Chapter 98 — Fuinjutsu and Fire Release
"Taichi."
Kushina stared at the boy in front of her, who was completely absorbed in the intricate sealing formulas, and finally voiced the question that had been bothering her all along.
"Has anyone else taught you fuinjutsu before?"
"Huh?"
Taichi lifted his head from the tangled structure of runes and arrays, clearly not following her train of thought yet. His clear, innocent eyes looked at Kushina with pure confusion.
"…No, that doesn't make sense either." Kushina muttered to herself, frowning slightly. "There simply hasn't been enough time."
For the first time in her life, she genuinely began to doubt whether she truly deserved the title of 'genius of sealing techniques.'
Back when she had learned fuinjutsu, it had taken her two full months just to memorize all the symbols—and that was with her focusing solely on sealing techniques, without distractions.
But Taichi?
Missions.
Taijutsu.
Ninjutsu.
Medical ninjutsu.
He spun like a top between countless forms of training. How much time could he possibly have spared for fuinjutsu?
The more Kushina thought about it, the more dejected she became. Even her once-vibrant red hair seemed to lose some of its luster.
Seeing Kushina's sudden drop in mood, Taichi grew confused. He mistakenly assumed she was worried about Minato's safety.
"Kushina-neesan, you don't need to worry about Minato-niisan," Taichi said earnestly. "He's on a mission with Lord Jiraiya—there's no way anything will happen to them."
Hearing his sincere attempt at comfort and seeing the concern in his eyes, Kushina couldn't help but laugh helplessly. The gloom in her heart dissipated quite a bit.
She shook her head, pulled herself together, and continued teaching Taichi fuinjutsu.
I may not be able to fight on the battlefield much anymore, she thought, but personally nurturing a future fuinjutsu master—someone who will make my sealing techniques famous across the shinobi world—now that's something worth being proud of.
With that thought, Kushina felt oddly pleased, and her teaching became even more meticulous and attentive.
The lesson continued all the way until evening.
Golden sunlight filtered through the window, spilling into the room and finally breaking the intense concentration of both teacher and student.
"It's already this late?" Kushina said in surprise. "Time really flew by."
She still felt somewhat unsatisfied. An entire afternoon of devoted teaching had benefited not only Taichi—but herself as well. Revisiting the fundamentals of fuinjutsu felt like reorganizing a long-messy foundation, making her understanding even more solid.
As for Taichi, the gains were nothing short of astonishing.
With his system interface, he could see the results at a glance.
[Knowledge Exchange Completed — Fuinjutsu +500]
[Congratulations! Fuinjutsu has advanced to Lv.4 (254/600)]
In just one afternoon, his fuinjutsu had jumped more than an entire level.
The smile on Taichi's face was impossible to suppress.
"Thank you, Kushina-neesan," he said sincerely. "I really learned a lot today."
His gratitude was genuine—so genuine it almost felt tangible.
"There's no need to be so polite," Kushina replied with a smile. "With Minato away, it was nice having company. Besides, I learned quite a bit myself."
She paused, then added teasingly, "If anything, I should be the one thanking you."
Kushina was quite straightforward about it. When they parted, she even reminded Taichi to come by more often whenever he had time.
Taichi naturally agreed. With such an outstanding fuinjutsu teacher, he wished he could visit every single day.
On his way home, Taichi continued thinking about sealing techniques. In the shinobi world, fuinjutsu was nothing short of a universal tool—its potential was immeasurable.
Almost every aspect of a ninja's life involved sealing techniques in some form. From simple explosive tags and storage scrolls, to village-wide barrier formations; from sealing tailed beasts, all the way to the moon hanging in the sky itself—which was, in essence, a colossal sealing construct.
Of course, Taichi knew better than to aim too high too soon. Aside from practical auxiliary functions, the technique he most wanted to learn was the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Storing excess chakra during daily training and releasing it when needed was an ability of immeasurable value—especially for a ninja like him, who had not yet reached the stage of possessing overwhelming chakra reserves.
Unfortunately, his foundation was still lacking. Taichi estimated that he would need at least Fuinjutsu Lv.6 before he could even begin to decipher the mysteries of that seal.
For now, steady progress was the only option.
The massive 500-point experience gain he achieved today was only possible because his earlier foundation had been weak and Kushina had guided him with full dedication. From now on, improvements would become increasingly difficult.
Thinking about his future chakra reserves, Taichi checked his current status.
[Chakra: 18,500 (17,400)]
"Hm?"
Taichi rubbed his eyes in surprise. His chakra capacity had already surpassed his body's maximum daily natural extraction limit.
That was not a good sign.
It meant his physical conditioning was starting to lag behind his chakra growth.
Many ninjas who declined prematurely likely fell into this exact trap—desperately refining chakra in battle to fill their bodies, unaware that each extraction was slowly draining their life force.
This realization only deepened Taichi's urgency to master the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
Otherwise, watching naturally regenerated chakra dissipate every day wasn't just a waste of energy—it was a waste of life.
