Chapter 72: Chapter 72: White Tiger, High-Temperature Laser!
Entering the Forest of Death, Shūichi Hoshita and his team split up to observe the animals in the forest, searching for those with spiritual potential that could make suitable summoning beasts.
A giant python!
A massive spider!
A huge gorilla!
The Forest of Death was home to a diverse array of wild animals, each of them enormous in size.
After spending the entire morning searching, the group gathered at the agreed meeting spot around noon to share the information they had collected.
"Shūichi, I think this black gorilla would be a good choice. It's powerful, huge, and has thick skin that's tough to penetrate."
"This black wolf is also a strong contender—it's agile, has sharp claws and teeth, and is highly intelligent. It's also excellent at tracking prey, which could make it a great companion if trained properly."
"What about the spider? It's venomous and can spin large webs to trap enemies."
Kurama Sanyō was the most enthusiastic, eagerly introducing the targets he had selected.
On the other hand, Minato Namikaze and Shisui Uchiha had fewer selections, but their notes were far more detailed.
Shūichi carefully reviewed the options and finally locked his gaze on one specific target.
It was the one Shisui Uchiha had chosen.
"Shūichi, you're interested in this white tiger?" Shisui noticed where Shūichi was looking.
Shūichi nodded, "This young tiger seems like a good pick. It's just started hunting on its own after leaving its mother. Since you, Shisui, say it has spiritual potential, it must be quite exceptional."
"Plus, raising a young tiger offers more room for growth."
Minato immediately made the decision, "First impressions are very important. Let's go check out the white tiger Shisui found."
The four of them set off at once, following Shisui to the young white tiger's hunting grounds. They arrived just in time to see the cub lying on a rock, basking in the sun.
This white tiger wasn't entirely white; it had rings of black stripes across its body.
Because it was so young, it looked particularly adorable.
Shūichi took a liking to it at first sight and immediately decided, "This one's the one!"
He then used the Body Flicker Technique to appear right beside the white tiger.
Startled, the tiger cub let out a low, immature growl. It was about to get up, but Shūichi quickly placed a hand on its head, holding it down.
"Roar..."
The white tiger struggled and growled, glaring at Shūichi with a mix of fear and defiance, but its roars were more cute than threatening.
Shūichi chuckled softly, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."
He kept one hand on its head and began to gently stroke its back with the other.
The tiger soon realized it couldn't break free and eventually gave up, staring at Shūichi with wide eyes.
Indeed, it seemed quite intelligent.
Shūichi grew even more fond of it and then channeled chakra into his left hand, carefully injecting it into the tiger's body.
"Roar!"
The tiger was startled again but soon found the sensation surprisingly pleasant, even closing its eyes to enjoy it.
Seeing this, Shūichi smiled and took out a special medicine he had purchased from the Inuzuka Clan earlier.
The tiger opened its eyes, sniffing the air as it caught the scent.
"Here, eat this!"
Shūichi brought the pill to the tiger's mouth.
The tiger sniffed it cautiously but hesitated to eat it.
Seeing this, Shūichi decided to take a more forceful approach, prying open the tiger's mouth and pushing the pill inside.
"Roar..."
The tiger struggled again.
Shūichi simply held it close, letting the pill slowly dissolve in the tiger's mouth.
Huh? It actually doesn't taste bad?
The tiger stopped resisting. Shūichi released it and then stood up, "From today, I'm going to call you Shiro."
"Hunt well, and I'll come back to visit you!"
With that, Shūichi's figure vanished from the tiger's sight, leaving the confused cub to look around in search of him.
...
"Shūichi, aren't you planning to take him back?" Kurama Sanyō asked when he saw Shūichi Hoshita returning empty-handed.
Shūichi smiled, "No, he's better suited to stay here."
Minato Namikaze nodded in agreement, "This environment will help nurture his wild instincts and ferocity."
"But Shūichi, you'll need to visit him regularly. The more time he spends with you, the more he'll get used to you and even absorb some of your spiritual energy."
Shūichi nodded, "Got it!"
The three of them left the Forest of Death, and Shūichi treated everyone to a barbecue meal.
...
Back home, Shūichi spread out the scroll of ninjutsu he had received from Minato. The scroll detailed the Summoning Jutsu, including its principles, the sealing formulas, and the hand signs, along with Minato's own training experiences and insights.
Even though Shūichi had an exceptional memory, he still read through the scroll three times, carefully pondering its contents before closing it. He then began practicing the hand signs to familiarize himself with them.
Before going to bed, he focused on studying the summoning seals.
To establish a contract with a summoning beast, it was necessary to create a summoning scroll.
While it was possible to purchase such a scroll, Shūichi, who had a solid understanding of sealing techniques and curses, decided to make one himself rather than waste money on a pre-made one.
This required him to delve deeper into the summoning jutsu's seals and fully understand them.
...
