Konoha's lexicon of ninjas

Chapter 108 Blue Lotus, Bloom! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

"Captain, you'll cover me from behind later. I need to test out the new technique I developed!"

After the perception ended, Hoshino Hideichi spoke.

Beneath the mask, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's gaze sharpened: "Is it that technique from the end of last year?"

Last year, Hoshino Shuichi fell into a coma for two days and two nights because he was developing a new technique. He and Chihiro visited him, so they knew a little about the situation.

Considering the strength and fighting style demonstrated by Hoshinobu Shuichi in his previous battle against the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Sarutobi Shinnosuke nodded: "Alright, I'll cover for you!"

"But never be reckless!"

Hoshita Shuichi chuckled, "Don't worry, Captain, I value my life very much!"

After handing the mask to Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Hoshino Shuichi removed his hood and waited silently.

Soon, five figures appeared a hundred meters ahead.

"This brat defeated Old Purple?"

"It should be him. We might have mistaken him for someone else, but our senses won't be wrong. Don't let your age fool you; we all saw the power of his shadow clone just now!"

"That's right, that wretched brat must be killed!"

"Watch out, there's someone else lurking in the shadows—that woman skilled in illusions!"

……

The Iwa ninja were somewhat taken aback when they saw Hoshinobi Shuichi's youthful face. Some of them were momentarily dismissive, but when they thought about the previous battle, their contempt vanished instantly, replaced by solemnity and hatred.

Of the original 12 people, only 5 remain. Six died, and one was seriously injured in the final explosion and is unlikely to survive.

Only a fool would underestimate such a terrible price to pay.

At that moment, Xingxia Xiu put her hands together: Blue lotus, bloom!

A blue light shone from between his eyebrows, its radiance resembling a blue lotus in bloom.

The dazzling blue light quickly covered Hoshinoichi's head, torso, and limbs.

boom!

Blue flames ignited his entire body, as if he were wearing a blue flame divine robe with lotus patterns.

Hoshino Shuichi's long hair, stained with blue flames, flew backward without wind, and the raindrops falling from the sky were evaporated before they even got close to him.

Beneath his feet, the muddy ground quickly dried up, and the nearby vegetation soon spontaneously combusted.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was standing nearby, felt the terrifying heat and immediately dodged back a distance, staring in shock at Hoshinobu Shuichi's chakra cloak.

"Is this similar to the Four-Tails Jinchuriki... a Fire Release chakra mode?"

"Wait, there's also the power of Wind Release!"

"Such astonishing chakra, terrifying control!"

After his initial shock, Sarutobi Shinnosuke exclaimed in amazement, "This should be comparable to the Cloud Ninja's Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"

"Shuichi is truly a peerless genius of Fire Release and Wind Release in Konoha!"

At this moment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was blown away by Hoshinoichi's praises.

The Iwa ninja on the opposite side were equally shocked.

Seeing Hoshino Shuichi's current state, the first thing that came to their minds was the Lava Armor of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, which is the Lava Release Chakra Mode.

However, that can only be done with the support of tailed beast chakra.

Could this brat in front of me be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha?

Absolutely impossible!

"This guy's Fire Release technique has reached a level comparable to the Third Raikage of the Cloud Ninja, similar to Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"

"Be careful, avoid close combat if possible. Like Old Purple, this guy's body temperature must be extremely high!"

"Creating advantageous terrain to deplete his power—this kind of chakra consumption is definitely not small. If he weren't a Jinchūriki, he couldn't possibly sustain this for long!"

……

The Iwa ninja quickly exchanged opinions.

At that moment, Hoshishita Shuichi, who was already prepared, said to Sarutobi Shinnosuke, "I'm going!"

Before he could finish speaking, he had already darted out, leaving a trail of distorted blue afterimages.

"So fast!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke exclaimed inwardly, this speed was even faster than Hoshinoichi's Lotus Step technique.

"The fusion of Fire Release and Wind Release powers, although it did not form a bloodline limit, is already extremely terrifying, changing the mode of Body Flicker Technique."

With that thought in mind, Sarutobi Shinnosuke followed.

Meanwhile, the Iwa ninja opposite them all shouted in low voices the moment Hoshinoichi moved: "They're here!"

Immediately afterwards, someone squatted down and pressed their hands to the ground.

As Hoshino Shuichi sped along, walls rose one after another from the ground in front of him.

Hoshita Hideichi drew his sword, but it wasn't the Ame-no-Masakado; it was a tachi, a weapon issued to the Anbu.

The moment it was pulled out, it slashed forward with a burst of blue light, and the high walls exploded one after another.

This is the Blue Flame Waterfall Blade in Fire Release Chakra Mode. It possesses the power of Wind Release, with the blue flames combining Fire Release and Wind Release leaving the body to form a blue crescent-shaped blade.

