The next moment, Shinichi raised his hand.
Whoosh!
The crimson flame in his palm shot out instantly. Instead of expanding and dissipating upon release, it became more streamlined because it was freed from the constraint of rotation, resembling a crimson flame arrow that tore through the cold air with a sharp whistle!
Mid-flight, the highly condensed chakra structure inside the flame arrow seemed to reach a critical point and suddenly released.
Boom!
The crimson flame rapidly spread out in the air, instantly transforming into a scorching sea of fire that surged forward like an angry tide!
Wherever the fire wave passed, the accumulated snow instantly vaporized, the ground turned scorched black, and rolling heat waves rushed forward. The momentum was fierce and destructive, though its power was far less than the ultimate point-explosion destructive force of the Fire style: Rasengan.
However, its coverage, impact speed, and sustained burning effect surpassed those of a typical B-rank fire release, and it carried a unique, solid, driving sense of penetration!
'This is!?'
'Ninja body technique?!'
Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe stopped at his lips, and a light of astonishment suddenly erupted in his eyes.
With his profound mastery and insight as the professor of ninjutsu, he grasped the essential difference and astonishing potential of this jutsu almost the moment Shinichi executed it.
It abandoned the powerful burst brought by the Rasengan's signature rotation and extreme compression, yet successfully retained the core advantages of the Rasengan system: "no hand signs," "rapid activation," and "high chakra condensation."
At the same time, it incorporated fire nature chakra in a way that was more stable, easier to shape, and easier to control away from the body, forming a new mode that combined the long-range attack of ninjutsu with the efficient characteristics of "chakra shape transformation."
This was a solid, highly pioneering, and feasible step taken toward the fire release ninja body technique direction!
Lord Third Hokage was deeply moved.
He clearly remembered that only half a year ago, Shinichi had first proposed the concept of creating the fire release ninja body technique system in front of him.
Although he admired his ambition at the time, he was well aware of the difficulty, believing it to be a long-term goal that would require years, perhaps even longer, to explore.
He never expected that in such a short time, the young man would have explored a feasible path in this direction with such rapid speed!
Although the jutsu before him was still somewhat crude, and its power and completeness could not compare to a mature A-rank ninjutsu, the ideas it displayed and the unique understanding of chakra nature and shape transformation were undoubtedly the critical breakthrough in turning the fire release ninja body technique from concept into reality!
Currently, it still needs to be released from the hand, and its form is relatively singular.
But what if he continues along this path?
The next step might be to directly wrap this highly condensed, nature-stable fire nature chakra around his fists and feet for close-quarters combat.
Going further, he might even be able to integrate fire nature chakra throughout his entire body, similar to the lightning release chakra mode passed down through generations in the Hidden Cloud Village, creating a fire release chakra mode unique to Konoha that combines offense and defense, strength, speed, and explosive power!
Shinichi... had actually completed the most difficult initial step of going from zero to one in the fire release ninja body technique in such a short time!
This talent, perseverance, and creativity in daring to forge a new path once again exceeded Lord Third Hokage's expectations.
He looked at the young man in the field, whose breathing was steady and eyes were shining, and after a moment of silence, he slowly spoke:
"This..." He had intended to call it a jutsu, but changed the term just before speaking, making it closer to its current designation as a move or technique: "Have you named this move?"
Shinichi nodded, clearly prepared, and pronounced a concise yet slightly unusual name: "Yamibarai."
"Or, to put it more directly,—meaning the flame that dispels darkness."
"The flame that dispels darkness, huh." Lord Third Hokage repeated softly, savoring the meaning of the name, then looked back at the scorched ground not far away and nodded: "A good name, fitting its form and nature. Now, Shinichi, tell me in detail about the specific concept behind this alternative approach of yours, and... how you managed to find this path, which seems like a step back but actually opens up a new way, in such a short time?"
Shinichi briefly organized his thoughts, glanced at his right hand, which had just released the flame, and then looked at the Third Hokage and Enma, beginning his explanation:
"Lord Third Hokage, the starting point for this approach indeed circles back to our original goal—fire release ninja body technique."
He held out his left hand, palm up, as if cradling something invisible.
