Takuno frowned deeply, raising a hand to wipe away a trail of blood seeping down his cheek, his fingertips feeling the faint sting and the stickiness.
"As expected," he muttered in a low voice, his tone a mix of helplessness and introspection, "at such terrifying speeds, my 'perception-action' chain has become disconnected."
He let out another sigh; he truly wasn't a genius like Minato.
The image of the Fourth Hokage's incredibly elegant Flying Thunder God Technique seemed to float before his eyes. "If it were him, even with speed like mine, he would surely be able to control it as easily as his own limbs, wouldn't he?"
However, his dejection lasted only a moment before Takuno's gaze became sharp once more.
The feeling of every sprint and every limit-pushing dodge replayed in his mind. Those moments of brushing past danger, that sense of distance telling him he was 'just a hair's breadth away from a perfect evasion,' proved that this gap wasn't an unbridgeable chasm, but merely a thin line!
The gap in reaction speed was far smaller than the leap in speed itself.
This realization struck like a bolt of lightning: "Perhaps I can use external force to bridge this 'thin line'?"
Soon, a plan took shape in his mind.
"Shadow Clone!" Takuno commanded in a deep voice. "Set it up one more time!"
Since the body's own reaction time had limited immediate improvement, he would equip it with a stronger 'observation device.'
The Shadow Clone said nothing, silently vanishing into the depths of the forest to begin a new round of deadly 'renovations.'
A moment later, everything was ready.
Takuno took a deep breath, and a surge of his internal Chakra instantly flowed toward the Tenketsu of his eyes.
Buzz!
Amidst a subtle energy fluctuation, his pupils quietly changed. His originally ordinary eyes turned a crimson red, with two pitch-black tomoe slowly rotating within, emitting an eerie, all-seeing light.
Two-tomoe Sharingan, activate!
With these eyes of insight capable of seeing through dust and capturing movement trajectories, Takuno transformed into blue lightning once again, plunging headlong into that triggered forest purgatory where the danger was now even greater!
With the super-powered dynamic vision of the Sharingan, the process of this sprint was completely different!
In his perception, it was no longer a blurred, chaotic storm of death, but was instead clearly decomposed into:
Three shuriken spinning at high speed from the front-left, a massive tree about to swing from the rear-left, and the faint glow of an explosive tag about to ignite directly ahead! Trajectories, speeds, gaps—everything was perfectly understood!
Swoosh!
He precisely tilted his body, the shuriken passing within millimeters of his Lightning Release Armor!
Boom!
He ducked and rolled as a searing wave of air roared over his head!
Whoosh!
He used the momentum to leap, the whipping giant tree sweeping through empty air beneath his feet!
When Takuno stood steadily outside the forest for the second time, the light of the Sharingan fading as he looked down at himself, a smile of relief finally appeared at the corner of his mouth.
The Lightning Release Armor on his body still shimmered, and this time it was almost perfectly intact; even the slight scratches and scorch marks from before had vanished.
Thanks to the precise warning and guidance of those crimson eyes, all the attacks that should have been enough to touch him had been avoided just in time!
"It really works!" He let out a complete sigh of relief.
Exposing the Sharingan? Under the identity of 'The Collector,' this wasn't a concern at all.
Besides, the mask was excellent cover. Unless someone scrutinized him closely at a short distance, who would notice the deep tomoe eyes within the mask's holes?
However, after the brief joy, a deeper worry welled up in his heart.
He could clearly feel the limits of these Sharingan. While the insight of the two tomoe was powerful, it was only enough to support the current initial stage of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
But what about when he cultivated his Lightning Release to the realm of great mastery? At that time, when he added the Wind Release secret techniques into the mix, the explosive speed would far exceed what it was now!
When Lightning Release itself reached perfection, and then the terrifying acceleration provided by perfect Wind Release secret techniques was stacked on top...
"With just the two-tomoe Sharingan, will I still be able to see clearly then? Or will I need the three-tomoe Sharingan?"
Takuno frowned. Before this, he had used that auxiliary eye-opening machine for a second time.
Because he had the experience from the first time and had altered the logic of the Memory Seal, the memories within the illusionary realm didn't have that much of an impact on him.
But to be safe, Takuno still didn't plan to use it at very short intervals; at least a year or so apart.
