Chapter 543: Trust Level Increase
"Flame Vortex!"
Once Mugetsu finished condensing his chakra, he released a large amount of flames, then swiftly split them into two streams that curved into a fiery ring, trapping several large trees inside.
He continued supplying chakra and maintaining control over the fire. Under his guidance, flames burst and splashed within the ring, and the enclosed trees were quickly reduced to ash.
"Very flexible," Mugetsu said with a nod.
As a Fire Release technique, Flame Vortex was more versatile than most fire style ninjutsu. As long as the user continued feeding it chakra, the technique could undergo numerous changes while active.
Aside from burning enemies trapped within the ring, Mugetsu could also choose to strengthen the vortex's restraining effect.
He condensed Fire Release chakra again and released another great surge of flames, once more shaping them into a massive ring of fire.
This time, the ring of flames stretched upward like a spiraling staircase, its fire climbing straight into the sky.
Mugetsu also tried using it as a direct sweeping attack by unleashing a broad wave of flame, and the result was still excellent.
"Pray for Rain."
After giving Flame Vortex a basic test, Mugetsu gathered chakra and used Pray for Rain.
Pray for Rain had the opposite effect of the Great Sunny Day he had obtained before.
Great Sunny Day strengthened all Fire Release within its range and weakened all Water Release. Pray for Rain, meanwhile, strengthened all Water Release in its area while suppressing Fire Release.
As Mugetsu's chakra steadily drained away, dark clouds suddenly formed in the sky. A moment later, heavy raindrops began falling one after another, striking the ground in a dense shower.
"That's strange. Pray for Rain covers a much larger area than Great Sunny Day," Mugetsu murmured after estimating the rainfall's range by sight.
He had originally assumed Pray for Rain and Great Sunny Day would be roughly identical in scale, with only their effects differing, since they were the same type of skill from the same world. Reality, however, seemed different from what he had expected.
To maintain its enhancement effect, Great Sunny Day required him to spend forty thousand chakra just to cover an area of roughly two hundred meters.
But just now, Pray for Rain had only consumed twenty thousand chakra, yet the rainfall it produced already extended beyond three hundred meters.
"Is it because of the Land of Rain's climate, or is the strengthening effect slightly different and compensated for in some other way?" Mugetsu considered two possibilities.
The first possibility was that the Land of Rain's constant wet climate naturally boosted Pray for Rain's performance.
The second was that Pray for Rain's enhancement of Water Release was slightly weaker than Great Sunny Day's enhancement of Fire Release, and that difference was compensated for by a wider range.
Mugetsu chose to test the second possibility first. He compared the strength of the same Water Release technique, using the same amount of chakra, once outside the range of Pray for Rain and once inside it.
Testing the first possibility would be too troublesome, since it would require leaving the Land of Rain entirely.
Mugetsu left a Flying Thunder God kunai outside the range of Pray for Rain. First, he used his self-developed Water Release: Torrent inside the rainy zone. Then, after teleporting with Flying Thunder God, he used Torrent again outside the rain.
"The Water Release boost is no weaker than Great Sunny Day's Fire Release amplification," Mugetsu concluded after comparing the destructive power of the two techniques.
The difference in range between Pray for Rain and Great Sunny Day piqued his interest further. He next tested how much Pray for Rain suppressed Fire Release, and this time the difference was very obvious.
Inside the range of Great Sunny Day, trying to form Water Release required greatly increased chakra expenditure, otherwise the resulting Water Release would weaken significantly.
Within the range of Pray for Rain, however, there was no obvious suppression before the flames were actually released. But once Fire Release was used, the effect became clear. The wider the flames spread, the greater the weakening effect from Pray for Rain. By contrast, smaller and more concentrated flames suffered less interference.
Clearly, after being localized and brought into reality, Pray for Rain and Great Sunny Day were no longer mirror images of each other. There were already several meaningful differences between them.
"I wonder how ordinary rain compares to the rain created by Pray for Rain," Mugetsu thought, approaching the problem from a new angle.
There was no ninjutsu in the Ninja World directly comparable to Great Sunny Day, but there was more than one way to create rain.
The first was the method Sasuke used to support Kirin, using Fire Release to rapidly heat the surrounding air, generate rising currents, and create cumulonimbus clouds.
The second was closer to Pray for Rain, namely Pain's Rain Tiger at Will Technique.
That technique used chakra to create rain clouds, and every falling raindrop was linked to the user's senses, making its surveillance ability comparable to Konoha's grand barrier.
Mugetsu did not know Rain Tiger at Will, so he could not compare the two directly. Still, creating rain artificially was easy enough for him.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
After finding another location, Mugetsu fired a dragon shaped flame into the sky and created artificial rain.