"Traditional ninjutsu, whether it's the Great Fireball or the Phoenix Sage Fire, relies on hand sign guidance and large-scale chakra shape and nature transformation for its power, range, and area of effect. They are powerful, but take time to activate, and once released, their trajectory and scope are largely fixed, making them difficult to use flexibly in high-speed taijutsu confrontations, and impossible to combine directly with fists and feet."
"The core requirement of ninja body technique is the seamless integration of technique and body. It demands that chakra usage must be extremely fast, condensed, stable, and capable of changing instantly with body movements. Kumogakure's lightning release chakra mode is the prime example; they tame, compress, and coat their entire body with volatile lightning nature chakra, gaining unparalleled strength, speed, and defense."
"My initial attempt at the Fire style: Rasengan was actually too aggressive." Shinichi admitted frankly: "I tried to forcibly fuse the two most violent characteristics of the Rasengan system—extreme compression and rotational tearing—and infuse them with fire release, hoping to create an ultimate offensive weapon. But it turned out that with my current chakra control and physical tolerance, handling such a complex and extremely unstable composite structure was very difficult, and the backlash it caused was too severe."
He changed the subject: "Therefore, I adjusted my priorities and chose to temporarily abandon the pursuit of extreme compression and rotational tearing characteristics."
Lord Third Hokage nodded slightly.
"My new direction is prioritizing safety, stability, and controllability," Shinichi continued. "I retained the most valuable advantages of the Rasengan system—no hand signs and high-speed chakra condensation—but focused on how to make the fast, highly condensed fire nature chakra form a basic state that is stable, inert, easy to shape, and controllable remotely."
He raised his right hand again, and a wisp of crimson, but much tamer, flame condensed on his fingertip, burning quietly.
"This basic form, or intermediate state, is the core of Yamibarai. Unlike the Fire style: Rasengan, which is constantly on the verge of extreme volatility internally, it is more like a carefully forged, shape-stable crystal of flame. I can easily mold it and maintain it in my palm because it is stable enough, greatly reducing consumption and risk."
"When an attack is needed," Shinichi made a throwing motion, "I no longer need to expend massive mental effort maintaining that dangerous balance. I simply launch it, like throwing a kunai. During its flight away from the hand, it maintains its form due to its stable structure. Only when it hits the target, or when I trigger it remotely, will the highly condensed fire nature energy inside instantly release, creating an explosion or a sustained flame impact."
He summarized: "The essence of Yamibarai is the first, and currently most needed, safety cornerstone I have built for establishing the fire release ninja body technique system. It first solves the fundamental problem of how to make high-power fire release safely, quickly, and stably accompany taijutsu movements."
"Right now, it is a safely throwable flame shuriken. Next, I can try wrapping this stable form of flame around my fists and feet to form flame fists and flame kicks, achieving true close-quarters fire release strikes, and even laying the foundation for the more distant fire release chakra mode."
"As for extreme compression and rotational tearing, they are only temporarily abandoned..." Shinichi's gaze drifted into the distance: "That will be a future subject. Once my chakra control, physical strength, and mastery of this basic form like Yamibarai reach a higher level, I will attempt to integrate them back in step by step."
"By then, Yamibarai might evolve into a more powerful, higher-form variant, perhaps even feeding back into the improvement of the Fire style: Rasengan."
The Third Hokage listened quietly, smoke slowly curling around him.
Shinichi's explanation was clear and methodical, entirely based on practical combat and system construction, without any pretense.
He not only explained the principle of the new move but also clearly outlined a developmental path of learning from failure, adjusting direction, and gradually advancing.
This sober understanding, solid steps, and clear planning for long-term goals moved and pleased Lord Third Hokage more than the sheer power of the jutsu itself.
"Using a stable intermediate state as a foundation and transition, avoiding backlash, and gradually moving toward taijutsu integration..." Lord Third Hokage slowly repeated the key points, the admiration in his eyes deepening: "A very good approach, Shinichi. You have not only found a way to solve the backlash problem but also a practical and feasible path toward the fire release ninja body technique."
He paused, his tone becoming more solemn: "Therefore, what you need to do next is to continue along this line of thought, constantly refining the stability of this flame vessel, the precision of its control, its adaptability when combined with various body parts, and its application variations in different combat situations. This will require extensive practice, testing, and refinement. I have faith in you on this path. Keep up the good work, my boy."
"Thank you, Lord Third Hokage!"