So-Called Ninjutsu

For Senju Tobirama, this sort of thing needed no explanation. In any era, overly powerful clans that operated as self-contained systems, like the Uchiha Clan or the Hyuga Clan, were unwelcome.

The reason was simple. A Hokage had to sacrifice a great deal for those clans, so the more fragmented the forces beneath him were, the better.

This wasn't something that could be solved by anyone simply being magnanimous. It was a huge pitfall built into the system and the distribution of power.

After all, the elephant was in the room.

But for now, none of this had anything to do with Li Ke.

He hadn't even managed to properly adapt to his new ability, and already he had to start fighting.

As he familiarized himself with his eyes, countless shinobi swiftly emerged from a stream and charged toward them.

Li Ke could clearly see that they all wore Kirigakure Forehead Protectors. Most had arrived using Water Style Jutsu, so they were clearly Mist Shinobi.

Watching the Mist Shinobi in the distance draw closer, Li Ke covered his eyes. They were undoubtedly less than five kilometers away. The forest surrounding the camp was at least five kilometers across.

And yet he could see them with perfect clarity—even the things they carried!

Muscle movements, the flow of blood, the movement of chakra, the skin beneath their clothes, even the patterns on their weapons—if he wanted to see it, this strange Kekkei Genkai he had awakened let him see it all.

It was almost instinctive. If he wanted to see what was beneath someone's clothes, he could. If he wanted to see the inner workings of a weapon, he could do that too.

Chakra, flesh, steel—nothing could block his vision!

He could even clearly see each shinobi's heart beating and the blood vessels in their brain pulsing. If he wanted to make out something in the surrounding area, like a person's appearance, he could instantly see everything between himself and that person, how far away they were, as well as their internal organs, bones, weapons, blood, and everything else!

But this 360-degree, ultra-high-definition field of vision and unbelievably detailed visual experience made Li Ke feel terribly dizzy. Even the slightest movement sent the world spinning.

"Ugh... This feels awful."

Li Ke hurriedly shut his eyes, but his eyelids did nothing to block his vision. Lowering his head only made him even dizzier.

"Your brain and your ability to process information aren't ready for this kind of vision... There's too much information... You have to learn to control these eyes."

Li Ke was reeling, but Senju Tobirama had no trouble at all. He continued to calmly assess the situation around them.

"I know... I just didn't realize this Kekkei Genkai was so powerful!"

Only now had Li Ke truly experienced the Byakugan's power!

The Byakugan wasn't just useful for long-range sniping. In truth, given a shinobi's reaction speed, long-range attacks were of little use against shinobi unless they were as powerful as a Tailed Beast Bomb or something like Light Style Jutsu.

Besides, the Ninja World hadn't developed anything like technology. Its entire technological tree had grown crooked.

The Byakugan's perceptiveness could reveal every card an opponent held in an instant! Put simply, the moment a fight began, it could tell you what tools someone carried, what weaknesses their weapons had, whether they were preparing a jutsu, and more!

"Second Hokage, did you really develop Shadow Clone Jutsu just to deal with the Uchiha Clan?"

Li Ke couldn't help asking.

"What do you think?"

Senju Tobirama asked as he watched the Mist Shinobi in the distance.

"Aren't you going to sound the alarm? Your scouting abilities have already been tested. In your current condition... Sound the alarm, then let me handle the attack. As for your Kekkei Genkai, once this fight is over, I'll teach you two Fuinjutsu techniques to seal your Dojutsu and the Sharingan chakra in your body."

Senju Tobirama was at a loss over Li Ke's situation. His eyes were simply too powerful, while his body and will hadn't caught up. Perhaps under this kind of pressure, his body could reveal even greater abilities...

But at least for today, Li Ke could forget about fighting normally.

"Right. I'm on it."

Clutching his head, Li Ke knew he wouldn't be able to rely on his own abilities in battle for quite some time.

He couldn't control his eyes at all. Pulling down the bandage over his right eye, he continued to pretend that it hadn't healed, then quickly threw a Kunai at Konoha Base Camp's Alert Barrier.

Only those on patrol could touch this barrier. If they discovered an enemy, touching it would instantly alert the camp's commanders. Minato Namikaze had left, but the Nara Clan and the Yamanaka Clan had mostly taken over this duty.

