All Mantra! (Seeking Follow-up Reads and Monthly Votes)

Time flew by, spring turned to summer.

Konoha was filled with the sound of ringing bells.

Bicycles darted back and forth from one end of the street to the other.

Many children called out to their friends, racing on smaller-sized bicycles.

In a short span of time, the bicycle had become their new favorite toy.

At home, Shita Genichi looked over his ledger with great joy; he finally had enough money to buy a chakra blade.

Whether it was the blades he used before or the ones he used now, they were all ordinary steel. At best, the new ones he bought were of slightly better quality, but they still could not conduct chakra effectively.

They could not be compared to the White Fang Short Blade wielded by his teacher, Hatake Sakumo.

However, materials capable of conducting chakra well were extremely precious; a single blade could cost millions, or even tens of millions of ryo.

Shita Genichi had completed two S-rank missions, and an S-rank mission started with a commission of at least one million ryo.

But that money wasn't his alone; it had to be split with the village and the other members of his squad.

Moreover, Shita Genichi ate well and ate often; he even bought the highest-quality Military Ration Pill, the kind that could be digested quickly to replenish stamina.

On top of that, while he could use the equipment at Konoha Hospital for free, he still had to pay for the consumables himself.

Therefore, Shita Genichi had never been able to afford a chakra blade before.

Things were different now. Although the bicycle hadn't become a massive overnight sensation, it was selling very well in Konoha and had now expanded to major cities like the Daimyo Palace in the Land of Fire.

He now had a steady stream of income, and it was quite substantial—far more profitable than his family's Dango Shop.

Furthermore, the next step was to sell them outside the Land of Fire. Whether by cooperating with major merchants in other countries or shipping the goods there directly, he could make a significant profit.

And this didn't require much effort from Shita Genichi.

He had brought the Hatake family into this, along with a carriage firm in Konoha.

It was the same shop where Shita Genichi had first commissioned his custom bicycle.

Thus, he didn't need to worry about the specifics, and his parents handled the auditing.

Perhaps I can even change the technological development of the ninja world!

Setting down the ledger, Shita Genichi smiled slightly and put the matter out of his mind.

Compared to technology or such things, he preferred the idea of gathering absolute power within himself.

And just as Shita Genichi was counting his money.

In the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the arriving Tsunade in surprise.

Ever since the end of the ninja war, Tsunade had not come here once.

Even when he went to find her, she wouldn't come.

She spent her days either drinking or gambling.

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt quite helpless, watching a brilliant student gradually fall into such decadence.

But he had no way to change it and could only let Tsunade be.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was even well aware that Tsunade held a grudge against him.

But this knot was one he had no way to untie.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did know that Tsunade had recently been following Shita Genichi and Shizune to Konoha Hospital, but he hadn't paid it much mind; after all, the relationship between Shizune and Tsunade was special.

So, was she here for Shizune this time?

Did she intend to take Shizune away from Konoha as well?

Sighing inwardly, Sarutobi Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth: "Tsunade, is there something you need?"

Tsunade said indifferently: "Give me Konoha Hospital."

"Also, approve the funding for me. I want to train more medical-nin, innovate medical techniques, and establish better laboratories."

Sarutobi Hiruzen froze.

She wasn't leaving?

Tsunade looked at the silent Sarutobi Hiruzen and couldn't help but frown: "Is there no money?"

"Impossible, old man. I know for a fact that the village made a killing recently!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped back to reality and coughed hurriedly: "That... Tsunade, submit a report, and I will approve it immediately."

"Then make it quick!"

Tsunade had been prepared; she tossed a report onto his desk.

Sarutobi Hiruzen hurriedly took a deep puff of his pipe and opened the report to scan it quickly.

Tsunade... she was actually serious!

Sarutobi Hiruzen had even wondered if Tsunade had lost money gambling and was here to swindle some funding.

Now it seemed...

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at Tsunade, only to realize that his student's mental state seemed... a bit different now.

He lowered his head, flipped the report to the final page, and signed it.

Tsunade took the report and stormed out just as briskly as she had arrived.