This method was slower than Pray for Rain, but the resulting rainfall spread over a wider area.
Mugetsu used the same method again, comparing the same Water Release both inside and outside the rain zone, and then comparing ordinary rainfall enhanced Water Release with Water Release enhanced by Pray for Rain.
"As expected, Pray for Rain is much stronger," Mugetsu concluded.
It was common knowledge that Water Release grew stronger in places with abundant water, and even natural rain provided a favorable environment for Water Release users.
But after a detailed comparison, Mugetsu found that the rain produced by Pray for Rain far surpassed ordinary rainfall when it came to strengthening Water Release.
This result was within his expectations. After all, if a weather skill that consumed so much chakra and lasted only a few minutes produced nothing more than ordinary rain, it would be far too weak for the quality of an S rank extraction scroll.
Mugetsu's final test for Pray for Rain was weather replacement.
In Pokémon games, one weather effect could overwrite another.
If that logic also applied after localization, then a Great Sunny Day fueled by forty thousand chakra and covering two hundred meters for five minutes should immediately be replaced if someone cast Pray for Rain in the middle of it.
Mugetsu first created a shadow clone. The clone then used Great Sunny Day with thirty thousand chakra.
The brilliant sphere of sunlight scattered the dark clouds, making the area around Mugetsu bright and clear for several hundred meters.
Then Mugetsu gathered chakra and used Pray for Rain himself.
The scene he had imagined, with rolling black clouds instantly replacing the blazing artificial sun, did not appear.
Instead, as Mugetsu steadily increased his chakra output, the dark clouds slowly expanded and gradually swallowed the blazing weather effect little by little.
He dispersed the shadow clone and fell into thought as he refined chakra again.
Weather replacement could indeed happen, but it did not follow the simple game rule of "later weather automatically overwrites earlier weather." Instead, it became a contest of ninjutsu strength, meaning it was influenced by chakra output and proficiency.
If Mugetsu used Great Sunny Day with one hundred thousand chakra, then someone trying to counter it with Pray for Rain using only ten thousand chakra would not be able to replace it.
Instead, the existing Great Sunny Day would interfere with the incoming Pray for Rain, drastically reducing the latter's range.
Mugetsu thought of it as a battle of domains. Only the winner of that contest could fully enjoy the field advantage.
Once his chakra recovered to ninety eight percent, Mugetsu began testing his remaining techniques.
Now, only one final item remained.
Azure Flame, the greatest skill he had gained this time.
As the signature move of a first class divine being, Mugetsu held extremely high expectations for Azure Flame.
After all, although No Thought Strike had also come from an S+ extraction scroll, Mugetsu's Lightning Release chakra nature transformation was far below his Fire Release, and swordsmanship was not his greatest strength.
In other words, as long as Azure Flame reached the same level as No Thought Strike, it would replace many of Mugetsu's current offensive options and become his strongest attacking ninjutsu.
That excluded suicidal techniques like the Eight Gates, of course.
Mugetsu rarely relied on the Eight Gates, but if he were ever truly driven to the brink, he could still open the final gate and wager his life for a single chance at victory.
A vast amount of chakra gathered in his palm.
Once the chakra completed its nature transformation, a blue flame appeared above his hand.
The moment Azure Flame was born, Mugetsu could feel the surrounding temperature soar.
He tossed the flame onto a large rock.
In an instant, the rock melted into lava, while the blue flame continued burning without stopping. It spread rapidly across the surface.
Mugetsu tried extinguishing it with ordinary Water Release, but the incoming stream of water evaporated almost immediately, while the Azure Flame remained burning stubbornly in place.
Only after switching to Water Breathing, pushing it to its limit, and then using a high level Water Release with a large amount of chakra did Mugetsu finally manage to extinguish it.
"These compressed flames, with their enhanced burning property, are nearly on the level of Amaterasu," Mugetsu thought.
Even with his ten thousand points of Water Release chakra nature transformation, he still needed Water Breathing to suppress it. How many people in the current Ninja World possessed Water Release of that level?
Mugetsu could not say for everyone, but one thing was certain. Even Hanzō, the strongest Water Release user he knew at present, could not do it.
By that standard, Azure Flame was effectively semi-indestructible.
It was not truly inextinguishable like Amaterasu, but in the current Ninja World, its practical effect might as well be the same.
If no one could put it out, then for all practical purposes, it was indestructible.
Mugetsu then altered the way he used the technique.
This time, instead of shaping a single compact flame, he expelled a full pillar of fire made entirely of Azure Flame toward a line of trees.
