Chapter 184: The Trait Line-Up
"Amazing... truly amazing!" Rin Nohara's mouth hung open as she subconsciously spoke.
Although she knew Hoshikawa practiced various elemental jutsu in his spare time, she hadn't expected their combined use to be so terrifying. Not only was the power immense, but his hand seal speed was lightning-fast, and his timing was perfect.
No wonder Hoshikawa was able to kill Kushimaru Kuriarare, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. It was a shame she wasn't qualified to participate in the raid on the Kirigakure main camp, missing the chance to witness it firsthand.
Kakashi Hatake nodded, his expression grave. His impression of Hoshikawa was still based on genjutsu, swordsmanship, and Water Release. But now, Hoshikawa was undoubtedly much stronger, completely lacking any shortcomings. Kakashi could already anticipate how ragged he would look in a spar against Hoshikawa . As an assassination-type ninja, if he couldn't get close, his refined blade skills would be meaningless. As for closing the distance, it would be extremely difficult. Hoshikawa 's jutsu release speed was simply too fast, leaving one overwhelmed.
Should I rely on Lightning Release? Kakashi immediately sank into contemplation.
"That's Hoshikawa for you! An easy win!" Kurenai Yūhi placed her hands on her hips, her face beaming with pride.
"Is this my eternal rival? He's too strong!" Might Guy looked on with envy and excitement. He only used taijutsu. Hoshikawa , on the other hand, could use all the ninjutsu elements, and use them all well—it was incredible. The excitement stemmed from the thrilling prospect of fighting such a strong opponent.
[C-Rank Talent Trait [Pyromaniac] effect upgraded.]
[Fire Release Talent increased by 150% from original base.]
Hoshikawa looked at the two lines of text that appeared before him and nodded with satisfaction. Considering Obito Uchiha's age, his Fire Release was indeed quite decent, already surpassing most Chūnin.
However, facing an opponent like Hoshikawa , who possessed the [Special Jōnin] trait for Lightning, Earth, Fire, and Water Release, his strength was clearly insufficient. Hoshikawa was now even more certain that Obito had been in contact with Madara Uchiha prematurely. Otherwise, his Fire Release shouldn't have improved so quickly.
After the C-Rank trait [Pyromaniac] was upgraded to B-Rank, its effect was the same as the B-Rank trait [A Lot of Water], both providing a 150% bonus. While Fire Release Talent couldn't directly increase the power of Fire Release ninjutsu, that didn't mean it wasn't important. It made learning and mastering Fire Release jutsu much easier. Most directly, it would greatly shorten the time needed to acquire the A-Rank [Fire Release Jōnin] trait.
Hoshikawa came back to himself and realized Obito Uchiha was still lying on the ground. Why isn't anyone helping him up? Hoshikawa glanced around. Kakashi was deep in thought, Kurenai was joyful, Guy was excited, and Rin was stunned; everyone had a different reaction.
Hoshikawa shook his head and walked toward Obito. He extended his hands, and pale green chakra enveloped Obito. Obito was merely stunned by the electricity, so his injuries were light. A moment later, he woke up.
Obito stared at Hoshikawa for a moment, then quickly recalled the humiliating defeat he had just suffered. He had expected to fight on equal footing with his Fire Release, but instead, he was forced to run and evade the entire time. The thought that Rin had witnessed his pathetic performance made his face flush with embarrassment; he wished he could just pass out again.
"I don't need your help!" Obito jumped to his feet angrily, then headed toward his tent, leaving as quickly as possible.
"Obito!" Rin instinctively called out.
But Obito was in such a state of extreme embarrassment that he pretended not to hear her voice.
"It's my turn! Hoshikawa !" A green blur appeared in front of Hoshikawa . Might Guy had landed exactly where Obito had just been lying.
"Come on," Hoshikawa didn't refuse. He could use this chance to see if the C-Rank trait [No Regrets of Youth] could be upgraded.
"Excellent!" Guy's eyes shone, his voice filled with excitement.
Hoshikawa was already used to his wild mood swings and calmly formed the Confrontation Seal.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" Guy roared, charging at Hoshikawa . He stomped down with one foot and delivered a kick.
Chidori Stream! Hoshikawa formed hand seals, and chakra transformed into lightning, quickly spreading across his entire body. Guy recognized this as Kakashi Hatake's Lightning Release jutsu. They sparred frequently, so he was very familiar with it and knew how to deal with it. Chakra surged out, coating his right leg. The lightning bolts only left faint marks when they struck.
Leaf Whirlwind! Hoshikawa responded with the exact same kick.
Boom!
