In the end, Hyuga Arin chose Demonic Flame.
The main reason was that the trait Sacred Flame turned fire into a healing effect.
This was a skill fusion—once fused, all traits would merge together, turning his flames into healing flames.
Imagine this: in battle, he casually throws out a gigantic fireball and smashes it into the enemy.
When the fireball dissipates, the opponent is completely fine—every hidden injury healed clean.
What he'd get in return would be a peak-condition opponent.
What the hell would he even be fighting for then?!
One rat dropping spoiling the entire pot.
He abandoned it decisively. Healing could be handled perfectly well with his medical ninjutsu.
Fire Release, on the other hand, was a core part of his combat power.
[Fire Release · Great Flame Art (lv10) EXP (Max) Trait (Demonic Flame)]
The moment the final Fire Release skill selected its trait, a system notification appeared before Arin's eyes.
[Skill: Fire Release
(Fire Release · Ignorant Fire (lv10) + Fire Release · Great Fire Dragon Technique (lv10) + Fire Release · Great Fireball Technique (lv10) + Fire Release · Phoenix Fire Technique (lv10) + Fire Release · Fire Dragon Flame Bullet (lv10) + Fire Release · Blazing Meteor (lv10) + Fire Release · Dragon Flame Technique (lv10) + Fire Release · Flame Bullet (lv10) + Fire Release · Flame Strike (lv10))]
[Conditions met. Proceed with fusion? (Yes) (No)]
"Yes!!"
[Fusion initiated]
[Fusion successful]
[Fire Release · Ignorant Fire (lv10), Fire Release · Great Fire Dragon Technique (lv10), Fire Release · Great Fireball Technique (lv10), etc. have disappeared]
[Obtained skill: Fire Release]
[Fire Release (lv1) EXP (0/5000)
Traits: Satan's Flame + Vitality + Fire Devourer + Burning + Demonic Flame + Scorch + Hellfire + Fireball + Explosion + Enchant]
This time, it wasn't just a flood of memories entering his mind.
His body itself changed.
Arin's skin flushed red as heat continuously poured out of him.
"Big bro… he's not cooked, is he?" Nawaki whispered to Aburame Mushihime.
"Whoosh—!"
Black-blue flames suddenly erupted from Nawaki's body.
"Ah—hot! It's itchy too!"
Nawaki rolled on the ground in a panic, and only then did the flames gradually extinguish.
Arin opened his eyes and stood up.
Within his pale Byakugan pupils, a flash of black-blue light flickered and vanished.
He looked at Nawaki with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"Believe it or not, I can actually cook you."
He raised his hand, black-blue flames coiling around his palm.
Still daring to talk behind his back? At this distance, only a deaf man wouldn't hear it.
"Big bro, I won't dare next time," Nawaki said with an awkward grin.
…That sounded exactly like someone who would dare next time.
Arin snorted and began carefully sensing the changes in his body.
Fire Release was no longer merely a technique.
It had become a talent, an instinct, part of his very being.
In other words—
A bloodline limit unique to Hyuga Arin.
It couldn't be taught to others, but it could be passed down in other ways—say, by having a child.
Of course, that still depended on luck. Whether a child would awaken this talent was impossible to say.
Just like Senju Hashirama's Wood Release: none of his descendants ever awakened it. Instead, outsiders used Wood Release by fusing his cells.
In theory, Arin's Fire Release bloodline limit was on the same tier as Wood Release.
Naturally, it could receive the same "treatment."
If someone used his cells and managed to withstand the burning properties of his flames, they might also awaken this Fire Release bloodline.
That said, limited by level and chakra, Arin couldn't reach Hashirama's level.
Hashirama's Wood Release was at least level seven or eight.
Arin's Fire Release was only a pitiful level one.
At this stage, its raw power didn't even surpass ordinary Fire Release techniques.
But—
He still had experience points.
"Upgrade it!!"
[Fire Release (lv2) EXP (0/10000)]
[Fire Release (lv5) EXP (0/80000)]
At level five, Fire Release comprehensively surpassed even max-level ordinary Fire Release techniques.
That was the power of a top-tier skill.
"Compared to Senju Hashirama, I'm still missing four levels of Fire Release, a Sage Body, Sage Mode, and massive chakra reserves."
By comparison, he still had a long way to go.
However—
"It's enough."
Arin walked up to the Cloud ninja.
The man stared at him in disbelief.
That black-blue flame—
It was a brand-new bloodline limit.
The Hyuga Clan had gained another bloodline.
Konoha was about to gain another pillar—
No… this kid's power already qualified him as one.
And he was still so young!!
Black-blue flames ignited around the Cloud ninja's body.
He felt no pain—his form simply turned into a pile of ash.
[EXP: 19,867]
"Victor: Hyuga Arin."
…
The battlefield where Cloud ninja and Konoha ninja clashed had descended into complete chaos.
Countless Konoha ninja surged out from the five mountains, engaging the Cloud forces head-on.
Konoha and Cloud ninja were now thoroughly mixed together—you were in me, and I was in you.
This was a battle initiated by Konoha.
This time, they were determined to drive the Cloud ninja all the way back.
In the distance, thunderous booms echoed again and again as three gigantic summoned beasts rampaged, leveling small mountains at will.
A crimson figure wreathed in crackling lightning darted back and forth among the three summons.
Despite the enormous difference in size, every time they collided, it was the summoned beasts that were sent flying.
On the surface, the three massive summons seemed unstoppable—
In reality, they were being completely suppressed by a single person.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield below, a vast blue barrier still occupied a large area.
But now, no one had the luxury to pay attention to it.
Enemies were appearing from every direction.
"Lightning Release · Four Pillar Technique!"
A Cloud ninja unleashed four lightning pillars toward the densest cluster of Konoha forces.
At the same time, a Shimura clan ninja completed his hand seals.
"Wind Release · Gale Lash!"
Wind blades formed into a long whip, smashing the four lightning pillars apart.
Many Hyuga clan members engaged in close combat, using Gentle Fist against the Cloud ninja and gaining a slight advantage.
However, because branch family members had limited techniques, they were soon pushed back under the barrage of Cloud ninjutsu.
A Hyuga ninja jabbed a finger into a Cloud ninja's neck, severing not only his chakra flow but also his cervical spine.
The Cloud ninja collapsed limply to the ground.
Before the Hyuga ninja could celebrate—
"Lightning Release · Thunderblade!"
A blade crackling with electricity sliced off his head.
The Cloud ninja who made the kill immediately searched for his next target.
"Wind Release · Death Slice!"
An almost invisible wind filament wrapped around his neck, tightening instantly and severing it.
The headless body collapsed.
A Shimura ninja missing one eye lay blood-soaked on the ground.
If not for the jutsu he'd just released, others would have mistaken him for a corpse.
On rocks, trees, and cliff faces, figures fought endlessly.
Death occurred everywhere.
And just as the battlefield grew ever more chaotic—
The blue barrier suddenly dimmed.
Then it vanished.
Immediately afterward—
Flames shot skyward.
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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