Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Lotus Blooms with Every Step!

Land of Rivers, Daimyo's Residence.

Chiyo and the others fell into a heavy silence as they looked at the lifeless body of the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers.

Although they had prepared themselves for the possibility of the Daimyo being assassinated, they had previously thwarted the enemy's plans and didn't expect them to strike again so suddenly, catching them off guard.

Chiyo was confident in her poison, and from Sakumo Hatake's actions, it was clear that he wasn't the type to sacrifice comrades just for the mission.

But Sakumo had returned unexpectedly, and although they had stationed guards to protect the Daimyo, the level of attention wasn't as high as before.

"Let's execute Plan B," Chiyo said decisively.

Plan B involved supporting a descendant of the Daimyo to ascend to power, ensuring that the interests of Sunagakure and the Land of Wind were preserved. This could even serve as an opportunity to further erode Konoha's influence.

...

Land of Fire.

As Shūichi Hoshita leapt through the forest, he glanced at the Uchiha ahead of him, who was carrying his comrade on his back. He couldn't help but think of the yet-to-be-born Uchiha Itachi.

In his previous life, Itachi was revered as a god by many—he wiped out his clan at the age of 13, which was even more impressive than Kakashi becoming a Jonin at 12.

After all, most members of the Uchiha clan who awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan were Jonin-level at minimum, and they held a significant advantage in one-on-one battles.

By now, Shūichi had already encountered three members of the Uchiha clan.

Obito Uchiha had a kind heart but was somewhat timid, though he was also proud of the Uchiha clan's honor.

His teammate, Shisui Uchiha, was gentle and always willing to help others. Unlike Obito, Shisui never spoke about the Uchiha clan's honor.

The masked Uchiha before him, who had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, seemed to care deeply for his comrades from their brief interaction.

They all appeared to be normal people.

"No, wait, are they really normal?" Shūichi suddenly recalled that he was only seven years old.

It was said that Uchiha Itachi had been brought onto the battlefield by Uchiha Fugaku when he was just four years old and had personally killed a dying enemy ninja who tried to launch a final counterattack.

"The First Hokage established the ninja village system to keep children off the battlefield. The Second Hokage created the ninja academy to further refine this idea," Shūichi mused.

"The standard system had children start their education at six, graduate at twelve, and then be guided by experienced Chunin or even Jonin, beginning with low-level missions and gradually developing their skills."

"But the First Hokage's death, followed by the Second Hokage's demise during the First Shinobi World War, shattered that system, and the original intentions couldn't be upheld."

Shūichi sighed inwardly, "No ninja is truly sane, are they?"

"The stronger they are, the more twisted they become... It looks like I'll have to be even crazier and more twisted than them to survive!"

...

In order to get the injured back to Konoha as quickly as possible, Shūichi Hoshita and the others traveled at high speed, only pausing briefly when they reached the Fire Country's border. After that, they hurried back to Konoha without stopping.

Namikaze Minato and Hatake Sakumo went directly to the Hokage's office to report on the mission, while Uchiha Shisui, Kurama Sanyō, and the others waited outside. Shūichi and Uchiha Yū took the two injured comrades to Konoha Hospital.

Once there, Shūichi and Nono Yakushi worked together to analyze the toxin. After identifying the components, Tsunade took over and began preparing the antidote.

It was at this moment that Tsunade showcased her incredible skills, quickly formulating the antidote. As soon as the medication was administered to the injured, their symptoms improved rapidly.

In this area, both Shūichi and Nono Yakushi had a long way to go to reach Tsunade's level.

Before they knew it, the afternoon had passed, and Shūichi felt he had gained a lot from the experience.

As they left Konoha Hospital, Shūichi noticed Namikaze Minato waiting under a tree.

He quickly approached, calling out, "Minato Sensei."

Minato smiled and nodded, then said, "You've got a seven-day break coming up. Remember to come by my house for lunch tomorrow. Kushina's cooking has improved a lot, and she wants you to see for yourself!"

Shūichi's face immediately fell at the thought.

While Kushina's skill in sealing techniques was indeed impressive, her cooking... was another matter entirely!

