27 - The Debut of High-Temperature Beam
Having dealt with the others,
Minato Namikaze finally turned to face Yuto Souta.
He wasn't in a rush to strike.
Defeating three kids wasn't a challenge for him, but that wasn't his goal.
"Well now."
"Just you left."
Minato's smile remained radiant.
This man was like a little sun… He never withheld his smile from anyone.
Be it comrades, enemies, or his students…
He was genuinely curious about Yuto Souta's reaction.
From the reports… this kid had an impressively cool head.
Though he seemed less adept at taijutsu?
During the high-stakes graduation exam, this kid hadn't moved a single step from start to finish.
Even as a Hyuga proctor closed in, all he did was form seals and unleash ninjutsu.
Seals, seals, and more seals.
Yuto Souta's fighting style revolved around an endless barrage of ninjutsu.
Taijutsu? He didn't seem skilled at it—or to need it…
That's why Minato had used taijutsu to take out Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha.
What Minato wanted to see was how this ninjutsu-developing genius would respond.
And Yuto Souta didn't disappoint…
The boy's raised hands didn't falter.
His seals continued at a relentless pace.
Minato's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"You must know your techniques can't reach me, right?"
Framed as a question, it was really a reminder.
He was fast.
Fast enough to take down Kakashi in an instant and still have time to knock out Obito mid-technique.
Now, only one target remained.
Using ninjutsu again clearly wasn't a smart move…
Yuto Souta didn't reply.
His seals pressed on, swift and resolute.
And… they sped up!
Even faster than the three-second, twenty-plus seals of the Nested Great Fireball!
Because the technique he'd prepared for Minato… was just as fast!
"Fire Release!"
His hand movements finally ceased, and Yuto Souta's technique took shape.
Yet Minato remained unruffled.
He recognized those seals… His less-than-reliable sage of a teacher had taught him.
A C-rank Fire Release technique.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Minato's eyes.
Was this the tragedy of genius? Even when faced with reality, they clung to unshakable confidence.
The earlier transforming Great Fireball had been stunning, but what good was a technique that couldn't hit its target, no matter how flashy?
With a flick of his wrist,
a kunai engraved with "Sword of Shinobi Love" appeared in his hand.
Minato had decided to get serious and teach this gifted kid a lesson…
But then…
Yuto Souta deliberately slowed his technique's name, completing it…
"Fire Dragon Beam!"
"Turn into light, my Fire Dragon Bullet!"
With an utterly chuuni shout, the technique Yuto Souta had developed at the cost of Obito going hungry for a day finally debuted!
The seals were indeed those of the Fire Dragon Bullet.
But this version had been warped beyond recognition!
Using over double the chakra, its form was compressed nearly a hundredfold—down to a single line!
Admittedly, in Yuto Souta's eyes, this technique wasn't exactly perfect.
The power-to-cost ratio was a bit low…
A standard Nested Great Fireball had a chakra-to-damage ratio of 1:3.5.
This "Fire Dragon Beam," though, managed a measly 1:1.8.
But the trade-off for reduced power was unparalleled speed!
Transforming into a streak of firelight, nearly ten times faster than a regular Fire Dragon Bullet!
Whoosh!
The high-temperature beam sliced through the air, leaving a fiery trail straight toward Minato!
"So fast!"
Minato praised it inwardly, but his reflexes were quicker. With a full-speed Body Flicker, he vanished, taking the nearby Obito Uchiha with him.
Boom!!!!
The beam lost its target, striking the Earth-Style Wall Kakashi had raised instead.
It pierced straight through the dog head on the wall, soared through the air, blasted several trees apart, and only then dissipated!
"So, a technique tailored for high-speed taijutsu opponents…"
Reappearing, Minato gently set the now-unconscious Obito on the ground before turning back to Yuto Souta.
"How about we call this one Ultra Fire Dragon Radiant Storm Thrust?"
Yuto Souta didn't respond.
At this moment… his face was somewhat pale.
He could admit it now.
The first time he didn't answer Minato, he'd been playing it cool.
He'd wanted to draw Minato's attention that way, avoiding an instant knockout.
This time, though… he didn't answer because he was out of steam…
He really wanted to protest the even more chuuni name.
But he needed to save his strength—to shout his technique's name.
"Fire Release! Ultra! Fire Dragon Barrage Beam!"
A single Fire Dragon Bullet cost 110 chakra.
With Ninjutsu Master, the beam version doubled that but halved the cost, landing at around 130.
And now, as an honorable Konoha genin,
Yuto Souta wielded over 2,300 chakra!
That was enough for fifteen beams—unleashing a full barrage aimed at Minato!
"Become a meteor shower, my Fire Dragon Bullets!"
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