36-40

Chapter 36: Ninjutsu Mutation

Inside the hospital room, Tsunade frowned as she continuously checked Rock Lee's injuries. The atmosphere was heavy, and the tension could be felt.

Outside the room, the tension was just as palpable.

Tenten, Ino Yamanaka, and Shizune were glaring at each other like sworn enemies.

Meanwhile, Hinata Hyuga, completely unaware of the situation, looked at the three of them with confusion.

"Shiro-kun, I've gotten really good at catching fish now. Can you help me grill some more? I still remember how good the last one tasted!"

To everyone's surprise, it was the usually shy and quiet Hinata who spoke first, catching Shiro off guard.

Upon seeing this, the other three girls couldn't sit still.

"Shiro! You're still not fully recovered. Let me use my healing jutsu to help you!"

"Shiro-kun, that BBQ restaurant from last time just released a new flavor. Should we go check it out?"

"Shiro-kun, the old ninja tool shop just got a limited edition set. Want to come with me to check it out?"

Shiro looked at the eager expressions of the four girls and felt half of his excitement drain away.

He had heard stories about love triangles, but he never expected to find himself in one!

No matter who he chose, the others would definitely be hurt. In an instant, Shiro felt completely at a loss.

At that moment, Tsunade and Might Guy walked out of the room.

Might Guy had an expectant look on his face, but Tsunade looked deeply troubled, her brow furrowed.

"Tsunade-sama, how is Lee?" Tenten rushed over, worried. After all, Tsunade was their last hope. If even she couldn’t help, then Rock Lee would lose his chance to become a ninja.

"His condition is unique. His bones are crushed, and even his nerves are damaged! I can't say for sure. Whether or not to proceed with surgery is up to him."

Shiro's eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over, supporting Tsunade with both hands.

Tsunade looked at him in surprise and smiled. "What's with you suddenly attending to me like this, kid?"

Shiro was sweating profusely.

If it weren’t for the chaos of the love triangle he just experienced, he wouldn't have been this eager to care for someone like Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, you've treated so many people today, you must be tired! Whether Lee agrees or not, you should go back and rest first."

Tsunade, though a bit oblivious at times, was certainly not dumb.

She quickly grasped the situation around her and understood what was going on.

As for Shiro's suggestion, Tsunade had no intention of refusing.

"You're right. Why don't you escort me home?"

Seeing Tsunade leaving, the other girls had no choice but to let her go. Even Shizune was left behind to care for the recovering patients.

Though Shiro had left, the competition between the girls did not end.

Once they stepped outside the hospital, Shiro finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tsunade, however, hooked her arm around his neck and laughed mischievously.

"Hey, kid, you've got some charm, huh? Four girls chasing after you at once!"

Shiro snorted, "It's all because of you!"

Shiro had already planned to leave the Hidden Leaf Village, to travel around the ninja world and learn more jutsu!

He might even leave the ninja world entirely!

Getting involved with those girls would only complicate things too much. That's why he'd rather learn Naruto's Forbidden Technique than get into a relationship.

Thinking about Naruto's Forbidden Technique, Shiro couldn’t help but get excited.

He had already mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu and Naruto's Forbidden Technique, so it was time to try creating his own Harem Technique!

Plus, Shiro had some other ideas he wanted to experiment with.

With that in mind, Shiro quickly waved goodbye to Tsunade and ran home.

"This brat! After using me, he just runs off, huh?"

When Shiro arrived home, although he hadn't been there for days, his house was spotless.

It must have been Bingzu Leitong’s doing.

Feeling grateful, Shiro couldn’t help but smile.

Bingzu Leitong not only paid Shiro's rent but also took care of his meals and cleaned the house! Now that Shiro had money, it was time to return the favor.

Back in his room, Shiro sat on his bed.

While he was excited about the Harem Technique, he couldn’t spend all his chances on it. With three tries, he could only allocate one to the Harem Technique, or even delay it for later.

