Naruto: Can't Use Ninjutsu? I'll Create the Strongest Fighting Style-Chapter 34 - 32: Dear Fire Temple, I Come Bearing Techniques (And Zero Respect for Tradition)

Chapter 34 - 32: Dear Fire Temple, I Come Bearing Techniques (And Zero Respect for Tradition)

"Forgive me for the earlier question, Kakashi-san."

The voice of Lady Sakuraba came softly from within the carriage.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, his posture relaxed.

"No offense taken. They're fresh graduates, yes, but Garou's abilities already rival most chunin."

"What he lacks is experience, which is exactly why I'm here, to guide him through it."

"That's... actually very reassuring."

"You've nothing to worry about," Kakashi continued. "The other two, Tenten and Kasumi, are also students I hold in high regard. They both have the makings of exceptional kunoichi. They're more than capable as bodyguards."

Lady Sakuraba, a noble from the capital, wasn't unfamiliar with shinobi affairs. She had initially found the escort arrangements lacking, sending a team of Genin to protect a high-ranking noble felt insulting.

If not for Kakashi leading them, she might have filed a formal complaint for reassignment.

But now, her perspective had changed completely.

Not long after the scuffle on the road, Garou returned from cleaning up. His appearance was neat, save for some dust clinging to his sleeves and the soles of his sandals. No blood, no wounds. He looked no different than he had that morning.

And yet, the ground still bore the prints of bodies.

It had been the first time Garou used his chakra needles in a real battle.

"Impressive technique," Kakashi murmured, sliding his headband back down to cover his Sharingan. "Arguably better than a chakra blade in close quarters. Faster. More precise."

Garou gave a simple nod, his voice calm. "But it's a chakra guzzler. The cohesion fluctuates if I don't focus. I'm working on stabilizing the form, maybe adjust the density dynamically depending on whether I'm striking or parrying. Thicker for cutting, thinner for speed."

Kakashi tilted his head slightly, impressed. "That kind of control? You're talking S-rank complexity. Most jonin can't handle it."

Garou looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "What if I embedded a chakra absorption function into the needle's structure? If I could draw in elemental chakra from an opponent mid-contact, I might be able to recycle it to enhance myself."

He shared the idea plainly, as if he were discussing weather rather than revolutionary ninjutsu design.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed behind the mask. The concept was wild, even dangerous, but it wasn't impossible. Garou had already achieved partial chakra solidification, something that took most shinobi years to master.

'Now he wants to hybridize it with absorption function? This kid... He's not just talented... he's different.'

Without another word, Garou pulled out his book and resumed reading as if the conversation had never happened.

Meanwhile, Lady Sakuraba's guards, who had earlier dismissed the team as children, stood noticeably straighter now. None of them had dared to speak after the skirmish. They had seen what Garou had done, and what was more terrifying was how casual he had been about it.

Who would've expected the quiet boy,nthe one who carried books and kept to himself, to be the deadliest in the group?

The attackers they had repelled weren't common thugs. Most had been trained swordsmen, loyal retainers to fallen lords or minor noble houses. Any single one of them could've taken on two or three genin in a fair fight.

But Garou hadn't fought fair.

He had sliced through them like a scalpel through flesh, efficient, clean, and terrifyingly silent.

"Garou," Tenten said later that day as they changed shifts. Her expression was hesitant. "That technique you used earlier... Would you be willing to trade for it? I've got some rare ninja tools, special alloys, even a few high-grade explosive tags. Just name it."

Garou didn't look up from his book. He shook his head. "It wouldn't suit your style. It requires exact control over your chakra shape and volume. You'd burn out before the fight even begins."

Tenten frowned. "So... it's just not compatible with me?"

"If you want something similar, try focusing on your chakra threads. Hone them until they're sharp enough to cut. That's the root of the needle technique."

Tenten blinked. "Wait. Chakra threads can cut?"

She tried to recall where she'd seen something like that before.

Her eyes widened. "Wait... That was during the bell test, right? When Kakashi-sensei's bell suddenly dropped? You sliced it clean off!"

Garou gave a small nod. "It's an unoptimized side effect of the development process."

He raised his hand and summoned a single chakra thread, thin as hair and glowing faintly in the afternoon sun. With a flick of his wrist, the thread extended out and sliced through a small hanging branch several meters away.

"Can you boost the damage?" she asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"There's a limit when you're working with pure chakra," Garou explained. "It lacks the elemental amplification that ninjutsu provides. But..."

He glanced at her thoughtfully. "What if you fused it with your steel wires? Use chakra to coat or bind them. That would reduce chakra cost and amplify lethality. You could turn your current weapons into something truly dangerous."

Tenten's eyes lit up. "Wait, hold on...!"

She dove into her pack and pulled out a well-worn notebook, flipping rapidly to a sketch on page four.

It depicted a prototype: heavy iron spheres with jagged protrusions, designed to launch from scrolls and rotate midair. The core was hollow, just enough space to hide a kunai or senbon inside. It was one of her more experimental ideas, never built due to practicality concerns.

"This!" she said, jabbing a finger at it. "What if I rework the structure to allow chakra to thread through it? Garou, you genius! I'm so glad I asked you!"

She slapped his shoulder gleefully.

Garou didn't even flinch. "If you hit me a little softer, I'd actually feel flattered."

Tenten just laughed and ran off, muttering excitedly to herself.

Lady Sakuraba, for her part, remained tucked inside the carriage, unseen. Garou had never seen her face. He didn't particularly care. To him, she was simply the mission. Just another objective to fulfill. His real focus was something else entirely.

The Fire Temple.

More specifically, the monk who presided over it, Chiriku. An ex-member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. A man with techniques few had ever seen, and a bounty on his head worth thirty million ryo.

Garou stirred beside Kakashi as the group trudged along the rocky mountain path.

"Kakashi-sensei."

"Hmm?"

"I've heard about the Fire Temple. They had a monk who was also a shinobi. A member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Do you know him?"

Kakashi glanced at him, then returned his gaze to the dirt trail ahead. "You mean Chiriku? I've never met him, but I know of him. He is a powerful monk, skilled in barrier techniques and chakra control."

"Too bad."

Garou's voice was low, but Kakashi heard the edge of disappointment.

The Gift of the Sages... that was what intrigued him.

Rumored to be an ability born from nature energy, possibly a weaker form of Sage Mode. It fascinated him.

And if he could just see it... learn from it... maybe he could replicate it.

"You planning to learn their techniques?" Kakashi asked, clearly curious.

"I heard they have a special kind of chakra. If I can study it, maybe I can create something new."

Kakashi was silent for a long moment before speaking. "You're ambitious. But the Gift of the Sages is sacred to the Fire Temple. Even among their monks, only a handful are permitted to train in it. Outsiders? Almost never."

"I'm not asking them to hand it over," Garou replied. "I just want an audience."

"If I can demonstrate enough value, they might consider an exchange."

"I'll ask Asuma-sensei for an introduction. He was one of them, right? If he can vouch for me, maybe I'll get a foot in the door."

Kakashi's eyes crinkled with amusement. "You're a dangerous thinker, you know that?"

"You misunderstood," Garou said, deadpan. "I didn't mean to steal their techniques. I meant to offer mine."

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