Blue Flame Sky Blade Stage Two - Blue Flame Vacuum Slash!

With a single slash, Hoshino Hideichi cut through the wall, but the ground around him had risen, and he now faced what seemed to be a sheer cliff.

Just as he leaped up to leave the giant pit, sharp stone pillars began to grow out of the four walls in a staggered pattern, all growing rapidly toward the center.

Hoshino Hideichi snorted and was about to swing his sword to cut down the stone pillars when thick stone pillars began to grow rapidly from the spot where he had been standing.

However, these stone pillars avoided Hoshino Hideichi and instead collided with the stone pillars that grew out from all sides.

Rumble!

One by one, the stone pillars exploded.

It's a technique by Sarutobi Shinnosuke!

Although it didn't completely neutralize the stone pillars of the Iwagakure ninja, it did give Hoshino Shuichi room to maneuver.

His figure flashed, and blue blades gleamed repeatedly as stone pillars fell one after another.

In the blink of an eye, Hoshinoichi reached the ground, only to be met by a surging tide of pebbles and sand.

Earth Release: Earth Flow!

Hoshino Hideichi walked on air, but there were explosive tags in the ever-present sand and tides.

Boom!

The detonator exploded, sending rubble and sand flying everywhere, and a shockwave swept across the area below.

However, Hoshino Shuichi did not dodge, because blue lotus flowers bloomed on his legs and feet, and high-temperature air currents were emitted, completely offsetting the shock wave of the explosion below him.

The flying gravel and sand particles naturally posed no threat whatsoever.

However, at that moment, two more stone dragons swooped down from the sky and attacked in a crisscrossing pattern.

Earth Release: Earth Stone Dragon!

With a swing of his sword, Xingxia Xiuyi caused the two earth dragons to explode simultaneously, turning into countless fragments of stone.

Seeing his ninjutsu so easily broken, a burly Iwa ninja jonin put his hands together in the hand seal and opened his mouth to spit out the Rock Cannon, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a river of mud sweeping towards him.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke's ninjutsu, Earth Release: Earth Flow River!

The robust Iwa ninja had no choice but to abandon his attack, his figure flashing backward. After landing, he pressed his palms against the ground, and an earthen wall rose up, blocking the earthen river.

Just then, a blue dragon head appeared on each of Hoshino Hideaki's shoulders as he shattered the stone dragon in mid-air. The dragons opened their mouths and fired one after another blazing white fireballs at the Iwa ninja's position below.

Rumble!

Explosions rang out one after another, and Hoshino Shuichi unleashed a barrage of fire, sending rocks flying everywhere.

The Iwa ninja fought and retreated, constantly changing the terrain to defend against Hoshino Shuichi's aerial attacks.

"Um?"

The robust Iwa ninja's expression changed as soon as he dodged a fireball, because the ground beneath his feet had turned into a swampy muddy field and was spinning rapidly, pulling him down.

It's that guy again! His earth-escape technique is just as good as his!

"hateful!"

Just as the Iwa ninja was about to use Earth Substitution Jutsu to escape, Hoshino suddenly appeared in front of him, with layers of blue fire lotuses blooming beneath his feet, standing on the swirling swamp completely unaffected.

The Iwa ninja's pupils dilated, and he immediately abandoned his previous idea; his skin rapidly hardened.

Earth Release: Hardening Technique!

At the same time, he quickly formed hand seals.

Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!

Even if it means death, I will at least severely injure you!

The Iwa ninja's face was contorted with madness as his right hand was rapidly covered in rocks.

But before he could throw a punch, Hoshino Shuichi had already swung his sword. The blade, formed by the high temperature of both Fire Release and Wind Release techniques and possessing terrifying cutting power due to its high-speed flow, easily broke through the hardening technique and swept across his neck.

Immediately afterward, Hoshinobi disappeared, while the strong Iwa ninja was drained of all his strength and sank rapidly, being submerged in the swamp in the blink of an eye.

Another Iwa ninja who witnessed this scene was practically seething with rage: "Tsuchiryu!"

"hateful!"

"Go to hell, you brat!"

He pressed his palms to the ground, and immediately countless rock pillars sprouted from the earth, growing upwards into the sky, some tall and some short.

Lotus flowers bloomed all over Hoshino Shizuka's body, and he easily dodged the blue butterflies that danced in the air.

However, just as he broke through to the central area, these rock pillars suddenly exploded.

In an instant, rocks flew through the air, and countless fragments of stone shot towards Xingxia Xiuyi.

Earth Release: Earth Pillar Explosion!

Even Hoshino Shuichi couldn't dodge such a saturation attack.

However, Hoshino Shuichi did not dodge at all, letting the pieces of rock fly through the air.

The rubble melted instantly upon contact with his chakra cloak, causing no harm whatsoever.

"This guy's body temperature is too high; this kind of attack is ineffective."

