Copying Ninjutsu

"Sasuke, don't give up either. With your strength, it won't be difficult for you to pass the assessment and become a Tool Manipulation Jonin. All you lack is an S-Rank Mission Completion Record."

Akimichi Toribo patted Umino Sasuke on the shoulder, looking as though he thought highly of him. He even promised, "You already have one S-Rank Mission Completion Record. When I get the chance, I'll take you on another S-Rank Mission. You'll soon become a Konoha Jonin."

After saying that, Akimichi Toribo burst into laughter. Personally grooming a jonin was certainly something worth celebrating, especially when that jonin would be his capable subordinate and was so sensible.

What leader wouldn't love promoting such a good subordinate?

Konoha Jonin possessed voting rights for the Hokage, which would invisibly strengthen the Akimichi Clan's political influence.

In peacetime, two S-Rank Mission Completion Records might not have been enough. But this was wartime, when talent was scarce. Rapidly promoting ninjas had already become routine. Two S-Rank Mission Completion Records were more than enough to pass the jonin assessment.

If someone came from one of Konoha's great clans, even one S-Rank Mission Completion Record could be enough during wartime. Let alone two S-Rank Missions, along with a recommendation from a leader like him—passing the jonin assessment would be a sure thing.

Once Sasuke became a Konoha Jonin, all sorts of hidden income would come pouring in. How could he still lack Nara Secret Medicine then?

Besides.

Once he became a jonin and his political status rose, acquiring a decent business in Konoha would be perfectly natural. With Sasuke's outstanding cooking skills and sharp mind, opening a restaurant in Konoha would surely bring in mountains of money every day.

And as Sasuke's benefactor and an original shareholder in that restaurant, wouldn't he make a fortune too?

Thinking about earning another huge sum of money and getting to eat even more delicious food, Akimichi Toribo became even happier.

Thus, he became even more conscientious in teaching Umino Sasuke the Shadow Clone Technique. In addition to the sequence of hand seals, he taught him how to circulate and use chakra within his body, as well as various practical tips.

"Sasuke, I'll demonstrate it once. Watch the results first, then practice slowly afterward. We're not in a rush. I'll have plenty of time to teach you in the future. Just make more delicious food for me, hahaha!"

After speaking, Akimichi Toribo slowly began forming hand seals, completing the six seals—Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger—at a pace of nearly one seal every two seconds.

At the same time, the chakra in his body circulated in sync with the hand seals.

Umino Sasuke stared intently at the seals in Akimichi Toribo's hands. At the same time, he activated the Infrasonic Radar Technique to sense the details of chakra circulation within Akimichi Toribo's body.

Just as Akimichi Toribo formed the Tiger Hand Seal.

Umino Sasuke's hands blurred into afterimages as he formed the six hand seals at a speed of five seals per second.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Almost simultaneously, the two unleashed the same ninjutsu—and both succeeded.

Akimichi Toribo: ???

What was going on?

Wasn't that hand seal speed a little too fast?

And Sasuke had actually learned this B-Rank Ninjutsu after just one explanation? This was B-Rank Ninjutsu, not D-rank Ninjutsu. Sasuke's talent for ninjutsu was simply too incredible!

"Sasuke, you haven't learned this ninjutsu before, have you?"

Akimichi Toribo still could not believe that someone could possess such astonishing talent for ninjutsu. Not everyone had the Uchiha's Sharingan and could copy ninjutsu just by looking at it.

B-Rank Ninjutsu was difficult to learn. Without jonin-level strength, who could master B-Rank Ninjutsu without accumulating practice over time?

And judging from that hand seal speed, Sasuke had likely already reached five seals per second.

There were only a few people in all of Konoha with such terrifying hand seal speed. The only one who seemed able to surpass him was Orochimaru.

"Captain, how could I dare secretly learn ninjutsu? I just felt that the Shadow Clone Technique wasn't particularly difficult, aside from consuming a lot of chakra."

Umino Sasuke truly did not find this ninjutsu difficult, especially when Akimichi Toribo had taught him step by step and slowed the chakra circulation in his body to such an extent.

Besides, he possessed the Infrasonic Radar Technique and already had the ability to examine his own body. He only needed to replicate Akimichi Toribo's ninjutsu exactly. What was difficult about that?

"What?! Not particularly difficult?"

Akimichi Toribo rolled his eyes. Was that something a normal person could say? Not particularly difficult? This was B-Rank Ninjutsu, a ninjutsu that generally only jonin had the strength to practice! Yet a mere Chunin like him dared to speak so wildly!

Well, fine. He had learned it in a single try, so he really did have the right to say something that outrageous.

"Sasuke, you actually have such excellent talent for ninjutsu. Sigh, what a pity. What a pity."

Akimichi Toribo sighed repeatedly, feeling incomparably regretful.

If not for the limitations of his bloodline resulting in insufficient chakra, then with the ninja talent Sasuke had displayed, becoming a jonin would have been guaranteed. Not some watered-down Tool Manipulation Jonin, either—he might even have had a great chance of becoming an Elite Jonin.

"Sasuke, don't lose heart. With your talent for ninjutsu, as long as you use proper tactics, even low-level ninjutsu can accomplish great things."

After offering him some encouragement, Akimichi Toribo finally left with another sigh, as though he, rather than Umino Sasuke, were the one lacking talent.

Watching Akimichi Toribo's departing back, Umino Sasuke did not feel the slightest bit dejected.

Who said one had to possess a Ninja Sect Bloodline to have abundant chakra?

Among those born into ninja clans, how many dared guarantee that they would definitely become jonin?

At the very least, if he wanted to become a jonin now, it would not be difficult. No matter how watered-down a Tool Manipulation Jonin might be, a jonin was still a jonin.

Besides, apart from inborn bloodlines, who said chakra reserves could not be increased?

That snake lady's core technology, Sealing Jinchuriki, Ninja Sword Samehada, fusing Kekkei Genkai, cultivating Sage Jutsu, the Gelel Ore Vein, Hiruko's Chimera Technique, the Eight Inner Gates, the Seven Days Breathing Method, and more—which of them could not increase chakra?

Take the Akimichi Digestive Technique he had learned today. Although it could not compare to those powerful forbidden techniques that directly increased chakra, if it were developed properly, who could say it could not eventually achieve the same result?

The fat men of the Akimichi Clan could store energy in fat. He might not be unable to improve upon it and find another way to store energy.

Besides, even if he could not develop or improve it, dietary therapy and nourishment alone could restore his previously depleted body, greatly alleviating the problem of severely insufficient chakra.

Once his depleted body was restored, developing a second chakra nature and reaching jonin-level chakra reserves should not be too difficult.

"Uh, why do I feel hungry again? Looks like the intestinal stimulation was a bit too intense."

Umino Sasuke did not want to start cooking or grill fish. He was simply too hungry to wait. Fortunately, he had smoked nearly a hundred jin of dried fish that afternoon, and it was finally coming in handy.