But such a comparison was inherently biased; to compare the absolute power of two techniques, one should eliminate the variable of individual user differences as much as possible to make the contest fair on the same basis.
A deeper question was: if the Third Raikage himself performed it, which would be more powerful: his Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Thrust, or even the One-Fingered Thrust, compared to a Raikiri performed by him personally?
Thinking further, the principle of Hell Stab was to exchange the number of fingers used to concentrate the thrust—reducing from four fingers to one—for a geometrically multiplied piercing power; could Raikiri follow the same logic?
Following this deduction, one would suddenly realize: the core principles of Raikiri and Hell Stab were essentially highly similar—both concentrated high-density Lightning Release Chakra, combining extreme speed and physical strength for a piercing strike.
The differences between them might manifest more in specific application and form rather than the fundamental limit of their power.
Although from a learning difficulty perspective, Raikiri was classified as S-rank while the foundation of Hell Stab was categorized as B-rank, there was a huge cognitive trap here!
A simple Hell Stab, detached from its cornerstone—the amplification of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode—could still be used, but its power would inevitably be greatly diminished.
And mastering the Lightning Release Chakra Mode itself was already far beyond the difficulty of a B-rank concept!
Conversely, the essence of Raikiri seemed to encompass both abilities simultaneously: it inherently contained the piercing kinetic energy brought by extreme speed, as well as the full-body activation using Lightning Release Chakra.
Therefore, the power of a standalone Raikiri was indeed difficult to compare to a Hell Stab stacked with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
But this disadvantage simply didn't exist for Takuno!
Because he happened to have mastered the core Lightning Release Chakra Mode!
So, imagine the terrifying level of explosive and piercing power this move would reach if Raikiri were stacked on top of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode?!
He could even combine the principles of the Hell Stab to concentrate the power of the lightning onto his fingers!
This concept invigorated Takuno's spirit. This rapid-dash attack mode perfectly matched his Nintaijutsu specialty; its characteristics of close-quarters combat and one-hit kills were far superior to the projectile-type and insufficiently fast Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Of course, this didn't mean other types of Ninjutsu should be completely abandoned.
To deal with various complex battlefield environments, having a wide range of attack options was still necessary.
For example, as his Chakra reserves continued to grow, the restrictions on the flexible application of Kujaku Myōhō became smaller and smaller, showing extremely high tactical value in terms of flight, defense, and mid-to-long-range strikes.
At this point, after weighing various factors, Takuno had made a final decision: his future core offensive Ninjutsu would be Raikiri!
So, how to master Raikiri?
He already knew the hand signs for Chidori by heart; who didn't have a bit of a chuunibyou phase in their youth?
But knowing the sequence of hand signs was only the first step; how to precisely guide the Chakra flow within the body and accurately condense and compress the Lightning Release Chakra in the palm were the key difficulties.
However, Takuno was not worried about this.
The way to obtain a sample was already clear; Kakashi, a living textbook, was right in front of him.
He already had the foundation of the hand signs; for the rest, he only needed to use the unparalleled insight of the Sharingan to carefully observe the subtle trajectories and morphological changes of Chakra flow within Kakashi's body when he activated Chidori in actual combat.
As long as he could replicate this flow and combine it with the hand signs, mastering the true Raikiri would not be difficult.
Once he successfully learned the powerful Raikiri and refined several high-powered S-rank Ninjutsu as his primary output methods, supplemented by his own vast Ninjutsu library to handle various combat situations and expand his attack range...
That long-standing pain point regarding his breadth without depth in Ninjutsu might finally be resolved!
Once the decision was clearly settled in his mind, Takuno finally felt his tense nerves relax.
He slowly raised his arms and gave a deep stretch, his joints making a series of soft popping sounds as the slight stiffness accumulated from staying in the same position for a long time dissipated.
Looking around, the quiet air told him it was indeed getting late.
Although he had a short rest in the afternoon, the subsequent precise testing and deep thinking had undoubtedly added a thin layer of fatigue to his spirit and body, like an invisible burden.