The two legs collided, and the resulting shockwave turned into a gust of wind that spread in all directions. Hoshikawa stood his ground, but Guy stumbled back two steps.
"Your strength is still immense!" Guy planted his feet and rushed forward again. "Great Leaf Whirlwind!" He placed one hand on the ground and sent a sweeping spinning kick toward Hoshikawa .
Lightning Release Body Armor! Hoshikawa had assessed Guy's strength with that last kick. He had clearly improved since the Chūnin Exams. Even without the Eight Inner Gates, his base strength was close to Jōnin level—of course, only in taijutsu. Hoshikawa felt he could easily wear Guy down with his Five Elemental ninjutsu, but that would be disrespectful to Guy, so he simply activated the Lightning Release Body Armor.
The lightning surrounding the Chidori Stream intensified slightly. Hoshikawa 's speed, defense, and attack instantly increased by 100%. He clenched his fist and struck out.
Another loud boom.
Guy's face changed slightly. The terrifying force that hit him caused his right leg to go momentarily numb, and his body was sent flying backward like a cannonball. Hoshikawa remained standing, making no attempt to pursue.
Kakashi Hatake's pupils contracted as he watched. He was extremely familiar with Guy's strength, which was slightly stronger than his own. But what was going on with Hoshikawa ? Had his strength increased to this extent? Although Hoshikawa had used the Lightning Release Body Armor during the Chūnin Exams, that was nearly two years ago.
The Lightning Release Body Armor provided a boost based on the original physical foundation. Over these two years, Hoshikawa had been constantly training, and coupled with his practice of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his base stats had greatly improved. Because of this, the boost from the Body Armor had also increased. Moreover, Hoshikawa had the Strength of a Hundred Seal, keeping his body in peak condition at all times.
The subsequent fighting confirmed Kakashi's suspicions. Guy consecutively used taijutsu like the Leaf Strong Whirlwind, Leaf Crushing Rising Rock, and Fierce Leaf Adamantine Power Whirlwind. But the outcome was always the same: they were all countered, and he was struck away. Kakashi realized that Hoshikawa had been holding back tremendously when fighting Obito Uchiha.
Judging by how many times Guy was sent flying, Obito probably wouldn't have been able to withstand even a single punch before passing out. After all, besides his Sharingan and Fire Release, Obito's taijutsu was a complete mess. Many Uchiha suffered from this flaw, overly relying on the Sharingan. It must be said, though, that the Sharingan was indeed the nemesis of taijutsu specialists, perfectly tracking their attack trajectories.
However, neither Hoshikawa nor Guy was an ordinary taijutsu specialist.
Rin Nohara watched in stunned silence. Both were stronger than she had expected. But Hoshikawa was still the most shocking. After all, he had just displayed incredibly refined Five Elemental ninjutsu without using taijutsu during his fight with Obito. Rin suddenly felt a sense of relief. It was a good thing Obito had already left; otherwise, he would have found this even harder to accept. As his friend, Rin understood that he hated losing to Hoshikawa . But the facts were undeniable: the gap between them was simply too wide.
"I surrender!" Guy yelled, wincing as he was sent flying one last time. After fighting for so long, his entire body was sore.
"Aren't you going to use the Eight Gates?" Hoshikawa asked, surprised.
"To defeat you, I'd need to open the Sixth Gate, and that would be too much of a burden on me," Guy shook his head. "We are just sparring, and we have a mission tomorrow."
"Fair enough." Hoshikawa couldn't help but smile. Sure enough, Guy was reliable in a pinch and didn't let his passion override his sense.
Just then, two lines of text appeared.
[C-Rank Talent Trait [No Regrets of Youth] effect upgraded.]
[Taijutsu Talent increased by 150% from original base.]
Excellent. The Trait System is being generous. Hoshikawa breathed a sigh of relief, the match hadn't been a waste. Although he hadn't focused much on pure taijutsu recently, his Ninjutsu-Taijutsu was half taijutsu and would benefit from the bonus. In other words, learning the Lightning Release Chakra Mode would be much faster—a pleasant surprise.
"Kakashi, want to spar?" Hoshikawa looked at Kakashi Hatake, who was nearby, and asked with a smile. Fighting one was the same as fighting three; there was no difference. Moreover, Kakashi was a Special Jōnin now, so he definitely met the criteria to upgrade Hoshikawa 's C-Rank trait [Thunder Sword].
"I can," Kakashi paused, then asked, "Do you need to rest?" He was thinking that Hoshikawa had just sparred consecutively with Obito and Guy, using so many ninjutsu. If it were him, his chakra would be nearly depleted.
"No need." Hoshikawa pulled down his Konoha forehead protector, revealing the diamond mark on his forehead, and said, "I have the Strength of a Hundred Seal."