The camp immediately erupted into commotion. At the same time, under Senju Tobirama's control, Li Ke drew his Ninja Sword.

"Watch closely and see how I use chakra, Qingtan. A shinobi's battle is, at its core, a battle of chakra. Every technique is nothing more than chakra. Even with eyes like yours, you still have to master the fundamentals... I'll show you just how terrifying those eyes of yours can be once you've built a solid foundation."

Senju Tobirama had high hopes for Li Ke's Dojutsu. In the eyes of someone who had mastered ninjutsu to its utmost limits, every weakness an opponent had was glaringly obvious.

Li Ke couldn't handle all that information, but he could!

"It's time for this pile of ashes to shine again!"

Li Ke's body shot forward like an arrow. The Konoha Shinobi rushing to reinforce the camp stared in shock as his Body Flicker Technique moved so fast that ordinary shinobi couldn't even see his feet.

And at that moment, Li Ke saw how Senju Tobirama formed Hand Seals and performed jutsu!

The Hand Seals and chakra movements that had seemed impossibly fast to his eyes and senses were now crystal clear, almost slow. Li Ke knew Senju Tobirama hadn't actually slowed down; his eyes had boosted his dynamic vision to a terrifying degree!

As the Second Hokage continued forming Hand Seals, he spat a Wind Blade from his mouth and attached it to Li Ke's long sword. The three Kunai Li Ke carried also bore Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Mark.

And then—

Just as the shinobi attacking Konoha Base Camp caught sight of Li Ke, Senju Tobirama controlled his body and landed right among them!

The moment he touched down, the long sword in his hand slashed into a shinobi's neck. Another nearby shinobi reacted and raised a Kunai to block as Senju Tobirama swung his arm and thrust the sword toward him. Using Li Ke's eyes to spot the hidden cracks in the enemy's Kunai and the weak points in its chakra coating, he cut straight through the Kunai and half the shinobi's body with one slash!

As blood sprayed, Senju Tobirama didn't follow up with another jutsu. Instead, he leaped into the air. A Flying Thunder God Kunai that had landed on the ground was hooked up by the Chakra Threads he flicked from his fingers, then hurled toward another shinobi's forehead.

Only then did the Mist Shinobi realize what kind of shinobi had attacked them!

"It's Flying Raijin Jutsu!"

The Mist Shinobi behind Li Ke immediately hurled a Kunai with an Explosive Tag attached at his back. But thanks to Li Ke's bloodline, Senju Tobirama could see everything clearly. He released two Flying Thunder God Kunai. One collided with the Explosive Tag Kunai that was about to detonate, while the other flew off to the side.

The next instant, Li Ke's body appeared out of nowhere in front of the first Flying Thunder God Kunai. Ignoring the blade that came slashing toward him, he activated Flying Raijin Jutsu again. Almost simultaneously, three Flying Thunder God Kunai appeared before him.

The unfortunate Mist Shinobi, along with the Explosive Tag, was transported in front of the shinobi toward whom the third Flying Thunder God Kunai had flown!

As the shinobi's foot touched the ground, an explosion rang out. Four or five shinobi were blasted into the air!

Only then did Li Ke understand what had happened.

In an instant, Senju Tobirama had used Flying Raijin Jutsu to transport the enemy's Explosive Tag Kunai, along with the body of the Mist Shinobi he had grabbed, to the place where the third Flying Thunder God Kunai had flown.

Then, as the Explosive Tag Kunai detonated, he had teleported the Flying Thunder God Kunai back!

And most importantly, he had used Minato Namikaze's version of Flying Raijin Jutsu!

"Surprised? If a talented person who came after me improved a technique and made it more useful, why shouldn't I use it? And the reason I can learn new jutsu so quickly and put them into practice is entirely because I've built a solid foundation. This style of fighting is also one of the best suited to a shinobi like you... You do have a great deal of chakra, but every shinobi still needs to learn to conserve it!"

Because Li Ke's Dojutsu could control the power of those jutsu, Senju Tobirama was worried he might choose to become a mindless artillery platform. Li Ke was indeed powerful enough to do so, but when a shinobi like that faced an equally strong opponent, they would often fall into the other person's rhythm.

