Chapter 40: Speed Is a Crucial Attribute!

"It won't be long before you all graduate from the Ninja Academy!"

"I hope everyone makes the most of the remaining days. Study hard and train diligently!"

After Iruka finished addressing the class, his eyes lingered on Shigure for a moment.

Then he said, "Alright, class dismissed! Head on home!"

As soon as school ended, Shigure left the Academy and rushed straight home.

There, he grabbed his ninja sword and made his way to the hidden training ground.

The Great Sage had completed its calculations. It had filtered through the techniques from the three to four hundred sword scrolls he studied yesterday and integrated their essence into Shigure's breathing technique.

Now that the analysis was complete, Shigure couldn't wait to test the results.

He gripped his blade, activated his breathing technique, and began executing the first through tenth forms one by one.

The outcome exceeded all his expectations.

The surge of power was overwhelming. Each strike was sharper, swifter—more ruthless. These weren't just improved techniques; they were entirely reborn.

Thanks to the massive influx of sword scrolls, his swordsmanship had undergone a fundamental transformation.

Without exaggeration, Shigure could now be called a grandmaster of the blade.

In all of Konoha, there wasn't a single shinobi whose swordsmanship surpassed his.

With every technique he analyzed, Shigure attained near-perfect mastery. And now, with the Great Sage integrating them into his breathing style, the power he wielded was beyond formidable.

From here, he could rely on his passive skill system to continually evolve and empower his breathing technique.

Thanks to the nature of his breathing style, if he equipped two passive effects simultaneously, he could achieve both zero stamina consumption and zero chakra expenditure during use.

That meant if Shigure wanted to continue getting stronger, the best course of action was to master more ninjutsu.

But...

Learning new ninjutsu wasn't so easy.

He'd already visited the Konoha training grounds yesterday, and none of the Genin there dared to spar with him anymore.

And even if they did, most of them only knew one or two basic techniques—not enough for meaningful analysis.

Typically, Chunin and Jonin trained elsewhere, far from the public grounds.

Still, perhaps he could visit again sometime to observe and analyze Wind, Earth, and Lightning Release ninjutsu. Doing so might help him uncover the elemental chakra nature transformations.

But for now, Shigure was turning his focus toward developing a new technique.

In any world, speed is an indispensable attribute.

In his previous fight against several Chunin, if they hadn't used Body Flicker techniques, he would have taken them down instantly.

It was only thanks to their speed that they were able to hold out for even a moment.

Which is why…

Shigure was now determined to enhance his Body Flicker Technique.

Using the Great Sage's computational power, he also began to develop a unique, advanced form of instantaneous movement.

The Body Flicker Technique.

One of the three high-level movement techniques—alongside Shunshin-based taijutsu and elemental escape variants—normally only Jonin or elite shinobi could master it.

There were many kinds of "Body Flicker" techniques. In truth, any jutsu that enabled instant repositioning could fall under that category.

According to Shigure's understanding, Body Flicker techniques could be grouped into three types:

Ninjutsu-type Flicker: Like the traditional Shunshin no Jutsu, where chakra is focused into the legs to produce an explosive burst of speed.

Taijutsu-type Flicker: Raw movement speed generated by sheer physical strength, like Might Guy's instantaneous dashes.

Escape-type Flicker: Techniques that involve elemental or medium-based transitions, such as Gaara's Sand Body Flicker, where he transforms into sand to move at high speed.

There was also a rarer variant known as the Stop Flicker, allowing abrupt halts mid-movement—useful for repositioning or dodging.

Among all these, Shigure was most interested in the Escape-type Flicker.

If one's chakra reserves were sufficient and their control precise—or if their physical attributes were extraordinary—they could potentially master it.

But it wasn't just about speed.

Escape-type Body Flicker techniques often involved elemental transformation, like Gaara's technique, where he dissolved into sand to teleport—a kind of pseudo-elementalization.

However, these techniques were notoriously difficult. Not only were the hand seals more complex than regular Body Flicker, but executing it under pressure was nearly impossible.

Most shinobi avoided it because the intricacy of the seals made it too slow in real combat.

But Shigure was different.

Thanks to his passive skill system, once he equipped a technique, its strength would increase continuously. For him, hand seals and casting speed weren't obstacles.

For someone like Shigure, the Escape-type Body Flicker was the most suitable.

He didn't just want to enhance its speed—he aimed to combine it with elemental escape techniques and evolve it into a custom version: the Elemental Escape Flicker.

"At the moment, I only possess Fire Release and a general Escape Technique. Great Sage, analyze which would be more suitable for developing an Elemental Body Flicker."

[Great Sage: Based on current calculations and projections, Fire Release Flicker offers higher speed. Additionally, flames could be used offensively during movement, making it more practical—but also harder to master. Due to limited reference data on Fire Release Flicker, analysis time will be extended. Recommendation: Develop Escape-type Flicker first.]

Just as he'd guessed.

If he could maintain the passive effects for two full breaths, the technique would require zero stamina.

If he opted for Fire Release, he'd need to perform two additional Fire-style techniques to trigger zero chakra consumption.

It made more sense to start with the base Escape Flicker.

"Then I'll go with Escape Flicker first!"

This technique had been used by Hanzo of the Salamander, who could transform into vapor to evade and reposition instantly.

It was a powerful form of teleportation.

Whether the Great Sage could replicate it remained to be seen.

[Great Sage: Recommendation: Enhance both Escape Technique and Body Flicker to accelerate computational analysis. Current estimated time: 1 month.]

One month?

That's quite a long time…

Still, considering the elemental transformation involved, it was understandable.

[Great Sage: If more Escape-type techniques are acquired, analysis time will decrease.]

So… more ninjutsu, huh?

Ninjutsu wasn't easy to come by.

Even if he went to the Konoha training grounds again, at most he might be able to analyze one or two new techniques.

And even then, the amount of calculation time reduced would be minimal.

"Then let's focus on strengthening both the Escape Technique and the Body Flicker Technique!"

There was a method.

He just needed to assign them to the passive skill bar.

[Passive Skill: Chakra Refinement Technique]

[Passive Skill: Escape Technique]

[Passive Skill: Body Flicker Technique]

[Passive Skill: Breathing Swordsmanship]

By reallocating the passive skill slots this way, Shigure could dramatically accelerate the Great Sage's calculations.

This setup would allow his core movement abilities to improve passively over time—faster, stronger, and more efficient with each moment that passed.

...

TN:

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