Chapter 16: Fire Release Nature Transformation
The training ground was a complete mess.
Looking at the enormous crater and the scorched earth surrounding it, Uchiha Inabi was still stunned.
"My God... It hasn't been long since we last met, and you've already become this strong. Your hand-seal speed alone is probably among the fastest in Konoha."
What shocked him wasn't merely Gōenji's speed.
It was everything.
His hand-seal speed, the destructive power of his ninjutsu, and even his Body Flicker Technique were all astonishing.
If Gōenji hadn't warned him before using Flame Tornado, Inabi had no doubt that he would have been blasted apart along with the ground.
What was even more frustrating was the fact that Inabi possessed the Sharingan as well.
Yet he had still been completely suppressed.
His opponent had anticipated his movements, used the initial Great Fireball to obstruct his vision, followed it with a barrage of shuriken, and then launched a decisive attack while he was dealing with them.
The entire sequence had been executed without the slightest hesitation.
That was the difference in combat experience and tactical thinking.
Inabi couldn't help looking forward to awakening his own Three-Tomoe Sharingan even more.
"Hmph. You awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan before me."
He clenched his fists.
"Just wait. I'll definitely surpass you."
Gōenji raised an eyebrow.
"Sure, sure. Keep working hard and maybe you'll surpass me someday. Want me to teach you? I'm pretty strong now, you know."
"No need."
"Haha. Fine, then. I still have things to do. Go practice on your own."
Gōenji waved casually and left.
He didn't take Inabi's challenge seriously.
He didn't have the time to teach someone at Inabi's level, nor did he particularly know how to teach him.
If it were someone like Itachi, things would be different.
Itachi possessed exceptional talent and learning ability. More importantly, he was capable of independent thought. Communicating with someone like that would be much easier.
Unfortunately, Itachi was still far too young.
His body wasn't even mature enough to undergo serious chakra training.
Behind him, Inabi watched Gōenji leave with a frustrated expression before turning toward the training targets.
He kicked one of them in frustration.
Bang!
"Ow! Ow! Ow!"
Gōenji didn't even turn around.
Uchiha Clan Library
After passing through several layers of security, Gōenji finally entered the room where the clan's collection was stored.
There were three separate security checkpoints.
If anything went wrong at even one of them, an intruder would have the unpleasant experience of spending time in the Uchiha prison.
Fortunately, Gōenji already had the clan's approval.
His B-rank clearance allowed him access to almost everything in the library except forbidden techniques and certain highly classified clan secrets.
As Gōenji entered, an elderly man sitting nearby looked up from his book.
After confirming Gōenji's identity, the old man gave him a reminder.
"Don't be too ambitious. Keep your mind calm and take your time reading."
Gōenji immediately smiled.
"I understand, Elder. Knowledge is endless, but life is limited. There's never such a thing as reading too much, right? No wonder you've accumulated so much wisdom over the years."
He had learned this habit in his previous life.
When someone gave you advice, whether the advice was useful or not, the first thing you should do was thank them.
Complimenting someone wasn't difficult.
And there was no reason to bluntly tell them what you really thought.
If you did that, people would eventually stop giving you advice. Worse, you might lose someone who was genuinely willing to teach you.
The old man's eyebrows rose.
"Knowledge is endless, but life is limited? You're quite cultured."
Gōenji laughed.
"I'm hardly cultured. Those are just things I learned from my family. I'm not particularly knowledgeable otherwise."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got straight to the point.
"By the way, I'd like to learn more about Fire Release. Where can I find the relevant materials?"
The old man nodded.
"The third bookshelf on the left is filled with information about Fire Release. Remember, however, that you shouldn't be greedy when learning ninjutsu. Master one technique before moving on to the next. Only after you've thoroughly understood one can you begin studying another."
He seemed satisfied with Gōenji's attitude and offered him some additional advice.
"Thank you."
Gōenji thanked him before walking toward the third bookshelf on the left.
The moment he reached it, his eyes lit up.
There were countless books.
And they weren't thin manuals, either.
Most were thick volumes that looked more like dictionaries than training guides.
He scanned the titles.
The Foundations of Fire Release Nature Transformation.
The Foundations of Fire Release Shape Transformation.
Advanced Fire Release Nature Transformation.
The Influence of Fire Release Shape Transformation on Ninjutsu Power.
Tactical Applications of Fire Release with Shuriken, Kunai, and Other Weapons.
And that was only a fraction of the collection.
Gōenji's eyes gleamed.
I've come to the right place.
The Uchiha's research into Fire Release was far deeper than the original story had ever shown.
Just the introductory volume on Fire Release nature transformation was nearly two centimeters thick.
And that was merely the foundation.
There were countless books on advanced techniques, specialized applications, and different branches of Fire Release development.
The original series had never truly showcased the depth of the Uchiha's Fire Release knowledge.
The techniques looked impressive, but the underlying theory had barely been explored.
Gōenji calmly pulled out the first book.
The Foundations of Fire Release Nature Transformation.
He found a quiet place and began reading.
Page after page turned beneath his fingers.
With his enhanced mind, his reading speed was astonishing. More importantly, he wasn't merely memorizing the words.
He was understanding them, connecting them, breaking down the underlying principles, and incorporating them into his existing knowledge.
Before long, Gōenji's understanding of Fire Release began to deepen rapidly.
Nature transformation...
As he expected, the study of fire wasn't limited to combustion.
It also involved heat, pressure, expansion, and explosive force.
Most Uchiha researchers had focused on the most obvious characteristics of fire: combustion, explosive force, and extreme temperature.
These were the properties that had been studied most extensively in the shinobi world.
But Gōenji didn't believe that they represented the entirety of Fire Release.
There were countless other possibilities.
The question was how far those properties could be pushed.
He didn't need to invent an entirely new path.
He could simply take the existing principles and develop them to a much greater depth.
If the temperature is high enough, even a Tailed Beast should eventually become nothing more than burning matter.
That was the direction he wanted to pursue.
The original Itachi had already demonstrated one terrifying possibility.
Amaterasu.
Black flames that could not be extinguished.
However, Gōenji understood that Amaterasu wasn't simply ordinary Fire Release pushed to its theoretical limit. It was connected to the unique properties of the Mangekyō Sharingan and represented something fundamentally different.
That didn't mean he couldn't pursue the underlying concept through Fire Release.
He just needed to find his own path.
His eyes gradually became brighter.
"From now on, I'll read as many of the Uchiha's Fire Release records as possible whenever I'm back from a mission. During my rest periods, I'll test the ideas I've developed."
The more he read, the more possibilities he saw.
His current Fire Release techniques were only the beginning.
He had barely scratched the surface of what the nature transformation of fire could accomplish.
If he wanted to become truly powerful, he needed knowledge.
Lots of it.
And now, he finally had access to a treasure trove of knowledge.
Gōenji turned another page.
His expression became increasingly focused.
This is going to be interesting.
Outside the library, the world continued to be consumed by war.
But inside...
Gōenji had found his own battlefield—a place of books, theories, experiments, and Fire Release.
And he intended to win it.