Testing Ninjutsu

The moment he said that, the whole room fell silent.

Torifu could clearly see that Senju Hashirama had no idea what expression to make.

After a long moment, Tobirama was the first to speak. "Torifu, did you say Cloud Release? You've learned it?"

Torifu inwardly grumbled, Well, would you look at that!

Senju Tobirama really is a pragmatist. The moment he heard I'd learned Cloud Release, he stopped calling me a brat!

"That's right, Lord Tobirama. I've learned Cloud Release."

"Hahahaha!" A hearty laugh rang out. Senju Hashirama had finally come back to his senses!

"That's wonderful! Torifu, you really deserve to be called Konoha's number-one genius! You have two Kekkei Genkai!"

Hearing Hashirama say that, Torifu understood that although Hashirama and Tobirama knew about Cloud Release, they weren't very familiar with it.

He spoke hesitantly. "Um... Master... actually, Cloud Release is a Kekkei Tōta..."

Hashirama had just managed to compose himself, but now his expression was all over the place again. One revelation after another had left his brain struggling to keep up.

Even Mito Uzumaki was shocked.

Kekkei Genkai weren't all that rare, after all.

Her husband had one, and there wasn't much difference between mastering one or two.

If someone trained well, they could be called a genius. But if they didn't, they might get stuck in the trap of dabbling in too many things without mastering any of them.

In that case, having just one was better.

But a Kekkei Tōta was different! There were only a handful of people in the entire Shinobi World who possessed one!

She had heard that Cloud Release was terrifying, but the Kumonaka Clan had previously kept to themselves.

They had never participated in the wars between the clans, so she had never seen it for herself.

She hadn't expected Cloud Release to be a Kekkei Tōta! No wonder the Kumonaka Clan could protect such a vast estate with only two or three people.

"Ahem, Torifu, you've really surprised your master today. You've successfully mastered a Kekkei Tōta—you're absolutely a genius of Konoha!"

Tobirama wasn't as surprised as his older brother and sister-in-law. He had seen Cloud Release ninjutsu before.

At the time, he had suspected that the technique wasn't a Kekkei Genkai. And as he developed one ninjutsu after another,

he became even more certain of it.

Today, Kumonaka Torikaze had confirmed his suspicions, and he was in a good mood.

It meant Torifu had a profound understanding of ninjutsu. It was just that Big Brother had forbidden most of the techniques Tobirama developed.

"Let's eat first. Afterward, we can go test it out." Mito had already seen what the Hashirama brothers were thinking, but she had made all this delicious food and insisted they finish it first!

"Okay, let's eat. Afterward, we'll go out and let me see Cloud Release and Crystal Release." Hashirama was very interested.

Mito really was an excellent cook. The group quickly polished off every dish on the table.

Afterward, they left the clan grounds and found a fairly spacious clearing with no one around.

Mito seemed curious to see Torifu's talent too, so she came along.

"Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique."

Trunks spread out from Hashirama's body and gathered to his left, forming a figure with a face identical to his own.

"Go ahead. Use your ninjutsu on the Wood Clone. Don't worry about hurting it."

Torifu nodded, his expression turning serious.

"Crystal Release: Crystal Release: Single Lotus Arrow Technique."

Kumonaka Torikaze formed Hand Seals rapidly, then a lotus bud slowly crystallized in his hand.

It looked like a work of art, with no apparent capacity to harm anyone.

He hurled it at the Wood Clone Hashirama had made, as if throwing a javelin. The Wood Clone raised its left hand to block it,

and the moment the crystal bud touched it, the flower bloomed, its petals expanding several times in size.

In an instant, it had become a crystal lotus.

The Wood Clone shook its hand. It hadn't been hurt; a technique of this level couldn't harm it.

Not unless the attacker's Chakra was on the same level as its own.

The lotus was easily deflected. It fell to the ground and shattered, while Hashirama smiled. "Very impressive! That's a powerful technique. Did you develop it yourself?"

Torifu nodded. He really liked Crystal Release and had always been developing Crystal Release techniques.

Although he had already learned some of Guren's techniques, they weren't his own.

Since he had the genius buff, it was better to develop his own techniques.

"It's powerful. An ordinary ninja could be killed if they weren't careful."

Hashirama was very pleased with Torifu's move. A six-year-old had already developed a technique like that.

He couldn't help marveling at Torifu's genius once again.

Even Tobirama, a master of developing ninjutsu, thought the technique was impressive.

Mito asked whether it was real crystal and if it could be made into jewelry.

Torifu assured her that it could. The crystals wouldn't disappear; once they formed, they were genuine crystal.

He was thoughtful enough to create a large crystal column for Mito to take home and make into some jewelry.

"Have you developed any other techniques?" Tobirama asked. He liked the boy more and more, and was even considering snatching him away from Big Brother.

Torifu nodded again. "I have. Lord Tobirama, do you have any living creatures?"

Tobirama produced a Sealing Scroll and unsealed it. A rooster appeared before them.

Hashirama asked in confusion, "Wouldn't it be fine to test it on the Wood Clone?"

Torifu scratched his head. "Master, the Wood Clone is too strong. It won't be affected much, so the result wouldn't be clear."

Hashirama nodded and watched his student continue.

"Crystal Release: Crystal Poison."

A short crystal spike slowly formed in Torifu's right palm.

He then struck the rooster on its back, driving the spike straight into its body.

The rooster immediately began squawking, but Torifu held it tightly, keeping it from escaping.

After about a minute, the rooster began to move sluggishly.

Its body rapidly crystallized from the wound, at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Even its feathers couldn't escape crystallization. At last, after letting out one final, desperate cry, the rooster became a crystal statue.

"Now that's a good technique!" Senju Tobirama immediately voiced his approval.

A technique like that was perfect for ambushing an enemy in battle. They could be fighting, and then suddenly turn into crystal!

It was excellent!

Watching the rooster turn to crystal, Senju Hashirama felt he had taken on one extraordinary student.

At only six years old, Torifu could already develop such a complex technique.

Although it was unlikely to kill a powerful opponent, anyone struck by it would have to spend Chakra resisting it.

They would inevitably be distracted during the fight. If they didn't resist, they would slowly turn into crystal.

The technique was a little cruel, but the crueler a technique was, the better it was on the battlefield.

You had to make your enemies fear you, so they wouldn't dare start a war lightly.

"Very good. Your Crystal Release is extremely powerful. Keep developing it—I believe you have the ability to do so."

Torifu was delighted to receive his master's approval. After all, his master was the God of Shinobi!

The greatest ninja among countless shinobi!

"Now, let's try Cloud Release." Senju Hashirama had been looking forward to seeing Cloud Release for a long time.