Everyone, get out of the way! I'm about to act!

After the dazzling white flash faded, Jiuming and the others slowly opened their eyes. But the Third Hokage's technique had left him seeing countless phantom white spots, making him feel dizzy.

"It feels like I just ate a flash bomb."

His eyes still felt uncomfortable, so Jiuming closed them again. It took a while before he slowly adjusted. When he opened them once more, his vision had returned to normal.

"Damn it, Dad, couldn't you have warned us before using the technique?" Sarutobi Kotaro had fared even worse than Jiuming, who had been standing closer to the flash. He hadn't closed his eyes quickly enough, and now tears were streaming down his face as he rubbed at his eyes. Beside him, Minato Namikaze had already recovered and was fussing over Kushina.

"That really is a practical technique."

Jiuming came back to his senses and nodded.

The technique only required three simple hand seals, and it was just a basic C-rank jutsu, but it was certainly practical. If the enemy was caught off guard, it could easily block their vision. Taking them by surprise like that could create an opening for a sneak attack.

It was also quite useful for escaping. If you didn't have a Smoke Bomb, this technique could come in handy.

"Combined with my Mind's Eye of the Kagura, it'd be easy to take the initiative."

"The only drawback is that it doesn't last very long. It's nowhere near as powerful as Kabuto the Sage's Sage Art: White Rage Technique."

Jiuming silently compared it with the White Rage Technique. Kabuto the Sage's technique produced a blinding light and powerful vibrations, blocking both an opponent's vision and hearing. It also lasted a long time. In battle, with the Snake Sage's sensory abilities, Kabuto had easily locked down the combined assault from Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha.

This technique couldn't compare with White Rage, but it was a good fit for Jiuming at this stage.

"How about it, Jiuming? Give this technique a try."

"The order of the hand seals is..."

The Third Hokage was about to demonstrate the sequence of hand seals for Jiuming. He was worried Jiuming hadn't seen the sequence clearly the first time, so he planned to show it again.

But before he could start, Jiuming, standing in front of him, clasped his fingers together just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had done moments earlier, forming the Snake seal. Then he simply said, "Lightning Style: Lightning Pillar!"

"Jiuming, Lightning Pillar takes three seals, not one—" Hiruzen was trying to correct Jiuming's hand seals, but before he could finish, dazzling light burst from Jiuming's hands. It was even more intense than the light Hiruzen had produced, and the crackle of electricity filled the air, assaulting everyone's ears.

In truth, Jiuming had no idea what the hand seals for Lightning Pillar were supposed to be. He only knew the technique was meant to produce a bright flash and block the enemy's vision. So he tried channeling his Chakra to generate a powerful light. That was all there was to it. And the hand seal he'd made was completely unnecessary—he just thought that using one would look cooler.

"Ah! Again?"

Sarutobi Kotaro had only just adjusted to the light and opened his eyes when Jiuming's technique flashed in front of him again. He failed to avoid it this time, too, and the intense light burned his eyes shut. Minato, on the other hand, seemed to have been ready for it. He stood face-to-face with Kushina, his back to Jiuming, shielding her from the flash.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was standing next to Jiuming, took the full force of the technique. For a moment, he couldn't open his eyes at all.

"So that's how it works. As long as I keep feeding it Chakra, I can maintain the technique indefinitely."

"But it consumes Chakra pretty quickly. With the amount I have right now, I could keep it going for about an hour."

Jiuming closed his eyes and calculated how much Chakra the technique used. After sustaining it for a while, he stopped. Then he slowly opened his eyes and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi standing there with his eyes tightly shut, his expression vacant.

"Well, Teacher Sarutobi, I've learned the technique."

"It's pretty useful, but it does consume quite a lot of Chakra."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front of Jiuming, his vision returning only after a long while. He slowly opened his eyes. Though he looked stunned, he still nodded and said, "I didn't expect you to have such incredible talent for ninjutsu."

"You're right about the drawback. As everyone knows, Lightning Release Ninjutsu consumes more Chakra than any other kind of ninjutsu."

"Even though that technique only lasted about three seconds, an ordinary Genin could use it four or five times at most before running out of Chakra."

"So you need to choose the right moment to use it. That's the only way to get the most out of the technique."

The Third Hokage clearly hadn't expected Jiuming to learn the technique so quickly—or to completely ignore the standard hand seals. Though astonished, he cleared his throat and put on the stern air of a strict teacher, explaining how Jiuming should use it.

"Teacher, what did you just say? An ordinary Genin can only use it four or five times, and it lasts about three seconds?"

Jiuming immediately latched on to the key point in Hiruzen's words.

"That's right. Lightning Release Ninjutsu consumes a lot of Chakra. An ordinary Genin is doing well if he can use four or five C-rank techniques. A Genin who can use five C-rank Lightning Release techniques has more Chakra than most of his peers."

"Speaking of which, you're from the Uzumaki Clan, so you have far more Chakra than other children your age. Jiuming, how many times do you think you could use this technique?"

