Shinichi nodded. He slowly adjusted his stance, then pushed off the ground. His figure turned into a swift shadow amid the wind and snow, charging straight toward the artificial rock formation in the distance of the training ground, which was covered in thick snow, his right arm extended forward.
The crimson, scorching Rasengan in his palm emitted an increasingly violent buzzing sound, as if he were holding a shrunken sun in his hand and pressing it hard against the icy mountain rock.
At the moment of contact…
Boom!!!!
A deafening explosion shattered the silence of the training ground, and a terrifying burst of light, a mixture of blazing white and crimson, suddenly erupted, instantly engulfing the area!
A massive fireball expanded, and the high-temperature shockwave spread out in a ring-like, overwhelming manner, instantly evaporating and clearing away the snow within a radius of tens of meters, revealing the scorched ground.
Even the trees in the distance were violently shaken by the shockwave, and the snow on their branches and leaves fell off in a flurry.
The raging fire nature chakra combined perfectly with the tearing power of the Rasengan itself, unleashing an astonishing destructive force.
The artificial rock formations crumbled, melted, and vaporized in the attack, turning into scattered lava fragments and dust filling the sky!
Such destructive power!?
Even with Enma's extensive knowledge and confidence in his indestructible body, he couldn't help but swallow hard upon witnessing this scene.
He knew very well that even if he could tough it out, it would not be a pleasant experience.
The blinding light and billowing dust gradually dissipated.
Enma's golden pupils suddenly contracted, and his expression changed.
He instantly ignored the area of the artificial hill that had been completely destroyed and still bore traces of high temperature and melting, his gaze fixed on the boy near the point of the explosion.
Shinichi's right arm hung limply and was trembling slightly uncontrollably.
The sleeves from the palms to the forearms had long since turned to ash, and the exposed skin was a mess, charred, cracked, and covered with terrible bloodstains, with the bone almost visible in the deepest places.
Most horrifyingly, those wounds were not simple burns; the flesh seemed to be torn and scorched from the inside by some violent force, and was even emitting strange blue smoke and heat, with a peculiar fishy smell of burnt flesh and excessively burned chakra filling the air.
"Kid!"
Enma let out a low roar, and his massive body instantly appeared beside Shinichi.
He quickly swept across Shinichi's right arm, and his brows immediately furrowed tightly.
This injury... It is not a simple high-temperature burn or an explosion impact injury. The skin and flesh are in a bizarre state, as if they were violently torn apart from the inside and instantly burned by extremely high temperatures.
The residual chakras are extremely violent and chaotic, and are even continuing to erode the surrounding intact tissues.
If it were an ordinary ninja, that arm would probably be ruined on the spot, and it could even be life-threatening.
It was only because Shinichi's physique was far superior to that of ordinary people, and his muscles and bones were incredibly strong, that he was able to barely preserve the integrity of his arm's structure.
However, the continuously deteriorating injury still made Enma feel extremely troubled.
"Senior, when developing new techniques, it's inevitable to get injured a little."
Shinichi's face was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he still managed to force a smile.
He has various talent bonuses; his physical fitness far exceeds that of ordinary people, and now he has the added recovery talent, Endless Vitality, as a backup, along with the highly efficient energy intake and conversion ability brought by Big Eater.
He figured that although the injury was troublesome, with his recovery ability, he should be able to recover to about 70-80% in ten days or half a month if he ate and drank well.
"You can still laugh even in this condition!"
Enma glared at him, his tone stern, but his concern was obvious: "This injury is no ordinary one, don't push yourself! I'll notify Hiruzen immediately!"
Without further delay, Enma swiftly employed some kind of emergency communication technique with the third Hokage.
The news reached the Hokage's office at top speed. When the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, learned that Shinichi had been seriously injured while developing a new technique, and that even Enma was finding it troublesome, he immediately put aside all his affairs and personally issued a series of orders.
Shinichi was rushed to Konoha Hospital and immediately admitted to the highest-level emergency ward.
A consultation team composed of several senior Medical Ninjas rushed to the scene after hearing the news. However, when they saw the injury on Shinichi's right arm and tried to treat it with conventional and even advanced medical Ninjutsu, they all turned solemn.