Seeing Shūichi's expression, Minato couldn't help but laugh.

Kushina's cooking might not be the best, but he found it endearing.

"That's settled then," Minato said as he disappeared.

Shūichi turned back to Nono Yakushi, and the two of them started walking towards the orphanage as the sun set.

On the way, Nono suddenly said, "I'm handing over the management of the orphanage to Ayame."

Shūichi paused for a moment, and Nono explained with a smile, "I need to spend more time at Konoha Hospital."

Hearing this, Shūichi quickly thought it over and smiled, "Aunt Ayame may be strict, but she's very kind. I'm sure she'll manage the orphanage well."

"But if that's the case, you'll need to move out of the orphanage, right?"

"Why not come live with me?"

Shūichi, with his thick skin, saw that Nono was about to shake her head in refusal, so he quickly added, "That way, you can take better care of me too!"

Nono hesitated for a moment, but finally, with Shūichi tugging at her hand, she nodded and agreed with a smile, "Alright, I'll take care of you until you're an adult!"

Shūichi didn't care about the whole 'until you're an adult' part—getting her to agree was already a victory.

That night, he still slept in Nono Yakushi's room, falling asleep to the comforting scent that was uniquely hers.

The next day, after morning training and breakfast, Shūichi headed to the small grove to further refine his Fire Body Flicker Technique.

He wanted to change the blooming flame flower into the shape of a lotus, instead of its current trumpet flower form.

Not only that, but he also needed it to be a double-layered lotus.

The transformation from a trumpet flower to a lotus wasn't particularly difficult.

By noon, Shūichi had nearly perfected it.

"Time to eat, then I'll continue this afternoon!"

Feeling energized, Shūichi ended his training and headed to Minato's house for lunch.

When Minato Namikaze opened the door, Shūichi Hoshita followed him inside and immediately saw Kushina Uzumaki smiling as she held a spatula.

"Shūichi, take a seat. The food will be ready soon!" she called out.

Shūichi glanced at the array of dishes on the table and breathed a small sigh of relief.

It all looked pretty good—seemed like her cooking really had improved.

Just then, Minato chimed in, "I made most of these. The last dish is the one Kushina cooked."

Shūichi's heart sank, and he heard Minato whisper, "Shūichi, remember to encourage Kushina later."

Forcing a smile, Shūichi replied, "Don't worry, Sensei."

At this point, he strongly suspected that it wasn't Kushina who invited him over, but rather his unreliable teacher, Minato, who needed someone to share the burden of the "unique" cuisine.

As it turned out, Kushina's cooking had only improved a little.

However, Shūichi took a big bite without so much as a frown, giving a thumbs up. "Your cooking has improved a lot, Kushina-san is—amazing!"

Minato, also eating heartily, nodded in agreement, without a hint of dishonesty.

Kushina beamed with joy, then picked up the dish she had made and laughed, "You've tried it, and that makes me happy. Now, go ahead and eat what Minato made!"

Shūichi quickly grabbed the dish and set it back down, smiling, "Since you worked so hard to make it, it would be a waste not to eat it."

"Besides, cooking is like a ninja's training—it requires gradual improvement and a lot of encouragement to keep going."

Kushina laughed heartily, placing her hands on her hips, and then patted Shūichi's head with a smile. "You're absolutely right, Shūichi. Even learning to cook carries the spirit of a ninja."

"But seriously, with a sweet talker like you, no wonder you're so popular with the girls!"

Shūichi pretended to be shy, saying, "Kushina-san, I'm only seven!"

Both Kushina and Minato froze for a moment before bursting into laughter together.

The meal turned out to be a great success, with everyone enjoying themselves. By the end of it, Kushina no longer treated Shūichi as an outsider but as Minato's direct disciple, almost like her own younger brother or student.

After lunch, Shūichi helped Minato clean up before bidding farewell and heading back to the small grove to continue his training.

Forming a vivid lotus shape out of flames was no longer an issue for him. Now, his focus was on maintaining the explosive effect of the flames for a longer duration.

