Ninjutsu Training Results

"Then the first important course this month will be practicing the Body Flicker Technique every day. Let's see what level I can reach with my current reactions." Shuichi first settled on his most important task.

He then began sorting through the ninjutsu in his possession. First were his father's three Ninjutsu Scrolls: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, Water Release: Water Turbulent Wave, and Water Release: Water Formation Wall—two C-rank techniques and one B-rank technique.

Orochimaru had also taught him quite a few ninjutsu. Most of them required a certain degree of Chakra control while consuming a moderate amount of Chakra, making them suitable for Shuichi to learn at his current stage.

They included the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, Shadow Clone, Earth Clone, Shadow Snake Hand, and Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique.

The Shadow Snake Hand was rather special. Perhaps because he was very satisfied with this disciple, Teacher Orochimaru had allowed Shuichi to successfully sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave. From then on, he was considered Orochimaru's true personal disciple.

The Shadow Snake Hand was a simple application of the Summoning Technique. It did not consume much Chakra and was well suited as a standard offensive method.

Orochimaru had also reminded him that summoning large Summoning Beasts required an enormous amount of Chakra. At his current age, learning it would be completely counterproductive.

Based on the path of a speed-type ninja that he had chosen for himself, he likely would not have much use for that technique for a long time to come.

And by the time Shuichi could use the Summoning Jutsu with ease, his strength would have reached the point where he barely needed Summoning Beasts at all. In battles at that level, Summoning Beasts could only be used as targets.

So, now that Shuichi possessed a contract with Ryūchi Cave, he planned to use only the highly cost-effective Shadow Snake Hand. He arranged its training after the Body Flicker Technique.

After that, he should be able to master relatively simple ninjutsu such as the Shadow Clone and Double Suicide Decapitation Technique within a month.

If he still had time within that month, he would need to choose among those C-rank and B-rank ninjutsu.

Considering that Water Release required a relatively large amount of Chakra, while his affinity for Wind Release was stronger, Shuichi decided to begin with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

If he completed all those training goals within the month, he would then begin attempting Water Release training.

At the end of autumn in Konoha Year 43, withered yellow leaves drifted through the streets of Konoha. Other than the White Fang incident, nothing major had happened in Konoha that year.

From the small woods outside Konoha's central district, children's voices could occasionally be heard.

By the river in the middle of the forest, Yūhi Kurenai, Ishikawa Tatsuki, and the others were looking toward the nearby woods as though waiting for something.

"Whoosh, whoosh..." The sound of a ninja moving at high speed came from the darkness ahead. A small black figure darted left and right, gradually appearing before them at great speed.

Shuichi lightly stepped on a nearby tree trunk and leaped into the air, appearing before them. With his right hand, he threw several Shuriken at incredible speed, while his hands continued forming seals without pause.

"Ox—Dog—Dragon—Rat—Dog—Boar—Snake—Tiger, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique." The Shuriken blurred with afterimages as they flew, and in the blink of an eye, they formed an overwhelming barrage.

"Thud, thud, thud..." The trees across the river were now covered in densely packed Shuriken. After flipping once in midair, Shuichi landed steadily on the water's surface.

"Tiger—Snake—Rat—Snake—Tiger, Water Release: Water Formation Wall."

"Crash..." The river water surged upward as if something beneath it had burst through, arching around Shuichi like City Walls. Only after several seconds did the water gradually return to calm.

"Wow, Shuichi-kun is amazing! Those are advanced ninjutsu!" Ishikawa Tatsuki, Kurenai, and the others were nearly dumbfounded. While they were still polishing their proficiency in the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques, Shuichi had already mastered so many flashy ninjutsu in just one month.

"Shuichi, do I really not have the talent to become a ninja?" After seeing Shuichi's performance, Ishikawa Tatsuki began doubting himself. Why was the gap between people so enormous?

The group of friends, who had been so excited moments ago, instantly fell silent. It seemed they had all realized the huge gap between themselves and Shuichi.

Oh no! I overdid the demonstration a little. This isn't like our usual ninja games. They've all attended the Ninja Academy now and understand ninjutsu. Seeing what I can do has shaken their confidence.

"It's fine, you don't need to worry. There's a trick to why I can learn so quickly. This is a unique technique I learned from Teacher Orochimaru. Once you've mastered the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques, you'll learn ninjutsu just as quickly as I do after graduation." Shuichi immediately began rebuilding their confidence. His fan club could not disband.

"Really? What kind of technique is it?" The light slowly returned to his friends' eyes as they waited for Shuichi's answer.

"After you learn the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques, you can practice this: Tree Climbing." As he spoke, Shuichi demonstrated the Tree Climbing training method and its tricks to them.

"You all know the process of casting ninjutsu, right? Once you learn Tree Climbing, you'll be able to master the ninjutsu your instructors teach you in no time." Shuichi enthusiastically explained the benefits of Tree Climbing.

"This is a training method you might not learn about until after graduation, but I'm telling you in advance. You don't need to rush to practice the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques first. Once you succeed at Tree Climbing, you'll be able to use the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques however you want." Shuichi's tone suggested that they would all master ninjutsu very quickly.

"Besides, my teacher is a top-tier powerhouse. To a great extent, a good teacher can make up for a student's lack of talent." Shuichi once again attributed his training results to having a good teacher.

This time, his friends seemed to find it very reasonable, and the light returned to their eyes. Before long, Shuichi began sharing his experience and tricks with everyone, making them all feel that mastering ninjutsu quickly was no longer a dream.

Since he would be meeting Orochimaru again tomorrow and would very likely begin carrying out missions, Shuichi arranged a time to meet them again later, saying that he would come play with them whenever he had time.

"Whew, the results of this month's training aren't bad."

After everyone parted ways, Shuichi reviewed his training results. The reason he could improve so rapidly was that he had continuously strengthened his foundations over the past three years. In that sense, he had not really lied to those friends.

The Water Release: Water Formation Wall Shuichi had just used was a B-rank technique. It was his second Nature Transformation ninjutsu after completing Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

In truth, his mastery of Water Release was still very ordinary and had only just passed the beginner stage. The reason this Water Wall could produce such an effect was entirely because this area had abundant water resources, requiring only a simple use of Chakra.

If he went somewhere without water and tried again now, he would probably struggle for a long time without managing to produce a complete one.

The issue with the Summoning Technique:

Naruto used entirely Nine-Tails Chakra to summon Gama Bunta. (In manga Chapter 92, Jiraiya explicitly stated that Naruto did not have enough Chakra.)

The Uchiha Clan is officially defined as a clan possessing a large amount of Chakra to control the Sharingan. Even so, Sasuke only summoned Manda to block an explosion once, and used him once when fighting the Ten-Tails. He basically never used him in any other situation.