Chapter 543 Trust Level Increase

“Flame Vortex!”

As Muzuki’s Chakra condensation was completed, a large amount of flames were expelled by Muzuki, then rapidly divided into two streams of flames forming a fiery circle that enveloped several large trees.

Muzuki continuously outputted Chakra, maintaining control over the flames. Under Muzuki’s control, flames splattered within the fiery circle, and the trapped trees were quickly burned to ashes.

“Good flexibility,” Muzuki nodded.

As a Fire Release, the Flame Vortex was more flexible than most Fire Release. As long as Chakra output was maintained, numerous variations could be performed during the Ninjutsu’s release.

In addition to attacking enemies within the fiery circle, Muzuki could also choose to enhance the Flame Vortex’s trapping ability.

Muzuki once again condensed Fire Release Chakra and expelled a large amount of flames, still forming a large fiery circle from two streams of flames.

Immediately after, the fiery circle continuously extended towards the sky like a spiral staircase, with the flames rising vertically.

Muzuki also tried to attack directly with large sheets of flame, which still had good effects.

“Pray for Rain!”

After a simple test of the Flame Vortex, Muzuki condensed Chakra and used Pray for Rain.

Pray for Rain had the opposite effect of the Great Sunny Day that Muzuki had previously drawn.

The effect of Great Sunny Day was that all Fire Release within the area were strengthened, and all Water Release were weakened, while the effect of Pray for Rain was that all Water Release within the area were strengthened, and all Fire Release were weakened.

As Muzuki’s Chakra continuously depleted, a dark cloud suddenly formed in the sky, followed by a large amount of raindrops continuously falling and hitting the ground.

“Strange, the range of Pray for Rain is actually so much larger than Great Sunny Day,” Muzuki visually estimated the area covered by the raindrops and discovered a problem.

He had originally thought that Pray for Rain should be largely similar to Great Sunny Day, only differing in effect, as these were skills of the same type from the same world. However, the reality seemed to be different from what he imagined.

While ensuring the amplification effect, Muzuki could only create a two-hundred-meter Great Sunny Day by expending forty thousand points of Chakra.

But just now, Muzuki had only consumed twenty thousand points of Chakra, and the area covered by Pray for Rain had already exceeded three hundred meters.

“Is it because of the Land of Rain’s weather, or is there a difference in the strengthening effect, leading to compensation in other areas?” Muzuki thought of two possibilities.

The first possibility was that because the Land of Rain had constant rain, the special climate enhanced the effect of Pray for Rain.

The second was that Pray for Rain’s amplification of Ninjutsu was not as strong as Great Sunny Day, but its range was larger.

Muzuki chose to test the second, comparing the power of the same Water Release used with the same Chakra consumption in a non-Pray for Rain area versus a Pray for Rain area.

Because testing the first was too troublesome; he would have to leave the Land of Rain.

Muzuki left a Flying Thunder God Kunai outside the Pray for Rain range, first used his developed Water Release: Torrent in the Pray for Rain range, and then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to use Torrent again.

“The amplification of Water Release is not worse than that of Fire Release,” Muzuki concluded after comparing the destruction caused by the two Ninjutsu.

The range difference between Pray for Rain and Great Sunny Day piqued Muzuki’s interest. He then tested the weakening effect of Pray for Rain on Fire Release, and found a significant difference.

Within the range of Great Sunny Day, condensing Water Release would consume an exceptional amount of Chakra, otherwise the power of the Water Release would weaken.

Conversely, within the Pray for Rain range, there was no effect before the flames appeared. But once the flames were released, the larger the range of the Fire Release, the greater the impact from Pray for Rain after its use. Conversely, the smaller the flame’s range, the less the impact.

Clearly, due to localization and concretization, Pray for Rain and Great Sunny Day had quite a few differences.

“I wonder what the difference is between ordinary rainy weather and the rain created by Pray for Rain,” Muzuki thought of a new angle after comparing Pray for Rain and Great Sunny Day.

There was no Ninjutsu similar to Great Sunny Day in the Ninja World, but there was more than one way to create rainy weather.

The first method was the one Sasuke used to assist in releasing Kirin: firing a Fire Release into the sky to rapidly heat the surrounding air, thereby creating rising air currents, which in turn produced cumulonimbus clouds.

The second method was somewhat similar to Pray for Rain, which was the Rain Tiger at Will Technique performed by Deva Path Pain.

The Rain Tiger at Will Technique could use Chakra to create rain clouds for precipitation, and every raindrop was closely linked to Deva Path Pain’s perception, making its effect in guarding against enemies comparable to Konoha’s Grand Barrier.

Muzuki had not mastered the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, so he couldn’t compare it with Pray for Rain, but creating rainy weather was very simple for him.

“Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!”

After finding a new location, Muzuki shot a fire dragon into the sky to create artificial rain.

This time, it wasn’t as fast as Pray for Rain, but the rainfall range was wider than Pray for Rain.