The complexity of the injury far exceeded expectations. The remaining violent chakra, which combined a highly condensed fire nature chakra with the tearing properties of the Rasengan, was like the most stubborn toxin, constantly destroying the new tissue. They could only barely manage to stabilize Shinichi's injury and prevent it from deteriorating further.
Seeing that even the hospital's top team was helpless and there was no sign of improvement, the third Hokage immediately summoned one of his most trusted Anbu and personally gave him instructions.
Thus, on that snowy afternoon, an Anbu knocked on Tsunade's door.
Inside a special ward at Konoha Hospital.
Even on her way there, Tsunade had forced herself to do various mental preparations, repeatedly telling herself that this was just an injured person who needed treatment.
But when she saw the boy's shocking right arm on the hospital bed under the bright lights of the ward, the familiar dizziness and fear still surged up her spine like a cold, venomous snake.
The faint smell of blood and burnt odor mixed with the smell of disinfectant caused her stomach to convulse violently, her face turned pale instantly, and she even took two steps back uncontrollably.
She clenched her teeth tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, using the stinging pain to force herself to stay rooted to the spot.
After a few breaths, she took a deep breath, and when she looked up again, her face was covered with an icy indifference and mockery, as if her previous loss of composure had never happened.
"Hey, isn't this our promising successor of the Will of Fire, the great genius, Shinichi Higashino?"
She crossed her arms, her voice deliberately drawn out with sarcasm: "What, you've turned yourself into this state through training? Looks like determination alone isn't enough; you also need a matching brain. In the end, you still need someone like me, whom you look down on and who talks discouraging things, to save you?"
Faced with this obvious sarcasm, Shinichi, lying on his sickbed, merely smiled palely, his tone as calm as ever, as if the fierce conflict at the barbecue restaurant a few days ago had never happened: "Thank you for your trouble, Lady Tsunade."
His frank, even somewhat apologetic, attitude was like punching cotton, leaving Tsunade with more sarcasm prepared, stuck in her throat.
She snorted coldly, said no more nonsense, and walked straight to the bedside.
She forced herself to focus entirely on the arm itself, rather than on the psychological associations of blood and trauma.
She reached out and placed her hand on Shinichi's right arm. A bright green chakra light shone from her fingertips, like the most precise scanner, and began to carefully examine the inside of the wound.
The more she investigated, the more Tsunade frowned.
The complexity and stubbornness of the injury exceeded her expectations. The remaining violent fire nature chakra was intertwined with a strange, spiral, tearing force, continuously destroying her chakra.
At the same time, she also clearly sensed that the boy had extremely strong physical abilities and an unusually vigorous life force within him that was autonomously resisting this destruction.
This was probably why he could still remain conscious and even laugh.
"Bear with it!"
She said coldly, and then began the actual treatment.
The bright green chakra light intensified, and Tsunade's hands became as steady as the most precise instruments, manipulating chakra into countless tentacles finer than a hair, penetrating even the smallest corners of the wound.
She needs to carefully strip away and neutralize the violent residual chakra before guiding her chakra to repair torn and burned muscle fibers, delicate nerves, damaged blood vessels, and even fractured bones.
This is an extremely demanding process that requires the utmost precision in control.
As time went on, Tsunade's face grew paler and paler, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, sliding down her cheeks.
Her body began to tremble slightly and uncontrollably, and her breathing became slightly rapid.
The bloody scenes, the details of the damaged tissue, and even the unavoidable tactile sensations during treatment constantly challenged her psychological defenses.
However, her hands remained as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor.
Those hands, which wielded the power of resurrection but now seemed as heavy as a thousand pounds, displayed an absolute professionalism and tenacity befitting a legendary Medical Ninja, completely opposite to her trembling bodies.
Her lips were tightly pressed together, her eyes fixed on the wound, as if she were pouring all her willpower into her steady fingers, waging a silent but fierce battle against the turbulent waves churning within her heart.
"Lady Tsunade, would you like to rest for a while?"
The boy on the sickbed asked in a gentle voice, seemingly noticing her pale face and slight trembling.
"Shut up! Don't distract me!"
Tsunade rebuked without looking up, her voice tense as she suppressed some emotion, the green light in her hand remaining perfectly still.
