Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 132: Fire Nether Chains!

Activate!

Shūichi lit up the two leaves on the Tag Tree, and their effects immediately triggered.

His mental strength increased by 100%, and as a Clone Master, there was now nothing in the world he couldn\'t use for clones. Additionally, he could see through any clone jutsu with ease.

His substitution technique aptitude also improved by 100%. By designating a specific body part for enhancement, he could boost its ability by 100%. As a Substitution Master, no one could deceive him with a substitution technique — it would be child\'s play for him to see through their tricks at a glance.

The increase in mental power made Shūichi feel a cool sensation in his brain, and even his mental projection felt noticeably stronger.

Now, as for the ability to designate and enhance a specific body part by 100%...

Shūichi pondered: "The brain?"

The Tag Tree responded immediately: Yes!

"The torso?"

No response.

"The heart?"

Yes.

"...Uh, well, how about... down there?"

Yes.

(T/N: Bruh! -_-)

...

So, which one should he choose?

Shūichi silently considered: "The brain, the heart, or... the kidneys..."

"My thought processing speed, mental power, and willpower have all been increasing, which should be considered brain enhancements. Naturally, overall physical constitution improves with every upgrade."

"If I enhance my brain, even without the protection of the Hundred Seals technique\'s chakra, I could maintain a high level of focus all the time, making heightened concentration a normal state."

"Meanwhile, the heart pumps blood throughout the body, providing energy to every part. A strong heart is essential for explosive power."

"And then there are other organs, like the kidneys and spleen... every single one is crucial."

It was a tough decision.

After thinking it over for a while, Shūichi finally chose to enhance his brain.

This included both the cerebrum and cerebellum.

In an instant, he felt a surge of energy through his brain, followed by a brief moment of blankness before his awareness returned.

Shūichi then pushed his thought-processing speed to its limit, starting by testing a focus level at twice his normal concentration.

It was effortless.

"Also, my body coordination feels even smoother..."

With a flicker, Shūichi moved into the courtyard to stretch and exercise his body.

Four times concentration!

Shūichi felt a slight strain, but as soon as he used a small amount of chakra from the Hundred Seals technique to nourish his cells, that strain vanished.

This wasn\'t a full activation of the Yin Seal or the Hundred Seals technique, but rather a method similar to Tsunade\'s way of maintaining her appearance and extending her lifespan.

Shūichi had never used this technique before because he was still growing and didn\'t need it yet.

Five times concentration!

Shūichi tested it out. "This seems to be the limit..."

"However, I\'d better avoid using the Hundred Seals technique regularly for now. My brain is still developing, at least until I turn 18."

Shūichi deactivated the Hundred Seals effect and reduced his focus to three times.

This was a very comfortable state.

In the past, Shūichi could only maintain 100% concentration for extended periods.

But now, even in this state, his thought-processing speed had increased to twice the normal rate.

"Excellent, I\'m much stronger now!"

A bright smile spread across Shūichi\'s face as he made his way to Orochimaru\'s laboratory.

...

Meanwhile, in the Hokage\'s office...

Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed the intelligence report Shūichi had sent, along with his recommendations.

The Hokage looked up at his son and asked, "Shinnosuke, what do you think of Shūichi\'s analysis and suggestions?"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke responded sincerely, "Shūichi\'s insights and instincts have always been sharp. I believe his judgment is completely accurate."

"The Mist\'s assault on the Sand has met with resistance, and they haven\'t gained much from it. They certainly won\'t be satisfied with leaving things as they are. Meanwhile, the Fourth Kazekage needs to further cement his power and secure benefits for Sunagakure, which gives them a foundation for cooperation."

Hiruzen nodded and sighed before giving his orders: "Then let\'s quietly reinforce our forces. Additionally, dispatch more Anbu to the borders of the Land of Rivers, and also to the directions of the Land of Whirlpools and the southern Land of Tea."

The most likely direction for the Mist to attack Konoha would be landing on the east coast, especially through the Land of Whirlpools.

The second most probable route would be from the south, through the peninsula where the Land of Tea was located.

"Understood!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately accepted the task and left to make the arrangements.

...

Time quickly flew by, and soon it was December 28th, with the New Year just around the corner.

Just the day before, Shūichi Hoshita\'s shadow clone, stationed in the Land of Wind, reported back. After a tense standoff, the Sand Shinobi had begun secret talks with the Mist Shinobi.

Upon receiving this intelligence, Shūichi knew it wouldn\'t be long before the Mist and Sand Shinobi would reach a ceasefire.

After that, the Sand Shinobi would likely focus all their efforts to the north, either driving the Stone Shinobi out of the Wind Country\'s borders or launching a counterattack on the Stone while teaming up with the Mist to strike Konoha.

Everything was interconnected.

Would the Stone Shinobi, who had long been eyeing the Land of Grass, sit back and watch if the Mist and Sand made a move?

And what about the ever-aggressive Cloud Shinobi to the north, who had been lying in wait for so long—could they remain patient any longer?

"The earliest prediction is by the second half of next year... Konoha will likely be forced into war," Shūichi sighed.

"Too bad Konoha doesn\'t control the entire Fire Country. Otherwise, we could at least make a profit by selling supplies to the Mist, Sand, and Stone Shinobi before the war breaks out."

"But at the end of the day, ninja village battles are just mercenary wars supported by the great nations."