The moment the flames touched them, the trees were instantly reduced to ash.
Although this form lacked the peak heat and destructive burn of the compressed single flame, it was still an S+ rank technique and its destructive power remained extraordinary.
Trees, rocks, and even iron blocks all failed to survive under Mugetsu's Azure Flame.
Mugetsu nodded in satisfaction. He was extremely pleased with the technique.
Although it lacked Amaterasu's true inextinguishable nature, Azure Flame still had room to grow. As his proficiency increased and his chakra reserves rose, Azure Flame would only become more terrifying.
And compared to Amaterasu, it had one enormous advantage.
Control.
If Mugetsu did not mind the chakra cost, he could even shape Azure Flame into techniques like Great Fireball or Great Dragon Fire. By contrast, Amaterasu required Kagutsuchi to alter its form.
Of course, Azure Flame also had weaknesses.
Compared to Amaterasu, actually striking a target with Azure Flame was more difficult.
Amaterasu could ignite directly on the enemy's body. Azure Flame, in the end, still behaved like released flame.
"I wonder if Rasengan can be fused with Azure Flame," Mugetsu thought, suddenly inspired.
As one of Naruto's signature techniques, Rasengan possessed ridiculous potential.
Later on, Naruto seemed capable of turning anything at all into some form of Rasengan.
Wind Release chakra, Sage chakra, Amaterasu, Lava Release, Magnet Release. Everything could be made into a Rasengan, as though the rule of the universe was simply "if it exists, it can become a Rasengan."
If Naruto could combine all of those, then there was no reason Mugetsu's Azure Flame could not be combined with it as well.
Mugetsu now possessed an enormous amount of ninja knowledge, and with system abilities like Enlightenment and Problem Solving, his research ability was already exceptional.
If he could create an Azure Flame Rasengan, then his future battle style might start resembling Minato's.
Flying Thunder God to seize openings, and the moment an opening appeared, an Azure Flame Rasengan delivered directly to the target.
He silently noted it down as a future research direction, then returned to the Shinobi Sect after his chakra had fully recovered.
As for Azure Flame itself, it was excellent, but its chakra consumption was no lower than No Thought Strike.
Mugetsu estimated that none of his disciples would be able to use it properly before the age of fifteen, and even after fifteen, it would still be uncertain.
Although Obito and Shisui possessed greater chakra than Kakashi due to their bloodlines, there were still too many high consumption techniques competing for that chakra.
At present, Obito and Shisui's Fire Release chakra level still was not enough to use Azure Flame directly. They could only barely meet the standard after entering Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.
And Flame Breathing Chakra Mode itself consumed a great deal of chakra. Once both were combined, their endurance in battle would not actually be better than Kakashi's.
Of course, they could also choose not to rely on those high consumption techniques and instead preserve stamina.
The reason Mugetsu wanted Kakashi and the others to learn moves like No Thought Strike and Azure Flame this early was simple.
First, it was better to start learning earlier rather than later.
Second, those techniques gave them a trump card that could overturn a battle against enemies far stronger than themselves.
Even someone as strong as Kitsuchi would die if he were caught off guard by Kakashi's No Thought Strike.
A ninja's body, without a defensive technique and with only simple chakra reinforcement, could not withstand an attack of that level.
...
That evening, the Shinobi Sect held a banquet to celebrate the complete success of the Martial Arts Tournament.
By then, most of the ninja and visitors drawn in by the tournament had already left Six Paths City, and maintaining order no longer required many Shinobi Sect personnel. As a result, most of the sect's ninja were able to attend the banquet.
The banquet itself was very simple and very pure.
People ate, drank, and talked.
There were no tedious speeches from leaders.
"This is wonderful," Yahiko sighed as he looked around at the warm and harmonious atmosphere.
He truly wished that the Land of Rain, and one day even the entire world, could become as peaceful and united as the current Shinobi Sect.
"Sōsuke-sensei, thank you for all your hard work," Konan said as she handed Mugetsu a folded piece of origami.
She had folded a miniature version of Mugetsu's vest.
Konan was not like Yahiko, who naturally influenced the people around him, nor did she possess Nagato's astonishing talent.
So she often expressed her gratitude and respect for Mugetsu by making him various origami creations.
"Thank you," Mugetsu said with a smile as he accepted it.
Then his gaze swept across all the Shinobi Sect ninja gathered there before finally landing on Nagato.
"But I'm not the only one working hard. Everyone here has been working for the Shinobi Sect. What the Shinobi Sect has become today is the result of all of your efforts."
[Disciple Nagato's trust level has increased. Current trust level: 4.]
.....
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