The So-Called Ninjutsu

For Senju Tobirama, such things didn't need explaining. Regardless of the era, clans as overwhelmingly powerful and self-contained as the Uchiha or Hyuga were inherently unwelcome.

The reason was simple: for the Hokage, sacrificing for such clans meant giving up too much. The less cohesive the power of those below, the better.

This wasn't a matter of magnanimity, but a systemic and power-related pitfall.

After all, the elephant was already in the room.

But none of this concerned Li Ke for the moment.

Before he could even properly adapt to his new abilities, he was forced into battle.

As he was familiarizing himself with his eyes, countless shinobi emerged from a small stream and charged towards them.

Li Ke clearly saw that they all wore the forehead protectors of the Mist Village, and most were using Water Style Jutsu. They were unmistakably Mist Shinobi.

Watching the approaching Mist Shinobi, Li Ke covered his eyes. The Mist Shinobi were undoubtedly still five kilometers away, as the forest where the camp was located spanned at least that distance.

Yet, he could see their appearances with perfect clarity, even the items they carried!

Whether it was muscle movement, blood flow, chakra circulation, or even the skin beneath their clothes and the patterns on their weapons, as long as he willed it, this strange Bloodline Limit he had awakened allowed him to see it all.

And it was instinctive; if he wanted to see beneath clothes, he could. If he wanted to see the internal structure of a weapon, he could.

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

He could even clearly see the beating of each shinobi's heart, the throbbing of blood vessels in their brains. If he wanted to see his surroundings, the appearance of a person, he could instantly discern what lay between himself and the target, the distance, and a detailed view of their internal organs, bones, weapons, and blood!

However, this 360-degree ultra-clear vision and the incredibly detailed visual experience immediately made Li Ke feel extremely dizzy. Even a slight movement would send him into a dizzying spin.

"Ugh... this feels awful."

Li Ke quickly closed his eyes, but his eyelids offered no obstruction. Instead, the downward motion of his head only made him feel more nauseous.

"Your brain and your cognitive abilities aren't equipped to handle such powerful visual capabilities... the information overload is too great... you must learn to control these eyes."

While Li Ke was dizzy and disoriented, Senju Tobirama was unaffected, calmly analyzing the surroundings.

"I know... I just didn't expect this Bloodline Limit to be so powerful!"

Li Ke finally experienced the power of the Byakugan firsthand!

The Byakugan wasn't just for long-range sniping. In reality, with a shinobi's reaction speed, long-range attacks were largely meaningless unless they were as powerful as a Tailed Beast Bomb or involved something like Light Style Jutsu.

Furthermore, the ninja world hadn't developed technology well; its technological tree was entirely skewed.

The Byakugan's insight could instantly reveal an opponent's entire hand! Simply put, the moment a battle began, the Byakugan could immediately discern what items you carried, the weaknesses of your weapons, and whether your body was preparing a ninjutsu.

"Second Hokage-sama, did you really develop the Shadow Clone Jutsu solely to counter the Uchiha Clan?"

Li Ke couldn't help but ask.

"What do you think?"

Senju Tobirama asked, looking at the Mist Shinobi in the distance.

"Aren't you going to sound the alarm? Your reconnaissance capabilities have been confirmed. In your current state... sound the alarm, and let this old man handle the attack. As for your Bloodline Limit, after this battle, I'll teach you two Fuinjutsu to seal your Dojutsu and the Sharingan's power."

Senju Tobirama was quite helpless about Li Ke's situation. Li Ke's eyes were too powerful, but his body and will hadn't caught up. Perhaps under such pressure, his body could even exhibit greater abilities...

But at least for today, Li Ke shouldn't expect to fight normally.

"Yes, coming."

Li Ke clutched his head, knowing he wouldn't be able to fight using his own abilities for a long time.

He simply couldn't control his current eyes. He pulled down the bandage on his right eye, maintaining the pretense that it was still injured, and then Li Ke quickly threw a kunai, striking the alert barrier of the Leaf Village camp.

This barrier was designed to be touched only by patrolling personnel. Upon contact during an enemy attack, it would instantly notify the camp supervisor. Although Minato Namikaze was gone, this task was generally handled by the Nara Clan and the Yamanaka Clan.