Watching her go, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt as though the Tsunade of the past had returned.

What had happened during this time?

Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat puzzled, yet he was glad to see Tsunade's change.

That idiot Jiraiya was a constant worry, but fortunately, he had trained Minato, who was an outstanding ninja.

And Orochimaru...

Thinking of Orochimaru, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly.

Lately, this disciple had been getting very close to Danzo, and Danzo had been making many suspicious moves recently.

At home, Shita Genichi finished reviewing his ledger and continued his training.

With the Chunin Exams approaching and no missions assigned for the time being, he could train with peace of mind.

Over the past few months, he had fully mastered the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

He had mastered Water Severing Wave, but its power could still be increased.

Shita Genichi had completed the Water Killing Thousand Flights technique, but like Water Severing Wave, it lacked sufficient power and required further strengthening.

As for Wind Release nature transformation...

Shita Genichi could only say that without an innate affinity for the element, training it was indeed extremely difficult.

He had made progress, but he still couldn't cut through a waterfall.

As for the Ice Release he had previously considered, he had yet to take action, and his research had yielded no results.

However, after spending several months following Tsunade, his accumulation of various knowledge had grown rich.

All in all, these past few months had not been in vain.

In particular, Shita Genichi had finally crossed the threshold with the All Mantra hand seal, allowing him to use it to dispel Genjutsu.

Thus, he added the All Mantra to his repertoire.

He had also officially named the Zai Mantra and Qian Mantra hand seals he had used previously.

These could be considered his own unique secret techniques!

The Soldier Mantra increased speed, the All Mantra was used for Genjutsu, while the Zai Mantra and Qian Mantra were currently only used for Water Release.

Yet, according to the profound meaning contained within the Zai Mantra, Shita Genichi felt it could be applied to all Ninjutsu, and perhaps even more.

In the analysis of the Nine Syllables Hand Seals he had originally obtained, the Zai Mantra was said to allow one to freely utilize all supernatural powers.

Unfortunately, for now, he could only apply it to Water Release.

"It's fine, it's fine. I have more time than others, and since I have the talent in this area, I will be able to master it bit by bit sooner or later."

Shita Genichi activated the Soldier Mantra and continued to study the All Mantra.

The Soldier Mantra could accelerate his thought process; while it didn't make him smarter, it allowed his brain to turn faster.

Perhaps that could be considered a form of becoming smarter.

This also made Shita Genichi realize, the more he trained, the more important talent was.

It wasn't just a matter of one's upper limit, but also the speed of daily training.

That was why he used the Soldier Mantra during his regular practice.

"Genichi!"

Suddenly, a crisp voice rang out from outside.

His training interrupted, Shita Genichi frowned slightly, but immediately adjusted his mood, walked to the window, and poked his head out: "Shizune, wait for me a moment!"

After saying this, he pulled his head back in, changed his clothes, grabbed his ninja tool pouch, and headed out the window.

"Are we going to train together?"

Shita Genichi asked after landing on the ground.

Since Shizune was currently on summer break, she would come to find Shita Genichi to train together from time to time.

"No."

Shizune shook her head, smiling as she kept him in suspense: "You'll know when we get there, let's go!"

With that, she took Shita Genichi's hand and led him to a bicycle on the side of the road: "Hurry up and get on!"

Shita Genichi smiled and climbed onto the back seat, reaching out to wrap his arms around Shizune's waist.

Shizune's face flushed slightly; she pushed off with her feet, and the bicycle started moving.

This bike was actually a gift from Shita Genichi!

The tinkling of a bell echoed through the streets and alleys as Shizune pedaled her bicycle, carrying Shita Genichi toward Konoha Hospital.

Upon entering the hospital, they headed straight into the depths of the building, eventually arriving at a spacious new laboratory.

Shita Genichi saw Tsunade and a number of others busy setting up the interior.

Shizune whispered, "Genichi, this is the new laboratory Lady Tsunade is preparing."

Shita Genichi blinked.

Is Tsunade... not planning on leaving Konoha anymore?