Chapter 273: A Stepping Stone With Sufficient Weight

Probably when his Fire Style Nintaijutsu system is completely perfected, and its fame spreads far and wide, such that its breadth and depth of recognition throughout the Shinobi World are enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with, or even surpass, that legendary Lightning Style Nintaijutsu in the Village Hidden in the Cloud that has been passed down for decades and carries overwhelming prestige.

And to achieve this goal, the fastest and most effective method, naturally, was...

Thinking of this, Shinichi’s gaze unconsciously shifted once more toward the Land of Lightning in the northeast.

He needed a stepping stone with sufficient weight.

The third Raikage, along with the Lightning Style Taijutsu system that he represented, tempered, and used to dominate the Shinobi World for decades, was undoubtedly the best choice.

The principle was the same as when he had been at the Ninja Academy years ago. The fastest way to prove oneself a genius was to directly defeat a publicly acknowledged genius.

Back then, it was precisely because he defeated the prodigy, Kakashi Hatake, who had drawn the attention of all Konoha, that he rapidly established the image of a Genius in everyone’s hearts.

Now, if he wanted the Fire Style Nintaijutsu system he created to truly enter the ranks of the Shinobi World’s top inheritances, and be publicly acknowledged as capable of rivaling or even surpassing the Village Hidden in the Cloud’s legend.

Then the best method would be, someday in the future, on the most formal and indisputable occasion, to use Fire Style Nintaijutsu to crush Lightning Style Nintaijutsu head-on.

Under the name Crimson Flame Shinichi, he would step over the prestige of the strongest spear and strongest shield and ascend to an even higher peak of Taijutsu.

Looking back at the previous battle, although Shinichi had successfully shattered the strongest shield, leaving a penetrating wound on the Raikage’s chest and declaring the bold words today I shatter the shield, tomorrow I break the spear, staging a legendary battle of the weak defeating the strong.

Since it was regarded as the weak defeating the strong, in the public’s eyes, that battle naturally contained lucky elements on Shinichi’s side, carelessness on the third Raikage’s side, and various coincidental factors.

Especially in the eyes of some powerful figures, that battle was not viewed as Shinichi soloing the third Raikage, but rather Monkey King Enma + Shinichi Higashino vs the third Raikage.

Shinichi Higashino borrowed the strength of the strongest summoning animal, Monkey King Enma, to engage in a brutal struggle against the third Raikage, ultimately trading his own severed arm for the chance to wound the Raikage.

But only Shinichi himself knew that the battle had actually been Monkey King Enma + Shinichi Higashino + Isshin vs the third Raikage.

In the end, it was only by paying the price of Isshin being heavily wounded that they managed to seize the fleeting opening in the third Raikage’s defense.

Therefore, the recognition dividends from that battle fell far short of Shinichi’s expectations.

It shaped the prestige of Crimson Flame Shinichi, but it did not completely establish his personal position as an absolute powerhouse capable of standing above the third Raikage.

In the future, Shinichi still needed a thoroughly decisive, unquestionable victory, like the overwhelming defeat he once inflicted on Kakashi on the Ninja Academy training ground!

Once he achieved this goal, what Shinichi gained then might be far more than merely the Incarnation of Fire advancing to Level 2.

Strength and defense, and perhaps even speed, these core bodily foundational talents, could all undergo qualitative leaps and jointly strike toward the peak level of Purple Level 2!

Thinking of this, Shinichi suddenly hoped that the third Raikage would not follow the original timeline and die after fighting the Village Hidden in the Stones’s tens of thousands-strong army alone for three days and three nights.

Instead, he hoped the man would someday die by his own hands, using the third Raikage’s defeat and death as a sacrifice and a staircase to push himself onto the divine altar of Shinobi World legend.

"You people better not fight each other to the death!"

Shinichi slowly withdrew his gaze from the northeast and looked down at his body, which had already become much taller and sturdier.

After turning eleven years old, his height shot up rapidly. In just one short year, he had grown from a childlike appearance to around 1.7 meters tall.

Though he had not reached the exaggerated level of certain exceptionally gifted individuals, among his peers, he already stood out like a crane among chickens, his physique gradually becoming tall, lean, and solid.

’Then, it was time.’

Shinichi thought to himself. Coincidentally, he possessed talents such as Genius, Clear Comprehension, Gourmet, and Master of Taijutsu, which directly or indirectly enhanced the efficiency of his physical training. His body was also currently in the adolescent growth period, where development was at its fastest.

Without a doubt, this was the golden age for laying a solid foundation and tempering his physique to the extreme.

Not to mention that at this moment, his Fire Style Chakra Mode had already taken preliminary shape, greatly increasing the efficiency of his physical training.

Using talents as an example, the third Raikage’s astonishing strength and defense might already have reached Purple Level 2.

But Shinichi speculated that the third Raikage’s raw physical foundation itself might not necessarily be stronger than Enma’s.

Rather, it was because after entering Lightning Style Armour, the third Raikage received all-around amplification, especially with his strength and defense suddenly rising by an entire level.

If Shinichi’s body, without any numerical-type talent enhancements at all, could already reach a level comparable to Enma’s, that would be 1!

Then adding talents on top of that would become 2!

At that point, his normal state strength and defense would steadily reach the standard of the third Raikage after activating Lightning Style Armour.

And by then, his Fire Style Chakra Mode should also have completely matured. When his normal state was already comparable to the Raikage’s strongest state, then after entering the all-around amplified Fire Style Chakra Mode, his power would completely surpass the other side.

At that time, the overwhelming victory he envisioned in his heart would inevitably arrive!

And after accomplishing this goal, his strength would definitely usher in an epic surge.

"So hurry up and settle already!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Shinichi’s gaze swept across the personal interface, pausing on several talents flickering with different lights, before finally fixing on Clear Comprehension.

The upgrade of this blue talent originated from the popularity of the manga Cooking Master Boy throughout the Land of Fire and neighboring small countries.

As countless readers followed the serialization, praised the cooking, and were moved by the protagonist’s comprehension and wisdom in the story, they unconsciously projected this impression onto the author himself, Shinichi Higashino.

This worship and imagination toward the author’s wisdom were still transforming into an endless stream of recognition flow, continuously nourishing this talent.

And ever since the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War, every one of Shinichi’s actions and every battle achievement had been recorded and analyzed in detail by intelligence organizations from various nations, then repeatedly placed on the desks of the upper echelons of the great ninja villages.

He was too young, his potential too terrifying. What he displayed was not merely overwhelming personal combat power, but also strategic vision and battlefield command artistry that shocked people.

These were all manifestations of wisdom!

Under the dual driving force, the advancement of Clear Comprehension had already become inevitable.

Once it reached purple quality, his learning, thinking, and comprehension would undergo a qualitative leap once again, providing immeasurable assistance in consolidating his foundation and all subsequent studies.