This wasn't unbearable pain, but rather a feeling of exhaustion that washed over him gently like a tide.
Takuno leaned against the back of his chair and closed his eyes to rest for a moment, but his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the path of training
He knew well that the enhancement of power was never obtained by blindly overtaxing the body.
Those rumors of sleepless, near-masochistic crazy training seemed to him no different from draining the pond to catch the fish.
He curled his lip slightly, quite disdainful of it.
Others saw his rhythm as incredibly tight, as if he never tired, but they didn't know it relied entirely on the foundation laid by his far-beyond-normal recovery ability.
The secret of physical strength lies in the over-recovery mechanism of life's instinct being triggered after every tiny injury and destruction caused by hard training, making the body tissues tougher and more capable of bearing loads during repair.
However, the core of this repair process is time!
If one deprives the body of a chance to breathe like a perpetual motion machine and doesn't give it time to complete reconstruction, what awaits the practitioner will never be great power, but only a broken body covered in scars and overwhelmed by burdens.
And because of his powerful recovery ability, in the time others needed for a long rest to recover, his body only needed a very short time—even during the brief breaks between practices—to completely recover and be refreshed from the damage of high-intensity training.
This was the root cause that allowed him to cultivate at such a compact and efficient pace.
Thinking of this, the figures of two people wearing iconic green jumpsuits unexpectedly appeared in his memory: Might Guy and Rock Lee.
An authentic sense of admiration couldn't help but flash through the depths of Takuno's eyes.
The physical talent of that master and disciple was simply outrageous.
Especially that self-destructive devilish training that went far beyond the limit day after day; if they didn't have a matching, god-given terrifying recovery ability as a foundation...
Let alone the destructive backlash when opening the Eight Gates, the hidden injuries accumulated from daily training alone would probably be enough to completely crush and ruin them, and they wouldn't even last until they were qualified to open the Eight Gates.
Takuno withdrew his thoughts and shook his head.
Besides that, the fullness and clarity of the mental state were equally important for research, something he deeply appreciated.
A tired body might recover quickly, but if the mind is groggy, even the most complex problem will just be a tangled mess.
So, very soon, Takuno finished washing up and entered a blissful dreamland.
The next morning, the chilly air of the orphanage seemed to freeze, simply because of Takuno's silent appearance.
He signaled to Jugo and Haku simply and indisputably; the two youths immediately understood his meaning and silently stood behind him.
Sunlight slanted in from the high windows, casting long silhouettes on the smooth floor.
Yakushi Nono's heart pounded wildly in her chest; she instinctively took half a step back, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her simple nun's habit.
Although fear wrapped around her limbs like cold vines, her concern for the children ultimately outweighed her dread.
She summoned her courage, took a small step forward, and said in a voice with an imperceptible slight tremble, trying to keep her tone calm: "Master, you are taking Jugo and Haku away... is—is there something important you need them to do?"
Her gaze closely followed the two children, filled with worry.
In the shadows of a slightly distant corner, Zabuza stood like a cold stone statue; although he didn't speak, his gaze hidden behind the bandages was also locked on Takuno, revealing a hint of concern.
Takuno's deep gaze swept over Yakushi Nono's pale face, which was written with worry, and then coldly shifted to Zabuza's silent figure.
He naturally captured the hidden resistance and unease in their eyes.
A faint, almost non-existent curve quietly crept onto the corner of his mouth; it seemed the results of his arrangements were very good.
"Rest assured," Takuno's voice was calm and steady, with a condescending reassurance, "It won't be long. I will return the two of them to you completely intact."
He gave a concise promise but had no interest, or rather felt no obligation, to explain his specific purpose to them.
They were subordinates, tools; as the leader who held everything in his hands, when did he ever need to explain the reasons for his actions to his tools?
Hearing this, Yakushi Nono pursed her lips tightly; her worry had not completely faded, and her gaze still lingered between Takuno and the two children.
At this moment, Haku, who had been standing quietly to the side, spoke up.
