Dropped Sarutobi Hiruzen's Signature Water Release Talent!

The next afternoon, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived at Tsunade's residence right on time.

He did not use the front entrance; given his status, making a grand display of his arrival would only make Qingyu nervous.

Qingyu was standing in the courtyard, gripping a wooden sword and practicing the fundamental Konoha-Style Swordsmanship with methodical precision.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in the shade of a tree by the wall, observing Qingyu.

Regarding swordsmanship, while Sarutobi Hiruzen was not a ninja of such formidable blade-skill as Hatake Sakumo, and preferred the staff form of Enma over a sword, he was, after all, revered as the Professor of Ninjutsu. He knew a little about almost every ninjutsu in Konoha, and swordsmanship was no exception.

Qingyu's foundation was solid.

That was Sarutobi Hiruzen's first impression.

From the posture of his grip to the exertion of force during a strike, and even the speed at which his body returned to center upon sheathing the blade—everything was rock-solid.

How old was this child?

How long had he even been exposed to swordsmanship?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's movements as he packed tobacco into his pipe slowed down.

Smoking was hindering his observation of Qingyu, so Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his hands and set the pipe aside.

After training for a while, Qingyu began to practice Water Release ninjutsu.

Water Release: Water Bullet Barrage!

Qingyu refined his chakra and formed the hand seals, launching water bullets that resembled projectiles from his hands.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The water bullets struck the wooden post, leaving deep craters behind.

Not bad.

Sarutobi Hiruzen thought to himself.

He revered his teacher, Senju Tobirama.

In his youth, he had studied Water Release ninjutsu quite extensively.

However, he later discovered that his research into all five major elemental releases was equally proficient.

Just then, Qingyu suddenly sheathed his sword and glanced back in his direction.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was slightly taken aback.

Was I discovered?

Even though he hadn't made a conscious effort to hide, he shouldn't have been spotted so easily.

This kid's sensory perception was significantly sharper than he had anticipated.

[Collectible trait detected: Water Release Chakra Mastery (Sarutobi Hiruzen Version)]

[C-Rank Trait: Water Release Chakra Mastery (Sarutobi Hiruzen Version)]

[Effect: When practicing Water Release ninjutsu, gain an aptitude bonus equivalent to Sarutobi Hiruzen's youth.]

Little did he know, Qingyu was only distracted because he had seen the system suddenly appear.

What kind of trait is this?

C-Rank?

Qingyu looked at the text floating before him, confirming he hadn't misread it.

E-Rank traits included "Attitude is the Mask of the Heart" and "Swordsmanship Foundation," while D-Rank included "Great Strength," "Sword Fanatic," and "White Fang's Insight."

This was the first time a C-Rank trait had ever dropped.

The effect was actually to grant him the aptitude of Sarutobi Hiruzen's youth when practicing Water Release.

Who was Sarutobi Hiruzen?

He was the Professor of Ninjutsu who mastered all five elements, a man personally mentored by Senju Tobirama in his youth, and a figure who struck terror into enemy villages on the battlefield.

It was no exaggeration to say that his reputation as the "Strongest Hokage" during his prime was well-earned.

Even Orochimaru had admitted during the Konoha Crush plan that if Sarutobi Hiruzen had been ten years younger, he would have been killed.

One could only imagine how powerful Sarutobi Hiruzen was at his peak.

Even if it were only the aptitude of his youth, when applied to the path of Water Release, it would be enough to crush the vast majority of jonin.

"Since you are already here, Lord Hokage, why not come in and sit for a while?"

Qingyu was somewhat surprised, then sheathed his wooden sword and spoke toward Sarutobi Hiruzen's position.

Sarutobi Hiruzen assumed Qingyu was merely surprised to see him appear so suddenly and thought nothing more of it.

He stepped out from the tree's shadow, his face showing not only the surprise of being discovered but also a sense of admiration.

"No need, I was just passing by to take a look."

He waved his hand dismissively.

"Your swordsmanship is well-practiced. Who did you learn it from?"

"Mostly by practicing with scrolls on my own, and through frequent sparring with Kakashi. Lord Sakumo also offered a few pointers a few days ago."

Qingyu answered truthfully.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, not pressing for further details.

Watching through a crystal ball and seeing it with one's own eyes were two completely different experiences.

The crystal ball only showed the movements, not the nuances.

Standing this close today, he could clearly sense the effortless ease in Qingyu's blade work.

This child was truly suited for the path of the sword.

Furthermore, Sarutobi Hiruzen remembered that Qingyu practiced Water Release ninjutsu.

Water Release plus a sword.

Oh no, why did he feel like he was seeing the shadow of his teacher, Tobirama?

"Tsunade told me about the Sword of the Thunder God."

Sarutobi Hiruzen brought his hands from behind his back, took a puff from his pipe, and spoke slowly.

Qingyu looked up, waiting for what was to come.

Since he had come here, it meant Sarutobi Hiruzen had not rejected the matter.

"I can give you that ninja tool."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked into Qingyu's eyes.

"However, there is one condition."

"Please speak, Lord Hokage."

"How about you aim for first place in the entire school for the end-of-term exams?"

In Sarutobi Hiruzen's view, Qingyu was a child worth cultivating.

If Qingyu only possessed Uchiha blood, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have intended to continue observing him.

Naturally, the Sword of the Thunder God would not have been given away either.

But the important thing was that Qingyu also carried half the blood of the Senju, which changed the implications entirely.

Sarutobi Hiruzen still felt a sense of guilt toward the Senju clan.

First, he had not yet had the chance to repay his teacher, Tobirama, who had sacrificed himself to cover the retreat of his "Hokage Guards."

Second, the Senju clan had disbanded and integrated into Konoha, no longer holding any special privileges or resources.

Coupled with Qingyu's support for the Will of Fire, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no reason not to bring this child into his sphere of cultivation.

"Of course, no problem, Lord Hokage."

Qingyu nodded.

Although he had only ever placed second in his class, he was still in the upper echelon when compared to the entire grade.

After all, there weren't many students in this year, and most were civilian ninjas.

Civilian ninjas rarely received early education, so even if they had talent, it could only manifest in the later stages.

Sarutobi Hiruzen hummed in satisfaction.

"By the way, if you can consistently remain in first place, I might consider giving you something else."

With that, he didn't wait for Qingyu's reply, turned around, and strolled out with his hands behind his back.

Qingyu's mind echoed with the promise Sarutobi Hiruzen had dangled before him as he watched the Hokage's back disappear beyond the courtyard gate.

"Securing first place in the school isn't exactly a difficult task."

Qingyu stroked his chin.

Even without his special traits, having the Sharingan during his time at the Ninja Academy already put him far ahead of the pack.

His biggest rival at the moment was actually Kakashi.

After being spurred on by him, Kakashi would inevitably work harder than in the original timeline and naturally become stronger.

Unfortunately, Qingyu was a cheater.

Traits, let me see your limits!

Moving forward, Qingyu's goal was to trigger various traits.

What kind of behavior was most likely to trigger a trait?

Through observation, Qingyu discovered that besides being in crowded places, the best way was to defeat enemies!