The next moment, Shinichi raised his hand.
"Whoosh!"
The crimson flames in his palm shot out with a thud. It did not expand or dissipate the moment it left his hand. Instead, because it was freed from the constraints of rotation, its shape became more fluid, like a crimson flaming arrow that tore through the cold air with a sharp whistling sound!
Halfway through its flight, the highly condensed chakra structure inside the flaming arrow seemed to reach a critical point and suddenly explode.
"Boom!"
The crimson flames suddenly spread out in the air, instantly transforming into a blazing sea of fire that surged forward like a raging torrent!
Wherever the fire wave passed, the accumulated snow instantly vaporized, the ground turned scorched black, and the heat wave rolled in; its fierce and menacing aura was far less powerful than the extreme point-burst destructive force of the Great Flame Rasengan.
However, its coverage, impact speed, and continuous burning effect surpass those of ordinary B-rank Fire Jutsu, and it also carries a unique, solid, penetrating feel.
This is!?
Nintaijutsu?!
The third Hokage stopped smoking his pipe at his lips, and a look of astonishment suddenly flashed in his eyes.
With his profound knowledge and insight as a Ninjutsu instructor, he grasped the essential difference and astonishing potential of this Ninjutsu almost the instant Shinichi made his move.
It abandons the iconic rotation and powerful burst of the Rasengan brought by extreme compression, but successfully retains the core advantages of the Rasengan system, such as Sealless Jutsu, rapid activation, and high concentration of chakra.
At the same time, the fire nature chakra is incorporated into it in a more stable, easier-to-shape, and more easily manipulated way, forming a new mode that combines the long-range attack of Ninjutsu with the highly efficient characteristics of change in chakra form.
This is a groundbreaking and feasible solid step towards Fire Style Nintaijutsu!
The third Hokage was deeply shaken.
He clearly remembered that just half a year ago, Shinichi had first proposed the idea of creating a system of Fire Style Nintaijutsu to him.
At the time, although he admired his ambition, he was also well aware of the difficulties involved, believing that it was a long-term goal that needed to be explored over the years, or even longer.
He never expected that in such a short time, the boy would find a feasible path in this direction at such a rapid pace!
Although the Ninjutsu before him is still somewhat crude, and its power and level of completion cannot be compared with a mature A-rank Ninjutsu, the ideas it demonstrates and its unique understanding of the nature and form of chakra are undoubtedly a key breakthrough in turning the concept of Fire Style Nintaijutsu into reality!
Currently, it still needs to be released from its grasp, and its form is relatively simple.
But what if one continued along this line of thinking?
The next step might be to directly wrap this highly condensed and stable fire nature chakra around one's fists and feet for close-quarters combat.
Going even further, it's even possible that, like the Lightning Style Armour passed down through generations in the Village Hidden in the Cloud, fire nature chakra could be integrated into the entire body to form a unique Fire Style Chakra Mode that belongs to Konoha, combining offense and defense, as well as power, speed, and explosiveness!
Shinichi... actually managed to complete the most difficult initial learning of Fire Style Nintaijutsu from scratch in such a short time!
This talent, perseverance, and creativity in daring to forge new paths have once again exceeded the expectations of the third Hokage.
He looked at the boy in the arena, whose breathing was steady and whose eyes shone brightly, and remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "This..."
He initially wanted to call it Great Flame Rasengan, but then changed his term to better reflect its current status as a move or skill: "Have you given this move a name yet?"
Shinichi nodded, clearly prepared, and uttered a simple yet somewhat unusual name: "Yamibarai."
"Or more directly, it can be called Dark Sweep, Dark Backfist, or Dark Flame Dispeller, the meaning taken from a flame that dispels darkness."
"A flame that dispels darkness."
The third Hokage repeated softly, savoring the meaning of the name. His gaze returned to the scorched ground not far away, and he nodded. "A good name, fitting its form and attributes. Now, Shinichi, explain in detail the specific concept behind this other approach, and… how did you find this seemingly backward but actually surprisingly promising path in such a short time?"
Shinichi briefly organized his thoughts, his gaze sweeping over his right hand, which had just unleashed flames, before turning to the third Hokage and Enma, and began to explain: "Third Hokage, the starting point of this line of thinking does indeed circle back to our original goal, Fire Style Nintaijutsu."
He stretched out his left hand, palm up, as if he were supporting something.
"Traditional Ninjutsu, whether it's the Great Fireball or the Phoenix Flower Jutsu, relies on hand seals and large-scale changes in the form and nature of chakra to achieve their power, range, and scope. They are powerful, but they take time to activate, and once released, their trajectory and range are basically fixed, making them difficult to use flexibly in high-speed Taijutsu combat, and even more difficult to combine directly with punches and kicks."
"The core requirement of Nintaijutsu is seamless fusion between Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. It demands that chakra use be extremely fast, compact, stable, and able to change instantaneously with bodily movement. The Village Hidden in the Cloud's Lightning Style Armour is a prime example. They tame, compress, and cover their entire body with the violent lightning nature chakra, thereby gaining unparalleled power, speed, and defense."
"My initial attempt at the Great Flame Rasengan was actually too reckless."
Shinichi frankly admitted. "I tried to forcibly combine the two most violent characteristics of the Rasengan system, extreme compression and rotational tearing, from the very beginning, and infuse it with fire nature chakra, hoping to obtain an ultimate weapon for attacking."
"But as it turns out, with my current chakra control and physical endurance, it is still very difficult to control this complex and extremely unstable composite structure, and the backlash it brings is too severe."
He then changed the subject: "So, I adjusted my priorities and chose to temporarily abandon the pursuit of extreme compression and rotational tearing properties."
The third Hokage nodded slightly.
"My new direction is to prioritize safety, stability, and controllability."
Shinichi continued, "I have retained the most valuable advantages of the Rasengan, no hand seals and high-speed chakra condensation, but I have focused on how to make the fast and highly condensed fire nature chakra form a stable, inert, easily shaped, and remotely controllable basic form."
He raised his right hand again, and a wisp of crimson but much gentler flame condensed at his fingertips, burning quietly.
"This basic form, or intermediate form, is the core of Dark Sweep. Unlike the Great Flame Rasengan, which is constantly on the verge of extreme volatility, it is more like a carefully forged, stable crystal of flame! I can easily shape and maintain it in the palm of my hand because it is stable enough, greatly reducing consumption and risk."
"When an attack is needed…"