Meanwhile, the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had finished dealing with urgent official business, also arrived at the hospital.
His arrival naturally attracted the attention of the staff at the hospital, and everyone gained a new understanding of the importance attached to this young genius.
The third Hokage did not disturb the treatment inside the ward. He simply stood quietly at the door and glanced inside through the observation window, where he saw his disciple, Tsunade, intently bending over to treat the patient.
He then silently stepped back and gently closed the door. In the corridor outside, the burly Enma was already waiting while leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
The third Hokage walked over, and without a word, Enma clearly recounted the events to him in a low, concise voice.
Inside the ward, the treatment continued.
Perhaps to combat the instinctive fear of blood and wounds that constantly assaulted her nerves, or perhaps simply to distract herself by talking, Tsunade stared intently at the wound, then suddenly spoke, her voice cold and stern: "Listen up, kid! This technique... Don't use it again."
Her tone left no room for argument: "The backlash it inflicts on your body is irreparable damage. The destructive force will accumulate. You were lucky this time; your physique is extraordinary, and the treatment was timely. But use it a few more times, and this arm of yours will suffer irreversible damage from the meridians to the bones. It'll be completely ruined. When that happens, no doctor, no matter how skilled, will be able to save it."
However, Shinichi simply shook his head calmly: "I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade, but I have reasons to continue to improve and use it."
"You!"
Tsunade suddenly raised her eyes and glared at him, a surge of anger rising in her chest.
Why is this kid so stubborn?
Would you really give up your hands for a worthless technique?
She was so angry that she almost wanted to stop the treatment and let him suffer the pain.
But when she met the boy's calm eyes, the words of rebuke stuck in her throat. She lowered her head again, focusing more on her work.
After a moment of silence, she asked the question again.
"Why... do it to this extent? Why work so hard?"
Shinichi paused for a moment, not answering directly, but instead said softly, "Lady Tsunade must have noticed it too, right? That's why you had that argument with Shizune a few days ago, hoping she would give up becoming a ninja."
Tsunade's fingers, which were manipulating chakra, paused almost imperceptibly. She neither admitted nor denied it, but pursed her lips even tighter, which could be considered an admission.
The boy's calm and gentle voice rang out again, but it was like a precise scalpel, slicing into another wound she was trying to hide: "When you saw my injuries just now, Lady Tsunade, your face turned pale, and you even took two steps back... You were afraid of seeing blood, afraid of seeing serious injuries, right? I remember there was a similar symptom recorded in medical books, called hemophobia."
Tsunade: "...!!"
Tsunade was shocked and looked up at Shinichi with undisguised astonishment and a hint of panic at being seen through.
Even the steady medical chakra light in her hand fluctuated for a moment because of this.
Outside the ward, the third Hokage, who was whispering with Enma, had incredibly sharp hearing, and those words clearly reached his ears.
His fingers, which were holding the pipe, suddenly stopped, and a sharp, sudden glint flashed in his eyes.
He had always known that his disciple was deeply troubled by the previous war and was not in a good state, but he only thought it was due to the great grief and depression brought about by the successive deaths of his loved ones.
He had never considered another possibility… a hemophobia?
"So, the reason you looked unwell and trembled slightly during treatment wasn't entirely due to the complexity of the injuries and the strain on your mind... But mainly because of this, right?"
Shinichi continued to ask, his tone devoid of offense, only one of calm observation.
"Of course not!"
Tsunade retorted instinctively, but her voice sounded somewhat hurried due to a lack of confidence: "It's just that your injury is very troublesome to treat! I am the best Medical Ninja in Konoha, how could I be afraid of blood?! Stop being so presumptuous!"
Her denial, though characteristically forceful, seemed more like a bluffing defense.
Shinichi didn't argue with her, but followed his own train of thought and continued in a calm tone that seemed to analyze the situation: "Perhaps, describing it as hemophobia is not entirely accurate. I think it is more appropriate to call it post-traumatic stress disorder."
He used technical terms that might exist in this world's medical system but are not commonly used, which surprised Tsunade and the third Hokage outside the gate.