The next day, which was the last day of his vacation, Shūichi headed to the Ninja Academy.
He wasn't alone—Kakashi, Shizune, Kurenai Yūhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and Rin Nohara were also there.
Today was the day of the graduation exam for Might Guy and Obito Uchiha.
Of course, this wasn't Obito's first attempt at the graduation exam.
Not long after, a dejected Obito walked out of the academy.
Shūichi and Kakashi exchanged glances, both showing a bit of helplessness.
Obito wasn't weak—his taijutsu was strong enough to hold his own against them, and his Fire Release jutsu had improved considerably.
But his clone jutsu was lacking, and he often messed up during exams.
He even had a tendency to mess up at critical moments.
Shūichi remembered that Obito had failed his last exam because of a stomachache, which caused him to botch his transformation jutsu.
"If he were a bit more serious during practice, he would've passed by now."
"And, you were almost late just now!"
Kakashi showed no mercy, delivering a sharp comment to the already downcast Obito.
Immediately, Obito's dejection turned into a burst of energy, his fists clenching in determination. "Kakashi, you… That was just an accident, and I wasn't late!"
Kakashi replied calmly, "But you didn't pass."
Obito huffed, "Next time, I'll definitely pass!"
Kakashi, unfazed, said, "You said that last time too."
Obito, clearly frustrated, snapped, "Kakashi, I challenge you to a duel!"
Kakashi was about to respond when Rin quickly stepped between them. "Kakashi!"
Kakashi turned his head away, staying silent.
Rin then hurried to pull Obito away.
Shūichi watched the whole scene with great interest.
"He's out!"
Shizune suddenly pointed out.
It was Might Guy who had come out.
Before anyone could ask how it went, Guy rushed over to embrace his father, Might Duy, and then burst into tears.
Immediately, Shūichi and the others stood awkwardly on the spot.
Watching the tears stream down their faces, Shūichi couldn't help but think to himself, "Guy and Duy have incredibly active tear ducts."
But listening to their conversation, it was clear that the news was good.
At the age of seven, Might Guy had finally graduated from the Ninja Academy!
...
December quietly slipped away, and three days before the New Year, Shūichi Hoshita officially went on holiday, pausing all missions.
However, this didn't change much for him—he was still as busy as ever.
Every day, he visited the Forest of Death, Konoha Hospital, engaged in physical training, continued refining his technique, Fiery Lotus Steps, and pondered the development of his next jutsu, which had to be at least A-rank in difficulty.
He already had four A-rank or higher jutsu: Rasengan, Blue Flame Sky Blade, Fire Release: Fiery Lotus of Buddha's Wrath and Fiery Lotus Steps. But he still needed one more A-rank jutsu to unlock the [Pioneer] Tag.
Unfortunately, his Fire Release Clone didn't meet the criteria, and neither did the Eight Trigrams Seal.
"Maybe I should try creating the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken?"
"Even if I only complete 50%, it would likely be rated S-rank."
Shūichi mused after finishing his kenjutsu practice in the snow.
However, the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken wouldn't be particularly useful to him unless it was 100% complete, even though he had mastered advanced medical ninjutsu like Yin Healing Wound Destruction.
"Perhaps I need a flash of inspiration from the [Pioneer] Tag to fully perfect the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken."
After considering this, Shūichi returned to what he was most skilled at: Fire Release.
Fiery Lotus Steps was a movement technique, Fiery Lotus of Buddha's Wrath was executed through fire clones, making it effective in close combat.
His other five Fire Release jutsu covered mid- to long-range attacks.
"But even though the temperature of my Fire Release can rival Scorch Release, my mid- to long-range offensive capability still seems somewhat lacking," Shūichi pondered. "Water and Earth Style jutsu can easily counter it."
"So, should I develop a Fire Release jutsu with strong offensive power?"
Once this thought crossed his mind, Shūichi immediately considered two existing jutsu.
The first was the Water Release: Water Severing Wave, used by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and by the toads of Mount Myōboku. During the battle between the reanimated First, Second, and Third Hokage, Tobirama's Water Severing Wave pierced through the Third's Earth Wall.
The second jutsu was the Sage Art: Storm Release Light Fang used by Six Paths Madara, which sliced through the black rods created from Six Paths Naruto's Truth-Seeking Orbs.
"High-Temperature Laser?"
Shūichi stroked his chin and made a decision.
Developing a Fire Release jutsu with strong offensive power would allow him to temporarily conclude his work on Fire Release jutsu, except for Fiery Lotus Steps and the Fire Release Chakra Cloak, and then shift his focus to kenjutsu and Wind Style.
"High-Temperature Laser..."
Shūichi pondered, "Actually, techniques like the Grand Fireball Jutsu start as a laser or stream of fire when first expelled from the mouth."
"For a ninja, the farther you project chakra, the harder it is to control."
"Water's fluidity makes shape transformation relatively easier, but Lightning, Wind, and Fire Release are more difficult."