Right now, although Shiro had mastered powerful single-target jutsu like Rasengan and Chidori, he lacked a large-scale area attack jutsu.

While Earth Flow Wall could count as an area attack, anyone with fast reflexes could easily avoid it. It was more of a restrictive jutsu.

As for the Earth Dragon Bullet and Water Dragon Bullet, they were too slow to deal any real damage.

This time, Shiro’s goal was to create an area attack jutsu!

"Chidori and Bubble Fusion!"

Ding! Attempting to fuse jutsu…

Ding! Chidori and Bubble Fusion successful!

Ding! Chidori and Bubble Fusion identified: 60% success rate, 39% failure rate, 1% mutation rate. Remaining fusion attempts: 3. Would you like to proceed?

Shiro was stunned. Previously, there were only success or failure outcomes for jutsu fusion. This time, there was also a mutation rate!

With no explanation available in the system, Shiro could only take the risk and try.

As for the 1% mutation chance, he could only leave it to fate!

"Proceed with fusion!"

Ding! Fusion in progress…

Ding! Fusion failed. Better luck next time! (Remaining fusion attempts: 2)

Shiro’s face twitched. Even with such a low success rate for Flying Thunder God, he had succeeded before.

Yet, a 60% chance failed this time!

Still, Shiro didn’t get discouraged. He had two more tries left!

"Continue fusion!"

Ding! Fusion in progress…

Ding! Fusion failed. Better luck next time!

Shiro was furious.

A 60% success rate, and he failed twice in a row!

"One more time! Fusion!"

Ding! Fusion in progress…

Ding! Fusion successful!

Ding! During the fusion process, the jutsu mutated!

Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained Lightning Style: Thunder Prison!

Shiro jumped off his bed.

After two failures, he had nearly given up hope, but not only did the third attempt succeed, it also mutated! He actually hit that 1% chance!

His heart raced with excitement.

Although it had mutated, Shiro had no idea how powerful the jutsu was yet. He needed to test it out.

With that in mind, Shiro rushed to the Uchiha clan's training grounds.

This remote, quiet location was perfect for testing new jutsu.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro calmed himself down.

He then began forming hand signs.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Prison!"

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 37: Fishing with Hinata*

After completing the hand seals, Shiro immediately felt the chakra inside him rapidly depleting. In less than a single breath, one-third of his chakra had vanished!

At that moment, several birds composed entirely of crackling electricity appeared above Shiro’s head, chirping continuously.

The birds flew to the designated location and then stopped moving, instead expanding the arcs of electricity around them. Soon, the arcs of electricity between the birds connected, and the sky seemed covered by a massive net.

As the number of birds and electric arcs increased, they began striking the ground, leaving deep trenches wherever they touched. The birds continued discharging electricity for a few seconds before disappearing.

When Shiro looked at the area covered by the lightning prison, the ground had been completely transformed. It looked as though it had been plowed, with deep trenches extending across the surface, emitting a strong burnt smell.

Shiro couldn’t hide his excitement. The power of this technique could easily wipe out most ninjas, with damage comparable to “Lightning Release: Kirin.” However, there were some differences.

Kirin is fast and powerful, so much so that even Uchiha Itachi needed his Susanoo to withstand it. However, Kirin has significant limitations, requiring thunderclouds to be present for it to be used. Uchiha Sasuke had to use "Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique" to create the right conditions.

In contrast, “Lightning Release: Thunder Prison” is slower, taking about two seconds to set up, but it doesn’t have as many requirements. As long as there’s enough chakra, it can be used. Additionally, its area of effect is about the size of a basketball court, but it requires enough binding jutsu to keep the enemy within the attack range. Otherwise, the opponent could escape before the Thunder Prison is fully activated.

All in all, Shiro was quite satisfied.

"That’s amazing! Everyone calls you a hero of Konoha, but this is the first time I’ve seen how truly powerful you are!"

