Konoha's lexicon of ninjas

Chapter 72 Step by Step, Lotus Blossoms! (10,000-word update, please subscribe and vote!)

Daimyofu, the capital of the river kingdom.

Chiyo and the others fell silent as they stared at the corpse of the river daimyo.

Although they had long been prepared for the daimyo to be killed, they had already thwarted the enemy's operation, but they did not expect them to return and attack them unexpectedly.

Chiyo is confident in her poison, and Hatake Sakumo's behavior also shows that he is not someone who would sacrifice his comrades for the sake of a mission.

But then Hatake Sakumo suddenly returned, and even though he arranged for people to protect the daimyo, he didn't take it as seriously as before.

Let's execute Plan B!

Chiyo spoke.

Plan B is to support one of the daimyo's descendants to become the new daimyo, so that the interests of Sunagakure and the Land of Wind are not harmed, and may even be used to completely devour the interests of Konoha.

……

In the Land of Fire, Hoshino Shizuka, leaping and bounding, looked at the Uchiha carrying his companions ahead of him, but couldn't help thinking of the yet-to-be-born Uchiha Itachi.

In his previous life, he was revered as Itachi, and he wiped out his clan at the age of 13, which sounds even more impressive than Kakashi's 12-year-old Jonin.

After all, once the Uchiha clan awakens the three-tomoe Sharingan, as long as they aren't too weak, they are basically all Jonin, and they have a huge advantage in one-on-one battles.

Speaking of which, Hoshino Shizuka has already come into contact with three members of the Uchiha clan.

Obito Uchiha was kind-hearted, cowardly, and of course, proud of the honor of the Uchiha clan.

His companion, Uchiha Shisui, was gentle and helpful. Unlike Uchiha Obito, he never talked about the glory of the Uchiha clan.

The person in front of me, wearing a mask and possessing three-tomoe Sharingan eyes, clearly cares deeply for his companions, even from a brief interaction.

They all look like normal people.

"No, could he be a normal person?"

Hoshino Shuichi suddenly remembered that he was only 7 years old.

It is said that when Itachi Uchiha was four years old, he was taken to the battlefield by Fugaku Uchiha and personally killed a ninja who was fighting back before he died.

"The First Hokage established the ninja village with the intention of preventing children from going to the battlefield. The Second Hokage established the ninja academy, which was actually a further refinement of the First Hokage's original intention."

"In a normal school system, students enter at age six and graduate at age twelve. They are then led by experienced Chunin or even Jonin, starting with low-level missions and gradually developing their skills."

"But with the death of the First Hokage, coupled with the death of the Second Hokage in the First Shinobi World War, the balance of power in the shinobi world was completely shattered, and the original intention could no longer be preserved."

Hoshita Shuichi sighed inwardly, "There really isn't a single ninja with a normal brain."

"The stronger they are, the more abnormal they are... It seems I have to be even more abnormal and more perverted than them!"

……

Because they needed to get the wounded back to Konoha as quickly as possible, Hoshino Hideichi and his group traveled very fast, only resting briefly when they entered the border of the Land of Fire, and then hurriedly returned to Konoha without stopping.

Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake went to the Hokage Building to hand over the mission. Shisui Uchiha, Yasunari Kurama, and the others waited outside the Hokage Building. Shuichi Hoshita and Yuu Uchiha took two wounded soldiers into Konoha Hospital.

Subsequently, Hoshino Shuichi and Yakushi Nonou were responsible for analyzing the toxin's components, and Tsunade was responsible for preparing the antidote after obtaining the results.

At this moment, Tsunade displayed amazing abilities. She quickly prepared the antidote, and after the medicine was injected into the wounded, the symptoms of poisoning immediately improved.

In this respect, neither Hoshino Shuichi nor Yakushi Nonou are nearly as good.

The afternoon flew by, and Xingxia Xiuyi had a very fruitful day.

After leaving Konoha Hospital with Yakushi Nonou, Hoshishita Shuichi saw Namikaze Minato waiting under a tree.

He quickly stepped forward: "Mr. Minato."

Minato Namikaze smiled and nodded, then said, "You have a 7-day vacation coming up. Remember to come over for lunch tomorrow. Kushina's cooking has improved a lot, and she said she wanted you to witness it!"