"We must trap him first, otherwise, with his speed and defensive capabilities, we might..."

"Understood!"

"And that troublesome guy, we have to get rid of him!"

"Be careful of that other illusionist."

The remaining four Iwa ninjas communicated, but their attacks did not stop at all.

As they spoke, rocks crumbled from the ground, forming sharp, long sticks that flew toward Hoshino Shuichi, who had fought his way out of the forest of earthen pillars.

Earth Escape-Rock Stealing Stick!

The dragon head on Xingxia Xiuyi's shoulder immediately opened its mouth and spat out a fireball, blasting the stone rods apart.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who was following behind Hoshinobi Shuichi, also made his move, using a combination of Fire Release and Earth Release to form a burning rock ball that shot towards the four Iwa ninja, interfering with and slowing down their attacks and hand seals.

One after another, earthen walls rose up and then exploded one after another. Hoshinobi Shuichi rushed to the front of an Iwa ninja behind the earthen wall and slashed down with his sword. The Iwa ninja's body was split in two, but then it scattered into rubble.

Almost simultaneously, the ground beneath Hoshino Shizuka's feet crumbled into sand and gravel, and the head of an Iwa ninja emerged, spitting out a large amount of rocks to form a rock golem that grabbed Hoshino Shizuka's legs.

"Clone Trap!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately formed hand seals, but the next moment, his feet were grabbed by two hands that rose from the ground: "I will never let you interfere again, die, you bastard!"

The voice of the Iwa ninja rang out, pulling Sarutobi Shinnosuke downwards into the ground.

But only halfway through, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's body crumbled into a pile of mud.

What?

Iwa Shinobu was shocked, and then he discovered that the rocks and soil around him had turned into a muddy swamp, which was swirling and constantly squeezing him.

This is a trap!

"This guy knew all along..."

The Iwa ninja hurriedly used the sand-like pebbles to lift himself up, attempting to escape before the power of the Yellow Springs Swamp could seep in.

But Shinnosuke Sarutobi's voice rang out: "My existence isn't just about support and interference; I'm also bait, a trap!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sarutobi Shinnosuke completed his hand seals, opened his mouth, and spat out a high-pressure water jet, easily piercing through the Iwa ninja whose body was still half underground.

As the main body died, on the other side, the shadow clone that had just used the Rock Pillar Prison to imprison Hoshino Shuichi also immediately exploded with a bang.

Of the four Iwa ninja, only three remain.

One Iwa ninja held off Hoshinoichi underground, while the other two had already completed their ninjutsu together.

Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!

On either side of Hoshino Shuichi, two huge hemispherical rocks, each over two meters tall, rose up and then hurtled towards Hoshino Shuichi at high speed.

All of this offense and defense, though a long story, actually happens in the blink of an eye.

Hoshino Shuichi fell into a trap and was grabbed by the legs by an enemy underground, followed by a rock pillar prison and a mountain earth technique.

The four Iwa ninja worked together seamlessly, their ninjutsu flowing smoothly without any gaps.

Even if it were Hoshino Shuichi's reaction, it wouldn't be possible to interrupt such a continuous spellcasting.

If you can't interrupt, then don't interrupt!

With his mind racing, Hoshinoichi instantly switched his katana to his left hand the moment the rock pillar appeared, and plunged it into the ground, piercing through the enemy beneath.

No amount of hardening treatment can stop it.

Immediately afterwards, Hoshino Hideaki spread his arms to the sides, palms facing outward, and then a huge blue lotus flower appeared, blooming in layers to both sides.

Each burst of light is an explosion, a high-temperature shockwave. Layer upon layer of high-temperature shockwaves spew outwards. The hemispherical rocks that were being attacked at high speed from both sides just had just crushed the rock pillar when they were suddenly stopped, and then exploded in all directions with a bang.

"What?"

The two Iwa ninja couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Shinnosuke had completed his ninjutsu.

Earth Release: Heavenly Cover!

A huge boulder, resembling a pot lid, fell from above. The two Iwa ninjas didn't have time to form hand seals and quickly retreated.

But the next moment, two blazing white beams of light pierced through and arrived, and the two Iwa ninjas twisted their bodies in mid-air to dodge.

"what!"

One of the Iwa ninja let out a piercing scream as one of his arms was severed by a beam of blazing white light. As soon as he landed, his body was suddenly engulfed in blazing white flames, and he let out an even more piercing scream.

The art of bisque roasting!

Another Iwa ninja was shocked and furious. He formed hand seals to try to help, but a blazing white beam of light shot towards him. Just as he was about to leap to dodge, his body suddenly stiffened.

From the side, Chihiro's figure rises from the ground, her hands forming a hand seal.

Magical - Tree Binding Kill!

puff!

Hoshino Hideichi's fiery dragon breath, launched from the dragon's head on his shoulder, struck the Iwa ninja's heart with unparalleled precision.

