Two of Three, One Remaining

Because the phenomenon occurring within him was another "uniqueness" issue with no reference point, Hanyu could only attribute the cause to the realm of "metaphysics."

Arranging different hand seals in a sequence to achieve the result of reusing common seals—no other ninja had ever attempted such a thing before, and likely never would again... That Hanyu discovered he could do this was purely a matter of coincidence.

First, after a night of agonizing practice, Hanyu had actually managed to pull off the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet before dawn. In his excitement, he recalled that the Third Hokage had once used a combination ninjutsu called "Earth Fire Dragon Flame Bullet," which in his memory was a fusion of the Earth Dragon Bullet and the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. Using this as a reference, Hanyu wanted to see what would happen if he combined the Water Dragon Bullet with the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. However, by the time he prepared to do so, he was already exhausted; his brain misfired, his hands were clumsy, and so... as a result, the combination ninjutsu didn't fuse, but they were both unleashed simultaneously.

This was far more than just a "breakthrough."

Although Hanyu had not been a ninja for long, thanks to his teacher's instruction, his foundational knowledge was extremely solid, and after a while, he figured out exactly what he had done.

Afterward, he began attempting to use this method of hand seals to release different Water Style ninjutsu, and he succeeded again.

"Seals" are the bridge between the "result" of a ninjutsu and the "energy" of chakra. In a sense, they are the physical manifestation of mental control, a type of "signal." That Hanyu could process these signals at a deeper level could only be attributed to the strength of his mental power.

In the worldview of the ninja world, the scientific explanation is "strong mental power," while the metaphysical expression is "strong soul power."

After all, Hanyu had descended into this world in an incredible manner. After occupying the magpie's nest and obtaining a new body, he did not experience the mental degradation associated with "Living Corpse Reincarnation"; in fact, the opposite was true. If a person were born with a mental capacity of 1 under normal circumstances, Hanyu was very likely born with a 2.

Therefore, his baseline mental power was twice that of a normal person, and when this base was multiplied by the growth coefficient through constant training, it created a clear, even immeasurable, gap between him and the average ninja.

So, after much thought, Hanyu could only sigh:

"Truly a miracle of nature..."

On the other hand, as for his ability to simultaneously create and use chakra of different natures without it being a Kekkei Genkai, that was truly hard to say.

Hanyu silently covered one of his shoulders with his hand. Perhaps this one unpredictable thing happening to him was the catalyst for this problem... Now, at the very least, he could be certain that the chakra erosion he had previously experienced was not simply caused by the Second Hokage's ninjutsu.

Whether the various things happening to him would harm him remained to be seen, but the benefits were indeed obvious... His fighting style would become unimaginably unconventional, and his combat capability would see a sharp increase.

However, precisely because of this rapid and efficient method of releasing ninjutsu, the volume of his chakra became the primary factor limiting Hanyu's combat power.

This was natural; after all, every DPS faces the dilemma of mana management.

The changes brought about by this brand-new fighting style could be imagined, but whether he could truly achieve the desired effect required practical observation to draw a conclusion.

Thus, Sanshao, having realized the changes in Hanyu and knowing the cause could not be determined in a short time, immediately turned her attention to practical matters... To verify Hanyu's combat effectiveness, she quickly arranged a group of sparring partners for him.

At this moment, the sparring partners were on their way...

"Hey, what do you think this mission is about?"

"Didn't you hear just now? What we are about to participate in isn't a mission, but a live-combat drill."

"Live-combat drill? Why specifically us? And we've already done enough live-combat drills, whether with the teacher or against each other. But... a live-combat drill is fine, it's better than those missions patrolling the village or accompanying the teacher to inspect important locations in Konoha. Those things are less like missions and more like children playing house. Isn't it just those hateful mission-assigning ninjas looking down on our age? Sooner or later, I'll make that guy look at me with new eyes." The first person to speak said this.

Dull missions held no appeal for any ninja, yet they were tasks they had to perform. However, if one viewed these missions as playing house, then their mindset was flawed.

"If the teacher heard you being so picky, she would definitely get angry. Don't drag us down when you get punished. Personally, I'm quite looking forward to this training... It's said that the opponent played a huge role in the recent mission to the Cloud Village, so they surely won't be an ordinary person." Another person said, but what his words revealed was definitely not something a child of this age should know... The Konoha mission to the Cloud Village, regardless of the members, the purpose, or the final result, should have been highly classified information, yet it was spoken of with ease.

"Only one opponent? Three against one? Isn't that just looking down on us."

One was cold and rational, the other noisy and complaining. Their "exchange" finally drew a reaction from the third person, who had been silent until now: "Jiraiya, you talk too much. I'm telling you, we must give our all in this training no matter what. If you dare to mess around... in short, this is the one time we absolutely must win. If you perform well, I'll return all the books of yours I confiscated."

"Really? You aren't lying to me, are you?" Because of this sentence, Jiraiya was instantly filled with motivation for this live-combat drill... Yes, he really was Jiraiya.

This was the trio of Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.

"Of course it's true. Would I lie to you about something like this?"

The answer was "yes," she really would lie... Did Jiraiya's books have any ending other than being burned? Was she supposed to collect them?

"Then it's a deal."

"Orochimaru, the same goes for you." Tsunade then instructed Orochimaru as well.

As for Jiraiya, one could only thank the heavens if he didn't hold them back, but Orochimaru was different; he had "combat power."

Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully. He could understand where Tsunade's competitive spirit was coming from... It had nothing to do with the opponent, only with the person who issued the training mission.