Upon hearing this, Hoshino Hideichi's face immediately fell.

Kushina Uzumaki's sealing techniques are indeed very powerful, but her cooking skills... well, let's just say they're not great!

Seeing Hoshino Shuichi's expression, Namikaze Minato couldn't help but laugh happily.

Kushina Uzumaki's cooking skills are indeed a bit lacking, but she enjoys it.

"It's settled then."

As soon as he finished speaking, Minato Namikaze had already disappeared.

Turning back to Yakushi Nonou, the two walked towards the orphanage in the sunset.

On the way, Pharmacist Nonou suddenly said, "The orphanage will be handed over to Aya to manage."

Hoshita Shuichi paused for a moment upon hearing this, and Yakushi Nonou explained with a smile, "Because we need to spend more time at Konoha Hospital."

Upon hearing this, Hoshino Hideichi had a change of heart and smiled, "Although Aunt Aya is very strict, she is also very kind. I believe she can manage the orphanage well."

"However, in that case, Dean, you'll have to move out, right?"

"Why don't you come to my place?"

With his incredibly thick skin, Hoshino quickly added, seeing that Yakushi Nonou was about to shake her head in refusal, "That way, Dean, you can take better care of me!"

Yakushi Nonou hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement under Hoshinoshita Shuichi's insistent hand-shaking, and said with a smile, "Then let's take care of Shuichi until he comes of age!"

Hoshino Shuichi didn't care about being an adult or not; agreeing was a victory in itself.

That night, he still slept in Yakushi Nonou's room, falling asleep to the unique fragrance.

The following day, after morning training and breakfast, Hoshino Shuichi went to the grove to further refine his Fire Instantaneous Body Technique.

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

Not only that, it also needs to be a double-petaled lotus.

In terms of morphological changes, there is not much difficulty in transforming a morning glory into a lotus.

By noon, Hoshino Shuichi had basically finished.

"Let's go eat first, and continue this afternoon!"

Feeling refreshed, Hoshino Shuichi finished his training and then went to Minato Namikaze's house.

Minato Namikaze opened the door and entered the house, where he saw Kushina Uzumaki holding a spatula and smiling, "Shuichi, have a seat, it'll be ready soon!"

Hoshino Shuichi looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It looks pretty good; it seems like her cooking skills have really improved a lot.

At this moment, Minato Namikaze said, "These are all made by me. The last dish is for Kushina."

Hoshita Shuichi's heart skipped a beat, and then he heard Namikaze Minato whisper, "Shuichi, you should still encourage Kushina a lot later."

Hoshita Shuichi forced a smile: "Don't worry, Minato-sensei."

He now seriously suspects that it wasn't Kushina Uzumaki who invited him, but rather that his unreliable teacher, Minato Namikaze, invited him to share the burden of his disastrous cooking.

As expected, Kushina Uzumaki's cooking skills only improved slightly.

However, Hoshino Hideichi took a big bite without even flinching, and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Master's wife's cooking skills have improved a lot, amazing!"

Minato Namikaze, who was eating heartily, nodded in agreement without any hesitation.

Kushina Uzumaki laughed happily, then reached out and took away the plate of food she had made, saying with a smile, "Hey, you're already happy that you've tasted it, so let's eat Minato's!"

Hoshino Hideichi quickly snatched it and put it down, laughing, "After all, it was made with great effort by my teacher's wife, and it would be such a waste not to eat it."

"Moreover, cooking skills are just like a ninja's training; they both require gradual progress and accumulation, and a lot of encouragement to keep going."

Upon hearing this, Kushina Uzumaki immediately put her hands on her hips and laughed happily. Then she reached out and touched Shuichi Hoshino's hair, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Shuichi is absolutely right. Learning to cook also embodies the way of the ninja."

"But speaking of which, Shuichi, with your sweet talk, no wonder you get so many girls' attention!"

Hoshita Shuichi feigned shyness: "Master's wife, I'm only 7 years old!"

Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The meal was a great success, with both host and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves. Kushina Uzumaki no longer treated Shuichi Hoshinoshita as an outsider, but rather as Minato's personal disciple, her own younger brother and student.

After lunch, Hoshino Shuichi helped Minato Namikaze clean up before taking his leave and returning to the grove to continue his training.

