Naruto: I Can Upgrade My Techniques Infinitely-Chapter 54: Nara Kazuki: From Now On, I Am Konoha’s Kotodama Master

Chapter 54 - Nara Kazuki: From Now On, I Am Konoha’s Kotodama Master

A wildfire on the hill, and suddenly the Hokage's in love with me.

Thanks to Nara Kazuki's rapid emergency response, the forest blaze was stopped before it became a full-on disaster.

"Looks like next time I test a jutsu, I'd better keep it under control..." Kazuki muttered, surveying the charred remains of several trees.

Thankfully, this had all occurred outside the village borders. Konoha didn't treat wilderness damage as a legal offense. Otherwise, Kazuki figured he'd be halfway to a public execution by now.

Having completed his jutsu test run, Kazuki returned home and resumed his eternal mission: stacking fireballs. His goal was to reach 30% on Great Fireball Jutsu's proficiency, unlocking its next major evolution.

But the overuse was starting to show. His throat burned, raw from too much fire breathing.

Still, the feeling of getting stronger was downright addictive.

"Right... that strange voice I heard last time..." Kazuki paused, memory snapping into place.

Back during a mission, he'd sacrificed Hidan—yes, that Hidan. Given the man's pseudo-immortality, Kazuki had figured it was worth experimenting. So he'd conducted a small-scale sacrifice ritual to see what would happen.

What happened was: Kazuki heard something.

A voice. Alien. Ancient. And when he recalled it now, it made his temples throb.

He couldn't remember most of what had been said—it all scattered into ash the moment he tried to recall it. But there was one word he remembered:

有

(Yǒu – "have," "exist," or something... more.)

"I think it was pronounced..." Kazuki mumbled experimentally. He let the sound roll off his tongue.

The syllable came out low and unnatural—like a word carved from stone and buried in the earth's marrow.

At that exact moment, Suzaku, his clan uncle, happened to walk into the room. As the word echoed, Suzaku's eyes briefly clouded over—only for a second, but Kazuki noticed.

"Uncle Suzaku ?" he asked, surprised. Don't tell me... that word actually did something ?

Could this be... kotodama ? The power of words as spells ?

Suzaku blinked, slightly dazed. "Kazuki, what were you just doing ?"

"I was training," Kazuki replied with a perfectly innocent smile.

He had been tempted to test it again on Suzaku, but reconsidered. His uncle was a good man, and Kazuki had no idea what repeated exposure to that bizarre language might do to someone.

"I see... well, I came to talk to you about something." Suzaku didn't press further. The clan had long acknowledged Kazuki's dedication—his drive stood out in a family infamous for its laid-back, cerebral lifestyle.

The truth was, many members of the Nara clan were just a little lazy. Maybe it came with being so brainy—you always looked for the most efficient (read: laziest) path.

But Kazuki was different. His work ethic was terrifying. His obsession with the Great Fireball Jutsu had become something of a legend. Some younger clansmen even used him as motivation—though most would just give up and go back to napping ten minutes later.

"What's going on?" Kazuki asked, slightly nervous. Wait... is this about that bathhouse thing? I swear I didn't see anyone...

But no—he remembered clearly. There had been no clan women in the public bathhouse that day. Most high-ranking families used private baths.

"It's like this," Suzaku began. "You're getting older now. And our Nara clan maintains ties with other major clans. So..."

Kazuki froze.

...It was a marriage talk.

You've got to be kidding me. Kazuki stared blankly. I got pressured into marriage in my past life, now it's happening in this one too?

"Uncle Suzaku, I still lack the strength. Right now, all I want is to get stronger—to reach jōnin," Kazuki said quickly, trying to deflect.

Suzaku blinked, caught off guard, then smiled warmly. He patted Kazuki on the shoulder with genuine pride.

"Well said. Then let's revisit the matter when you reach jōnin." Suzaku tucked the photo away.

Kazuki caught a glimpse of the lead candidate. Blonde hair. Pretty. Almost certainly someone from the Yamanaka Clan.

Konoha really does love its political marriages...

After his uncle left, Kazuki's mind returned to that word—有—and the momentary glitch it caused in Suzaku's awareness.

Could this be weaponized?

A split-second lapse in combat could flip the outcome of a battle. That was no small thing.

"Wait... am I turning into a control-type ninja?" Kazuki frowned.

He thought back through his arsenal.

Shadow Possession. Disruption jutsu. Seal upgrades. The mysterious Word Spirit effect.

...Yeah. Control type.

"No, no, my fireball is still plenty destructive." He consoled himself. If he kept stacking fireballs, surely one day he could crush a Kage with a single blast.

Eager to test his theory, Kazuki rushed outside, even neglecting his almost-complete chakra refining meter. He'd get back to that later.

On the main street, surrounded by villagers, Kazuki couldn't help himself. freēwēbnovel.com

He took a deep breath and whispered:

"Yǒu."

Everyone around him... paused.

Just for a breath. A heartbeat. So subtle it might have gone unnoticed.

But Kazuki noticed. And it made him ecstatic.

Back then, when he'd first heard that voice, it felt like something was trying to grow in his brain—a lamb of thought, bleeding into existence.

Now, with just a single syllable?

He'd stopped time.

Even for a flicker... that was power.

Next time... he thought, eyes gleaming, what if I say the whole thing?