The sudden voice startled Shiro so much his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He had come to this training ground specifically to avoid prying eyes, yet he’d still been discovered.

He quickly turned towards the voice and saw a young girl leaning against a tree with one hand, the other hand pressed to her chest, her pale face tinged with a blush.

"Hinata, why are you here?"

"Well... I wanted to catch some fish, and the fish here are the best I’ve ever had," said Hinata Hyuga, sneaking glances at Shiro.

Their eyes met, and Hinata quickly looked away, her blush deepening.

Shiro chuckled softly to himself. Hinata was great in every way, except that she was so easily embarrassed, unlike Sakura Haruno or Ino Yamanaka, who were much better at expressing themselves.

"Alright, you catch the fish, and I’ll gather some firewood."

"Okay~"

Shiro soon returned with the firewood, but Hinata was still fishing. Hinata wasn’t necessarily the most talented among the kunoichi her age, but she was definitely one of the most diligent. Born into the prestigious Hyuga clan, she had been trained strictly from a young age. Driven by her desire to keep up with Naruto Uzumaki, she constantly worked to improve herself, but she still couldn’t match the superhuman progress of Sakura Haruno.

At this point, Hinata had caught two fish, but they were too small to be enough for both of them. Shaking his head, Shiro walked toward the lake. He hesitated as he reached the water's edge. While he had trained others like Hinata in walking on water, he hadn’t tried it himself yet. Walking on water required only basic chakra control, but it was this simple technique that had always troubled him.

If Hinata weren’t there, Shiro would just try it out a few times until he mastered it, but with her watching, he couldn’t risk falling into the water—it would be too embarrassing!

"Shiro, are you coming to help catch fish? I’m so clumsy, I’ve only caught two so far!"

"Looks like there’s no way out of this. I’ll just have to go for it," Shiro muttered to himself.

He stepped onto the water, concentrating chakra at his feet. But as soon as his foot touched the water’s surface, there was a loud explosion. The calm lake erupted in a towering wave!

Hinata, standing on the water’s surface, turned pale as the wave rushed toward her, too shocked to move.

Shiro cursed under his breath. He hadn’t expected to gather too much chakra in his feet, causing the water to explode. If the wave hit Hinata, she could easily be knocked unconscious, even with her being a ninja. The risk of something worse happening was real.

Without hesitation, Shiro made hand seals and threw a kunai with the Flying Thunder technique’s marker to the shore. After the earlier mishap, his second step on the water was successful, with no explosion. As he ran, he gradually mastered the technique of walking on water, picking up speed. But while it was easy to go up the wave, coming back down was much harder! The relentless water pushed him upward, making him feel like he was in a losing battle.

"Hinata, don’t move! I’m coming!"

Gritting his teeth, Shiro leaped toward her, finally landing in front of her just in time. All he had to do now was activate the Flying Thunder technique to escape safely.

Ding! A mission choice appeared:

1. Face the wave head-on! Reward: Water-nature chakra!

2. Retreat! Reward: Mastery of walking on water!

Shiro’s face twitched. A mission choice at a time like this? This was insane!

Right now, his Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu was weak, mostly good for waking people up with a splash because he lacked water-nature chakra. If he could obtain water-nature chakra, he’d have more options in future battles. Mastering walking on water just took more practice.

"I choose option one!"

Having made his decision, Shiro turned to face the massive wave. It was like the sky was collapsing, and it made his heart race.

"Hinata! Hold on to me, or the wave will sweep you away!"

"Okay!"

Hinata quickly wrapped her arms around him, her whole body pressed against his. Shiro’s heart skipped a beat, but there was no time to dwell on it. He rapidly formed hand seals.

"Water Style! Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"

A dragon’s head burst forth from the water next to him. The water dragon was lifelike, with a glint of intelligence in its eyes, radiating an awe-inspiring presence.

"So this is the true Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"

*End of Chapter*

*Chapter 39: What a Spectacle*

Shiro handed the grilled fish to several members of the Anbu and could clearly feel them becoming more friendly toward him.