Muzuki still used the old method: using the same Water Release both within and outside the rainfall range for comparison, and then comparing the Water Release within the rainfall range with the Water Release enhanced by Pray for Rain.

“As expected, the effect of Pray for Rain is more significant,” Muzuki concluded.

It was well-known that Water Release would be stronger when used in places with water, and even natural rainy weather was a favorable environment for Water Release Ninja.

However, after detailed comparison, Muzuki found that the rainwater from Pray for Rain was far superior to ordinary rainfall in boosting Water Release.

This result was within Muzuki’s expectations. After all, if a weather effect that consumed so much Chakra and only lasted a few minutes was equivalent to natural weather, it would be too useless and not consistent with the quality of an S-rank extraction scroll.

Muzuki’s final test for Pray for Rain was weather replacement.

In Pokémon games, weather skills could override the effects of previous weather skills.

If weather skills followed this mechanism when localized, then Muzuki’s Great Sunny Day, which consumed forty thousand points of Chakra and covered two hundred meters for five minutes, would have its effect disappear and be replaced by Pray for Rain if someone used Pray for Rain midway through.

Muzuki first split a Shadow Clone, then the Shadow Clone threw a Great Sunny Day that consumed thirty thousand points of Chakra.

The dazzling light orb dispelled the dark clouds, making the area within several hundred meters of Muzuki exceptionally clear.

Immediately after, Muzuki condensed Chakra on the spot and used Pray for Rain.

The scene of large dark clouds replacing the scorching sun, as Muzuki had envisioned, did not appear. Instead, as Muzuki continuously consumed Chakra, the dark clouds gradually expanded and swallowed the scorching sun.

Muzuki dispelled the Shadow Clone and then refined Chakra, showing a thoughtful expression.

Weather could indeed be replaced like in the game, but it wasn’t that the later user covered the former’s weather. Instead, it was a competition of Ninjutsu strength, meaning it would be affected by Chakra and proficiency.

If Muzuki created a Great Sunny Day with one hundred thousand Chakra, then someone using Pray for Rain with only ten thousand Chakra would not be able to override Muzuki’s weather.

Instead, it would be interfered with by Muzuki’s Great Sunny Day, causing the range of Pray for Rain to be much smaller than under normal circumstances.

Muzuki called this a field contest, where only the winner of the contest could enjoy more field bonuses.

Once his Chakra recovered to ninety-eight percent, Muzuki began to re-test his Ninjutsu.

Now, only one final test item remained: the most significant skill Muzuki had acquired this time – Azure Flame!

As a unique skill of a first-class god, Muzuki had high expectations for Azure Flame.

After all, although One Thought Cut was also a product of an S+ extraction scroll, Muzuki’s Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation was far inferior to his Fire Release Chakra Nature Transformation, and swordsmanship was not his strong suit.

In other words, as long as Azure Flame was comparable to One Thought Cut, Azure Flame would replace many of Muzuki’s techniques and become Muzuki’s strongest offensive Ninjutsu.

Of course, this excludes skills like Eight Gates, which lead to death upon use.

Although Muzuki didn’t frequently use Eight Gates, he could open the Eight Gates. If truly pushed to a desperate situation, Muzuki could also open the Eight Gates Formation to fight for a chance.

A large amount of Chakra condensed in Muzuki’s palm. When the Chakra completed its Nature Transformation, a Azure Flame appeared above Muzuki’s palm.

As soon as the Azure Flame appeared, Muzuki could clearly feel the surrounding temperature rapidly rising.

Muzuki threw the Azure Flame in his hand onto a rock.

In an instant, the rock melted into lava, while the Azure Flame continued to burn, and the fire spread rapidly.

Muzuki tried to extinguish the Azure Flame with ordinary Water Release, but found that the water stream was rapidly evaporated, while the Azure Flame remained stubbornly burning in place.

Muzuki switched to Water Breathing, pushed Water Breathing to its limit, and then condensed a large amount of Chakra to use high-level Water Release, only then managing to extinguish the Azure Flame.

“Compressed flames with enhanced burning properties can almost be used as Amaterasu,” Muzuki thought to himself.

With his ten thousand points of Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation, he still needed the help of Water Breathing to extinguish it. How many Ninja in the Ninja World currently possessed such a level of Water Release?

Muzuki didn’t know about others, but the current strongest Water Release user, Hanzō, couldn’t do it.

Given this, his Azure Flame could be considered semi-indestructible.

It wasn’t truly indestructible like Amaterasu, but its effect was equivalent to indestructible in the current Ninja World.

If no one could extinguish it, then it wasn’t indestructible.

Switching his breathing again, Muzuki changed the way he used Azure Flame, expelling a pillar of fire composed of Azure Flame towards the trees.

Almost instantly, the trees swept by the Azure Flame turned directly into ashes.

Although this release method was inferior in both temperature and burning compared to compressing it into a single flame, it was still an S+ ranked skill, possessing extraordinary power.

