Self-Created Ninjutsu

Over the next few days, Seika's training results were far from ideal...

Creating a ninjutsu from scratch was not so easy.

Especially since Shiba Seika had set so many harsh requirements for himself. It was like playing the role of a vicious client and demanding "colorful black."

But he did not become discouraged or lower his standards because of it.

The whole point of creating a ninjutsu was to increase his combat strength. Giving up the pursuit of ultimate combat effectiveness just to make the process easier would be putting the cart before the horse.

Thankfully, while he was troubled these past few days, many people from the Akatsuki Organization came to visit and encourage him.

Konan brought him a blue paper flower identical to the one in her hair, hoping it would brighten Shiba Seika's mood a little.

Nagato came to visit as well and offered a few suggestions, though honestly, Shiba Seika did not find them very useful.

The Rinnegan's ninjutsu were gifts from heaven—or perhaps gifts from Madara. Either way, they had no real reference value.

In the end, the person who visited him most often turned out to be Uzamaki Kayo.

Kayo did not have much talent as a ninja, so she simply chose to stay and cook for Shiba Seika, taking care of his three daily meals.

From time to time, she would even bare her delicate shoulders and arms and sway them around in front of Shiba Seika. Though it was already winter, she kept wearing off-the-shoulder clothes, occasionally waving her fair wrists and forearms before him.

Shiba Seika could guess that Kayo was probably hinting that, if he got tired, he could take a bite out of her and recover his energy.

But honestly, that only brought him a different sort of trouble—

After recuperating these past days, Uzamaki Kayo's body had recovered considerably. Her once-sunken cheeks had become round and full, while her formerly skeletal figure had grown curvaceous and graceful.

Combined with the forbidden temptation of being his friend's young aunt, Shiba Seika felt that his resolve was being severely tested!

Thus, he had no choice but to solemnly ask Uzamaki Kayo to put on proper winter clothes first.

A few days later, Karasuba returned from a mission and happened to come to the training grounds to ask Shiba Seika a few questions. The two of them then naturally started talking about self-created ninjutsu.

Karasuba suggested, "Captain Seika, I don't think you need to insist on controlling ninjutsu with your thoughts. That's very difficult.

"My method is to attach Chakra to my blade beforehand, then use hand seals to set a rule. As long as I swing my sword according to a fixed rhythm, the Chakra will automatically respond and transform into flames."

That train of thought immediately inspired Shiba Seika!

Remove the fine control and replace it with an automatic response through preset programming! That seemed like a good solution!

Scorch Release was, after all, a Kekkei Genkai. Pakura's ability to control Fireballs remotely with her thoughts looked cool, but it was simply too difficult to learn.

Shiba Seika deeply reflected on his own overambition and began carefully discussing the details of automatic response with Karasuba.

"How did you preset the rhythm?"

"I designed a sword-swinging rhythm based on my usual fighting habits. As long as I follow that rhythm, the Chakra on my sword automatically transforms into flames.

"To find that rhythm, I usually hum a song in my head while fighting."

Hum a song? Don't tell me you were humming Makka Pakka?

Shiba Seika nodded thoughtfully.

He felt that he had finally grasped the right direction!

Abandon redundant fine control, use a single set of hand seals to establish rules, then let Chakra operate automatically according to those rules without affecting his swordsmanship in battle!

This was exactly what he wanted!

With his goal clear, all that remained was constant practice!

Shiba Seika's self-created ninjutsu was finally on the right track!

The members of the Akatsuki Organization soon discovered in astonishment that Captain Seika trained as if his life depended on it!

He practically forgot to eat and sleep!

If Uzamaki Kayo did not remind him every day, he would nearly forget to eat altogether.

If anyone asked Shiba Seika years later what the secret to creating ninjutsu was, he would probably be able to smugly ask, "Have you ever seen the Land of Rain at four in the morning?"

The right approach, a clear plan, and diligent training—those three things combined allowed Shiba Seika's self-created ninjutsu to progress smoothly.

Five days later, he invited his old teammate Kenjiro over to test his blade.

"Captain, you finished it that quickly?"

Shiba Seika nodded. "More accurately, I succeeded the day before yesterday. I spent another two days debugging and improving it."

Kenjiro was utterly amazed.

Was creating a ninjutsu really something that could be done so easily?

But then he remembered that the person before him was Shiba Seika, and the absurdity suddenly seemed to carry a trace of reason.

Shiba Seika said, "Don't worry. I won't use Genjutsu this time. I'm only testing my new ninjutsu. Don't hold back—come at me."

During their usual sparring sessions within the organization, Shiba Seika's Genjutsu had left a deep impression on everyone!

It had no killing power, yet it always caught people off guard. His endless tricks and deceptions were so underhanded... Ahem, Kenjiro meant incredibly clever!

Now that he had the rare promise that there would be no Genjutsu, Kenjiro immediately drew his sword, leaped high into the air, and brought it down in a head-on slash!

Kenjiro used a sword as well.

With his first strike, Shiba Seika raised his short tachi sideways to block Kenjiro's jumping cleave.

The instant their blades met, Kenjiro felt slightly puzzled.

Captain Seika's strike felt rather ordinary?

Had he really used that new ninjutsu?

Then, coordinating with his footwork, Shiba Seika turned sideways and deflected his opponent's blade while thrusting straight forward.

Kenjiro pulled his blade back and held it crosswise to block.

"Clang!"

A crisp metallic ring echoed out.

Kenjiro still did not feel much pressure.

There was a layer of wind around the captain's blade. It seemed to slightly increase the speed of its slashes and thrusts, but that hardly counted as a powerful enhancement, did it?

Was this all there was to Captain Seika's self-created ninjutsu?

The moment that thought arose, Kenjiro steadied his footing and even wanted to try counterattacking. But in the next instant, the real change finally came!

Shiba Seika retreated half a step to open up space, drew his short blade to his side, gripped it with both hands, and then swept it upward!

It was an upward slash from below, also known as Rising Dragon Slash.

Seeing the movement, Kenjiro instinctively prepared to keep his blade horizontal and block. But just then—

The wind rose!

"Wha—?!"

The instant Shiba Seika's short blade swept up, blue Chakra erupted from its edge. In the blink of an eye, it formed a violent whirlwind that blew Kenjiro into the air!

Countless razor-sharp wind blades were mixed into the cyclone, shredding Kenjiro's clothes to pieces in an instant!

Caught off guard, he was blown into the air. His feet left the ground, his head spun, and pain coursed through his entire body. Sharp, chilling glints flashed everywhere around him!

By the time he came back to his senses, he was already lying on the ground. His weapon had flown from his hand, and his clothes had become strips of cloth draped over his body. He looked utterly miserable.

"What kind of ninjutsu was that?" Kenjiro asked blankly.

Shiba Seika casually spun his blade and explained, "It's a preset ninjutsu. The first two strikes slightly increase attack speed, while the third whips up a violent whirlwind. I haven't decided on a name yet. What do you think of Hasaki?"