Thus, the next moment, Li Ke heard the camp erupt into chaos. And Li Ke's body, under Senju Tobirama's control, drew a Ninja Sword.

"Watch carefully how I use chakra. Qingtan, a ninja's battle is fundamentally a battle of chakra. Any jutsu is merely chakra. Even with such Dojutsu, you must build a solid foundation... I will show you now how terrifying this Dojutsu becomes once the foundation is laid..."

Senju Tobirama had high hopes for Li Ke's Dojutsu, as to him, who had mastered ninjutsu to its extreme, all the weaknesses of any ninja were glaringly obvious.

Li Ke couldn't process the excessive information, but he could!

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

Li Ke shot forward like an arrow. The supporting Leaf shinobi around him were astonished to see his Body Flicker Technique move so fast that ordinary shinobi couldn't even track his footsteps.

At this moment, Li Ke also saw how Senju Tobirama performed hand seals and executed ninjutsu!

The hand seals and chakra manipulation that had previously seemed impossibly fast to his eyes and senses were now incredibly clear, even appearing slow. But Li Ke knew that Senju Tobirama hadn't slowed down; his eyes had amplified his dynamic visual acuity to a terrifying degree!

As the Second Hokage continued to form seals, he spat out a gust of wind blades, attaching them to Li Ke's long sword. Li Ke's three kunai also bore Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Mark.

And so—

The moment the ninjas who had come to raid the Leaf Village camp spotted Li Ke, Senju Tobirama manipulated Li Ke's body and landed in their midst!

As he landed, his long sword instantly severed a shinobi's neck. When another nearby shinobi reacted and tried to block the sword thrust with his kunai, Li Ke's eyes saw the hidden cracks on the kunai and the weak points where chakra was applied. With a single strike, he cut through the kunai and half of the shinobi's body!

As blood sprayed, Senju Tobirama didn't release another ninjutsu. He quickly leaped up. The Flying Thunder God Kunai that had landed on the ground was hooked by chakra threads thrown from his fingers and hurled towards another shinobi's forehead.

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

"It's the Flying Raijin Jutsu!"

The Mist Shinobi behind Li Ke threw a kunai attached with an Explosive Tag at his back without hesitation. However, thanks to Li Ke's Bloodline Limit, Senju Tobirama could clearly see everything. He released his grip, and two Flying Thunder God Kunai instantly flew out; one collided with the incoming explosive kunai, while the other flew toward the opposite side.

The next moment, Li Ke's body abruptly appeared in front of the first Flying Thunder God Kunai. Ignoring the blade swinging toward him, he activated the Flying Raijin Jutsu once more, and almost simultaneously, three Flying Thunder God Kunai appeared before him.

That unlucky Mist Shinobi was teleported along with the Explosive Tag directly in front of the ninja toward whom the third Flying Thunder God Kunai had been thrown!

As his feet touched the ground, the explosion rang out instantly, blasting four or five ninjas into the sky.

Only then did Li Ke understand what had happened.

In a split second, Senju Tobirama had used the Flying Raijin Jutsu to teleport the explosive kunai thrown by the enemy, as well as the body of the captured Mist Shinobi, to the location where the third Flying Thunder God Kunai had been launched.

Furthermore, the moment the enemy's explosive kunai detonated, he had teleported the Flying Thunder God Kunai back!

Most importantly, he was using the Minato Namikaze version of the Flying Raijin Jutsu!

"Surprised? If a technique improved by a talented successor is more efficient, why shouldn't I use it? The reason I can learn new ninjutsu so quickly and apply them to actual combat is entirely because my fundamentals are sufficiently solid. And this kind of tactic is one of the most suitable for a ninja like you... Although your chakra is indeed vast, conserving chakra is still something every ninja must learn to do!"

Because Li Ke's Dojutsu could control the power of those ninjutsu, Senju Tobirama was deeply afraid that Li Ke would choose to become a mindless turret. While Li Ke's power did indeed allow him to do so, when such a turret-style ninja faces a master of the same level, they often fall into the opponent's rhythm.

Even his own older brother would reach the point of near-exhaustion, let alone Li Ke.

"Yes, Second Hokage-sama."

Li Ke fought through his dizziness to continue observing the Second Hokage's maneuvers, and then the Second Hokage treated him to a display of Senju Style Taijutsu.