With a thud, the Iwa ninja collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open.

The other was also burned alive by the blazing white flames.

At this point, all five Jonin from Iwagakure were killed.

Three against five, all victories!

The blue flames on his body went out, and then the blue chakra contracted back to his forehead. Then the Yin Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal were resealed.

Hoshino Hideichi let out a long breath.

Cool!

The anger that had been building up inside me finally dissipated.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Chihiro came to Hoshinoshita Shuichi's side, looking at the battlefield and the corpses, and both fell silent.

Although it was a three-on-five situation, they were well aware that even without their assistance, Hoshino Shuichi could achieve the same results.

Fire Release Chakra Mode, terrifying indeed!

"Shuichi's strength is probably no less than that of the Sannin or even elite Jonin like Konoha's White Fang."

Chihiro silently evaluated the situation.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke handed the mask to Hoshino Shuichi, who was still savoring the battle, and helped him draw his katana, saying, "Let's retreat. Such a commotion will likely attract a lot of ninjas!"

Hoshino Hideichi snapped out of his daze, nodded, then put on his mask and took the knife.

The three immediately retreated overnight, with Hoshino Shuichi leading the way with his thermal vision device until they entered the Land of Fire, where the team finally stopped to rest.

"Shuichi, you rest first, Xun and I will keep watch."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke arranged it.

Hoshino Shuichi didn't stand on ceremony. He sat under the tree and closed his eyes, but instead of resting immediately, he reviewed the battle that had just taken place.

Without a doubt, Fire Release Chakra Mode is very strong.

It combines high-temperature offense and defense, while also greatly increasing his speed.

If it weren't for the Iwa ninja, who are skilled at altering terrain, he would have already gotten close to them.

Furthermore, under Fire Release Chakra Mode, it is much easier to perform techniques such as Lotus Steps, Dragon Flame Breath, Buddha's Wrath Lotus, and Blue Flame Flowing Blade Technique.

If there's a drawback, it's that in this mode, he can only use Fire Release and Wind Release ninjutsu.

Hoshino Shuichi smiled to himself: "But that's enough. Fire Release and Wind Release are my strongest techniques right now. If these can't defeat the enemy, other ninjutsu will be difficult too."

"Besides, I haven't even used my full strength today!"

"Fire Hell Lotus, Wind Release: Rasengan, and Wind and Fire Light Wheel Rasengan were all useless."

"However, while these techniques are powerful, they are actually not very suitable for dealing with Iwa ninja."

The Iwa ninja are very good at defense; even a large-scale attack can be defended against by several Iwa Jonin.

On the contrary, powerful single-target attacks such as Dragon Flame Breath and Blue Flame Flowing Blade Technique cannot be defended against.

Of course, the Wind Release: Rasengan and the Wind and Fire Light Wheel Rasengan can also be single-target attacks.

However, Hoshino Shuichi felt it was unnecessary to deal with these few Iwa ninja.

"At this stage, with this level of combat power, plus the chakra from the Yin Seal, as long as I don't act recklessly in the war, I should have no problem surviving."

"It would be even better if we could add creation and regeneration."

With these thoughts in mind, Hoshino Shizuka fell into a deep sleep.

……

Meanwhile, on the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were the first to arrive.

They were actually alerted by the battle in the cave first, and then tracked them down here.

"The terrain here has been completely altered..."

"It must be the Iwa ninja; only they have this ability!"

"They are indeed Iwa ninja, just like the corpses left on the battlefield before, they are all Iwa ninja."

"Only those from Iwagakure..."

Yahiko examined the traces of the battlefield, his expression growing increasingly grave: "For a battle of this scale, these Iwa ninja are very strong, and their opponents..."

Nagato said, "Their opponents are much stronger, and there are only two... no, there should be three."

"The main force is someone who is extremely skilled in Fire Release techniques."

Konan was incredulous: "Fire Release techniques can actually reach this level?"

"These Iwa ninja are all Jonin level, right?"

Nagato carefully examined the traces of Fire Release left on the chakra battlefield and pondered, "It might not just be Fire Release, but also Wind Release, a combination of Fire Release and Wind Release."

Yahiko said, "Is it the Scorching Release Kekkei Genkai? I remember there should be such a powerful ninja in Sunagakure."

Nagato shook his head: "No, if it's Scorching Release, there shouldn't be any trace of Wind Release."

"This direction is very likely towards Konoha."

"Konoha..."

Yahiko sighed, then smiled and said, "As expected of the village where Jiraiya-sensei lived."

At that moment, Nagato warned, "Someone's coming!"

Yahiko immediately shouted, "Nagato, Konan, retreat!"

The three of them disappeared in a flash.

Soon, waves of ninjas appeared on the battlefield and then left.

(End of this chapter)