With that thought, Taichi quickened his pace, determined to train harder.
---
The days that followed settled into a steady rhythm.
Body conditioning.
Ninjutsu refinement.
Knowledge absorption.
Occasionally, he sparred with his team, met with classmates, or visited Kushina to study fuinjutsu.
Busy—but fulfilling.
---
Riverside Training Ground
Taichi slowly circulated chakra through his body, forming hand seals.
Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bullet.
A thin, compressed stream of fire shot from his mouth, expanding rapidly about a meter ahead and transforming into a roaring fire dragon that surged toward the river.
At first, the flames were ordinary—orange, scorching, much like any standard Fire Release technique.
But as Taichi continued to supply chakra, the flames began to change.
The core brightened visibly, and the temperature climbed rapidly.
Still dissatisfied, Taichi recalled the highest temperatures he had ever encountered—over 2,000 degrees, enough to melt metal and pulverize stone.
He deepened the fire nature transformation.
As chakra drained rapidly, the flames shifted from orange to brilliant gold.
A wave of intense heat swept outward. Unstable flames splashed in all directions, instantly crystallizing the ground where they landed.
Across the river, thick steam erupted along the fire's path. Within moments, the entire river surface vanished beneath boiling mist, accompanied by bubbling, rolling sounds.
When his breath finally ran out, the technique ended.
Taichi frowned slightly.
The temperature had increased significantly—peaking close to 2,000 degrees—but the conversion efficiency of fire chakra was still too low.
The initial output hovered around 1,000 degrees, only marginally stronger than an average ninja's fire release. The heat required sustained output to escalate further.
In real combat, that delay was a fatal flaw.
There was still much room for refinement.
[Fire Nature Transformation Lv.8 (665/1400)]
His recent training had yielded results—over 400 experience points gained—but at the cost of slower progress in his other elemental transformations.
As the steam cleared, the final effect revealed itself.
From a point a meter in front of him to the riverbank stretched a path of dark-red, glass-like terrain, warped air rippling above it.
The river itself was worse—countless fish floated lifelessly on the surface, accompanied by the unmistakable aroma of fish soup.
A cold sweat trickled down Taichi's forehead.
I really shouldn't practice fire release near rivers anymore…
Still, he was satisfied. With higher mastery and refinement, his Fire Release could one day rival—or even surpass—Scorch Release or Lava Release.
---
Just then, a reverse summoning sensation washed over him.
Taichi's heart leapt.
Tsunade-sensei replied.
Without bothering to clean up, he formed hand seals and summoned immediately.
With a puff of white smoke, a slug about the size of a small dog appeared.
"Katsuyu, is this a letter from Tsunade-sensei?" Taichi asked eagerly.
"Yes, Taichi-sama."
A letter emerged from the slug's body.
Hands trembling slightly, Taichi opened it.
---
Brat,
I received your letter. I'm aware of Nonō's situation.
Danzo's methods are filthier than you imagine. Your concerns are completely justified.
I'm currently away from the village, so I can't confront him directly.
However, Nonō is indeed unsuitable to remain in Root.
Go find Jiraiya. I'll contact him as well.
I've enclosed a letter addressed to the old man. Bring it with you when you meet him—it represents my stance.
Above all, secrecy is vital. If this leaks, Danzo will not spare Nonō.
And don't neglect chakra control. Its importance only grows with time.
—Tsunade
---
Taichi immediately checked the envelope and found a second letter marked "To the Hokage."
This was the key.
Carefully storing both letters, Taichi wrote a heartfelt thank-you note on the spot and sent it off via the slug.
Then he hurried to the orphanage.
---
"Nonō-neesan! Nonō-neesan!"
His voice arrived before he did.
Nonō sighed helplessly—just as expected, the children instantly looked up, grinning.
"Director! Taichi-brother's here!"
Chaos erupted.
After dismissing the children, Nonō opened the door to find Taichi barely containing his excitement.
"What's made you so happy?" she asked.
Without answering, Taichi pulled her inside.
"Read this."
As she scanned the letter, her hands trembled. Relief and hope gradually replaced the shadows in her eyes.
"With Tsunade-sensei's support, we already have a thirty percent chance," Taichi said excitedly. "Add Jiraiya, and that's sixty. The rest—we'll earn ourselves."
Nonō looked at him with deep tenderness.
"Thank you, Taichi."
They spent the morning with the children before Taichi finally left, heart light and steps buoyant.
---
Later that week, during routine team training, an unexpected figure joined them.
Their captain.
Yamaguchi.
Yōhei's eyes lit up.
"Captain, you're joining us today?"
Yamaguchi didn't answer—he just looked at Taichi.
Understanding dawned on Saori's face.
"…Taichi, did you invite him?"
"Yes," Taichi smiled. "It's time he saw how much we've grown."
Yōhei grinned brightly.
"Captain, we usually spar two-on-one against Taichi. You're a jōnin—surely you won't mind letting all three of us learn from you, right?"
Yamaguchi's smile froze.
…Damn it.
He'd been set up.