Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
At River Valley Town, the number of wounded arriving from the front lines had dwindled, giving Hoshita Shūichi much more free time.
In a forest near the medical camp, Shūichi erupted chakra from his feet, his figure blurring into an afterimage as he dashed forward with explosive speed.
Where he had stood moments before, a charred crater now smoldered.
The most basic Body Flicker Technique relied on chakra bursts from the soles to achieve high-speed movement.
Tsunade's Monstrous Strength, on the other hand, utilized even more refined chakra control to generate far greater explosive power.
Now, Shūichi was taking it a step further—by infusing his movement with Fire Release chakra.
In other words, he wasn't just releasing raw chakra anymore. Instead, he first applied Fire Release chakra nature transformation, then detonated it to create an even more powerful propulsion force.
Fire Release's explosive properties were undeniably effective—though the side effect was that it made quite a racket.
After days of relentless experimentation, Shūichi had finally grasped the basics of this technique.
This was no ordinary Body Flicker—it was a Fire Release Body Flicker Technique!
Unfortunately, it didn't meet the requirements for an A-rank entry on his Skill Tree.
Nor had it achieved Shūichi's ultimate goal.
He wasn't just after movement speed—he needed attack speed as well.
While increased movement speed naturally enhanced attack speed, it still wasn't enough.
Coming to a halt, Shūichi sank into deep thought once more.
Memories from his past life and present flooded his mind.
"Jet propulsion?"
"Turbofan?"
"Would Wind Release be necessary?"
"No—perhaps the key lies in further shape manipulation..."
"If I want a comprehensive speed boost, it can't just be limited to foot propulsion. In that case, there's only one viable form—a chakra cloak!"
Shūichi scratched his head in frustration.
"Forget the chakra control needed to form a chakra cloak—my current chakra reserves alone wouldn't allow it."
"The Strength of a Hundred Seal is absolutely essential!"
"Also, would developing a Fire Release chakra cloak be more cost-effective than switching to Lightning Release training now?"
Exhaling sharply, Shūichi dismissed the idea of abandoning Fire Release for Lightning.
When developing a new technique, the worst thing one could do was retreat at the first sign of difficulty.
Moving to sit beneath a tree, Shūichi organized his thoughts.
"First, my current chakra control isn't sufficient. But if I acquire the [Medical Expert] title, my control will improve immediately."
"As for chakra reserves—the Strength of a Hundred Seal will solve that. One seal on the forehead, another on the abdomen. Once both are fully charged, I won't match a tailed beast, but I'll be at least half as formidable."
"Most importantly, if this technique succeeds, it's bound to be S-rank. Not only would I secure the [Fire Release Master] title, but it would also push my Fire Release swordsmanship to new heights, paving the way for the [Swordsmanship Master] title. And with that, my physique would undergo another upgrade..."
The benefits were too numerous to ignore. After careful consideration, Shūichi made up his mind.
Stick with Fire Release!
"Start with shape transformation!"
With renewed determination, Shūichi threw himself back into training.
He had already pushed chakra nature transformation to its current limit. To achieve a more refined explosive force, he now needed to focus on shape manipulation.
Boom!
Kaboom—!
In the forest, Shūichi repeatedly detonated chakra from his feet. But this time, he experimented with altering its form—such as shaping the Fire Release chakra into a flared, trumpet-like structure before ignition.
Days slipped by unnoticed.
On the last day of April, Shūichi—deep in training—suddenly heard a familiar voice call his name. Turning, he saw Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Shisui, and Kurama Sanyō smiling at him.
"Is the mission over?" Shūichi asked, delighted.
But then he noticed the bandages wrapped around Sanyō's arm. "Sanyō, you're injured?"
"It's nothing, just a flesh wound," Sanyō replied dismissively.
Shūichi inspected it briefly before nodding in relief.
Minato then said, "Shūichi, you're officially rejoining the squad. We're heading back to Konoha."
May 1, Year 40 of Konoha's Founding
Shūichi and the others returned to Konoha Village.
While Minato and the team were granted leave, Shūichi immediately buried himself in Konoha Hospital.
He urgently needed the [Medical Expert] title to enhance his chakra control.
Of course, he didn't neglect his training in Wind Release chakra nature transformation, sealing techniques, or Fire Release shape manipulation. His schedule was packed tighter than during missions.
One afternoon, after lunch, Shūichi left the hospital to seek Minato's guidance on sealing techniques.
But when the door opened, it wasn't Minato who greeted him—but a red-haired woman.
Shūichi froze for a second, but the woman grinned warmly.
"You must be Shūichi, the one Minato's always talking about!"
"I'm Uzumaki Kushina, Minato's girlfriend."
