"Yes."
Shūichi nodded and acknowledged, "Lady Tsunade, you're familiar with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode used by the Cloud ninja, right?"
Tsunade nodded in return. "Of course. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode is the pinnacle of their lightning techniques and physical combat abilities. It's widely regarded as the strongest Lightning Release technique in the ninja world."
"So, you want to use the Hundred Healings Technique to train in a Fire Release Chakra Mode, since your specialty is Fire Release."
"Plus, Fire Release is harder to control compared to Lightning Release."
Shūichi nodded again. "Exactly. While my chakra control is excellent, my chakra reserves are still far from sufficient. That's why I've trained with the Yin Seal."
"And now that I have the Hundred Healings Technique, developing the Fire Release Chakra Mode will be much easier."
"And it's not limited to just Fire Release Chakra Mode. With the Hundred Healings Technique, the difficulty of developing any chakra mode is significantly reduced."
Hearing this, Tsunade couldn't help but comment, "At your age, your chakra reserves are already massive. You've surpassed what I had back then, and only Jiraiya had reserves on this scale."
She then frowned slightly, "But don't you think you're pushing yourself too hard?"
"I've heard from Nonō and Asuka that you haven't taken a single day off. No rest, no entertainment."
Shūichi shrugged helplessly, "Lady Tsunade, you're aware of the conflict between Danzo and me. If I don't have enough strength, he could eliminate me without a second thought."
"Even without him, the ninja world is dangerous. All the major villages are ramping up their military forces. Iwagakure is getting restless, Kumogakure is gathering secret techniques from all over, and even Sunagakure is working hard to boost their finances."
"These signs, Lady Tsunade, you understand what they mean, right?"
"I don't want to die in the middle of a war. I'm not even 10 years old yet—I've got so much I haven't experienced."
Tsunade fell silent after hearing this. She waved her hand, clearly uninterested, then turned around to grab a bottle of sake and started drinking on her own.
Shūichi sighed quietly. He didn't try to persuade her further, just tidied up his things and left quietly.
...
Strolling down the street, Shūichi pondered his next steps.
The Hundred Healings Technique hadn't been developed by a sudden burst of inspiration, which meant that this year's "Flash of Insight" needed to be applied somewhere else.
"Well then, let's go with Fire Release Chakra Mode!"
Shūichi made his decision.
The Fire Release Chakra Mode would offer both offense and defense.
With the heat from his Fire Release, ordinary weapons like kunai and other projectiles would melt instantly.
The only things he needed to watch out for were projectiles infused with Wind Release or Lightning Release.
For example, Killer Bee's sword or the Wind Release-infused weapons used by Sunagakure's sand ninjas.
Especially Danzo!
He had clashed with one of Danzo's shadow clones before, and that old man's Wind Release techniques were no less powerful than his own.
No, they were even craftier!
That's why, aside from Minato Namikaze, his teacher, Shūichi hadn't taught the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken to anyone else—not even the village.
...
Shūichi didn't head home right away; instead, he went to the Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant and placed an order.
The staff, hearing the sheer quantity of food he requested, couldn't help but gape in surprise. "Shūichi-sama, do you… do you really need this much? Every meal?"
Shūichi nodded. "That's right, for every meal. Let's set it for three days for now."
The employee swallowed nervously before nodding. "Understood, don't worry, we'll make sure it's delivered to your house on time!"
Shūichi smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the hard work!"
With that, he left a deposit of one million ryō.
Initially, he had planned to eat military ration pills, but they tasted awful. So he figured he might as well spend some money on better food since he wasn't short on cash. After all, his experimental base expenses were covered.
The reason for such a large order was that he needed to quickly build up his chakra reserves.
From the eating contest he participated in, he had learned his digestion capabilities, and now he could put them to use.
After placing his order, Shūichi went straight home to take a bath, all the while pondering the next steps for his Fire Release Chakra Mode.
He had to prepare in case he completed the mode before his "Flash of Insight" moment was used up.
"Wind Body Flicker…"
"Also, combining Wind Release with Fire Release will make Fiery Lotus Steps even more powerful."
"By combining Wind and Fire, I can actually improve my control over both elements—much like Pakura's Fire Release. This could be an early exploration toward developing a kekkei genkai."
"And then there's space-time ninjutsu. I still need one more…"
Summoning Jutsu, Sealing Scroll Techniques, Summoning Tags, and the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
When thinking about space-time ninjutsu, Shūichi scratched his head. He didn't have a clear direction for developing it on his own.
Maybe once he acquired the Body Flicker Expert tag, he could start learning Flying Thunder God directly.
Flying Thunder God was difficult, but with all the talent he had stacked up, it shouldn't be impossible for him.
Swoosh!
After finishing his bath, Shūichi got dressed and took out the genjutsu analysis scroll given to him by Uchiha Shisui, pondering it for a moment before the Akimichi clan's food delivery arrived.
Various meats and fruit salads filled up the entire living room.
Shūichi also brewed a huge bucket of tea before entering full eating mode.
Three meals a day, for three days straight, and finally, he had filled up the Yin Seal on his forehead.
There were only three days left until the New Year.
In the courtyard.
Standing in the snow, Shūichi lowered his gaze.
The next moment, the Hundred Healings Technique activated, the Eight Trigrams Seal opened, and the Yin Seal unlocked. A massive surge of chakra burst forth like a flood.
