The formula for the Flying Thunder God Technique was actually very simple.
Just like hand seals for ninjutsu, which were also quite simple. But if you couldn't properly guide the Chakra inside your body while forming them, even the fastest hands in the world would be useless.
It was like before he'd transmigrated. Uchiha Dan knew how to form the hand seals for all kinds of ninjutsu, and he'd been incredibly flashy about it. But what good had that done him?
So there was an enormous difference between learning the Flying Thunder God Formula and being able to use the Flying Thunder God Technique.
First, to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, you needed an exceptionally keen sense of space. Only then could you detect the existence of spatial pathways.
Second, from one spatial node, you had to sense the existence of another node through the pathway. You also had to pass through that pathway and control the Flying Thunder God Formula on the other node.
Third, once you'd accomplished those two things, you could activate the Flying Thunder God Formula and cross space in an instant, achieving teleportation. But if you made even the slightest mistake during the process, you could lose a hand or a foot at best, or be torn to pieces at worst.
So the first prerequisite for learning the Flying Thunder God Technique was being a Sensory Ninja with exceptional talent. Only then could you sense space through training.
Tobirama Senju and Namikaze Minato both fit the bill.
Otherwise, if you spent years training without even being able to sense space, what the hell was the point of learning the Flying Thunder God?
"To hell with the Flying Thunder God" used to be a popular saying.
That was because quite a few people were interested in learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Before a number of geniuses died trying to master it, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju hadn't placed many restrictions on Konoha Ninja who wanted to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique.
But after training for a while, almost everyone cursed it out in private. They couldn't even get their foot in the door.
The first requirement alone was so demanding that even being one in a thousand among Sensory Ninja wouldn't be an exaggeration. It really was a bit unfair.
Sensory Ninja were already rare, and you still had to be one in a thousand among them.
Across the entire Shinobi World, there were no more than ten ninja who met this single requirement. You could say they were one in ten thousand across the whole Shinobi World.
But that still wasn't enough. Besides an exceptionally keen sense of space, learning the Flying Thunder God required incredibly precise Chakra control.
That was a strict requirement for both talent and ability.
The key to performing ninjutsu was controlling Chakra.
The same was true of learning the Flying Thunder God Technique. Otherwise, you couldn't cross space and activate the Flying Thunder God Formula on another spatial node.
The more precisely and effortlessly someone controlled Chakra, the more powerful the same ninjutsu became, and the less Chakra it consumed.
Throughout the history of the Shinobi World, anyone capable of precisely controlling Chakra had invariably been at the very top in both talent and ability.
You thought that was enough?
Heh, not even close!
Even if you met those two requirements, there was one more strict condition: peerless reaction speed.
The selection standard?
Put ten thousand ninja together, and the one with the fastest reaction speed among them would probably meet the requirements for learning the Flying Thunder God.
That was because danger lurked everywhere during spatial transportation. Someone without fast enough reflexes wouldn't even know what had killed them.
A sense of space found in one out of ten thousand, talent and ability found in one out of a thousand, and reaction speed found in one out of ten thousand. How many people in the world could meet those standards?
Someone might ask, "Isn't that just making things impossible for people?"
Well, yes. It was.
Otherwise, how could only two people have mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique over the decades-long history of the Shinobi World?
You had to know that plenty of people in Konoha had seen the Flying Thunder God Technique, and the technique had even leaked outside the village.
After all, so many people had envied Tobirama Senju's skill.
Then Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash, had stunned the Shinobi World.
Many villages had tried every means they could to obtain the technique.
Kumogakure had studied it for decades, but not a single person had learned it. All they'd managed to create was a watered-down version called the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
Even so, they were the only ninja village to get anything out of it. The others hadn't managed to figure out a thing.
Of course, aside from the evil Tobirama Senju and the lovely Namikaze Minato, one other person met the requirements—and even exceeded them.
That person was Uchiha Dan.
Over the past seven years, Uchiha Dan had thoroughly researched the principles behind the Flying Thunder God. He'd even worked out the Flying Thunder God Formula. All he lacked was practice.
But he'd been simulating the technique in his mind all along.
So when he finally got the chance to practice for real, his progress was astonishingly fast. He mastered the basics in a month, reached the second stage in two months, and the third stage in three.
The evil Tobirama Senju's talent was no joke, and neither were seven years of research.
That was why Uchiha Dan had been so excited after contracting with Shikkotsu Forest.
It wasn't just that he could finally begin training. He could also experience spatial fluctuations and teleportation firsthand.
Three years ago, after figuring out all the principles of the Flying Thunder God Technique, Uchiha Dan had wondered:
Could he open another spatial node directly, without using the Flying Thunder God Formula as a medium?
Over the years, Uchiha Dan had come up with plenty of ideas about it. After mastering the second stage of the Flying Thunder God, he'd put them to the test—and, to his surprise, succeeded.
Unfortunately, forcibly opening a second spatial node was incredibly difficult. He could only do it somewhere very close to himself.
At present, Uchiha Dan's maximum teleportation range was a hundred meters. He couldn't go any farther.
In practical terms, it was just a Body Flicker Technique with greater speed, a range that was harder to track, and a longer distance.
Uchiha Dan thought it was a bit flashy but impractical. It was only good for bluffing people.
Of course, that was just Uchiha Dan's opinion.
If someone else heard him say it, they'd want to grab him by the throat and yell, "Say that again, you bastard!"
In reality, even if teleportation had a maximum range of only a hundred meters, it was still far more practical in battle.
That was because the traditional Flying Thunder God required a formula to direct the user's teleportation.
But the new Flying Thunder God that Uchiha Dan had created allowed him to teleport anywhere within a certain range.
Used in battle, its power was simply unimaginable.
"Uchiha Dan, do you have any idea what you're doing?" the ninja who'd rushed over demanded, surrounding Uchiha Dan. They looked ready to attack.
"Everyone!" Orochimaru stepped forward and explained, "This is my fault. I shouldn't have provoked Lord Dan. He only attacked me because I pushed him too far."
"And I'm not seriously hurt. I'll pay to cover the village's losses, so please, let this go."
The ninja who'd spoken fell silent.
What could he say?
The person who'd been attacked had come forward to plead for the other man, admitted it was his own fault, and offered to pay for the damage. It would be unreasonable to keep pressing the matter.
What's more, the one asking them to let it go was Orochimaru, the Third's favorite disciple.
"Ahem..." The leading ninja cleared his throat. "Lord Orochimaru, are you really all right?"
"What could possibly be wrong with me?" After answering, Orochimaru turned to Uchiha Dan in front of everyone and said sincerely, "Lord Dan, I was in the wrong before. I apologize."
"But there are quite a few onlookers here. It wouldn't be good if anyone got hurt. How about we settle this privately? I promise I'll give you an explanation you'll be satisfied with."
Before you continue