She introduced herself without a hint of shyness.
Minato's voice soon followed. "Shūichi?"
"Come on in!"
Kushina chimed in, "Yeah, join us! We were just studying sealing techniques!"
Shūichi no longer had to pretend ignorance. He bowed respectfully. "Master's wife, I'm Hoshita Shūichi. It's an honor to meet you!"
The title "Master's wife" made Kushina blush, but her smile widened. She pulled Shūichi inside eagerly.
In the living room, scrolls covered in dense sealing formulas were strewn everywhere.
Minato looked up and waved him over. "Shūichi, take a look. Kushina and I have drafted a preliminary design based on your idea."
Shūichi hurried over and examined the scroll. The notes were rough but logically sound, with two distinct handwriting styles—clearly a collaboration between Minato and Kushina.
After a moment, Shūichi's eyes lit up. "Minato-sensei, Master's wife—this is incredible!"
Kushina beamed with pride. "Of course it is!"
But then she added with a chuckle, "Though you're pretty amazing yourself, coming up with the idea of combining two Four Symbols Seals."
Minato nodded. "Shūichi, this could qualify as a brand-new sealing technique."
Shūichi pretended to ponder before suggesting, "How about calling it the Eight Trigrams Seal?"
Kushina immediately gave a thumbs-up. "Perfect name!"
Minato agreed. "Then Eight Trigrams Seal it is."
"There's one more thing—the village might want to use this technique, so we need your permission."
"Of course, Konoha will compensate you. Based on evaluation, the Eight Trigrams Seal is easily A-rank. In exchange, you can select any A-rank technique from the village's archives—not limited to sealing jutsu."
Shūichi already had a hunch about where the Eight Trigrams Seal would be used. Besides, the core concept was his, but the actual development was Minato and Kushina's work.
Naturally, he wouldn't refuse the reward. He agreed without hesitation.
As for which A-rank technique to choose, he'd decide later.
Just then, his Skill Tree reacted.
But he didn't check it immediately, focusing instead on learning the Eight Trigrams Seal and the even more complex combined technique—Strength of a Hundred Seal + Eight Trigrams Seal.
Though the dual seal was intricate, Shūichi—already proficient in the Strength of a Hundred Seal and the Four Symbols Seal—found it manageable.
His natural talent for sealing, combined with his photographic memory, rapid cognition, and hyper-focus, made the learning process smooth. Kushina praised him repeatedly, growing fonder of the clever, polite boy by the minute.
Minato's three-day break flew by, and Shūichi had nearly mastered the new seals.
On the final day, as he prepared to leave, Kushina offered warmly, "Shūichi, if you ever have questions about sealing techniques, feel free to come to me!"
Shūichi was thrilled but didn't accept outright. Instead, he glanced at Minato.
It wasn't that he doubted Minato's approval—he was simply pretending not to know about Kushina's status as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.
Minato smiled. "Of course, if you need it."
Shūichi's face lit up. "Thank you, Minato-sensei! Thank you, Master's wife!"
As he saw them off, Minato asked, "Have you decided on that A-rank technique?"
Shūichi thought for a moment. "Do you have any suggestions, sensei?"
Minato grinned. "Pick something I haven't mastered!"
"Like Wind Release, sensory techniques, or sealing jutsu."
Shūichi chuckled. "That's what I was thinking too."
"In that case, I'll go with a genjutsu."
Minato blinked. "Genjutsu?"
Shūichi nodded. "I've learned a lot about illusions from Shisui and Sanyō. They've piqued my interest."
"More importantly, Minato-sensei, I think the Memory Palace is best suited for genjutsu development!"
Minato was taken aback but soon nodded in admiration. "Your intuition for jutsu never fails to impress, Shūichi."
"Very well, genjutsu it is."
With that settled, Shūichi returned home under the night sky.
After drawing a bath, he closed his eyes and focused on the Skill Tree in his mind.
A new title had appeared.
Title: [Sealing Master]
Unlock Conditions: Create at least 5 A-rank sealing techniques, or develop 1 S-rank sealing technique.
Effects:
Sealing techniques & cursed mark talent +100%
Thought processing speed +100%
Permanently convert one sealing technique into a Bloodline Limit
No learning barriers for non-Bloodline sealing techniques or cursed marks
Splash!
Shūichi's eyes snapped open as he shot to his feet.
"Permanently convert a sealing technique into a Bloodline Limit?!"
"Holy—!"
"Now that's what I call a 'Master' title!"
"Big and powerful!"
Shūichi grinned wildly.
He knew all too well—the Naruto world was ruled by bloodlines and cheat codes!
Without either, even geniuses like Orochimaru ended up as side characters.
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