As for the third use, he would wait until the research into the Lightning Release Chakra Mode reached great mastery as a benchmark. Using it again then, he felt certain he would definitely be able to evolve his eyes.
It should be said that during the second time, his Sharingan were actually not far from the three tomoe, just a small distance away.
After making his decision, Takuno began a third attempt; he still needed to verify one thing.
This time, he wouldn't use the full-scale Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but would instead only use Lightning Release to strengthen his legs and then use Wind Release for assistance.
This time, the duration was extremely short. Takuno abandoned the test halfway and returned to the front of the forest, only to see that the injuries all over his body were far more serious than the first time.
This was not only because he lacked the defense of the Lightning Release Armor from the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but also because his reaction speed almost completely failed to keep up with his own speed—
This made him realize one point.
While the Lightning Release Chakra Mode increased speed, strength, and defense, it had actually accelerated the electronic conduction speed of neural signals to a certain extent. This in itself improved part of the reaction speed, allowing it to match the increased movement speed.
But the problem was that Takuno's speed composition didn't just rely on the Lightning Release Chakra Mode; it also involved Wind Release secret techniques.
The essence of Wind Release-assisted acceleration was a secret technique where the faster the base speed, the more obvious its effect. Therefore, the part of the speed boosted by the Wind Release secret technique was a bit too much for the reflex speed enhanced by the Lightning Release mode to keep up with.
Takuno sighed. When his Lightning Release Chakra Mode reached perfection, if supplemented by Wind Release, would the three-tomoe Sharingan really be enough?
If possible, once he researched Swift Release, would the three-tomoe Sharingan still be enough? Or would he need the even more advanced Mangekyo Sharingan?
What concerned him even more was that the principle of the Sharingan was, after all, a type of 'predictive' assistance.
It essentially used superior observation to stretch the time window for the brain to process and issue commands, somewhat like 'getting the exam paper in advance.'
While this could solve the immediate problem, what about facing an enemy whose true speed was equal to or even faster than his own?
This wasn't groundless worry, because in the 'god-tier matches' of the late Fourth Shinobi World War that could destroy heaven and earth, the enemies were all monsters with off-the-charts stats and unimaginably fast speeds.
If he relied solely on Sharingan prediction, once the enemy's speed exceeded the Sharingan's ability to analyze in an instant, or if the enemy had the ability to interfere with insight, this 'cheating' method would immediately fail and might even bring a fatal backlash.
Thinking of this, Takuno's gaze gradually became deep and determined.
The crimson Sharingan flickered with a dangerous light under the reflection of the lightning: "Relying on the Sharingan for shortcuts is ultimately just a temporary measure. To truly master this speed, stand undefeated, and even contend with those 'monsters' in the future—the most fundamental problem must be solved!"
He suddenly clenched his fist, and the arcs on the Lightning Release Armor flickered violently.
The key point was now clear: neural reaction speed must match physical movement speed!
And the speed enhancement of electronic signals between nerves provided by the Lightning Release Chakra Mode that he had tested last also gave the answer to this question.
"I must analyze the key mechanism in the Lightning Release Chakra Mode that strengthens neural electronic transmission speed, extract this principle separately, and conduct deep development and specialized enhancement! Forge a neural reaction system that is perfectly synchronized with extreme speed!"
Takuno clenched his fist; it would even be fine if the reaction speed exceeded his own limit speed!
Because the impact of reaction speed failing to keep up with one's own speed was massive, whereas the reverse had almost no impact, or rather, even if there was an impact, it wasn't necessarily negative!
Making his reaction speed match or even exceed the demand for reaction speed created by his own movement speed was the most perfect solution!
After finishing the tests on the Lightning Release Chakra Mode's amplification of his speed, strength, defense, and neural transmission speed, Takuno returned to the laboratory.
Under the soft lights of the lab, Takuno's figure sat back down at the workbench.
His fingertips unconsciously tapped on the smooth tabletop. The rhythmic "tap-tap" sound echoed in the quiet room, as if it were the manifestation of his racing thoughts.
At this moment, the outline of his own power system was very clear. In terms of Nintaijutsu, he could be said to have basically reached a 'perfect' state.
