"If I didn't know you had this kind of power, I'd really want to kick you right now!"
"What do you mean, 'just do it however'? Can't we take this a bit more seriously, at least show some respect to the enemy?"
Okay, maybe that's nonsense. In war, the best kind of enemy is a dead one. If you can eliminate them without a sound, there's no need to give them any chance to resist or call for backup.
In the dead of night, a massive purple-blue sphere of light rose in Takuya's hand. Although the Rasengan Tailed Beast Bomb was even more powerful, in situations like this, targeting enemies hidden within fortifications, the Thunderburst was the better choice.
After all, the piercing power of lightning chakra was undeniable—especially against underground bunkers and similar facilities. Iwagakure, for instance, struggled against Kumogakure precisely because Earth Release was poor at defending against the piercing nature of Lightning Release.
This weakness often placed Iwagakure, with its Earth Release-based techniques, at a disadvantage against Kumogakure's Lightning Release forces. The only thing that saved Iwagakure from being overwhelmed was its collective Earth Release techniques, which, when performed by enough skilled shinobi, could become a significant threat even for the highly mobile forces of the Cloud.
"What's that?"
Inside the military fortress, a Kirigakure sensory ninja's eyes suddenly widened. He sensed a terrifying and unfamiliar concentration of lightning chakra.
The dark night sky suddenly lit up, as if someone had turned on a giant searchlight, illuminating the entire underground bunker.
"Thunderburst!"
The enormous sphere was hurled by Takuya.
**Boom!!!**
Before the Kirigakure ninja could react, the ground beneath them started shaking violently. The underground bunker collapsed in an instant, the explosion spreading across and consuming the entire base.
The fierce explosion almost seemed to turn the night into day, like a massive firework blooming in the night sky.
"That kid's Lightning Release… it's even more terrifying now," Jiraiya murmured, feeling the vibrations caused by the blast.
The others weren't nearly as composed. Although they'd heard about Takuya's powerful Lightning Release before, this was the first time they had seen his Thunderburst in action.
The sturdy underground fortress was gone, reduced to nothing but a crater over ten meters deep and over a hundred meters across.
And that fortress was built into solid rock, not soft soil. The sheer force...
Could anyone believe that was caused by a technique casually thrown by someone?
Except for Jiraiya and Nawaki, everyone else was wide-eyed in disbelief.
What had Takuya just done?
He simply raised his hand, threw a glowing sphere while shouting "Thunderburst," and then it was over.
There wasn't even a bone shard left of the enemies, let alone anything else.
"If I remember right, he used this technique to blow apart Amegakure's city wall, right in front of Hanzō the Salamander," Yūhi Shinku said, swallowing nervously.
He wondered, if Takuya threw that sphere at him, could he block it? Could he escape?
Would he survive?
"..."
Yeah, I'm definitely not cutting in after that.
Minato looked at the massive crater left behind by the explosion, then glanced at Takuya with a complex expression.
Are you really just going to keep going down this insane path?
"It's been a while since I used that move. Added a bit more chakra this time, and it seems pretty effective. Oh, how's your Rasengan research going?"
If they were to compare, Takuya's Thunderburst was like a C4 bomb, whereas the regular Rasengan was more like a firecracker...
"I've made some progress," Minato replied, his mouth twitching as he put away his kunai. Was there even a point in continuing to develop the Rasengan?
No matter how hard he tried to catch up with Takuya, the gap just kept widening.
Was speed the only thing he had that was better than Takuya?
"Mission accomplished. Should we head to the next island?"
This was just one small island in the blockade—Kirigakure hadn't stationed too many people here. They probably figured Konoha would never attack this far.
And even if they did, the numerous patrol squads would keep watch day and night, and the fortified positions on the island could hold until reinforcements arrived to surround and crush the intruders.
If Kirigakure had stationed more forces and set up more defenses on the island, it wouldn't have been something Thunderburst alone could deal with.
Thunderburst was undeniably effective in small-scale battles, but if the enemy was spread out, hacking them down with a sword would actually be more efficient.
"Keep at it. If you manage to perfect the Rasengan, it has great potential—maybe even incorporating different chakra natures into it could work, and perhaps it could turn into something like the Thunderburst."
Minato wasn't one to easily give up. Even after setbacks, he could quickly regain his confidence. But his progress on the Rasengan was slow, and Takuya felt he should give Minato a nudge.
"Incorporating different chakra natures, huh?" Minato's eyes lit up, his mind racing with possibilities.
If he could successfully complete the Rasengan and then develop it further along the lines Takuya suggested, well...
Minato felt a surge of excitement, itching to start experimenting right away.
But he soon deflated.
"Maybe it's too early to think about that. I still haven't even fully figured out the basic Rasengan."
"..."
Is the "Little Sun" really getting caught up in self-doubt?
Takuya patted Minato on the shoulder and suggested, "Maybe you could try using some props—like a balloon, for example. It's tough to form chakra out of thin air in your hand, but what if you used something to assist?
A water-filled balloon… have the chakra rotate inside it..."
Minato didn't jump up in excitement as Takuya expected. Instead, he stared at Takuya speechlessly.
"Did you use that method while experimenting with your Rasengan Tailed Beast Bomb?"
"*Cough!*"
Takuya choked, almost dying from his own spit.
"Used my... what?!"
The Rasengan Tailed Beast Bomb was just a name I came up with randomly! I didn't use any props!
"Snowy gave me a little guidance at first, and I figured out the rest myself. Who needs balloons?"
Takuya rolled his eyes and added, "Yeah, yeah, just think of it like that. I used balloons, so you don't need to feel discouraged. Give it a try when we get back—balloons aren't just for blowing up, you know. They're also for... having fun."
"Uh..."
Minato's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are these balloons... serious balloons?"
"Perfectly serious. When we get back, your teacher can take you to try out some non-serious ones."
Off in the distance, dark shadows approached quickly. Jiraiya, leading the way, heard Takuya's words from afar.
"What's this about serious and non-serious?"
Takuya nudged Minato forward. "Minato said he wants to try out some of those non-serious balloons."
"Oh?"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up with a mischievous grin. "Looks like Minato is finally growing up."
__________Bonus Chapter________________
Next Bonus: 1700 Power Stones. ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 345+ at patreon com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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