Naruto: I have Ten Skill Bars

Squeak, squeak, squeak...!!

Steam hissed and surged from Shigure's body, billowing outward in violent bursts. He could feel the chakra inside him boiling—literally.

This was no ordinary chakra circulation. It was a flow pushed far beyond the norm.

Just a light clench of his fist made him feel several times stronger than usual.

And this was only from maintaining the Boiling Release's altered chakra state.

If he could push it all the way—raise all the chakra in his body to boiling point in a single breath...

What kind of terrifying power would that unleash?

Shigure's gaze fell upon a thick tree ten meters away—so large it would take two people to wrap their arms around it.

He clenched his fingers tightly.

In the next second, the slowly rising steam exploded outwards.

His skin visibly turned red.

And that was just the surface-level change.

Inside, his chakra had transformed into intense heat, roaring through his body like a storm.

Shigure felt overwhelmed with power. The sensation was nothing short of exhilarating.

With a slight squeeze of his hand, the veins on his arm bulged grotesquely.

Like centipedes writhing under his skin.

Steam erupted wildly from every pore. Then—

BOOM!

Shigure stomped forward, and the ground beneath him cracked open.

In an instant, he shot forward like a cannonball.

A heatwave streaked behind him.

In the blink of an eye, his fist smashed into the tree trunk—

CRACK!

The massive tree split cleanly in half.

Wood chips still hung suspended in the air when, at the point of impact, the trunk disintegrated into countless fragments—so fine they were nearly invisible.

Shockwaves rippled outward, distorting the air in concentric circles.

THUD—!

The tree's upper half blasted away, soaring dozens of meters, colliding with other trees along the way until it shattered into splinters.

Shigure stood still, staring at the ten-meter swath of destruction in front of him.

"...What terrifying power."

Was this the strength of a Kekkei Genkai?

[Congratulations to the host for mastering the new skill: Boiling Release – Unparalleled Super Strength]

Strictly speaking, this wasn't a ninjutsu—but rather a physical augmentation technique using Boiling Release.

As long as one possessed the boiling attribute chakra, they could superheat their internal chakra to the boiling point in a single breath—and unleash explosive strength.

Shigure slowly came back to his senses.

And with it came the pain—searing, tearing pain in his arms.

This power was incredible... but the strain on his body was devastating.

"No wonder the Five-Tails Jinchūriki needed custom armor just to use Boiling Release…"

"An average body can barely survive a few bursts like this."

In the original timeline, Naruto could afford to use such abilities freely. After all, he had the Uzumaki clan's renowned vitality and the Nine-Tails' healing chakra.

But Shigure had neither.

Sure, his passive skill tree had pushed his physical body far beyond others his age—perhaps even stronger than most Chūnin.

But at the end of the day, it was still a human body.

Unless his physique became inhumanly durable, Boiling Release would always come at a steep cost.

But if his body did evolve to withstand it…

Then just how far could Boiling Release take him?

That was the real question.

This was a problem he needed to solve—soon.

"…Wood Release!"

This was the first solution Shigure thought of.

If he could awaken Wood Release, he could gain a passive regeneration ability—just like Hashirama Senju, who could heal without hand seals.

In that case, the backlash from Boiling Release wouldn't be a problem anymore.

But…

It wasn't that simple.

Obtaining Wood Release was no easy feat.

"First, I need to learn Earth Release ninjutsu and awaken Earth-natured chakra…"

For a normal shinobi, even acquiring one elemental jutsu was a challenge.

"If you graduate from the Academy, you're allowed to apply to learn one of the five basic nature transformations. But there's still a month until graduation… That's too long."

Asking others for help?

Gekkō Hayate might be an option, but Uncle Masano was out of the question. A Chūnin like him had his own hands full just trying to make ends meet.

If Shigure asked for his help again, what would happen to Uncle Masano's wife and child?

Besides Wood Release, Shigure considered another alternative.

Maybe the answer wasn't just within his bloodline or chakra…

Maybe he could rely on external tools—just like Han, the Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, who wore specialized armor to handle Boiling Release.

But Shigure didn't want to rely on just one Kekkei Genkai.

To build a suit of armor just for that?

It didn't fit his style.

Still—

The idea of using tools wasn't bad.

Boiling Release granted overwhelming strength, but the key was in controlling and channeling that strength.

He didn't have to rely on fists alone.

He could use a sword.

And it just so happened…

His Konoha-style Kenjutsu had become terrifyingly strong.

He had even brought his wooden sword today. Perfect time for an experiment.

Of course, a wooden sword couldn't withstand the raw force of Boiling Release, but that wasn't the point.

What Shigure wanted to test was whether his Kenjutsu could serve as a medium for his overwhelming power.

Whether his Boiling-infused swordsmanship could work.

He unsheathed the wooden blade from his waist.

Boiling chakra surged forth once more.

Shigure slashed.

In the next second, he saw it—air pressure condensed into a visible slash.

A wave of force tore through the air and struck the ground, carving a deep trench.

"Yes…"

Shigure nodded, satisfied.

Swordsmanship wasn't just a way to kill. It was a martial art—built on precise control of force and movement.

The strange power granted by Boiling Release could absolutely be directed through Kenjutsu.

But then—

He looked at his weapon.

Only the hilt remained.

He hadn't even struck a solid target, yet the blade had exploded into splinters from the pressure alone.

Tiny wooden fragments floated down around him.

Shigure let out a long sigh.

All he was missing now… was a real sword.

A normal blade wouldn't survive his chakra-infused strikes.

"I'll need to commission a custom-made weapon—something that can withstand the power of Boiling Release."

It just so happened he hadn't touched the money his parents had left behind.

Hayate had promised to gift him a blade after graduation, but that would likely be a standard-issue ninja sword. It wouldn't last long under these conditions.

Better to invest in one himself.

Sure, it would be expensive…

But it'd be worth it.

"I'll probably have to spend seventy percent of the money I saved for getting married someday," he muttered.

"…But at least I'll have a damn good sword."

...

TN:

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