Clearing his thoughts, Shūichi wrote down the intelligence and had a crow deliver it to the Hokage\'s office.

Immediately after, he activated the Yin Seal on his forehead, allowing the Hundred Seals technique to envelop every brain cell with chakra. His state was fully unlocked.

Maximum thought processing speed!

Full concentration!

"Flash of Insight" activated!

Ten minutes of "God Time" began.

In his rapidly functioning brain, countless pieces of information surfaced—all the knowledge Shūichi had accumulated in the past. Under the influence of his enhanced comprehension, this knowledge was reorganized, collided with each other, and sparked new ideas.

Brilliant flashes of insight appeared, lighting the way through the darkness.

Many challenges that had stumped him before now became clear in an instant. Dead-end paths found new directions.

What\'s more, Shūichi realized the more knowledge he had, the greater his gains in this state.

Many details he hadn\'t paid much attention to before, or had overlooked, now became the keys to solving problems and breaking through difficulties.

Unfortunately, the time was too short—ten minutes passed in a flash.

Shūichi opened his eyes, letting out a sigh of dissatisfaction.

He hadn\'t had enough yet!

Reining in the Yin Seal and returning to his normal state, Shūichi picked up a brush and started writing.

The first thing he began drafting was a sealing technique—a seal that was a culmination of everything he had learned about sealing jutsu up to now.

Unfortunately, his research on souls was still lacking and hadn\'t yet reached his ultimate goal.

Next, he worked on a more complex formula. This was an enhancement to the Bijju Sealing mark, a refinement of that curse mark.

After completing that, Shūichi continued drawing, this time integrating the Hundred Seals technique into the formula.

Half an hour later, Shūichi put down his brush and reviewed the array of seals on the scroll. He smiled and nodded in satisfaction.

Although it wasn\'t perfect, this progress was still impressive.

"Alright, time to test out the sealing technique!"

"Though it hasn\'t reached S-rank yet, it should still be solid at A-rank."

Shūichi stood in the center of his study and clapped his hands together, rapidly gathering chakra—extracting 70% of his physical limit in chakra.

His hair fluttered, and his clothes billowed.

Then, a crackling sound echoed in the room.

From Shūichi\'s back, deep blue chains began emerging from his body, segment by segment.

Each segment of these deep blue chains flickered with a lighter shade of blue flames.

Clang! Clang!

The chains rattled, and the once slow-emerging chains suddenly accelerated, extending rapidly.

After the first chain, a second followed, then a third... until finally, a total of six chains appeared, and then they stopped.

Huff! Huff!

"Too... too chakra-consuming!"

Shūichi let his hands drop, gasping for air.

At his current age, his chakra reserves were already impressive, yet even using this sealing technique was still strenuous.

"The Adamantine Sealing Chains, which can restrict a Tailed Beast, really aren\'t overrated..."

After catching his breath, Shūichi felt the power of the chains he had conjured and smiled with satisfaction.

This sealing technique clearly had traces of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, borrowing from its form.

However, its sealing power was different. He still hadn\'t fully deciphered the Adamantine Sealing Chains from Asuka to unlock all its secrets as an A-rank technique.

"I need to find a target to test this on..."

Shūichi\'s gaze shifted toward the small Four-Tails sealed inside the Eight Trigrams Seal on his abdomen.

It wasn\'t much—barely one tail\'s worth of chakra—but it should be enough for a test.

Clang! Clang!

The chains retracted back into Shūichi\'s body, and in the lake inside his Eight Trigrams Seal, blue chains wreathed in flames suddenly appeared.

The resting Four-Tails jolted awake, opening its eyes in shock: "Sealing jutsu?"

"Hey, kid! What are you up to?"

The Four-Tails roared, raising its arms to grab the incoming chains, but the chains moved like serpents, wrapping around it instead.

In no time, the Four-Tails\' neck, torso, and legs were bound by the chains, lifting the beast up from the lake of chakra.

"Damn it!"

The Four-Tails bellowed in fury. This position was too humiliating!

Chakra surged from its body, but the beast quickly let out a howl of pain: "Damn... this sealing jutsu... it\'s burning my chakra!"

"No... it\'s also burning my spirit!"

At that moment, the Four-Tails found it not only immobilized but also unable to use its chakra. Whenever it tried, the chakra would ignite, dissipating while causing excruciating pain as its consciousness burned, making it impossible to control its chakra.

"This brat\'s sealing technique... I can sense Shukaku\'s influence on it."

"Could it be... he\'s acquired Shukaku\'s chakra as well?"

The Four-Tails, now exhausted and terrified, lowered its head in defeat.

Shūichi observed the scene, nodding in satisfaction.

It was still unclear how this technique compared to the Adamantine Sealing Chains, but its restraining power was impressive.

It perfectly complemented his vast mastery of Fire Style!

Of course, this wasn\'t just a simple Fire Style technique, but like the Adamantine Sealing Chains, it was based on Yin Release.

"So, what should I call it?"

Retracting the chains from the Four-Tails, Shūichi pondered.

"Hmm... this sealing jutsu is still at an A-rank difficulty, not fully complete yet, so I\'ll consider the name for later."

"For now... let\'s call it Fire Nether Chains!"

Shūichi had already made up his mind. Once this sealing technique was fully developed, capable of extracting souls and splitting Tailed Beasts, reaching S-rank, he would establish it as his Bloodline Limit Sealing Technique!

(End of Chapter)

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