Shiro smirked with satisfaction.

Although he was planning to leave, these people would be Tsunade’s subordinates in the future, so it wouldn't hurt to build some goodwill. That way, they'd be more motivated when helping out down the road.

Shiro returned to his seat. Hinata Hyuga, who had been whispering with Tsunade, blushed deeply and lowered her head, lost in her thoughts.

Tsunade, on the other hand, rubbed her chin and gave Shiro a mischievous grin.

"Kid, what do you think of Hinata?"

Shiro was taken aback and didn’t understand why Tsunade was asking such a question.

However, something in his subconscious felt off.

"She’s great! Gentle and cute. Whoever marries her in the future will be blessed with a fortune of a lifetime!"

As soon as Shiro finished speaking, he turned to look at Hinata.

Hinata had buried her face in her knees, occasionally stealing glances at Shiro before quickly hiding again.

Shiro's lips twitched. It seemed his response had led to some misunderstanding!

Confused, Shiro reached for the last grilled fish.

Even though there had been plenty of fish, there were also plenty of people eating them!

So many mouths, and the fish were gone in no time!

Suddenly!

Shiro saw a flash of white light, and the grilled fish he was about to grab disappeared!

Angrily, Shiro stood up and looked in the direction the light flashed.

He saw a small, snow-white dog happily devouring the grilled fish.

"Sorry, but your grilled fish smelled too good. Ever since Akamaru had some last time, he’s been craving it. When he smelled it again, he couldn't resist!" Kiba Inuzuka said with an apologetic smile, scratching his head.

But when Kiba saw that there was no more fish, a look of disappointment crossed his face.

Then, Kiba’s eyes lit up, and he dashed toward Akamaru, trying to steal some of the fish back.

Watching Kiba and Akamaru, who acted like brothers, almost fighting over a piece of fish made Shiro laugh.

After Kiba finished the fish, he returned to Shiro's side, sighed in disappointment after checking again, and then brightened up as he turned to Hinata.

"Hinata! I knew you'd be here. Oh, I almost forgot! Kurenai-sensei is awake!"

Hinata immediately stood up, her face lighting up with joy.

"Really? I’ll go right now!" Hinata exclaimed, then hesitated for a moment and said to Shiro, "Uhm… Shiro-kun, I’ll head out first, okay?"

Shiro rubbed his chin in thought and then stood up as well.

"I'll go with you!"

Hinata was suddenly flustered, her face a mixture of surprise and shyness.

"What’s wrong? You don’t want me to go?"

"No, no!" Hinata shouted in panic, startling the others nearby. Embarrassed, she lowered her voice and blushed. "If Shiro-kun comes, Kurenai-sensei will be really happy!"

"I won't go. I've got a ton of work to do as the new Hokage!" Tsunade said, patting her pants and standing up. Then, pointing to Kiba, she added, "You, stay here and help with some things!"

Kiba's face lit up with excitement at the thought of helping the new Hokage.

"Hinata, you guys go ahead. After I help the Hokage, I'll catch up with you!" Kiba said proudly.

Hinata nodded slightly, then glanced at Shiro, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Shall we go, Shiro-kun?"

"Sure!"

After Shiro and Hinata left, Kiba scratched his head and walked over to Tsunade, trying to curry favor. "Hokage-sama, what do you need me to do?"

"You... just stay here," Tsunade replied impatiently.

"Huh?"

"I mean, there was an explosion here earlier. That person might still be nearby. We need someone with strong scouting abilities to stay and keep watch. You're the best candidate!" Tsunade coughed twice to hide her guilt and hurriedly explained.

Kiba immediately straightened up with pride!

At first, he thought it was a small task, but now the new Hokage was entrusting him with the village’s safety!

This sense of trust filled Kiba with happiness!

"Don’t worry! I'll stay right here. Even a mosquito won’t escape my watch!"

