Fuma's Future Path

Fuma escorted the alluring songstress to the hotel's entrance and gently kissed her hand.

"That's enough. You can leave me here," he said, pressing a stack of ryo notes into her hand and winking.

The songstress looked surprised, her cheeks flushing slightly as she shyly said, "Actually... I really like you."

Fuma patted her hair, said no more, and returned to his room, leaving her standing there, bewildered.

It wasn't that he was impervious to her charms; it was just that if he indulged in intimacy with her, it would be like killing her. This was a significant issue for Fuma.

Ever since he amassed six titles at once, his physique had undergone a drastic transformation, rendering his usual stress-relief activities impossible.

Given that the songstresses were ordinary people, he didn't want to cause any accidents.

In the ninja world, a Chunin could enjoy himself in places like this, relishing nightly encounters. Though ninjas might seem like emotionless tools to the daimyo, they were deities and protectors to ordinary people.

In this twisted world, becoming a Jonin was equivalent to a significant achievement in his previous life.

Lying on the bed with his legs crossed, Fuma pondered his future path.

Fuma's development in taijutsu had gradually approached the limits of a typical ninja. To continue progressing and maintain dominance in future battles against the Otsutsuki clan, he needed to find a way to break through these limits.

Considering the events of Boruto, choosing taijutsu was undoubtedly promising. In high-level battles, chakra had become akin to a basic commodity.

Chakra-based techniques could be absorbed effortlessly, and the only way to harm an enemy was by overwhelming them.

To advance in the ninja world, mastering space-time ninjutsu, sealing techniques, and sage arts was essential. Alternatively, mastering raw physical power, like Fuma and Guy, was a viable path.

Regardless of the opponent's flashy abilities, Fuma's approach was straightforward: the laws of physics and raw kinetic energy.

Fuma's taijutsu was different from Guy's. While Guy pursued high offense and low defense, burning himself out for maximum attack power, Fuma balanced offense and defense, emphasizing the harmony between soul and body.

This approach stemmed from two perplexing aspects of the Naruto world that Fuma couldn't wrap his head around.

First, his ancestor Madara Uchiha's downfall from a kunai wound baffled him. How could a god-level ninja fall to a fifty-ryō kunai? Shouldn't there be a focus on improving defense?

Second, the Uchiha prodigy Shisui's Kotoamatsukami was another enigma. Its mechanism was too mysterious and required serious caution.

To avoid becoming an "Uchiha disgrace," Fuma set two principles early in his training.

1. Despite being a taijutsu ninja, he must rigorously train against genjutsu to avoid becoming a puppet.

2. The hallmark of a taijutsu ninja is not high offense but high defense!

These goals were ambitious, and only a handful of ninjas could achieve them. However, Fuma had a system that made it easier to accumulate experience and exchange it for titles.

From graduating the ninja academy at nine and joining the Anbu, Fuma killed his way to the [Savage Growth] title, initiating his rapid rise.

[Savage Growth] granted him extraordinary healing abilities and damage immunity post-recovery.

Fuma began experimenting with his body, using it to endure various elemental jutsu. At first, his Anbu comrades ridiculed him, predicting he'd cripple himself. However, they soon realized something was off.

Fuma progressed from withstanding C-rank fireballs, suffering minor burns, to facing B-rank jutsu like Great Fireball and Earth Dragon Bullet without flinching, only concerned about his clothes.

His comrades' perception shifted: was he an Uchiha or from the Yotsuki clan(clan in kumogakure)? If not for the lack of lightning chakra, he might have been mistaken for the Third Raikage working undercover in Konoha.

Similarly, to resist genjutsu, Fuma tormented his clan's genjutsu users, asking them to test him until he was unresponsive, sitting dazed on the ground.

Initially, they'd mock him, claiming taijutsu was useless against the Sharingan. But as he gradually resisted, he'd get in their faces, questioning their stagnant ocular power, successfully annoying many Uchiha.

Reflecting on his training, Fuma smiled at the memories of those joyful days.

At this point, comparing Fuma's combat power to someone like the Third Raikage was apt.

He had the same genjutsu resistance, comparable speed, and defense. However, in terms of attack power, his strongest move might still fall short of the Raikage's Hell Stab, given the latter's precise chakra control.

Fuma's philosophy was different: relying on chakra for defense had flaws. The real armor was his body.

Currently, Fuma was a tank with high tolerance and decent single-target damage. But like most taijutsu users, he faced challenges in large-scale battles.

For instance, Guy's Peacock technique, which involved air friction to create fire, was highly inefficient in terms of energy.

This technique underscored the limitations of taijutsu users' long-range attacks. When speed was no longer an advantage, engaging in close combat became challenging.

Similarly, the Third Raikage struggled against large numbers, lacking effective means to deal with masses of low-tier enemies.

Addressing large-scale confrontations, maintaining close combat, and mastering space-time or sage techniques were essential for Fuma.

Squinting, Fuma considered the best ninjutsu for his needs. Space-time techniques seemed ideal. With Kamui, he could teleport behind enemies, leveraging his close-combat prowess to potentially kill Kages like the Third Kazekage or Tsuchikage.

Flying Raijin would be less effective but still beneficial.

Sighing, Fuma covered his face, feeling a wave of frustration.

Minato was still a child begging him for money and treats, while Obito was likely still a toddler. Obtaining space-time ninjutsu wasn't easy in this world.

Fuma mentally repeated, "Space-time ninjutsu, sage arts, area-of-effect techniques."

Even with his system, mastering space-time abilities wasn't straightforward.

"Whoosh—"

Swiftly removing his shirt, he extinguished the bedside lamp with a wave.

"No more thinking. Things will eventually work out. For now, I'll focus on resting. Goodnight."

Comfortably tucking himself in, Fuma prepared for tomorrow, ready to take on the seasoned Jonin.

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