The moment the skill listings began to fuse.
At that instant, he felt just as he did when he first activated [Shout-to-Summon], as if all his chakra pathways were clearly visible in his mind.
Except this time, it wasn't limited to just the chakra channels.
Clusters of cells throughout his body, each thread-like muscle fiber and fascia strand, every single bone in his body, even the pulsations and workings of internal organs...
[Fusion complete. Congratulations, Master. You have obtained the rare red-tier skill listing: 'Zero-Frames Start']
Zero-Frames Start (Red): Innate tremendous mental fortitude, neural reaction power, and chakra control grant an unparalleled natural talent, significantly enhancing chakra manipulation, bodily control, nerve reaction speed, and ninjutsu casting rate.
"...Figures."
Kei Yamanaka twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth upon seeing the name of the skill listing.
He had always known one thing—whenever the system generated a skill, whether through drawing or fusing, none of them were ever ordinary.
They had barely gotten rid of [Shout-to-Summon]...
Now here came [Zero-Frames Start].
Alright, the effects kept getting stronger—but seriously, the names were getting stranger every time!
...
Host: Kei Yamanaka
Occupation: Ninja
Activated Skills: World Traveler (Red), Zero-Frames Start (Red), Yin Release Master (Purple), Water Release Master (Purple), Space-Time Insight (Purple), The Expert King of the Ninja World (Blue), Handsome (Blue)
Inactive Skills: Chrysalis User (White), Fragile Skin, Tough Life (White), Bro, You Smell So Good (White), Smiling Welcome (White)
Skill Grants: 4
Skill Removals: 1
Skill Downgrades: 1
...
"Oh well… Forget it…"
Kei looked at the red-tier skills displayed on the system interface and eventually decided to ignore those increasingly ridiculous names.
After all, names were just superficial things.
Actual effectiveness was what truly mattered!
The newly fused [Zero-Frames Start] absorbed both [Shout-to-Summon] and [Hyper Reaction Speed], fully integrating his physical talents.
Kei could feel it clearly now.
His sudden surge in bodily control gave him absolute precision over every ounce of strength in his body.
Fast as a tiger, stable as a mountain.
This change would elevate his taijutsu to a whole new level!
As for chakra control, neural reaction speed, and ninjutsu casting speed...
Kei's arm flowed like liquid, chakra swirling in his palm. A Rasengan formed in less than a second.
"Faster than when I first got [Shout-to-Summon], probably a third quicker."
After a rough test of his ninjutsu casting speed,
Kei resumed practice, channeling Water Release nature transformation into the Rasengan.
A vibrating hum—
The light blue chakra ball in his hand gradually tinted with a deeper shade of blue.
With his dramatically improved chakra control and a multiple-fold increase in reaction speed,
Kei continuously adjusted the wild energy within the water-infused Rasengan.
Once exploding within three seconds, the Water Release Rasengan now lasted much longer, forming faster as well!
Five seconds... Ten... Fifteen... Thirty!
As the Water Release Rasengan reached its maximum rotational speed, sharp water blades emitted a high-pitched whirring sound.
I did it!
Kei Yamanaka's face lit up with delight.
But in that instant his concentration slipped for a moment, and the wild energy began to spiral violently out of control.
The Water Release Rasengan in his hand quickly began forming jagged, irregular bulges.
Whirr—BOOM!
The Water Release Rasengan lost control and exploded. A terrifying force erupted, engulfing the ground beneath him and reducing everything within ten meters to dust.
"Kei!"
Minato Namikaze shouted in alarm as he saw Kei Yamanaka being engulfed by the technique.
Just as he was about to recklessly rush forward amid the residual effects, Uzumaki Honoka grabbed him firmly to stop him from rushing in.
"He's fine—he seems to have used the same space ninjutsu as you and escaped into the research facility."
"Huh? He..."
Overcome with worry, Minato froze in place.
He suddenly remembered the faint spatial ripples he'd sensed earlier when rescuing Honoka.
After detecting the spatial ripples left at the epicenter of the explosion and comparing them with those coming from the Flying Thunder God markings he had previously placed inside the research facility, he was momentarily stunned, unable to process what he was sensing.
Moments later, his handsome face was etched with disbelief and frustration.
Damn it!
Flying Thunder God Technique combined with an elemental nature-altered Rasengan!
His closest friend had been hiding such a powerful secret all along.
Earlier on the boat during their sparring match, that guy was totally messing with me!
Huff—
The violent residual waves of the technique slowly dissipated.
Where the boulder once stood now lay a circular depression.
Hidden behind the rock, the steel door of the research facility had become riddled with holes due to the blast.
Fine, needle-thin water blades had pierced right through the steel door, leaving countless tiny gaps.
Everyone who saw it felt a chill run down their spines.
If the steel door at the edge of the blast zone ended up like this...
What would happen to a person caught at the center? Not even a smear of blood would remain!
Creak—Bang!
With a mournful groan, the steel door collapsed into the crater caused by the Water Release Rasengan.
Pushing the door open with his hand, Kei Yamanaka stared at the devastation before him, his eye twitching slightly.
Earlier, he had only suspected that Hydrification wouldn't have been enough to save him, so he had immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape.
But he hadn't expected the damage to be this terrifying!
[Nanometer-scale water blades capable of shredding cells entirely—just like Wind Release: Rasenshuriken?]
Kei crouched down, running his fingers over the fine cuts in the steel door and inspecting the marks inside the crater.
Privately, he was relieved he hadn't gambled with his life.
If he hadn't dodged in time...
Hydrification?
Even the water molecules making up his body would've been torn apart!
"I didn't expect it could really work."
Minato crouched beside Kei Yamanaka, also running his fingers over the mirror-smooth crater.
Three years ago, the Rasengan had been an A-rank hand seal-less technique they had spent four grueling months researching together—a masterpiece of absolute shape manipulation.
After successfully developing it, they had both speculated about combining it with elemental chakra natures.
He had only abandoned the idea due to its overwhelming difficulty.
He never expected his dear friend to actually pull it off!
If this concept worked—integrating Water Release chakra into Rasengan—then why not try Wind Release next?
"Water Gate, how cool was that?"
Kei Yamanaka grinned and slapped Minato Namikaze on the back.
The Water Release Rasengan wasn't very stable yet—it exploded the instant he lost focus.
But if you pulled something like this off once, there was no limit to how many times you could repeat it.
With enough practice from now on,
Mastering this technique perfectly was just a matter of time!
Nailed it! Nailed it! Nailed it!
Minato Namikaze sighed, giving an exaggerated compliment.
After a pause, he spoke again.
"Did you name this technique already? If not, I've thought up some great names: [Water Release: Spiraling Ultra-Annihilation Zero Style], [Water Release: Hyper-Spiral Severing Blade]..."
"Stop! Stop! Stop!"
Hearing those overly dramatic, cringe-inducing names, Kei Yamanaka froze in horror.
If his new jutsu actually ended up with a name like that...
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