Only two core directions remained for the future: one was to polish the currently 'initial stage' Lightning Release Chakra Mode into an ultimate 'perfect form.'
The second was to conquer the all-important 'Sage Mode.'
Beyond that, he seemingly didn't need to invest extra energy into researching other Ninjutsu for strengthening power or speed.
If there was any foundational work that had to be strengthened, it was the tempering of the physical body itself.
Improving basic physical qualities was not only a necessity for daily *Cultiv* but also a necessary preparation for safely knocking on the gate of the Eight Gates in the future.
Thinking of this, a flash of critical thought crossed his eyes: which was stronger—his envisioned path of stacking states like 'stacking boxes' to increase power, or the peerlessly powerful but costly 'Eight Gates Formation'?
The biggest advantage of the former lay in stability and controllability; it had almost no fatal side effects.
While the Eight Gates Formation indeed possessed world-destroying power, the 'certain death' side effect was enough to make any rational person hesitate.
Perhaps only by mastering the Yang Release power of the Six Paths level could that cost be completely erased. But even if it really reached that step, the research path he had currently chosen was by no means useless.
One key difference was: in the state of the 'Eight Gates Formation,' the user was unable to perform Ninjutsu!
In contrast, his carefully polished 'stacked box' state did not hinder the performance of powerful Ninjutsu at all!
Imagine on the ultimate battlefield: one side only had violent Taijutsu, while the other could maintain peak speed and strength while freely utilizing a variety of powerful Ninjutsu. In the balance of victory and defeat brought by such an ebb and flow, the outcome would likely be uncertain.
The corner of Takuno's mouth couldn't help but curl into a playful smile.
The first area to climb to the peak turned out to be the Nintaijutsu field, which he hadn't originally prioritized.
This was quite unexpected; with his well-recognized talent for Ninjutsu, he had thought he would reach the top in Ninjutsu first.
However, this small 'accident' was harmless. Power was ultimately his own power, regardless of which came first.
However, when his thoughts turned to the level of Ninjutsu, Takuno's brow couldn't help but furrow slightly.
He had dabbled in many Ninjutsu, a staggering number, but the problem followed: these techniques seemed disorganized, and overall he was in a state of being a 'jack of all trades, master of none.'
It wasn't that he was unwilling to focus on mastering a specific technique, but rather that he had yet to find a 'core offensive Ninjutsu' that truly fit his combat style and could perfectly leverage his advantages.
To be sure, the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken was peerlessly powerful, a killing move worthy of being called S-rank.
But its biggest drawback was its throwing speed!
Even if he could use 'Adamantine Sealing Chains' to assist in controlling it, high-speed enemies still had a considerable chance of dodging.
This technique might be very suitable for Naruto, who relied on massive amounts of Chakra and Shadow Clone tactics for saturation strikes, but for someone like him who pursued precision, efficiency, and speed above all else, it wasn't the best choice. It was better suited as a tactical trump card or a finisher for specific occasions.
At this moment, a thought gradually became clear in his mind: the most suitable offensive Ninjutsu for him was likely Chidori!
The power composition of Chidori was extremely pure: it relied on the user's own strength foundation and the speed of accelerating oneself to the limit!
These two points were precisely the strengths Takuno was most proud of after being strengthened by the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Wind Release secret techniques!
He had absolute confidence: once he mastered Chidori, the power it would have when he performed it would surely far exceed that of its original creator, Kakashi!
In fact, Chidori wasn't his only choice.
The secret Taijutsu from Kumogakure, Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Thrust, was also famous for its terrifying piercing power.
Theoretically, this technique had an even more powerful advanced form, Hell Stab: One-Finger Spear Hand.
But the problem was that even someone as famously physically tough as the Third Raikage could only master the power of Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Thrust while alive.
Only when he was summoned via Edo Tensei, freed from the constraints of physical collapse, was he able to perform the legendary Hell Stab: One-Finger Spear Hand.
So, between a pure Chidori and a pure Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Thrust, which one was superior in power?
A simple comparison made the conclusion easy to reach.
If using the Fourth Shinobi World War period as a reference, the Edo Tensei Third Raikage's Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Thrust facing Kakashi's limit Chidori of the same period...
Without even needing to think, it was certain that the Third Raikage's Hell Stab was superior.