"Earth Release—Rock Pillar Spears!"

The dragon heads on Shūichi's shoulders opened their mouths, spitting fireballs that shattered the spears.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, following close behind, unleashed a combination of Fire and Earth Release, sending flaming rock spheres towards the four Iwa-nin, disrupting their attacks and hand seals.

Walls of earth rose, only to explode moments later as Shūichi charged through them. He appeared in front of one of the Iwa-nin, slashing downward, cleaving the ninja in two. But the body crumbled into stone fragments.

At almost the same moment, the ground beneath Shūichi fractured into sand. Another Iwa-nin's head emerged, spitting out large chunks of rock that formed a golem to trap Shūichi's legs.

"A clone trap!"

Behind him, Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately formed hand seals, but before he could act, hands reached up from the ground and grabbed his ankles.

"You're not interfering again, bastard! Die!"

An Iwa-nin's voice snarled as he dragged Shinnosuke into the ground.

But halfway down, Shinnosuke's body dissolved into mud.

What?

The Iwa-nin was shocked, and quickly realized the surrounding earth and rocks had turned into a rotating swamp, pressing in on him.

This is a trap!

"That guy... he knew all along..."

The Iwa-nin desperately controlled the sand-like rubble to lift himself up, trying to escape before the swamp's force crushed him.

But Shinnosuke's voice echoed.

"My role isn't just to support and interfere. I'm also bait, and the trap!"

With those words, Shinnosuke completed his hand seals and spat a high-pressure water jet, easily piercing the Iwa-nin's body still trapped underground.

As the real body died, the clone imprisoning Shūichi exploded with a puff.

Now, only three Iwa-nin remained.

One held Shūichi down underground, while the other two combined their efforts for a jutsu.

"Earth Release—Erupting Rock Mountain Cannon!"

Two massive half-sphere rocks, over two meters high, rose on either side of Shūichi, hurtling toward him at high speed.

Though the exchange seemed long, it all happened in an instant.

Shūichi was trapped, his legs grabbed by the underground enemy, followed by the rock pillars, and now the Erupting Rock Mountain Cannon.

The coordination between the four Iwa-nin was seamless, their jutsu flowing without any gaps.

Even Shūichi's reflexes couldn't disrupt such a flawless sequence.

If he couldn't break their flow, he wouldn't try to.

Thinking fast, Shūichi passed his katana to his left hand, thrusting it into the ground to pierce the underground enemy.

No Hardening Jutsu could block it.

Next, he spread his arms wide, palms facing outward, as a massive blue lotus flower appeared and began to bloom outward in layers.

Earth Release – Heavenly Stone Cover!

A massive boulder, like a giant lid, descended from above. The two Iwa-nin barely had time to react, hastily retreating without completing their hand seals.

But in the next moment, two blazing white beams pierced through the air. The two Iwa-nin twisted in midair, trying to evade.

"Ah!"

One of the Iwa-nin screamed in agony as a white-hot beam severed his arm. Just as he landed, his body suddenly burst into searing white flames, causing him to scream even louder.

Scorching Technique!

The other Iwa-nin, shocked and furious, began forming hand seals to rescue his comrade. But before he could act, another blazing white beam shot towards him. As he prepared to dodge, his body froze suddenly.

From the side, Chihiro emerged from the ground, hands forming seals.

Demonic Illusion – Tree Binding Death!

Thud!

A blast of fire erupted from the dragon head on Shūichi Hoshita's shoulder, precisely striking the heart of the immobilized Iwa-nin.

Boom!

The Iwa-nin collapsed to the ground, eyes wide open in shock.

Meanwhile, the other Iwa-nin was consumed by the white flames, burning to death.

Thus, all five elite Iwa-nin were completely wiped out.

Three against five—victory!

The blue flames enveloping Shūichi's body flickered out, and the blue chakra receded, retreating into his forehead as the Yin Seal and Eight Trigrams Seal re-engaged.

Shūichi exhaled deeply.

"Ahh, that feels good!"

The frustration that had been building in his chest was finally released.

Shinnosuke and Chihiro approached, looking at the battlefield and the scattered corpses in silence.

