Homeward Journey 2
Just as there were users of the Strong Fist Style, there were naturally practitioners of the Gentle Fist Style. However, Gentle Fist was unique to the Hyūga Clan; only those born into that bloodline could fully unleash its potential. Sakumo, therefore, only had a general understanding of it.
He knew it required extraordinarily refined chakra control, but the deeper details were unclear to him. In comparison, he was more proficient in the fourth and most common category of taijutsu—amplification through chakra-enhanced techniques.
This included Ninjutsu that empowered physical combat, such as Tsunade's monstrous strength and Shirō's Reinforcement Magecraft.
This category encompassed a wide range of methods, each tailored by the user's nature and circumstances. Because of this, the gap between the strongest and weakest was vast.
Currently, the most powerful in Konoha was without question Tsunade's monstrous strength. Next, surprisingly, came Shirō's Reinforcement Magecraft. That's right—Shirō's Reinforcement already ranked second.
It wasn't as shocking as it sounded. In truth, shinobi prioritized Ninjutsu far more than pure taijutsu. If not, Might Guy wouldn't have languished as a genin for so many years despite his extraordinary skill. Few sought to refine chakra-enhanced taijutsu to its limits.
Some might argue that the First Hokage or Uchiha Madara were also taijutsu monsters, but their power was unique. Hashirama's immense vitality and physical prowess were born from his bloodline, not refined technique. Madara's strength came from his mastery of chakra itself—his usage so flawless it transcended what others could achieve with mere techniques.
Thus, a gap existed in Konoha's development. Shirō's Reinforcement Magecraft found space to shine, and though the Third Hokage and others recognized its potential, they weren't overly surprised. To them, it seemed like a bloodline trick—just as Tsunade's monstrous strength was often dismissed as the inheritance of her Senju lineage.
Still, Sakumo shared key insights with Shirō about chakra-enhanced taijutsu, giving him much-needed reference material for grasping Prana Burst—Magic Power Emission. With this guidance, Shirō felt he was finally on the verge of understanding it.
All he needed now was for his damaged magic circuits to recover, and he could test it.
Shirō valued Magic Power Emission highly. Reinforcement, after all, had its limits. The higher one climbed, the harder progress became, and he wasn't confident he could push it to monstrous extremes.
He had once considered postponing Magic Power Emission until later, since the system had warned him it was dangerous and prone to self-inflicted damage. Yet, after glimpsing the principle through Clarent—the King's Sword—he realized this was an opportunity he couldn't ignore. While the memory remained fresh, he needed to at least master the basics.
Magic Power Emission combined with Bajiquan… terrifying.
Of course, he knew such power would only be meaningful in the early and mid-stages. When gods clashed, it would be useless—unless he could raise both Reinforcement and Emission to the realm of an A-rank Magus. Only then might it remain relevant.
After turning this over in his mind, he set the thought aside. He couldn't practice now, and time had to be managed carefully.
Since Sakumo didn't have much free time, Shirō took the chance to ask him about chakra nature transformation.
Instead of answering immediately, Sakumo called the others closer.
"All of you, come and listen together. This will benefit you as well."
"Is that really alright, Lord Sakumo?" Pingyi asked cautiously.
"It's fine," Sakumo replied with a smile. "They're the future of the village. Or do you think I'd teach them poorly?"
"No, of course not. Then, I'll trouble you. You three—listen carefully to Lord Sakumo."
"Yes, thank you, Lord Sakumo," they chorused.
"Taiyi, Shikamaru—you too. It'll be good for you."
"Yes. Excuse us, Lord Sakumo."
"It's nothing. I should be the one thanking you for looking after Shirō." Sakumo gestured for them to sit. "Now then… let's start with what nature transformation actually is."
He began with the fundamentals, careful to explain in detail for the younger genin. Shirō, however, soon turned out. Not because he already knew everything—on the contrary, what Sakumo covered next was shape transformation, and that was an area Shirō had barely touched.
The truth was awkward. He had avoided practicing shape transformation for two reasons. First, he planned to learn directly from Minato's Rasengan, a shortcut that would save him time. Second, his situation was… different.
Unlike other shinobi, he gathered chakra through his magic circuits, not through meridians. The difference was small in crude techniques, but shape transformation demanded surgical precision. The problem became glaring.
If he wanted to master it, he'd need to spend far more energy than the average shinobi. For now, it wasn't worth the investment. He decided to postpone it until later. After all, the development deadline Sakumo had given was still far off.
Shirō's true foundation was Projection Magecraft and the system. His priority was to establish his Magic Workshop, since it directly strengthened his basic parameters. Without it, his growth would plateau. At best, he would end up like Kakashi without the Sharingan—formidable, but far from enough to face monsters like Tailed Beasts, let alone Mangekyō wielders.
Still, ignoring Sakumo's lecture didn't mean he wasted the time. He reviewed his earlier insights and carefully recorded them for later.
Then he opened a magic scroll and began studying. To his dismay, he discovered the Magic Workshop was far more complex than expected. It wasn't simply a matter of stacking barriers. It required layered magical theory and intricate formulae.
But he had no choice—he needed it to hide the fluctuations of tailed beast chakra. This time was different from the inert Ten-Tails fragment. That fragment had long lost vitality, its chakra so faint even he wouldn't have noticed without the system's warning.
Now, however, he would be drawing active chakra into himself. If the Third Hokage or the elders misunderstood, they might see him as a threat to the Jinchūriki—and that could destroy everything.
So his Workshop needed to be strong. At minimum, it had to provide a solid foundation for future upgrades. Research in magecraft wasn't just for survival; it was also for creation.
Yes—Shirō was already dreaming of developing his own spells, even though he was still just a beginner magus fumbling through the basics.
But so what? A man still had to dream. Even if he couldn't reach it… wasn't it worth striving for?
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