In an instant, Shūichi's entire body was enveloped in blue chakra.
Inside the kitchen, Asuka, who was making ration pills, looked worried. "Nonō-san, do you think Shūichi is pushing himself too hard these days?"
Yakushi Nonō glanced at Shūichi standing in the courtyard, then smiled gently. "Trust Shūichi. He can handle it."
"And all we need to do is support him."
Asuka nodded and returned to her task, busy with the creation of a new flavor of high-concentration Military ration pills, which had twice the energy of the regular ones, specifically designed for Shūichi.
In the courtyard, Shūichi had fully focused his mind. The next moment, he activated his "Flash of Insight."
Maxed comprehension, maxed creativity!
Clap!
With a clap of his hands, Shūichi went all in on chakra nature transformation.
In the blink of an eye, his entire body became engulfed in orange-red flames.
At this point, it looked as though he were standing in the midst of a massive fire. The surrounding snow melted rapidly, and the ground dried up.
However, as Shūichi fine-tuned his control, the flames began to shrink, eventually sticking to his body like a layer of flickering fire.
Now, he finally resembled Naruto in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, or Roshi in his Lava Release Chakra Mode.
It was even more refined than the Lightning Release Chakra Mode displayed by the future Fourth Raikage, A.
This was a result of Shūichi's exceptional chakra control and mastery of Fire Release nature transformation, allowing him to achieve this so quickly.
At this moment, Shūichi looked as though he were wearing a cloak of flames. His hair and eyebrows danced in the fiery glow.
It seemed like he had succeeded—he had now donned a fiery chakra cloak.
But for Shūichi Hoshita, it wasn't enough.
The defense of this flame cloak wasn't strong enough, or rather, the temperature wasn't high enough. The defensive capability of the Fire Release Chakra Mode relied on its temperature—it had to be able to melt steel instantly.
So, after shaping the initial form, Shūichi continued to refine the nature transformation further.
As a result, the originally orange-red flames dancing around his body rapidly turned into a scorching white.
"This shouldn't be my limit!"
With his gaze lowered, Shūichi pressed on.
A minute later, the once white flames started to take on a light blue hue.
Blue flames—this was a high-temperature fire that he hadn't been able to produce all at once before.
After five more minutes, Shūichi's chakra suddenly surged, and the white flames around him were completely replaced by blue.
His entire body was now enveloped in blue flames, with only the mark of the Yin Seal on his forehead remaining visibly white due to its intense brightness.
But before he could celebrate, Shūichi let out a muffled grunt, and the fire chakra cloak around him instantly extinguished. His legs gave way, and he stumbled to the ground.
"Shūichi!"
Asuka rushed over to support him, panicking. "Quick, bite my arm!"
Drops of blood trickled from Shūichi's nose.
"I'm fine…" Shūichi winced, feeling as if his brain had been pierced by needles. "Just overworked my brain."
If it weren't for his improved physique, mental strength, and willpower, he wouldn't have been able to handle it. This was far more mentally exhausting than developing the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
His brain felt like it was on fire.
"Asuka, don't worry."
Yakushi Nonō also appeared beside Shūichi, calm and composed. She placed her hands on Shūichi's temples, emitting a soft green glow of healing chakra.
Shūichi immediately felt relief as his head became enveloped in his own chakra, and the intense pain quickly subsided.
"It seems that when operating with high focus, I need to envelop my brain with chakra to ensure no problems occur during extended periods of activation. I overlooked that before," Shūichi thought to himself with a wry smile.
After Nonō wiped away his nosebleed, Shūichi grinned and said, "It's fine now. I just neglected to protect my brain earlier."
"I was too focused, and my thoughts were running too fast, overloading my brain."
The Hundred Healings Technique could protect his brain well, but he had focused everything on the Fire Release Chakra Mode, which was a lapse in judgment.
Nonō and Asuka both sighed in relief.
Shūichi stood up and smiled. "Don't worry, there won't be any more mishaps after this."
Although there had been a minor setback, the result was good.
The Fire Release Chakra Mode was nearly complete.
"Shūichi, do you want to replenish your chakra?" Asuka asked.
Shūichi shook his head. "No need. I still have plenty!"
Nonō and Asuka exchanged glances. Nonō went back to her work, while Asuka stayed nearby.
Shūichi knew she was worried about him, so he didn't stop her. Instead, he quickly refocused.
The next moment, his body was once again covered in blue chakra, and then blue flames began to appear.
This time, he skipped the transition through white flames!
He gradually reduced his focus.
5x!
2x!
At this point, the blue Fire Release Chakra Cloak was starting to become unstable.
Shūichi sighed inwardly. "If it were Scorch Release, I wouldn't need such high concentration to control it."
High focus meant high energy consumption.
His current Fire Release Chakra Mode was still relying on chakra from the Yin Seal, not his own natural reserves.
"If Pakura had enough chakra, achieving a Scorch Release Chakra Mode wouldn't be as difficult as people imagine."
"Just like Roshi, with the Four-Tails' chakra supporting him, creating a Lava Release Chakra Mode to form a lava armor wasn't too hard."
Shūichi pondered, "A single chakra nature is difficult to control, especially Fire, Wind, and Lightning Release."
"My next goal should either be developing Lava Release or Scorch Release, as both could more easily form a chakra cloak."
"Three minutes left—let's try adding Wind Release…"
(End of Chapter)
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