"It's not so much the fear of blood and wounds themselves... But rather the fear of what they evoke. Those images, those feelings, are like branding marks. So, it's not the blood itself that's scary, but everything that blood represents and evokes that makes people feel terrified and want to escape."
Every word struck Tsunade like a hammer blow to her most vulnerable spot. Her face turned ashen, and she tried to shout at him, but found herself unable to utter a sound.
The boy's words were not harsh, but they precisely tore open the scars she had long covered with layers of alcohol, escapism, and anger, exposing the unhealed, still bleeding truth beneath.
"So, this is my answer, Lady Tsunade."
Shinichi's voice pulled Tsunade back from drowning in painful memories.
He looked at her, his eyes clear and firm, devoid of pity, only a cruelly honest understanding: "Precisely because I've seen it, felt it, and don't want to see more of it… I have to fight desperately. I have to become stronger, strong enough to create new force, strong enough to change something at critical moments, even if that power harms myself, even if the road ahead is difficult."
"I just hope that with these hands, I can bring more smiles and fewer farewells to this village."
"Therefore, I have no choice, and I must not stop!"
Tsunade: "..."
Upon hearing this, Tsunade fell into a deep silence.
"You arrogant brat!"
After a long silence, Tsunade suddenly spoke, her voice regaining its usual impatience and harshness, as if the soul-touching conversation had never happened.
"Use it as you like from now on, it's not me who's in pain, and it's not my hand that's ruined! I don't care if you die!"
That's what she said, but the slight trembling in her body caused by the psychological shock had completely subsided at some point, and the emerald green light emanating from her hands, which were steadily releasing medical chakra, had become even more solid.
Meanwhile, the third Hokage outside the ward breathed a sigh of relief and smiled contentedly.
...
The treatment continued for quite some time, and when the green light at Tsunade's fingertips slowly faded, the hideous wound on Shinichi's right arm had disappeared.
The newly formed skin still had a faint pink hue, and the muscle texture had returned to normal.
Although the arm was still weak and would require a long period of rest to fully recover its function, the continuous erosive sensation and the bizarre injury had been thoroughly eliminated.
"The toxins in the wound have been cleared, and the basic repair is complete. The rest depends on your own recovery. Given your constitution, you should be able to move around after resting for half a month. However, remember, you are not allowed to engage in any high-intensity Ninjutsu or Taijutsu training within a month, otherwise you will suffer from hidden injuries, which will be a real pain for you on rainy days in the future."
Tsunade withdrew her hand, her face still somewhat pale, her forehead damp with sweat, but her eyes were much clearer than when she arrived.
After speaking, she didn't even look at Shinichi and turned to walk towards the door.
Tsunade opened the door and paused for a moment when she saw the third Hokage and Enma standing there.
"Old man."
She greeted him, her tone flat and devoid of any emotion.
"Thank you for your hard work, Tsunade."
The third Hokage said gently, his gaze lingering for a moment on her still somewhat pale face.
Tsunade avoided his gaze, simply waved her hand, and walked straight to the other end of the corridor, her back straight and her steps quick, as if she was eager to leave this place.
The third Hokage saw her off until her long golden hair disappeared around the corner, then turned his gaze back to the ward.
On the hospital bed, Shinichi was trying to gently move the fingers of his newly healed right hand. His face showed no particular expression, neither the relief of surviving a disaster nor the worry about his injuries.
He was so calm that he didn't seem like a boy who had just recovered from serious injuries.
"How are you feeling, Shinichi?"
The third Hokage entered the ward, his voice steady.
"I'm much better now, Hokage-sama. It's all thanks to Tsunade-sama." Shinichi replied politely and respectfully.
The third Hokage nodded, sat down in the chair beside the hospital bed, and after a moment of contemplation, slowly spoke: "Enma has already told me in detail about the new technique you developed, the Great Flame Rasengan. Its power is astonishing, but the risks are also extremely high. Until you find a way to fully control it or eliminate its backlash, I do not allow you to use it lightly again. This is not a suggestion, it is an order! Your future is more important than an unfinished technique, understand?"
Shinichi met the third Hokage's serious gaze, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly nodded: "Yes, I understand, Hokage-sama."
