As he thought about it, he picked up his pen again and wrote "Phoenix Sage Fire," "Phoenix Flower Crimson Claw," "Dragon Flame Song," "Great Fire Annihilation," and so on in his notebook. When he found time to experiment later, he would observe the "pathways" of these Fire Release techniques, too.
Yakushi Nonō came in carrying a lunchbox. It held a serving of rice, some simple pickled cucumbers, and two thin slices of ham.
"Thanks." Uchiha Kin took the lunchbox politely and started eating right away.
He had no sense of ceremony when it came to meals. Unlike the others, who habitually pressed their palms together and said, "Let's eat," he skipped any kind of preamble. As Yakushi Nonō watched him wolf down his food, a faint smile appeared on her face.
Yakushi Nonō teased him, "Every time I see you eat like a ninja, I find it amusing. Are you afraid your food will run away?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I think," Uchiha Kin replied casually.
"Jasmine told me that when you sparred with people at school, you never formed the opposition hand seal..." She started laughing before she'd even finished. Sneaking up on people and tricking them by "not following the rules" really was very ninja-like. She sat down across from Uchiha Kin and rested her cheek in one hand. "I made a round of the wards while I was passing by. You don't need to go after you finish eating."
Uchiha Kin paused. "You should've said so earlier... I went around to check as soon as I got up, then came here."
"You should've said so earlier!" Yakushi Nonō was speechless, too. After thinking it over, she caught on. "Were you deliberately messing with the ninja who was following you just now?"
"I wasn't. Don't make things up! A Hidden Leaf ninja with as much Will of Fire as I have would never mess with a comrade, would he?
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!" Uchiha Kin would never admit to such an accusation.
After breakfast, Uchiha Kin stood up and said, "Nonō, I'll be going." He turned back to grab his notebook, then found a quiet spot in the battlefield hospital and began experimenting.
He moved the four Byakugan to four different positions according to what he needed to observe, dividing his observations into four parts.
Then, without forming any hand seals, he relied only on his experience and will to slowly guide his chakra, making it follow the path he had mapped out.
Under the Byakugan's watchful gaze, he controlled it with care. From the very beginning, the chakra started only at the origin of the chakra pathway he had planned, then followed the correct route. Not a speck was lost along the way. He opened his mouth and released it.
Fire poured from Uchiha Kin's mouth. The air seemed to ripple faintly, as though a transparent, tongue-like flame had been released.
Then the rippling air rolled together, forming a sphere a little over two meters in diameter. It looked just like the distortion in the scenery caused by light passing through some transparent, gel-like substance. A wave of searing heat struck him.
"Is this the Great Fireball Technique?" Uchiha Kin frowned, somewhat surprised.
Normally—no, every Fire Release technique he had ever seen had flames that were either orange-red or bright yellow. But this transparent fire was...
The relevant knowledge came to him at once. Right, the transparency of a flame depended on the material being burned, how completely it burned, and whether the fuel contained impurities!
It followed naturally that Uchiha Kin thought, "Ordinary Fire Release techniques don't start along this correct path, so their chakra isn't pure. It's mixed together.
"The impurities give the flames their distinct colors. But mine follows a single path, so the chakra is pure and burns completely. That's why it's nearly transparent."
Uchiha Kin closed his mouth, and the flames stopped at once. Without a continuous supply, the fireball vanished in an instant.
After mulling over the chakra data he had directly observed with the Byakugan, Uchiha Kin reached a conclusion: "It uses one-twentieth the chakra of an ordinary Great Fireball, but puts the same strain on the pathways.
"So, even though it's the same Great Fireball Technique, by my standards, I can use this method to launch twenty fireballs for every one I could before."
That kind of stamina would radically increase a ninja's combat strength. A technique that others treated as a trump card for crucial moments could now be used as an ordinary move.
Next, he moved on to the next experiment. He stuck a kunai into the ground and breathed a stream of transparent fire onto it.
The kunai turned red in a breath, then melted into molten iron.
"That fast?" Uchiha Kin exclaimed, surprised.
Then he took out his notebook and calculated the fire's temperature based on how long it had taken the kunai to melt.
3200°C
"This temperature... is more than half again as high as that of ordinary Fire Release. That's an astonishing level of power."
Next, he examined several of the Fire Release pathways recorded in his notebook and found that their overall routes were identical.
Only certain sections differed. For instance, a pathway might veer away from one set of chakra channels and enter another, or pass through a different region. But overall, they matched the correct path.
He recorded them one by one, then put away his notebook and pen. The Byakugan had spotted a nurse heading his way. She hurried over and reported, "Lord Kin, please come quickly. The three patients from yesterday have woken up."
"Okay." Uchiha Kin replied, then increased the chakra supply to his Byakugan. In an instant, he could see through the tent and spot Tiger, Deer, and the person who was a fusion of Tiger, Deer, and Sheep. He couldn't make out their expressions, but they seemed very agitated.
He followed the nurse at a quick pace and entered the tent. Tiger was trying to stab himself in the throat with a kunai, but someone was restraining him. Of the other two, one was trying to run outside, while the other was cursing them. "This is all your fault, all of you..."
"I don't want to be a monster! Why did you turn me into a monster like this? Did you ever consider how I felt?"
As soon as Uchiha Kin entered, he glanced at the three of them and said, "What are you shouting about? This is a battlefield hospital. We don't have time to raise animals just to get you their hides, and we certainly won't skin other people for your sake!
"And you three are able to fall apart, make a scene, and curse because of me. Because of me, you're still alive.
"To get these few hides, some of the hospital's less seriously injured ninjas risked their lives to hunt in the forest. They worked hard just to bring them back for you.
"Do your attitudes show any respect for your comrades' efforts?" Uchiha Kin's scolding made the three fall silent.
Yakushi Nonō hurried over, too, and asked, "What happened?"
"I'll handle it," Uchiha Kin said. He looked at the three of them and gave them a choice. "Now, you can think it over for yourselves. If you don't want all this fur, it's easy—just take it off.
"But I should warn you: an animal's fur provides you with a decent layer of protection. Combined with certain ninjutsu, it could be very effective.
"If you decide you don't want it, you'll give up that advantage in ninjutsu. Of course, you'll also return to the state you were in before.
"It's your choice. You haven't become monsters."
Before you continue