Word Seal: All!

Time flew by, and spring gave way to summer.

Konoha Village was filled with the cheerful ringing of bells.

Bicycles zipped through the streets and alleyways.

Children called to their friends and raced around on smaller bicycles.

In no time, bicycles had become their new favorite toys.

At home, Shita Genichi was delighted as he looked over the accounts. Now he had enough money to buy a Chakra Blade.

The two blades he'd used before, as well as the two he used now, were all ordinary weapons. At most, the new ones were of better quality, but they still couldn't channel chakra very well.

They couldn't compare to his teacher Hatake Sakumo's White Fang Short Blade.

Materials that could channel chakra well were extremely valuable. Even a single weapon could cost several million, or even tens of millions, of ryo.

Shita Genichi had completed two S-rank missions, and the commission for even one such mission started at a million ryo.

But that money wasn't all his. He still had to split it with the village and the other members of his team.

Besides, Shita Genichi ate well and ate a lot. He even bought especially good Military Ration Pills—the kind that digested quickly and replenished his stamina.

And though he could use the equipment at Konoha Hospital, he still had to pay for the supplies himself.

So before, Shita Genichi simply couldn't afford a Chakra Blade.

But things were different now. Bicycles hadn't become an overwhelming sensation, but they were selling very well in Konoha. They'd also begun selling in the Daimyo Palace and several other major cities in the Land of Fire.

Now, money was coming in steadily, and there was quite a lot of it—far more than his family's Dango Shop made.

The next step was to expand sales beyond the Land of Fire. Whether they partnered with major merchants from other countries or transported the bicycles there themselves, they could make a good profit.

And Shita Genichi didn't need to worry about any of that.

He'd brought the Hatake family into the business and partnered with a carriage company in Konoha Village.

It was the same company that had made his first custom bicycle.

So he didn't need to worry about the day-to-day business, and his parents could handle checking the accounts.

Maybe I can even change the course of technological development in the Ninja World!

Shita Genichi set down the account book and smiled faintly, then put the thought aside.

More than technology, he preferred having great power concentrated in his own hands.

While Shita Genichi was counting his money,

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

Tsunade hadn't come here once since the end of the Ninja World War.

He'd gone to look for her, but she wouldn't come.

She spent her days either drinking or gambling.

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt helpless, watching one of his outstanding students slowly fall into ruin.

But there was nothing he could do to change things. He could only leave Tsunade be.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also knew that Tsunade resented him.

But he had no way to resolve that knot between them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Tsunade had recently been going to Konoha Hospital with Shita Genichi and Shizune, but he hadn't paid it much mind. After all, Shizune and Tsunade had a special relationship.

Had Tsunade come here for Shizune, then?

Was she planning to take Shizune away from Konoha too?

He sighed to himself and took the pipe from his mouth. "Tsunade, what is it?"

Tsunade said coolly, "Give me Konoha Hospital."

"And approve funding for me. I want to train more medical ninja, improve medical techniques, and build a better laboratory."

Sarutobi Hiruzen froze.

She wasn't leaving?

Tsunade frowned at the silent Sarutobi Hiruzen. "What, is there no money?"

"That can't be. Old man, I know the village has made a fortune recently!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen came back to himself and hurriedly coughed. "Well... Tsunade, submit a report, and I'll approve it right away."

"Then do it quickly!"

Tsunade had come prepared. She tossed a report onto his desk.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, then opened the report and quickly read through it.

Tsunade... was serious about this!

Sarutobi Hiruzen had even wondered if Tsunade had lost money gambling and come to swindle some funds.

But now...

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up at Tsunade, then realized that his student seemed... different somehow.

He lowered his head, turned to the last page of the report, and signed it.

Tsunade took the report and hurried out again.

Watching her go, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt as if the Tsunade of old had returned.

What had happened during this time?

Sarutobi Hiruzen was puzzled, but glad to see the change in Tsunade.

That fool Jiraiya was unreliable, but at least he'd trained Minato, who had become an excellent ninja.

As for Orochimaru...

At the thought of Orochimaru, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly.

Recently, that student of his had been spending a lot of time with Danzo, who'd also been making plenty of moves behind the scenes.

Back at home, after looking over the accounts, Shita Genichi continued his training.

The Chunin Exams were coming soon, and there'd been no missions lately, so he could focus on training.

Over the past few months, he'd completely mastered Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

He'd mastered Water Severing Wave, though he could still increase its power.

Shita Genichi had completed Water Killing Thousand Flights, but like Water Severing Wave, it lacked power and still needed further improvement.

As for changing the nature of Wind Release...

Shita Genichi could only say that training in an element he wasn't naturally suited to was indeed very difficult.

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

As for Ice Release, which he'd considered before, he hadn't put the idea into practice yet, and his research hadn't yielded any results either.

On the other hand, after spending several months with Tsunade, he'd built up a wealth of knowledge.

All in all, these past few months hadn't gone to waste.

Most importantly, Shita Genichi had finally crossed the threshold with the All Mantra hand seal. He could now use it to break Genjutsu.

That gave him a new technique: the All Mantra.

He'd also named the Zai hand seal and the Qian hand seal he'd used before the Zai Mantra and the Qian Mantra.

These could be called his own unique secret techniques!

The Soldier Mantra increased his speed, the All Mantra was used against Genjutsu, and for now, the Zai Mantra and Qian Mantra were only used with Water Release.

But based on the deeper meaning contained in the Zai Mantra, Shita Genichi felt it could be used with all ninjutsu, and perhaps even more.

According to the explanation of the Nine Syllables Hand Seals he'd received, the Zai hand seal could allow a person to freely use all kinds of supernatural power.

Unfortunately, for now, he could only use it with Water Release.

At least I have more time than other people. And since I have a talent for this, I'll be able to master it bit by bit eventually.

Shita Genichi performed the Soldier Mantra, then continued studying the All Mantra.

The Soldier Mantra could speed up his thinking. It couldn't make him smarter, but it could make his mind work faster.

Perhaps that counted as becoming smarter, too.

The more Shita Genichi trained, the more he realized how important talent was.

It didn't just determine one's limits. It also affected the speed of everyday training.

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

"Genichi!"

A clear voice suddenly came from outside.

His training interrupted, Shita Genichi frowned slightly, but quickly composed himself. He went to the window and leaned out. "Shizune, wait a moment!"

He pulled his head back inside, changed clothes, grabbed his ninja tool pouch, and went straight out through the window.

"Are we training together?" Shita Genichi asked after landing.

Shizune was on summer vacation, so she would sometimes come and train with him.

"No."

Shizune shook her head and smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out when we get there. Come on!"

As she spoke, she took Shita Genichi's hand and led him to a bicycle by the roadside. "Hurry up and get on!"

Shita Genichi smiled, climbed onto the back seat, and wrapped his arms around Shizune's waist.

Shizune's face flushed slightly. She pushed off, and the bicycle began to move.

Shita Genichi had given her the bicycle, after all!

The bicycle's bell rang through the streets and alleyways as Shizune rode Shita Genichi to Konoha Hospital.

Once inside, they headed straight toward the back and finally reached a new laboratory with plenty of space.

Shita Genichi saw Tsunade and several other people busy setting things up inside.

Shizune whispered, "Genichi, this is the new laboratory Lady Tsunade is planning to build."

Shita Genichi blinked.

So Tsunade... wasn't planning to leave Konoha after all?