Uzumaki Naruto briefly studied the three ninjutsu, then turned his gaze to the system's learning shelf.
Fire Release Training: 300,000 Ryo
"Thirty times cheaper than directly buying those three ninjutsu..."
Uzumaki Naruto directly purchased six Fire Release ninjutsu training sessions.
In his memories,
Uzumaki Naruto became a Fire Release fanatic, crazily unleashing flames across the training ground and setting vast stretches of it ablaze, turning it into a sea of fire.
The memory transfer ended.
Under the cover of night, Uzumaki Naruto arrived near an artificial mountain that looked spacious and unusually quiet.
"Not bad. Looks like no one's around."
"Perfect. If I use Fire Release inside the holes in the artificial mountain, the firelight will be concealed. But... shouldn't a place like this have a training ground?"
Naruto was somewhat puzzled by the artificial mountain's location, but he did not dwell on it.
"Let's give it a try!"
It was as though two flames ignited in the depths of Naruto's azure eyes. Scorch Release flames ignited in his hands as chakra gathered in his mouth.
A scorching sensation flooded his mouth.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!!!"
"Scorch Release: Detonating Flame!!!"
"Boom!!!"
The flames in his mouth and the flames in his hands merged together, seemingly transforming into a starry river of fire.
Burning ashes, like specks of starlight, gave off intense heat and thick smoke as they instantly surged into the artificial mountain's cavern.
Though they were ashes, they burned with blazing flames.
The entire cavern inside the artificial mountain was shrouded in burning ash. Its interior glowed crimson, as though it had become a furnace.
"Whew!"
Naruto glanced at the scene inside the cavern and felt a wave of heat rush toward his face.
"So hot!!!"
"As expected of the Fire Release Uchiha Madara used. Its power really is on another level!!!"
"Again!"
With the experience from last time, Naruto actively fused Scorch Release with Fire Release this time.
"Scorch Release: Great Fire Annihilation!!!"
"Whoosh!!!"
A violent, terrifying sea of flames instantly spewed from Naruto's mouth, roaring like a flaming fire dragon as it charged into the artificial mountain's cavern.
The enormous artificial mountain was roasted bright red, as though it could melt into lava at any moment.
Standing so close, Naruto could even feel the heat radiating from the artificial mountain. It felt like he was standing directly before a furnace.
"This Fire Release... is way too powerful, isn't it!?"
A subtle curve formed at the corner of Naruto's lips.
He had seen plenty of Fire Release techniques in the anime, but the one that had left the deepest impression on him was Uchiha Madara's Great Fire Annihilation.
Although the Fire Release he had just used did not have Uchiha Madara's range, its temperature was dozens of times greater than Madara's flames.
"As expected of Scorch Release, which can evaporate all the water in a human body in an instant. Who would dare take this kind of Fire Release head-on!?"
Naruto continued practicing fusion techniques combining Scorch Release and Fire Release.
He even began actively practicing other Fire Release techniques.
"Scorch Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
"Scorch Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
"Scorch Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Scorch Release: Flame Tornado!"
A good while later.
Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the flaming artificial mountain, which was already close to melting.
"My chakra's running low. I should head back and come again tomorrow..."
Naruto turned to leave, but suddenly sensed that something was wrong. He turned back, frowning as he looked at the glowing red artificial mountain before him.
"Just now, the fire was flowing downward beneath the artificial mountain!?"
Still remembering a bit of physics, Naruto knew that flames normally burned upward.
Yet the flames beneath the artificial mountain had actually surged downward.
It was as though some invisible suction below was drawing in the flames, causing them all to pour into a hollow beneath it.
"Is it a limestone cave!?"
"That's really strange."
About ten minutes later.
A man covered head to toe in soot crawled out of the cavern, staggering.
After looking over the artificial mountain that resembled a furnace, the man raised his head and roared in grief and indignation, "Which bastard did this?"
"Are you sick in the head?"
"Using Fire Release on an artificial mountain? Do you have nothing better to do than fart around?"
"..."
Half an hour earlier.
Root.
Inside an office.
Shimura Danzō had just returned from the Hokage's office. With a grim expression, he sat in his chair and angrily struck the floor with his cane.
"Uzumaki Naruto!!!"
"Damn it!!!"
Shimura Danzō slammed his palm down on the desk and said darkly, "That bastard Hiruzen, don't get too pleased with yourself. Sooner or later, I'll take Uzumaki Naruto from you."
A Root ninja spoke coldly from the side. "Lord Danzo, should we bring Uzumaki Naruto here?"
Shimura Danzō's expression shifted unpredictably.
After a long while, Shimura Danzō's face gradually darkened again. He sat back down and sneered. "No need!"
"That idiot Sarutobi Hiruzen will never allow me to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"To him, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is merely a future threat. But I am his greatest threat right now."
The Root ninja did not speak again.
The grudge between Lord Danzo and the Lord Hokage had lasted for decades. This was not something a subordinate like him could interfere with.
Shimura Danzō looked at Naruto's photograph and sneered. "That brat probably still doesn't know about the monster inside him, does he?"
"Once he learns the truth, will he still remain as loyal as he is now?"
"Send people to keep an eye on him. I refuse to believe that after suffering so much malice in the village, Uzumaki Naruto will still keep that innocent personality... Boom!!!"
The office door was blasted straight away.
Scorching hot ash filled with sparks swept through the hallway like a tsunami and surged into the office.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
Shimura Danzō screamed as he clutched his burning butt.
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