Kakashi's heart lurched. Hoshikawa had successfully trained the Strength of a Hundred Seal before leaving for the Kirigakure battlefield, and they hadn't met since then. Kakashi naturally didn't know he had learned it. Seeing it now, he could only curse the abnormality.
That's an S-Rank jutsu!
As Minato Namikaze's student, and with Tsunade being famous for so long, Kakashi was aware of the Strength of a Hundred Seal. He knew that with it, Hoshikawa would never lack chakra. The thought alone made Kakashi's scalp tingle.
How could anyone defeat a ninja who excelled in the Five Elemental ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and swordsmanship, possessed fast hand seals, and had unlimited chakra? There was indeed no surprise that Kushimaru Kuriarare had died by his hand. It was fortunate they weren't enemies.
Kakashi stepped forward, stood opposite Hoshikawa , and formed the Confrontation Seal with him.
"Be careful." Hoshikawa warned, then formed hand seals.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he saw the ground nearby turn to mud, and a massive dragon head emerged. It was the Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Jutsu. Kakashi also specialized in Earth Release, so he recognized it instantly. He reacted quickly, and in the next second, an earthen wall rose in front of him.
The earthen dragon opened its mouth and spat out a mud bullet. But at that exact moment, Hoshikawa tilted his head back, chakra gathering in his throat, and a stream of flames shot out. The flames and the mud bullet mixed, instantly forming a powerful projectile of fire and mud. This was the composite ninjutsu of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Earth Dragon Fire Stream.
"...?" Kakashi, seeing a composite ninjutsu for the first time, was completely bewildered.
Boom! The earthen wall collapsed instantly. The scorching heat, combined with the heavy weight of the mud bullet, made Kakashi feel an intense sense of danger.
Chidori Stream!
Forced into a corner, Kakashi immediately brought out his full power. Lightning covered his body, insulating him from the high heat of the flames.
Body Flicker Technique!
Kakashi flickered, narrowly evading the fiery mud bullet. When the projectile hit the ground, it created a shockwave several meters high. The ground was left with a deep crater. Kakashi subconsciously swallowed. Why start with a jutsu of such immense power?
No, that's not right.
Kakashi recalled carefully. Hoshikawa had used two ninjutsu, one Earth Release and one Fire Release. Was that a composite jutsu? That was unbelievable! Kakashi considered his hand seal speed to be very fast. He used the Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall in under a second, yet Hoshikawa used two ninjutsu in about the same amount of time. Did that mean Hoshikawa 's hand seal speed was twice as fast as his?
Just then, Kakashi's expression darkened. Hoshikawa was no longer in his original position. The next second, he felt his feet grabbed by a pair of hands. Kakashi instinctively looked at the ground. Hoshikawa sprang up, and his body was pulled downward uncontrollably. In an instant, only his head remained above the ground.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!
In a crisis, Kakashi slapped the ground, which split in two, allowing him to free himself. He quickly retreated, but soon noticed Hoshikawa wasn't using the opportunity to attack. A sense of frustration rose in Kakashi.
Still, it was only a spar, so he didn't give up.
Chidori Senbon!
The piercing cry of a bird appeared. A massive amount of lightning gathered in Kakashi's right hand. He flung it forward, and the lightning transformed into countless sharp needles.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
Hoshikawa formed hand seals, and an earthen wall rose in front of him. But it only held for a moment before the senbon pierced straight through it.
Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!
A wall of water appeared just in time, blocking the remaining senbon entirely.
Just then, a rushing sound cut through the air. Hoshikawa turned and saw Kakashi charging at him with his short blade.
Clang!
The Lightning Fire Sword blocked Kakashi's short blade. The sheer force made Kakashi take half a step back.
Konoha-Style: Willow! Hoshikawa 's body blurred, and countless blade flashes appeared.
Genjutsu: Release! Kakashi had seen this move before. He quickly released the genjutsu, restoring his body's movement. He wove the short blade in his hands into a defensive net in front of him.
But even that didn't stop the hidden killing blow. A cold light flashed before his eyes, and the lightning-wrapped blade of the Lightning Fire Sword stopped right in front of him.
"I truly am no match for you," Kakashi sighed.
[C-Rank Talent Trait [Thunder Sword] effect upgraded.]
[Lightning Release Talent and Kenjutsu Talent increased by 150% from original base.]
[D-Rank Talent Trait [Earth is Truly Earth] effect upgraded.]
[Earth Release Talent increased by 100% from original base.]
Hoshikawa was momentarily stunned. Two upgrades? That was an unexpected bonus.
(End of Chapter)
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