"Most Fire Release jutsu are spherical, and even the Dragon Fire Technique isn't as detailed in form compared to something like the Water Dragon Bullet."
"This is closely related to the nature of the chakra."
"Moreover, maintaining a stable form after shape transformation requires additional control."
After thinking it through, Shūichi stood up and walked to the frozen riverbank.
Clap!
He clasped his hands together and, after a moment of concentration, opened his mouth and expelled a blazing white beam of fire.
However, the beam dispersed into a burst of white flames after extending only about six meters.
This was still only a medium-range attack.
He continued practicing, gradually increasing the attack's range.
This process involved constantly condensing his Fire Release chakra, requiring both strong chakra control and adeptness in shape transformation.
To prevent the fire from dispersing, a stable form had to be established.
...
Time passed, and before long, the New Year of the 41st year of Konoha arrived.
This year was different from the past; Shūichi Hoshita spent it at home with Yakushi Nono, and only visited the orphanage the next day.
On the fourth day of the New Year, Shūichi went to visit Miss Tenka.
It was his first time meeting Tenka's already-engaged older sister, who was only about sixteen or seventeen years old, not much older than Minato Namikaze. Her name was Tennai.
After having lunch at Tenka's home and being sent out, Tenka asked, "Shūichi, you've become very skilled with medical ninjutsu. Are you able to create medical ninjutsu scrolls?"
"Medical ninjutsu scrolls?" Shūichi asked, puzzled.
Tenka nodded, "Yes, for battlefield first aid."
"They're quite rare because they're not cost-effective. Medical ninjutsu often requires precise control, and scrolls are difficult to meet those requirements."
"But for first aid in the absence of medical ninjas, it's still viable, though it will waste some chakra."
Hearing this, Shūichi smiled, "Is this for Tennai's fiancé?"
Tenka poked Shūichi's forehead, "Clever!"
Shūichi patted his chest, "Since it's your request, Sis Tenka, I'll make sure to do it."
"Leave it to me!"
Tenka smiled and nodded, "I'll have someone bring blank scrolls to your home later."
"And…"
She took out a wooden box, "Here, this is a New Year's gift from me."
"You're going on a mission, so you might miss your birthday!"
Shūichi immediately accepted the box with a smile, "Then I'll take it without hesitation. Thank you!"
After saying that, he leaned in and gave Tenka a kiss on the forehead before using Body Flicker Technique to disappear.
"Little rascal!" Tenka scolded with a smile, then touched her forehead with a faint blush on her cheeks.
...
Taking advantage of the gift, Shūichi now found himself on an empty rooftop, opening the wooden box Tenka had given him.
Inside was a kunai.
"Is this made of the same material as the Tostuka Blade?" Shūichi wondered, taking it out to test. It indeed had high chakra permeability.
Holding the kunai, he suddenly had an idea.
"The High-Temperature Laser might be used with the kunai to allow the Fire Release chakra to adhere."
"But this doesn't seem very different from the Blue Flame Sky Blade."
Shūichi thought, "But I can practice with the kunai first and then gradually phase out the kunai."
With this thought in mind, Shūichi bought sake and some of Shizune's favorite snacks and went to the Senju family estate. This was a prior arrangement, so he couldn't go back on his word.
When Shizune opened the door and happily accepted the gift, she led Shūichi to Tsunade.
Upon entering, Shūichi saw Tsunade engrossed in some scrolls, with many scrolls scattered across the table and the floor.
These scrolls were clearly quite old.
Such depth of knowledge!
Shūichi sighed inwardly, then focused on the two mountains on the table.
No, it was Tsunade sitting behind the table.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shūichi greeted.
Tsunade looked up briefly before lowering her head again, slightly annoyed, "Just sit anywhere, or go play with Shizune. I don't have time to entertain you right now."
This mood seemed off!
It looked like she was facing a problem.
Shūichi glanced at Shizune, exchanged a look, and confirmed his suspicion.
He immediately walked over and sat down opposite Tsunade, saying, "Lady Tsunade, if you're facing a problem, maybe talking about it could help. I might be able to assist."
Tsunade looked up, frowning, "You won't be much help."
Shūichi shook his head, "That may not be true. While my medical ninjutsu skills might not match yours, I do have some expertise in ninjutsu development."
Tsunade rubbed her forehead and said, "It's not medical ninjutsu, but a technique for controlling chakra."
Shūichi became even more interested, "In that case, I'm more relevant. The foundation of techniques is hand signs and seals, and I'm quite skilled in that area."
The [Seal Expert] Tag also includes seals, and the basics of these are hand seals/signs that are relatively obscure and difficult for most people.
(End of Chapter)
Next: Space-Time Expert?
T/N: Of course, the author did write 'Little White' here, so I have to change it. I hope you like 'Shiro'
Also, does anyone have a good name for the High-Temperature Laser skill?
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