His voice was clear and gentle, possessing a power that soothed the heart, as he proactively stepped in to help Yakushi Nono: "Sister, it's not the first time the Master has asked for our help. We all know what needs to be done. It's the same this time, so please don't worry."
As he spoke, a pure smile characteristic of a youth was on his face; this composure formed a strange contrast with his youthful appearance.
This confirmation was like a soothing warm current, finally allowing Yakushi Nono's tense nerves to relax slightly.
She took a deep breath, and when she turned to Jugo and Haku, her tone was much softer, but her earnest instructions remained unchanged: "Good children, you must obey the Master's orders, do your work diligently, and protect yourselves."
After saying that, she truly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back slightly to make way.
Takuno said no more, turned around, and began to walk.
Jugo followed silently behind him with steady steps, while Haku looked back to give Yakushi Nono a reassuring look before following lightly.
Their silhouettes lengthened under the empty porch of the orphanage and quickly disappeared outside the main gate.
Takuno naturally wouldn't take the two of them to that highly classified experimental base deep within the Land of Snow.
Not only was that the technical core, but it was also adjacent to the dark prison where countless enemy Shinobi were held; Jugo might not have a particular reaction to it, but with Haku's gentle and kind nature, witnessing those scenes would surely be a shock to his soul.
Takuno loathed any trouble that might cause complications, especially trouble that could cause emotional resistance among internal personnel.
Therefore, he had already selected the testing location: right inside the Hidden Snow Village.
He took the two children directly to an open training ground on the outskirts of the Hidden Snow Village.
This place was covered year-round with solid permafrost, and the cold wind whistled across the empty, deserted ground, kicking up tiny dust of ice crystals.
Surrounded by high walls, it had a wide view and was far from the core areas and bustling crowds of the village; it had good isolation and plenty of space, enough for him to quietly conduct the necessary tests and avoid all unnecessary attention.
The biting wind blew, fluttering the clothes of the three.
Takuno stood still in the center of the field, his gaze falling on Jugo and Haku in front of him.
The test was about to begin.
The biting cold wind swept across the empty training ground; Takuno looked focused as he stood on the white snow.
He formed hand signs with both hands, and when the last seal was completed, he pressed his palm against the ground covered in thick snow.
Profound and obscure black incantations, like living vines, surged frantically from Takuno's palm.
Ignoring the cold of the ice and snow, they spread and intertwined rapidly in all directions along the veins of the earth, forming a vast and precise network.
In almost an instant, a circular barrier emitting a faint blue glow, like an energy shield, suddenly rose, centered on where Takuno stood, tightly enveloping the entire training ground.
The cold wind and all external sounds seemed to be instantly cut off, and the space within the barrier formed a strange sense of tranquility.
This was exactly the special barrier Takuno had spent a great deal of effort developing, specifically for blocking the ubiquitous Natural Energy in nature.
However, to what extent this barrier's actual effectiveness could reach, he needed an authoritative "tester" to confirm.
He withdrew his hand from the seal and turned his gaze toward Jugo, who was standing quietly not far away, explaining concisely.
"Jugo, this is a barrier that isolates Natural Energy. Now, I need you to completely let yourself go here. You don't need to do anything specifically; just absorb naturally as you usually do. The goal is to test whether all the Natural Energy inside the barrier can be completely drained."
Jugo nodded understandingly; for him, absorbing the majestic energy of nature was not a technique that required active execution, but an instinct and a curse rooted in his special constitution, a natural reaction that was always running.
He simply stood quietly within the barrier, and his body already began to emit that unique aura that attracted and devoured Natural Energy.
Takuno gazed at Jugo's state and the changes in the entire barrier space, thinking silently to himself.
If he could observe that the Natural Energy within the barrier was completely drained by Jugo, showing an absolute state of no Natural Energy, then it would prove his barrier successfully blocked the influx of external energy, and the research would be declared a success!
Conversely, if Jugo could not stop absorbing Natural Energy, it would mean that there were infiltrations and gaps in the barrier's wall.
The theory of the barrier isolating Natural Energy that he designed had not yet reached its destination, and the exploration of the path ahead would need to continue.