Condensing the flames into a lifelike lotus shape is no longer a problem; the next step is to make the burst sustained, building upon the original explosive power.

This continuity is not like before, where a single step would create a fiery flower.

What Hoshino Shuichi needs is a continuous and stable approach, one that allows him to stand as if he were on water, suspended in mid-air.

Of course, this step is very difficult.

Even with his current chakra control, Hoshino Shuichi isn't confident he could do that.

Therefore, after transforming the original flame flower into a fire lotus and being able to unleash it smoothly as before, and using the momentum in the air, Hoshino Shuichi focused his attention on the word tree in his mind.

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

May every step bring forth lotus blossoms!

The name doesn't quite fit the ninja world, but Shuichi Hoshino thinks it's very fitting.

The entry tree then gave an evaluation of the Fire Release technique, "Lotus Steps."

S-rank difficulty!

The requirements for unlocking the [Fire Release Master] skill have been met!

Hoshino Shizuka took a deep breath and immediately activated the "Fire Release Master" entry.

In an instant, the gray-white leaves of the words were bathed in blue light.

This is a blue entry.

Immediately afterwards, Hoshino Shuichi felt as if he had been electrocuted, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Fire Release talent increases by 100%, Fire Release chakra nature transformation increases by 100%, and Fire Release form transformation increases by 100%; except for bloodline-type Fire Release, there are no learning obstacles for any Fire Release ninjutsu or secret technique.

After regaining consciousness, Hoshino Shuichi carefully sensed the differences in himself.

The difference in feeling this time compared to the [Fire Release Expert] was much more pronounced.

As Xingxia Xiuyi opened his right palm, a fiery lotus quietly appeared.

This speed of condensation is far beyond what it was before he became a [Fire Release Master].

Not only that, with a thought, the original orange-red fire lotus quietly changed color, turning into a white fire lotus a moment later.

White flames!

The temperature was much higher than that of the orange-red flames. Among ordinary fire-style ninjas, Hoshino Shuichi had never seen anyone who could make the flames white.

The only one is Yekura, whose Scorch Release fireball has an extremely high temperature inside and appears white.

Of course, the temperature of Hoshino Shuichi's Blue Flame Sky Blade is even higher.

However, this effect can only be achieved through repeated enhancements; he cannot normally achieve this temperature when using Fire Release techniques.

However, Hoshino Shuichi can now instantly make his Fire Release temperature comparable to that of Yekura's Scorch Release.

"As expected of a master of Fire Release!"

Hoshino Shuichi smiled, revealing eight teeth.

The Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation was increased by 100%, and the Fire Release Form Transformation was increased by 100%, which brought him amazing instant changes.

With his Fire Release talent boosted by 100% again, Shuichi under the stars is even more excited.

He is even more confident about the further development of the Lotus Step by Step project.

Composing himself, he dispersed the white fire lotus in his hand, and Xingxia Xiuyi leaped into the air.

As his upward momentum waned and he was about to fall, two flames appeared beneath his feet, like flower buds growing there, before rapidly blooming towards the ground.

It's like an upside-down white lotus flower.

The air distorted and fluctuated, and Xingxia Xiuyi gained a push from the soles of his feet, halting his descent.

He walked through the air, and as his feet lifted, the white fire lotus contracted and transformed back into a flower bud; when his feet landed again, the white fire lotus bloomed once more.

The name "lotus blossoms with every step" truly lives up to its name.

However, even walking in the air like this, Hoshino Shuichi couldn't quite get the hang of it, and for a moment his body wobbled and staggered.

Suddenly, the fire lotus shattered, and his body fell.

However, Hoshino Shuichi, whose abilities in Fire Release chakra nature and form transformations have doubled and whose talent has been further enhanced, has made rapid progress.

In less than 5 minutes, he was able to walk gracefully in mid-air in the grove, each step seemingly creating a lotus flower.

As she landed, Xingxia Xiu gasped for breath.

He's impressive and handsome, but it took a lot of effort.

His physique improved, and his chakra reserves were already far ahead of his peers.

But she's still too young.

"His constitution is a bit difficult to deal with, but thankfully there's an improved Yin Seal..."

After swallowing a soldier's ration pill, Hoshino Shuichi sat under a tree to rest, pondering his next training path.

(End of this chapter)