Whether it was trees, rocks, or iron blocks, none survived under Muzuki’s Azure Flames.

Muzuki nodded with satisfaction; he was very pleased with Azure Flame.

Although it wasn’t truly indestructible like Amaterasu, Azure Flame could still grow. As his proficiency with Azure Flame increased and he accumulated more Chakra, Azure Flame could continue to become even stronger.

Moreover, Azure Flame had an advantage that Amaterasu could not compare to: its controllability.

If Muzuki wasn’t afraid of wasting Chakra, he could even use Azure Flame to create Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, or Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, whereas Amaterasu required Kagutsuchi to change its form.

Of course, Azure Flame was not without its drawbacks. Compared to Amaterasu, hitting a target with Azure Flame was more difficult.

Amaterasu could directly ignite flames on the opponent’s body, while Azure Flame, in terms of release, did not differ much from ordinary flames.

“I wonder if Rasengan can combine with Azure Flame,” Muzuki mused, a thoughtful expression on his face.

As one of the protagonist Uzumaki Naruto’s signature Ninjutsu, Rasengan held immense potential.

In the later stages, the various ‘maru’ (balls) that Naruto created were countless.

Wind Release Chakra, Senjutsu Chakra, Amaterasu, Lava Release, Magnet Release—anything could be added to it, embodying the principle of ‘everything can be a Rasengan’.

Since Naruto could add all those, there was no reason why Muzuki’s Azure Flame couldn’t merge with Rasengan.

Muzuki now possessed a vast amount of Ninja knowledge, coupled with system skills like Enlightenment and Problem Solving, making his research capabilities quite strong.

If he could research and develop a Azure Flame Rasengan, then Muzuki’s future combat style might lean towards Minato’s.

Flying Thunder God to exploit openings, and once an opening was found, a direct Azure Flame Rasengan to dispatch the opponent.

Silently noting down a research direction, Muzuki returned to the Shinobi Sect after his Chakra had fully recovered.

Although this Azure Flame was good, its Chakra consumption was not inferior to One Thought Cut.

Muzuki estimated that his disciples wouldn’t be able to sustain it before they were fifteen, and even after fifteen, it was hard to say.

Although Obito and Shisui had significantly more Chakra than Kakashi due to their bloodlines, facing so many high-consumption skills, it was still somewhat insufficient.

Because Obito and Shisui’s current Fire Release Chakra level was not enough to use Azure Flame, they could only barely use it with the boost from Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.

And Flame Breathing Chakra Mode was also a major consumer of Chakra. Combining the two, Obito and Shisui would not have better stamina than Kakashi.

Of course, Obito and the others could also choose to prioritize stamina by not using those high-consumption skills.

The reason Muzuki wanted to teach Kakashi, Obito, and the others high-consumption skills like One Thought Cut and Azure Flame now was twofold: first, to learn them early, and second, to give them a trump card to turn the tables when facing enemies far superior in strength.

Even a strong person like Kitsuchi, if caught off guard by Kakashi’s No Thought Strike, would only face death.

A Ninja’s body, without using defensive Ninjutsu and only simply condensing Chakra for defense, cannot withstand such an attack.

…

In the evening, the Shinobi Sect held a banquet to celebrate the successful Martial Arts Tournament.

At this time, most of the Ninja who had been attracted by the Martial Arts Tournament had already left Six Paths City, and not too many Shinobi Sect Ninja were needed to maintain order, so most of the Shinobi Sect Ninja attended the banquet.

This banquet was very pure; everyone was eating, drinking, and chatting, with no so-called leadership speeches.

“It’s truly wonderful,” Yahiko sighed, looking at the harmonious scene.

He truly hoped that the Land of Rain, and even the entire world, could be as harmonious as the current Shinobi Sect.

“Sōsuke-sensei, you’ve worked hard,” Konan gave Muzuki an origami.

She had folded a chibi version of Muzuki’s vest.

Konan was not like Yahiko, who had the ability to influence those around him, nor did she have Nagato’s extraordinary talent. So she often gave Muzuki various origami creations to express her respect and gratitude towards him.

“Thank you,” Muzuki accepted the origami and smiled, thanking Konan, then his gaze swept over all the Shinobi Sect Ninja around him, finally resting on Nagato.

“However, I’m not the only one working hard. We are all striving hard for the Shinobi Sect. The Shinobi Sect’s current state is everyone’s achievement.”

【Disciple Nagato’s trust level has increased. Current trust level: Four】

PS: Sorry, the extra chapter might be delayed, but not for too long, two days at the shortest, four or five days at the longest.

Originally, Xiao Ju estimated that according to his writing progress, it would be completed by the eighteenth.

However, there were several days when his condition was very poor, and even basic updates were difficult, so he couldn’t finish writing.

For a smoother reading experience, the time had to be postponed. After all, if extra chapters are not released all at once and are serialized simultaneously with the main story, it would be very strange.

In short, brothers, I apologize.