Forbidden Technique

Unfortunately, Jiraiya eventually left Konohagakure, only leaving behind the words, "I'm entrusting Naruto to the village's care. I'll come back to visit when I have time," before departing Konohagakure without looking back.

Standing by the window, Hiruzen Sarutobi gently tapped his pipe, letting a bit of ash drift away in the wind. Watching Jiraiya disappear into the distance, his heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

He might have disappointed Jiraiya. Naruto was not only the Fourth Hokage's child but also Konohagakure's ultimate hidden power. The child's future growth might involve some hardships.

With that thought, he returned to his desk, put away a reviewed document, and began a new round of work.

Konohagakure had lost too many Jonin and Special Jonin. To improve the quality of training for its Genin, Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to discontinue assigning fixed Jonin leaders to Genin teams, except for those with exceptional potential. Instead, a rotation system would be implemented until enough Chunin accumulated merits to be promoted to Jonin.

Just then, a personal guard carrying documents pushed open the door. A cold draft blew in from the window, scattering the documents Hiruzen Sarutobi had just reviewed and placed aside.

After the rustling sound of pages turning, the documents stopped on the final page of a report summary.

Subject: Aoki Senba. A member of the Senju bloodline. His appearance closely resembles the Second Hokage.

Experimental tests proved that his Chakra levels were completely consistent with ordinary Senju clan members. His innate Chakra affinities were Wind and Earth, with no foundational conditions for Wood Release, nor any unusual vitality in his cells.

Without external intervention, there was no possibility of him wielding Wood Release.

The name signed at the end was Orochimaru.

Meanwhile, unaware that his bloodline had been deemed unremarkable, Senba returned home as usual, pushing open the courtyard gate and calmly closing the front door.

Ignoring his slightly trembling hands, Senba walked into his room and put down the package he was carrying, then opened it.

Inside were only some pastries that boys liked to eat, along with tens of thousands of Ryo in pocket money. It wasn't much, but it was equivalent to the reward for an ordinary C-rank mission.

Next was a black box. Senba cut his finger and, after forming hand seals, gently pressed it onto the box. The box immediately split open on its own.

This was an alarm device. If one attempted to open it with brute force or a sealing jutsu, the contents would be immediately destroyed, leaving only a broken wooden box.

Upon opening the wooden box, five hand-length ninjutsu scrolls were revealed. Senba placed them alongside the ninjutsu scrolls Jiraiya had given to Grandma Momoka and began to browse through them one by one.

"B-rank ninjutsu, Super Strength Fist." "B-rank ninjutsu, Needle Jizo." "B-rank ninjutsu, Wind Release: Gale Palm." "B-rank ninjutsu, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet." "S-rank ninjutsu, Water Release: Water Severing Wave." "A-rank ninjutsu, Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."

The ninjutsu Grandma Momoka had prepared for Senba were tailored to his actual Chakra reserves. They were all rather unique techniques that normal ninja couldn't learn even after promotion, unless they had performed exceptionally great deeds and could learn from the Forbidden Scroll.

However, techniques like "Super Strength Fist" and "Needle Jizo," which bore a distinct personal style, could not be learned without the user's direct instruction. This showed that Tsunade had some recognition of Senba, otherwise, she wouldn't have placed her signature ninjutsu in the wooden box.

These ninjutsu, as trump cards, were sufficient not just for Special Jonin, but even for elite Jonin. Although some of these ninjutsu couldn't be revealed yet, or rather, Senba didn't currently have the qualifications to practice them, it still made Senba feel surrounded by happiness.

However, these weren't the main event. These few ninjutsu only occupied half of the wooden box. The other half was taken up by specially made cloth. As Senba leaned closer, he could even smell the scent of medicinal liquid.

Based on the ninjutsu he had demonstrated to Grandma Momoka, Senba had a rough idea of what was recorded inside.

A few minutes later, looking at the large piece of cloth spread out at his feet, a flicker of excitement crossed his face. It was indeed this technique.

"S-rank ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique (Partial)."

That's right, this was the space-time ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage and later perfected by the Fourth Hokage during the Third Shinobi War. When that yellow figure appeared on the battlefield, even the contemporary A and B Combination of Kumogakure could only retreat in defeat. It even forced other ninja villages to issue extremely humiliating orders: when encountering Minato Namikaze, they could choose to abandon the mission without it being considered a failure.

Such orders were unimaginable among this group of brainwashed ninja. The best example was Konoha's sharpest blade, Sakumo Hatake. One could imagine that after the news of his suicide spread, the Kage of other villages must have celebrated with extra drinks.

Of course, the unlucky Mizukage of Kirigakure was an exception.

What made Senba happiest, however, was that he could understand the complex runes on the cloth. Although he only understood a tenth of it, it proved he possessed excellent spatial talent.

With that thought, Senba didn't rush to study the runes on the cloth. Instead, he carefully folded it up and, along with Water Release: Water Severing Wave and the A-rank genjutsu Bringer-of-Darkness, placed them back into the wooden box and secured it carefully.

At this moment, Senba knew that he couldn't be greedy and try to learn too much at once. It was most important to ensure he had the ability to protect himself. If he guessed correctly, as the village recovered from the trauma of the war, they, the Genin, would also be assigned to missions.

Therefore, after handling everything, Senba went out. He wanted to find Uchiha Yue and Iruka, and then the three of them would go to Konoha's training grounds to practice together.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office, still filled with white smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi handed the documents in his hand to the figure standing before his desk.

"We are all saddened by Minato's sudden death, but for the future of Konohagakure, we who are alive must move forward. Your current mission is expected to be completed in two more days. After a few days of rest, you will be responsible for this Genin team."

Genma Shiranui's eyes flickered with unconcealed grief as he took the documents and began to read them carefully. Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Your primary objective this time is to assess them during missions. This is the first mission for all team leaders. After the Third Shinobi War and the Nine-Tails' Rampage, many teams were disbanded. We need to reorganize them now, select key individuals for training, and quickly make them the backbone of Konoha to alleviate the village's current predicament."

With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep puff of his pipe and slowly exhaled, further reducing visibility in the Hokage's Office.

Genma Shiranui had no complaints about the Third Hokage's arrangements. He had been the Fourth Hokage's personal guard, not the Third Hokage's, so naturally, he couldn't remain in the Hokage's building.

He nodded, put away the documents, and planned to meet his subordinates after completing his mission. However, the fact that both the Uchiha and Senju clans were in his team sparked a sense of curiosity within him.