Although it was three against five, they both knew that even without their support, Shūichi could have achieved the same result.

Fire Release Chakra Mode—terrifying!

Chihiro quietly evaluated, "Shūichi's strength... It's probably on par with the legendary Sannin, or even elite jōnin like Konoha's White Fang."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke handed the mask to Shūichi, who was still basking in the aftermath of battle, and helped him retrieve his sword. "We should retreat. This commotion will likely attract more shinobi."

Shūichi snapped out of his thoughts, nodded, put on his mask, and took back his sword.

The three of them swiftly retreated under the cover of night, with Shūichi leading the way using his heat vision. They didn't stop until they reached the Land of Fire, where they finally paused to rest.

"Shūichi, you rest first. Chihiro and I will take the night watch," Sarutobi Shinnosuke instructed.

Shūichi didn't refuse. He sat under a tree, closing his eyes, but instead of resting immediately, he replayed the battle in his mind.

Without a doubt, the Fire Release Chakra Mode was incredibly powerful.

High-temperature attacks and defense, all in one, while greatly enhancing his speed.

If the opponents hadn't been Iwa-nin, experts at manipulating the terrain, he would have closed the distance and finished them off long ago.

In this mode, techniques like Fiery Lotus Steps, Dragon Flame Breath, Fire Lotus of Buddha's Wrath, and Blue Flame Waterfall Blade became even easier to perform.

If there was any drawback, it was that he could only use Fire Release and Wind Release techniques in this mode.

Shūichi chuckled to himself, "But that's more than enough. Fire and Wind are my strongest elements right now. If these can't defeat the enemy, other techniques won't help either."

"Plus, I wasn't even using my full power today!"

"I didn't need to use Inferno Lotus, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, or Wind-Fire Light Wheel Rasenshuriken."

"However, against these Iwa-nin, those techniques, while strong, wouldn't have been as effective."

The Iwa-nin were tough to defend against large-scale attacks, but for elite jōnin like them, they had ways to counter such moves.

On the other hand, techniques like Dragon Flame Breath and Blue Flame Waterfall Blade were more potent single-target attacks that they couldn't defend against.

Of course, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and Wind-Fire Light Wheel Rasenshuriken could also serve as single-target attacks.

But for these particular Iwa-nin, Shūichi felt they were unnecessary.

"At my current level of strength, combined with the chakra from the Yin Seal, as long as I'm cautious in battle, I should be able to survive in this war."

"If I could add Creation Rebirth to the mix, that would be perfect."

With those thoughts, Shūichi finally drifted off into a deep sleep.

---

At the same time, on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were the first to arrive.

They had been alerted by the earlier battle near the cave and tracked the signs to this location.

"The terrain here has been completely altered..."

"It must have been Iwa-nin. Only they could reshape the landscape like this."

"Yes, these are definitely Iwa-nin. The bodies left behind at the other battlefield were Iwa-nin too."

"Only Iwa-nin have the ability to—"

Yahiko examined the traces of battle with a grave expression. "A battle of this scale... These Iwa-nin were quite powerful, and their opponents..."

Nagato spoke up, "Their opponents were even stronger. And there weren't many of them... likely only two, no, three people."

"The main fighter was someone with extremely strong Fire Release."

Konan found it hard to believe. "Fire Release can be this powerful?"

"Weren't these Iwa-nin of the jōnin level?"

Nagato closely examined the battlefield, sensing the lingering chakra from the Fire Release. "It might not have been just Fire Release—there are signs of Wind Release as well. It was a combination of Fire and Wind."

Yahiko mused, "Is it a Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai? I remember a powerful shinobi from the Sand Village with such abilities."

Nagato shook his head. "No, if it were Scorch Release, we wouldn't find traces of Wind Release."

"This could be someone from Konoha."

"Konoha, huh..." Yahiko sighed, then smiled. "No wonder, the village of Jiraiya-sensei."

At that moment, Nagato suddenly warned, "Someone's coming!"

"Nagato, Konan, retreat!" Yahiko ordered.

The three of them vanished in an instant.

Soon after, waves of shinobi arrived at the battlefield, surveying the area before quickly moving on.

(End of Chapter)

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