When three Mist Shinobi swung their blades, Senju Tobirama quickly scattered the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand, passing effortlessly through the gaps between these ninjas, causing their movements to stiffen for an instant as their muscle trajectories shifted. At that moment, he manipulated the blade in his hand and easily severed all three men, along with the Ninja Swords they held!

The material of the Ninja Swords held by those three was even better than the one in Li Ke's hand, but it was of no use. Under the influence of his insight into weaknesses and gaps, combined with the Vacuum Blade Senju Tobirama had imbued into his own sword, their bodies were as thin as paper.

There was no flashy, unnecessary movement; every attack had a specific purpose. The kunai he had thrown earlier also served to startle five or six ninjas who were about to release ninjutsu, forcing them to jump away the moment they landed, preventing Li Ke from being struck by ninjutsu during his brief moment of stiffness!

Although Li Ke felt so dizzy he almost wanted to vomit, he continued to observe the flow of the battlefield, sensing Senju Tobirama's chakra movements, his methods of action, and his combat logic.

Then he realized that the Second Hokage's combat thinking and style were highly compatible with his own!

But Li Ke knew very well that this was definitely not Senju Tobirama's original combat style; rather, it was a style he had developed and thought out after observing Li Ke, tailored specifically to fit him!

In other words, Senju Tobirama was currently teaching him how to unleash his own power, then letting him choose how to conduct his own battles!

Because Senju Tobirama was about to release a ninjutsu.

"Watch closely, kid, I'm going to release a ninjutsu."

Senju Tobirama pressed his hands together. At this moment, the surrounding Mist Shinobi finally succeeded in launching their ninjutsu. With the help of the nearby streams, Water Dragon Bullets and the Great Waterfall Technique were unleashed by the panicked Mist Shinobi.

Only then did Li Ke realize that the few ninjas Senju Tobirama had killed instantly were likely the leaders of this squad.

But ninjas who dared to attack the Konoha camp... could they be weak?

Li Ke's mind wandered, but he kept observing Senju Tobirama's actions, for in his field of vision, countless currents of water were rushing toward him from all directions, and Senju Tobirama wore a smile.

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

The moment he spoke, countless streams of water rose rapidly around Li Ke, quickly forming the unique, vortex-like Water Formation Wall characteristic of Senju Tobirama!

The violent water vortex took shape instantly, colliding directly with the Water Style Jutsu rushing toward him. Yet, these wildly surging currents were all swept up and incorporated into Senju Tobirama's Water Formation Wall!

More than a dozen Mist Shinobi—and judging by their reaction speed and scale, they were all Mist Jounin—had released Water Style Jutsu of varying scales and impacts, but at this moment, they all became Senju Tobirama's power!

"So-called Water Style ninjutsu is nothing more than shaping water into various forms and using various methods to launch an impact! Therefore, as long as the impact of your Water Style Jutsu is greater than theirs, the power of your technique is stronger, and your control over the technique is sufficient to exploit weaknesses when you see them, then all rivers will eventually return to the sea!"

The hand seals in Senju Tobirama's hands changed abruptly. Violating the operational rules of the techniques Li Ke had learned, he transformed the water swirling around his body into a giant dragon over a thousand meters long, sweeping out toward the surroundings!

Water Dragon Technique!

The massive water dragon directly knocked all the surrounding Mist Shinobi away, and the environment within a thousand-meter radius instantly turned into a marshland.

Then, Li Ke saw Senju Tobirama smiling as he pulled out a roll of steel wire, the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand flashing and vanishing. Those Mist Shinobi who had barely managed to survive within the giant water dragon thanks to their own Water Style mastery were turned into countless shreds of flesh inside the dragon the next moment, staining a portion of the water dragon a dark, dull red.

On the ground, the Flying Thunder God Kunai thrown by Senju Tobirama gleamed brightly, flickering with traces of water light.

His slightly excited voice echoed in Li Ke's mind.

"Understand now? Kid, no matter what kind of Bloodline Limit you possess, techniques are ultimately everything to a ninja! A ninja is only called a ninja because they can use ninjutsu!"

New ninjutsu, methods of using techniques, and an understanding of techniques.

As long as one can truly understand ninjutsu and possess the correct logical thinking, one can be invincible anywhere!