Tsunade coughed uncontrollably and waved her hand, saying, "No need to stay too long—half an hour will do!"

Tsunade quickly left, unable to look Kiba in the eye.

Meanwhile, Kiba climbed a tree, vigilantly observing the surroundings, afraid to miss any movement.

Shiro and Hinata walked down the street, the atmosphere growing increasingly awkward.

Although Shiro wanted to ease the tension, whenever he spoke, Hinata would blush.

At that moment, Shiro noticed Hinata’s Byakugan, and his thoughts became more active.

The system could copy any ninjutsu, even enhancing the incomplete Rasengan.

So, what about kekkei genkai?

Shiro’s eyes grew more intense, causing Hinata’s heart to race.

"Shiro-kun, what’s wrong?"

"Hinata... Could you activate your Byakugan for me to see?"

Hinata looked at Shiro curiously, then nodded seriously.

"Since Shiro-kun wants to see, I’ll show you."

Shiro was overjoyed and quickly nodded. The blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan appeared in his eyes.

"Byakugan!"

With a soft shout from Hinata, the veins around her eyes bulged.

Shiro instantly felt as if everything about him had been laid bare.

Hinata’s Byakugan seemed different from Neji’s. Hinata’s made it feel like there was no escape, while Neji’s seemed somewhat restrained.

However, the system didn’t respond as expected, leaving Shiro disappointed.

"Hinata, are you okay?"

"Ah, I’m fine!"

Hearing Shiro’s voice, Hinata grew flustered.

She quickly covered her eyes with both hands, but the veins around her eyes remained.

Shiro’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly reached out to stop Hinata’s nosebleed, using his healing jutsu.

But as soon as he touched her, the flow of blood increased, startling Shiro.

"Are you okay, Hinata?"

---

*Chapter 40: Too Slow*

Shiro and Hinata Hyuga arrived at the hospital.

Hinata trailed behind Shiro, taking small, quick steps. Whenever he wasn’t looking, she would discreetly activate her Byakugan.

“Hinata, stop pushing yourself so hard! Naruto moves fast, and you can’t keep up with him. Maybe it’s time to pay attention to those around you instead!”

Hinata blushed and lowered her head shyly once again.

Shizune, who was examining the others’ injuries, overheard this and immediately put down what she was doing. She squeezed herself between Shiro and Hinata, glaring protectively at Hinata.

“Ino, you’re so sneaky!” Ino Yamanaka teased, emphasizing the word “Aunt” twice with a mischievous grin.

“Aunt!”

“Ah, my bad, I guess I’m just too young to understand the rules!” Ino replied playfully.

Now, Shizune and Ino stood on either side of Shiro. Sparks seemed to fly between their locked gazes!

Shiro awkwardly chuckled and glanced at Sasuke Uchiha’s former bed.

It was empty now. Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were nowhere to be seen, leaving Kakashi Hatake looking rather forlorn.

“So, it’s finally starting,” Shiro muttered to himself before quickly turning around and sprinting toward the roof.

During the Konoha destruction plan...

Sasuke was powerless against Gaara, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki.

He even started to doubt whether all his hard work had been for nothing.

Meanwhile, Naruto was holding his own against Shukaku, the Sand Spirit, using his summoning jutsu, and ultimately woke Gaara from his trance.

From that moment on, Naruto became the obstacle standing in Sasuke’s way.

Shiro arrived on the rooftop. Sasuke and Naruto stood face to face, staring each other down.

“Just as I thought,” Shiro said.

“Shiro, don’t interfere! This is between us!” Sasuke quickly said when he saw Shiro.

Sasuke knew full well that if Shiro got involved, there would be no fight.

Ding! A choice mission has been triggered!

1. Let the two fight! Reward: Random summoning beast!

2. Stop the fight! Reward: Curse Mark!

3. Stop the fight and defeat them both! Reward: Additional synthesis attempt!

Shiro wasn’t particularly interested in summoning beasts right now. While a strong one could boost his power, enhancing his personal abilities was the real key to victory.