His obedience was without hesitation, but the third Hokage saw a flicker of an unextinguished flame deep within those calm eyes.
He knew that the boy's compliance might only be a temporary retreat.
After giving a few more words of advice to rest and recover, the third Hokage got up and left.
As Hokage, he still had many matters to attend to.
The ward returned to silence.
Shinichi leaned against the headboard and gazed at the snowflakes falling again outside the window, lost in thought.
......
Two weeks later, it was deep winter.
The snow had not yet melted at Konoha's fourth training ground, and the air was crisp and cold.
Enma crossed his arms and looked helplessly at the black-haired boy in the center of the arena, who was moving his limbs and whose breathing had returned to normal.
Beside him, the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, draped in a Hokage Robe, stood quietly, his gaze gentle yet scrutinizing.
Shinichi's recovery speed exceeded Tsunade's expectations, and as soon as his injuries stabilized, he couldn't wait to throw himself back into training.
After a well-controlled sparring session with Enma, he then attempted to perfect the Great Flame Rasengan.
Enma was fully aware of the technique's dangerous backlash. Unable to dissuade Shinichi, he simply summoned the Third Hokage, who had recently slowed his workload and happened to be at rest.
With the third Hokage present, they can at least cover the worst.
"Shinichi."
The third Hokage looked at the boy who had approached, without giving a direct order or reprimand. Instead, like a teacher guiding a disciple's thinking, he asked calmly, "Are you in such a hurry to try again because you've come up with a solution to the backlash problem?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Shinichi bowed respectfully, then nodded frankly: "For the past two weeks, I have repeatedly recalled the details of the injury and summarized the cause. The Rasengan itself is a highly compressed and violently rotating ball of chakra, which is inherently unstable."
"The Rasengan is forcibly infused with fire nature chakra, which is known for its violence. The combination of the two amplifies its power, and the energy within it becomes extremely violent. At the moment of impact and energy release, the violent feedback will directly impact the user's arm that maintains the chakra form, causing severe erosion and tearing."
He paused, then continued, "So, the simplest idea is to prevent it from exploding directly in my hand. If I can throw it safely, like a kunai shuriken, and have it explode far away from me, then the problem of backlash can be solved."
The third Hokage nodded slightly: "Throwing it out to avoid direct contact damage is indeed the right approach. It's one of the common strategies for dealing with the backlash of such close-range burst Ninjutsu."
But then he changed the subject and pointed out the key difficulty: "However, Shinichi, the problem lies in how to throw it safely? Even a regular Rasengan is difficult to maintain its shape after leaving the body, let alone a Rasengan infused with a violent fire nature, which is extremely unstable. It's like a lit fuse that's extremely sensitive."
"You have to do your best to maintain it in your hands to prevent it from exploding prematurely. Once it leaves your hands, it will probably explode on the spot because it's out of control, as soon as it's no longer under your chakra's continuous control and shape maintenance."
Enma added in a deep voice, "Hiruzen is right. Kid, the idea is good, but it's too difficult to do! Once that thing leaves your hands, it's just a firecracker that explodes at the slightest touch, and it can't fly far at all."
"Hokage-sama, senior Enma, I have also pondered this question repeatedly."
Faced with the core dilemma pointed out by the third Hokage and Enma, Shinichi showed no discouragement or confusion; instead, he nodded.
"That's why I thought of another approach. Since the backlash of the Great Flame Rasengan stems from its extreme compression, rotation, and the combination of violent fire natures, making the technique difficult to control and extremely unstable, could I take a step back, retain the core advantages of the Rasengan's rapid and highly concentrated chakra, but appropriately reduce the degree of concentration, while completely eliminating the rotational characteristic that exacerbates instability?"
"Like this!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already raised his right hand, his five fingers spread wide.
Without any complicated hand seals or even obvious violent fluctuations in chakra, a blazing and solid crimson flame, as if tamed by an invisible force, suddenly appeared in his palm!
This flame did not expand and spread outward like a normal fire jutsu, nor did it rotate wildly and compress to the extreme like the previous Great Flame Rasengan.
It is more like a highly concentrated, stable, solid core of flame, devoid of excess agitation, burning quietly and emitting scorching yet orderly chakra fluctuations.