Chapter 37: Blazing Longsword, Forbidden Art of Death!
Chapter 37: Blazing Longsword, Forbidden Art of Death!
Sending oneself to death
is an art form in itself.
Especially in a situation like this, where there's a sub-plot in the Land of Hot Water.
On the battlefield, both sides can fight freely without hesitation due to their opposing stances and ideals.
But when you're flying solo, even sacrificing yourself must be done with extreme caution.
If Uchiha Ci recklessly charges in and kills indiscriminately, forcing a master from the other side to take him down despite them not provoking him, that's not insurance fraud—that's suicide. Pure and simple foolishness.
Even if one knows the other side is full of heinous criminals, destined to commit grave sins, leading to terrible consequences, if they're harming the people of the Land of Hot Water, what does that have to do with a ninja from the Land of Fire?
In such a scenario, patience is key.
A ninja's stance has never been about clear-cut good and evil; it depends on where you're seated.
The Jashin Cult may massacre in the future, sure, but where will the Uchiha clan be? Not much better.
Right now, the foolish Obito Uchiha is still destined to become the ultimate villain pulling the strings behind humanity's downfall.
So, if Uchiha Ci wants to commit insurance fraud—cough, I mean, strike down evil, he first needs to clarify his own stance.
A member of the Land of Fire, a Konoha ninja, a member of the Uchiha clan—these identities clearly have nothing to do with the suffering civilians of the Land of Hot Water.
But as the lifesaving big brother to Hidan, if he's provoked by members of the Jashin Cult, leading him to fight back in a fit of brotherly anger, storming their headquarters and slaughtering them all, only to tragically die due to a single misstep—that would be a story so touching, it could bring tears to anyone's eyes.
And that's not all.
He even has the grand justification of upholding history and changing the world as a 'heaven-sent hero.'
This, this is like Zhuge Liang climbing a tall building—
Everything's in place, just waiting for the east wind!
That's right, Uchiha Ci has never been a nice guy.
This is all part of his plan.
The full moon hung high, casting a gentle glow.
Under its faintly shimmering light, the endless fields stretched out, filled with fragrant grass.
After bidding farewell to the trio, Uchiha Ci walked against the wind.
His upper body was wrapped in bandages, and he wore the same work pants he had on when he left the ninja village, with an empty ninja tool pouch strapped to his waist.
Having gone through both the trio from the Hidden Cloud and the Jashin Cult members, all of his ninja tools had been used up.
Not even a single ninja wire was left.
The one-time supply from the ninja cat contract was also given to Seijiro.
In short, his equipment was entirely depleted, leaving him with nothing.
In such a state, with only the strength of a low-level ninja, infiltrating the headquarters of the Jashin Cult was undoubtedly a death sentence.
Since the path to death was set, Uchiha Ci thought perhaps there was still more he could do.
After all, he had promised Hidan that he would take down the Jashin Cult.
So, of course, he had to give it his all!
Thinking this, Uchiha Ci drew out the scroll left to him by the Uchiha clan's elder, Uchiha Setsuna, from his leg wrap.
"Uchiha Style: Secret S-Class Forbidden Sword Technique!"
Unfurling the scroll, Uchiha Ci gazed at one of the techniques, deep in thought.
This scroll was classified as an S-rank forbidden technique not because the swordsmanship was flashy or overwhelmingly powerful, or because it was particularly difficult to learn.
It was because of a certain A-rank taijutsu.
Fire Release: Chakra Mode.
In the world of taijutsu, techniques like the Eight Gates and the famous Lightning Release: Chakra Mode, known as the 'Lightning Armor,' are widely known.
The former, perfected by Konoha's Might Duy and Might Guy, would soon lead to Might Duy opening the Eighth Gate of Death and kicking the Hidden Mist's Seven Swordsmen of the Mist down to three swordsmen during the battlefield.
The latter was the signature move of the Raikage lineage of the Hidden Cloud Village.
Kakashi's Lightning Cutter and Four-Tails Jinchuriki Roshi's Lava Release: Chakra Mode could also be considered similar techniques, each enhancing the user's physical abilities.
Any technique involving taijutsu is no simple feat.
So, if Lightning Release can be developed, why not Fire Release?
This, of course, involves the issue of the body's tolerance.
In simple terms, taijutsu's enhancement of the body is based on accelerating the metabolism of the ninja's cells.
The stimulation from Lightning Release is akin to injecting adrenaline, providing a boost but with manageable side effects.
However, due to Fire Release's high temperature, the stimulation during its use would directly burn the cells, killing them in the process. So, there's no question of whether it can be developed—surviving without burning yourself to death would be a miracle.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki Roshi developed Lava Release: Chakra Mode because he was a Jinchuriki, and his Lava Release: Chakra Mode was more akin to forming a protective layer of Tailed Beast Chakra on the outside.
The Uchiha clan, being masters of fire and copycats of countless jutsu, boasted a vast repertoire of basic techniques, far surpassing even the Second Hokage.
Naturally, they had researched this powerful form of taijutsu.
By using the Sharingan's precise observation abilities, they could meticulously control Fire Release chakra, burning their cells and extracting power.
This gave birth to this A-rank taijutsu, which became the core of this S-rank forbidden technique.
However, due to the inherent danger of this technique, it could only be maintained for an extremely short period of time.
The user would endure the pain and cost of being engulfed in flames, exchanging it for a brief, uncontrollable, and fleeting burst of power.
After one use, they would burn themselves to death.
Literally, they'd burn out.
Over time, this technique became neglected and shelved.
Those who could use it didn't bother with its limited power—they could achieve the same results by casually swinging their high-level techniques.
And those who couldn't wield such power but still wanted to learn had to first consider whether they had the capability to survive its training, because mastering such a technique without a mentor often led to burning themselves to death in the process.
Moreover, they had to consider whether the price of a guaranteed fatal strike was worth it.
The terrifying side effects were too great, even for the Uchiha, who had the Izanagi; it was hard to bear.
As for Uchiha Setsuna, the clan elder, he had used this forbidden technique, pulling out a blazing longsword of over forty meters, and casually slashed a few times.
Now, he's still in an uncertain state of life or death.
Yet, as Uchiha Ci looked at the scroll in his hand, he swallowed hard.
After fully reading the description of this technique on the scroll, he couldn't contain his excitement, his breathing suddenly quickened, and the expression on his face was like that of a devout believer from the "Underwear God Sect" laying eyes on the ultimate, holy, white bear-patterned underwear.
His eyes were practically glowing!
This, this, this!
Isn't this exactly what Uchiha Ci needed?!
Uchiha Setsuna had the Izanagi to save himself, burning out but recovering to burn again.
Uchiha Ci, however, had neither Izanagi nor the qualifications to use it, as he didn't possess the Three-Tomoe Sharingan!
One slash, and he would be dead beyond dead!
This wave, this wave is like being consumed by flames!
A complete one-stop funeral service, skipping all the steps straight to cremation—even carrying the crematorium with you!
The cremation speed would rival speed of light. Uchiha Ci couldn't even imagine how he could lose!
Please tell me, how on earth am I supposed to lose?!
(Hands on hips, smug expression! .jpg)