Chapter 24: Busoshoku Haki Sublimation and Ambition

Recalling the training principles of Haki that Zephyr imparted, Chika attempted to channel the supposed latent power within him.

As someone who had spent two and a half years training in the Ryuchi Cave, Chika was already intimately familiar with perceiving his own body and the forces of nature.

Slowly, a layer of black covered Chika's hands up to his wrists.

As he looked at his pitch-black hands, Chika could clearly feel the increase in power. With his current state, he could unleash the power of his Sage Mode even without actually entering it.

However, Chika wasn't satisfied. There were still some things he hadn't tried yet, namely, chakra and natural energy!

"What would happen if I enter Sage Mode and combine chakra with natural energy to enhance my Busoshoku Haki? How would it change?"

With that thought in mind, Chika activated his Sage Mode in the Ryuchi Cave, and purple eye shadow appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Chika tried to infuse his Sage Mode chakra into his hands covered in Busoshoku Haki. However, as he injected the chakra, he felt intense pain in his hands, as if they were about to burst open.

Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down Chika's face. He couldn't hold on any longer and stopped infusing the Sage Mode chakra.

Chika realized that he had been too eager for quick results. After all, everything had to be done step by step. Strengthening his hands was still too much of a strain for someone who was just starting to learn Busoshoku Haki.

After taking a moment to recover and when the pain subsided slightly, Chika resumed infusing the Sage Mode chakra, but this time he only infused his right hand, which he frequently used.

Although the process was still painful and difficult to endure, since it was only one hand, he could be more precise and effective.

Slowly, the pitch-black Busoshoku Haki covering his right hand began to gather towards the center of the back of his hand. Chika's Rinnegan eyes emitted a bright purple light, and he let out a low shout,

"Busoshoku Haki, sublimate!"

In the next moment, the Busoshoku Haki on Chika's entire right hand condensed and ultimately formed a black circular pattern, resembling a black sun.

Looking at the circular pattern on the back of his hand, Chika murmured to himself,

"The sublimated Busoshoku Haki is stored here. It is like another heart that provides me with power. Let's call it the 'Ambition Heart.'"

With a thought, the circular pattern on the back of his hand instantly radiated five thick black lines that extended to the fingertips of Chika's five fingers.

The five black lines resembled black veins, continuously channeling a destructive power into Chika's entire right hand.

"Haaah!"

Chika clenched his fist and struck the air with a punch. As he punched, the circular pattern on the back of his hand seemed to pulsate like a heartbeat, rapidly contracting, and the five black lines surged with power.

A shockwave in the shape of a fist appeared and blasted towards a nearby small hill.

Boom!!

With a loud bang, the hill dozens of meters high was instantly flattened, sending stones flying in all directions.

Chika was very satisfied with the power of his previous strike. However, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when he noticed that the Ambition Heart on his arm had visibly shrunk. He thought to himself,

"The consumption of Ambition Heart is a bit severe. With the Busoshoku Haki I just developed, I still can't use it as a regular attack."

Upon reflecting on the form of this punch, Chika thought of Kaguya's technique, "Hyakushiki Kōjin." Although there was still a gap in power, Chika cheekily named his version of the technique "Shinkūgeki," the youthful version of Hyakushiki Kōjin.

Of course, it would eventually upgrade to the flagship version!

With the preliminary success of sublimating Busoshoku Haki, Chika released his Sage Mode and the pattern on his hand disappeared.

As he returned to his normal state, a wave of exhaustion surged through Chika. He shook his head, activated his Rinnegan ability to float, and then slowly flew back towards his dormitory.

...

"Senpai, you're back!"

Chika opened the dormitory door and looked at Bridge, whose face was bruised and swollen. He asked in confusion,

"Bridge, what happened to your face? Did the upperclassmen beat you up?"

"Ahaha, I was just fooling around with Glerfus and accidentally bumped into the table. Well, that's just my luck!"

Glerfus also walked over, holding a cigar in his mouth. He embraced Bridge and grinned, leaning close to Bridge's ear,

"You're just too careless. How about smoking a cigar? It'll numb the pain!"

Bridge forced a smile that looked even worse than crying and quickly waved his hands,

"No, no, I can't smoke cigars. I won't be able to handle it in the future either."

"Don't be like that. Come on, I'll light one for you. Don't be shy! We're buddies, right?"

"No, really, Glerfus, I can't!"

"Hmm? You won't give me face? Light it up!"

"Okay, okay, I'll take one then!"

"Why are you sticking your head out like that?"

"Weren't you going to light it up for me?"

"What I meant was for you to light it up for me now!"

...

These two troublemakers. Chika shook his head helplessly and walked to his own bed, only to find that everything, including his blanket, had been neatly arranged.

Tsk, what a considerate roommate! If this were on Earth, Chika would definitely reward him with the title of a filal son.

Feeling content, Chika sat down on the bed and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.