Even Senju Tobirama's own older brother could end up nearly exhausting his chakra, let alone Li Ke.

"Yes, Second Hokage."

Li Ke fought through the dizziness and continued watching the Second Hokage's movements. Then the Second Hokage demonstrated Senju Style Taijutsu.

When three Mist Shinobi swung their swords at him, Senju Tobirama swiftly scattered the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand and slipped effortlessly through the gaps between them. Their movements faltered for an instant, and their muscles shifted. In that moment, he maneuvered the blade in his hand and cleanly cut all three of them in half, Ninja Swords and all!

The Ninja Swords in their hands were made of better material than Li Ke's, but it made no difference. Under the effects of spotting their weaknesses and openings, and the Vacuum Blade Senju Tobirama had added to his sword, their bodies were as thin as paper.

There was none of that flashy nonsense. Every attack had a purpose. The Kunai he had thrown earlier landed and startled five or six shinobi who had been about to perform jutsu, making them jump aside. That kept Li Ke from being hit by their jutsu after the momentary pause!

Li Ke was so dizzy he nearly threw up, but he kept watching the battle and sensing Senju Tobirama's chakra movements, his actions, and the way he thought about combat.

Then he realized that the Second Hokage's combat instincts and style were an almost perfect match for his own!

But Li Ke knew perfectly well that this definitely wasn't Senju Tobirama's own fighting style. He had observed Li Ke and developed a style of combat specifically tailored to him.

Or rather, Senju Tobirama was teaching him how to make the most of his power, then letting him choose how to fight!

Because Senju Tobirama was about to use ninjutsu.

"Watch closely, kid. I'm going to use a jutsu."

Senju Tobirama pressed his hands together. At that moment, the Mist Shinobi around them finally managed to launch their jutsu. With the countless streams nearby to help them, the panicked Mist Shinobi unleashed Water Dragon Bullet and Great Waterfall Technique.

Only then did Li Ke realize that the few shinobi Senju Tobirama had killed at the start might have been the leaders of the group.

But shinobi bold enough to attack Konoha Base Camp...

Could they really be weak?

Li Ke's thoughts wandered, but he kept watching Senju Tobirama's movements. In his field of vision, countless streams of water rushed toward him from every direction, while Senju Tobirama smiled.

"Kid, do you know where all rivers eventually go?"

As he spoke, countless streams swiftly rose around Li Ke, forming the whirlpool-like Water Formation Wall unique to Senju Tobirama!

A swirling mass of water formed in an instant and crashed into the Water Release attacks rushing toward him. But Senju Tobirama's Water Formation Wall swept up all the wild, surging water!

More than a dozen Mist Shinobi had unleashed Water Release techniques of varying size and force. Judging by their reaction speed and numbers, they were all probably Mist elites. At that moment, every one of their attacks became Senju Tobirama's power!

"Water Release Ninjutsu is nothing more than shaping water into different forms and using different methods to launch attacks. So as long as your Water Release is stronger than theirs, your jutsu is more powerful, and your control over it is good enough to exploit their weaknesses when you see them, then all rivers will eventually flow into the sea!"

Senju Tobirama abruptly changed his Hand Seals. In a way that defied the principles of the jutsu Li Ke had learned, he transformed the water swirling around his body into a thousand-meter-long dragon that swept toward the surrounding area!

Water Dragon Technique!

The enormous water dragon sent every Mist Shinobi nearby flying. In an instant, the land within a thousand meters became a vast marsh.

Then Li Ke saw Senju Tobirama smile as he pulled out a coil of steel wire. The Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand vanished in a flash, and the Mist Shinobi who had survived the giant water dragon thanks to their mastery of Water Release turned into chunks of flesh inside the dragon the very next moment, staining part of its body a murky red.

On the ground, the Flying Thunder God Kunai Senju Tobirama had thrown gleamed, glistening with water.

His voice rang out in Li Ke's mind, tinged with excitement.

"Do you understand now, kid? No matter what kind of Kekkei Genkai you have, jutsu are what make a shinobi! A shinobi is called a shinobi because he can use ninjutsu!"

New jutsu. New ways to use them. A deeper understanding of jutsu.

And as long as you truly understood ninjutsu and had sound reasoning, you could overcome any obstacle, anywhere!