However, this continuity was not like the previous method where a single step would produce a flame flower.

What Shūichi needed was a sustained, stable effect that would allow him to seemingly walk on air, as if standing on water.

Of course, this was a very challenging step.

With his current level of chakra control, Shūichi wasn't confident he could achieve it just yet.

So, after successfully transforming the original flame flower into a fiery lotus and achieving a smooth, explosive release in mid-air, Shūichi shifted his attention to the Tag Tree in his mind.

At the same time, he officially renamed his Fire Body Flicker Technique.

"Fiery Lotus Steps!"

The name wasn't particularly fitting for the Shinobi world, but Shūichi felt it was incredibly appropriate.

Immediately, the Tag Tree provided an evaluation of this Fire Release secret technique.

S-Rank Difficulty!

It met the requirement to activate the "Fire Release Master" tag!

Shūichi took a deep breath and instantly activated the "Fire Release Master" tag.

In a flash, the gray leaf of the tag tree was enveloped in a blue light.

It was a blue tag.

Immediately after, Shūichi felt a surge of electricity through his body, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Fire Release Talent +100%, Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation +100%, Fire Release Shape Transformation +100%; excluding Kekkei Genkai-based Fire Releases, no Fire Release jutsu or secret technique would pose a learning obstacle.

When his consciousness returned, Shūichi carefully assessed the changes within himself.

This time, the feeling was far more pronounced than when he had activated the "Fire Release Expert" Tag.

Spreading his right palm, Shūichi effortlessly summoned a fiery lotus.

The speed of its formation was leagues ahead of what he could achieve before becoming a "Fire Release Master."

But that wasn't all—at his mental command, the fiery lotus, originally orange-red, subtly shifted colors, transforming into a white lotus after a moment.

White flames!

The temperature was significantly higher than that of the orange-red flames. Among Fire Release users, Shūichi had yet to see anyone else capable of producing white flames.

The only exception was Pakura of the Scorch Release, whose Scorch Release orbs reached extremely high temperatures, appearing white.

Of course, the temperature of Shūichi's Blue Flame Sky Blade was even higher.

But that was the result of stacking multiple effects—under normal circumstances, even Shūichi couldn't achieve that temperature with Fire Release alone.

Now, however, Shūichi could instantly raise his Fire Release temperature to match that of Pakura's Scorch Release.

"No wonder it's called 'Fire Release Master'!"

Shūichi grinned widely.

The enhancements of +100% to Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation had brought about incredible, immediate changes.

And with his Fire Release talent now doubled, Shūichi felt even more confident about further developing his "Fiery Lotus Steps."

Calming his mind, Shūichi dispersed the white lotus in his hand, then leapt into the air.

As his upward momentum slowed and he began to descend, two clusters of flames appeared under his feet, resembling flower buds sprouting at his soles, which then quickly bloomed toward the ground.

They looked like inverted white lotuses.

The air distorted and wavered, and Shūichi felt a momentary boost, halting his descent.

He began walking through the air, with each step causing the white lotus to contract into a bud when his foot lifted and bloom again when his foot landed.

Fiery Lotus Steps—the name was truly fitting.

However, as Shūichi continued walking in the air, he couldn't avoid missteps, causing his movements to become wobbly and unsteady.

At times, the lotus would suddenly extinguish, causing him to drop.

But with his Fire Release Chakra Nature and Shape Transformation both enhanced by 100%, and his talent greatly improved, Shūichi progressed rapidly.

Within just five minutes, he was already able to walk steadily through the air above the small grove, with each step blooming a lotus.

Landing back on the ground, Shūichi was panting heavily.

Impressive, indeed. Stylish, too. But it's quite draining.

Even though his physique had improved and his chakra reserves were far ahead of his peers, he was still too young.

"It's tough to work on physical strength, but thankfully, I have the improved Yin Seal..."

After consuming a soldier pill, Shūichi sat down under a tree to rest, contemplating his next steps in training.

(End of Chapter)

T/N: Original Name of 'Fiery Lotus Steps' justu was 'Step-by-Step Lotus Bloom', I changed it.

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