The Curse Mark was indeed powerful and could enhance his strength, but it was Orochimaru’s jutsu. If Orochimaru had any tricks up his sleeve, Shiro might not even have a chance to escape next time.

The additional synthesis attempt, however, was what Shiro desired most. It would open up countless possibilities!

"I choose number three!"

Having made his decision, Shiro calmly walked between the two, glancing at them with disdain.

“If you two love fighting so much, why not fight me instead? Both of you, at the same time!” Shiro declared, waiting patiently for their response.

But after waiting for what felt like an eternity, neither of them said a word, their previous arrogance gone.

“Fine! Out of respect for Shiro, we’ll let this slide today,” Sasuke said.

Shiro’s eye twitched. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!

Sasuke wasn’t the strongest, but his ego was definitely one of the biggest in the series!

No matter how many times he lost, he always felt like he could win the next time.

But now, faced with Shiro, he chickened out! He didn’t even have the courage to fight two against one.

Is this really the Sasuke Uchiha from the anime?

“Wait! Don’t go yet!” Shiro called out, gritting his teeth. After a moment’s hesitation, he added, “As a ninja, you should always be striving to improve! The reason I want to fight you both is to figure out what you’re lacking, so I can help train you!”

Both Sasuke and Naruto looked at Shiro with gratitude.

“Alright, let’s do it!”

As soon as the words left Naruto’s mouth, Sasuke disappeared in a flash, reappearing right next to Shiro.

Shiro smirked.

Though Sasuke was fast and good at sneak attacks, it was nothing to worry about for Shiro.

With a swift motion, Shiro grabbed Sasuke by the neck.

“Too slow. At your current speed, you’re still a long way from beating me.”

With that, he tossed Sasuke aside.

Meanwhile, Naruto was charging toward Shiro, forming a hand sign with his fingers crossed in a ‘+’ shape.

“Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

In an instant, the entire rooftop was filled with Naruto’s clones.

Shiro had several ways to instantly deal with them.

But being on the hospital roof, he didn’t want to risk collapsing the ceiling and hurting the patients below.

Still, Shiro wasn’t worried at all.

With his advanced taijutsu mastery, his speed, strength, and physical prowess were far beyond Naruto’s.

“Konoha Whirlwind!”

Like a black flash, Shiro darted through the sea of clones.

Every clone he passed was instantly dispelled.

Shiro felt a rush of exhilaration!

Previous battles had relied heavily on hand signs and ninjutsu, but those techniques were slow to execute, giving opponents a chance to dodge.

Ninjutsu battles were all about who knew more jutsu, who had more chakra, and who was smarter. That’s why someone like Itachi Uchiha could make Orochimaru so wary—Itachi’s intelligence allowed him to anticipate everything, making Orochimaru feel helpless.

But taijutsu was different!

Each punch connected with satisfying force, and each clone fell like a ragdoll.

Within ten seconds, Shiro had cleared the rooftop of all Naruto’s clones, leaving the original pinned under his foot.

“You’re really strong! I thought I knew how strong you were, but now I see I never truly understood,” Naruto said with a bitter smile, a hint of disappointment on his face.

Just then, Shiro heard the chirping sound of birds behind him.

Shiro sighed.

Why was Chidori classified as an A-rank jutsu, while Raikiri was S-rank?

It wasn’t just about the power!

A ninja might have to take on assassination missions, and Raikiri could kill in an instant before the target even had time to react.

But Chidori’s loud chirping gave the enemy plenty of warning, ruining the element of surprise.

“I told you, you’re too slow!” Shiro said, turning to face Sasuke.

With a light tap, Shiro threw off Sasuke’s balance.

Boom!

Sasuke crashed into the wall, sending rubble flying everywhere.

Shiro grimaced as he noticed ninja approaching from the distance.

“Damn it, how am I going to explain this now?”