Hearing Jiuming's question, Hiruzen suddenly realized something. He stroked his beard, considered it for a moment, and asked.

If an ordinary Genin can keep the technique going for fifteen seconds in total, then with my current Chakra, I'm worth about 240 Genin. I wonder how many Ka that would be.

Though that was what he was calculating in his head, Jiuming didn't answer Hiruzen that way.

"Me? With the amount of Chakra I have right now, I should be able to use it about eight times."

Jiuming lowered his head and pretended to think before answering. This time, Hiruzen didn't look surprised. Instead, he gave Jiuming an approving look and said, "As expected of the Uzumaki Clan. Jiuming, you're only seven years old, right?"

"To have such an enormous amount of Chakra at just seven is truly impressive!"

"Most Genin don't have as much Chakra as you."

"Very good."

Hiruzen's face was full of satisfaction, as if he was pleased by Jiuming's considerable talent for ninjutsu. After thinking for a moment, he said, "In that case, I might as well teach you a B-rank technique."

"With the amount of Chakra you have, you should have no problem using a B-rank technique."

"As for a C-rank technique, I'll have someone bring you a scroll later. You can study it on your own. If you run into anything you don't understand, come ask me at the Hokage's office."

"Judging from what I've seen, you don't need to work on basic Chakra control. Lady Mito has trained you very well in that regard."

Training Chakra control meant little more than practicing Water Walking and climbing trees. Jiuming had mastered those basic exercises when he was three or four. Hiruzen didn't know exactly how skilled Jiuming was at controlling his Chakra, but after seeing what he'd just done, he could tell that Jiuming had no need to practice such basic exercises.

"A B-rank Lightning Release technique? Sure, I'll learn it!"

The B-rank technique Hiruzen was talking about was classified that way because of its power. As for how hard it was to learn, it was actually more difficult than most B-rank techniques.

Techniques were generally ranked according to their power, and their difficulty usually increased in proportion to that power. Normally, there wouldn't be an S-rank technique that was only C-rank in difficulty. Only a deep understanding of a technique could allow someone to use one with such tremendous power.

The technique Hiruzen intended to teach Jiuming wasn't suitable for a Genin at all. He just wanted to give Jiuming a hard time. Jiuming was too talented; if he learned everything Hiruzen taught him in an instant, what would he need a teacher for?

This technique was Hiruzen's way of putting Jiuming in his place.

"This technique is very difficult to learn. Even if an ordinary Genin could master it, they'd rarely get the chance to use it."

"That's because their hand seals aren't fast enough. They'd be interrupted before they could finish."

As he spoke, Hiruzen began weaving hand seals at incredible speed. Jiuming couldn't keep up with them using his eyes alone, so he activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and watched the sequence through his sensory abilities.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon!"

For some reason, Hiruzen called out excitedly. After forming forty-four hand seals, he clasped his hands together and shouted. A dragon made entirely of lightning appeared out of nowhere. Nearly five meters long, it circled through the air before charging straight at an empty patch of the Training Ground.

The next moment, the Thunder Dragon dissipated. The area within nearly ten meters of where it struck was enveloped in lightning. A moment later, the wind roared and sand and rocks flew everywhere. A powerful gust hit Jiuming, nearly knocking him off balance.

"What a powerful technique!"

The violent wind created by the Third Hokage's Lightning Release technique was so strong that even Kushina and the others, watching from a distance, had to lean into it to keep their balance. When the gust finally passed, a clear depression marked the ground where the Thunder Dragon had struck. The weeds that had been there were gone, leaving only gray ash scattered across the ground.

Lightning still flickered in the cracks in the earth, and visible steam rose from the scorched area.

"So... so powerful!" Only now did Jiuming truly see the Third Hokage's strength. Most ordinary techniques wouldn't stand a chance against that kind of power. Aside from the complicated hand seals, once the technique was unleashed, its speed, its expanding range, and its tremendous force could easily overwhelm most ninja.

"However..."

"Why does this technique look so familiar? Is it just a lightning version of Water Dragon Bullet?"

"Does it really need forty-four hand seals? Is the old Third Hokage messing with me?"

After coming to his senses, Jiuming realized something was off. The technique was nowhere near as powerful as Water Dragon Bullet, but it looked about eighty percent the same.

Jiuming could still remember watching Zabuza and Kakashi face off with Water Dragon Bullet. At the time, he'd thought it was incredibly cool when Kakashi and Zabuza had furiously exchanged hand seals and clashed with their techniques.

But later, he'd seen the Second Hokage fight Izuna. The Second Hokage had used Water Dragon Bullet with just a few hand seals. That was when Jiuming had realized how terrible Zabuza was.

A Water Dragon Bullet with forty-four hand seals? What a joke. And Kakashi, who'd been fighting him, was ridiculous too—he'd copied all forty-four hand seals like an idiot. Why not just use a different technique and attack him directly?

How could he just stand there and wait for the other guy to finish his hand seals?

"I suspect you're teaching me this technique so I'll get myself killed, but I have no proof."

Thinking that, Jiuming looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi strangely. Hiruzen, meanwhile, was pleased with himself, a smile on his face as he thought, Kid, you're stunned by my technique, aren't you? There's no way you can learn it right away, is there?

"What do you think, Jiuming? This technique isn't bad, right?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a smile.

"You've really outdone yourself, Teacher Sarutobi. Going from three hand seals straight to forty-four."

"Were you teaching advanced calculus? I looked away for a second in class, and you went from one plus one equals two to filling the whole blackboard?"

Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiuming let out a silent sigh, as if remembering his old math classes. And today, he hadn't even been distracted.

"Dad, you're such an idiot! You formed the hand seals so quickly. How could he learn them when he's so young?"

"And there are so many of them. How could he memorize them all at once?"

Jiuming hadn't had a chance to answer when Sarutobi Kotaro, watching from the sidelines, shouted. At first, he'd been just as surprised as Jiuming to see him learn Lightning Pillar in an instant. He'd thought his father had taken on a real genius as a student. But in the next moment, he'd seen Hiruzen teaching Jiuming Thunder Dragon. Even he, Hiruzen's own son, couldn't stand that leap in difficulty.

"Teacher, you formed the hand seals a little too quickly. I didn't remember a few of them. Could you show me again?"

Jiuming had never slacked off when it came to learning hand seals. But this time Hiruzen had used forty-four of them. Though Jiuming had seen the sequence clearly through the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he hadn't memorized it quickly enough. He recalled Hiruzen's sequence and asked him to demonstrate it again so he could reinforce his memory.

"Sure. I'll slow down and go through the sequence again. Watch closely. First..."

Hiruzen hadn't expected Jiuming to learn it on the first try, so he'd already planned to demonstrate it again. He'd also been thinking of writing down the sequence so Jiuming could practice it for a while and familiarize himself with the seals.

He could use the chance to plan out how to guide a genius. After all, a genius ninja was very different from an ordinary one. Only a training plan tailored to a genius's talents could bring those talents out fully. For ordinary ninja, a standard training program would do.

As Hiruzen thought about how to teach Jiuming ninjutsu, his hands formed the seals. He knew the technique so well that he could do both at once without making a mistake.

This time, Hiruzen took a full twenty-two seconds to form the hand seals. An even pace of two seals per second felt like a snail's crawl to him. But to Sarutobi Kotaro and the others, his hand seals were still incredibly fast.

"Incredible. The Third Hokage's hand seals are so fast!" Kushina's face was full of undisguised admiration for the Third Hokage.

"That's right. Lord Hokage is the strongest person in the village. Even slowed down, his hand seals are still beyond what an ordinary ninja can manage."

Minato agreed with Kushina. Hearing his companions praise the Third Hokage made Sarutobi Kotaro feel proud, too.

While the three of them talked at the edge of the Training Ground, Jiuming focused all his attention on memorizing Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand seals. Forty-four seals might look like a lot, but when you connected them into a single sequence, it was really quite short!

"Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon!" Hiruzen Sarutobi soon finished forming the seals again. At his call, another Thunder Dragon appeared out of nowhere, though this one was smaller than the first. It seemed Hiruzen had used less Chakra for this demonstration.

"Jiuming, that's the sequence for forming the seals and performing the technique. Did you memorize it this time?" Hiruzen asked, though he didn't really believe Jiuming could remember such a complicated sequence.

"If you didn't, I can demonstrate it one more time." Hiruzen was showing plenty of patience as a teacher.

But just as Hiruzen was preparing to enjoy the show, Jiuming was already moving.

Back when I was Zhu Guangquan's sign language interpreter, I later had to quit and become a teacher. But my hands were among the fastest in the country!

Jiuming steeled himself and rapidly formed the seals. His speed was every bit as fast as Hiruzen's two seals per second. His movements were swift, and the sequence was precise. Hiruzen's pupils contracted as he watched.

"How is that possible?" Hiruzen stared at Jiuming forming the seals, so shocked that he forgot to check whether Jiuming had made a mistake.

"So fast! This guy's hand seals are so fast!" Sarutobi Kotaro cried out from the sidelines.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Dragon!"

Jiuming finished the hand seals and shouted. The next moment, his whole body was rapidly enveloped by his Chakra.

"What? What's this? Did the kid get the seals wrong?" Seeing the abnormal Chakra gathering around Jiuming, which clearly wasn't a sign that Thunder Dragon was about to be used, Hiruzen's heart lurched.

The next moment, powerful Lightning Release Chakra spread rapidly out from Jiuming's body. Hiruzen reacted instantly and leaped away. As he left, he didn't forget to collect the three children watching at the edge of the Training Ground. By the time he reached them, Minato had already scooped Kushina up in his arms and carried her several meters away.

Hiruzen Sarutobi grabbed his son and ran. Soon, Jiuming's surging Chakra had spread all the way to them.

"Boom!!!"