After a month, Li Yu had completed the Rasengan. Unlike Naruto, he didn't need both hands; thanks to the Senju Clan's chakra control, he could form a Rasengan with just one hand.
Li Yu was quite satisfied. He also went to find Namikaze Minato to study the Flying Thunder God together. It was an S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu developed by the Second. By using a formula, it enabled instant teleportation. The user first marked a target with the Flying Thunder God Formula, then could teleport himself or any object that had come into indirect contact with his chakra.
It didn't require Hand Seals to activate. If only he could learn it. The Senju Clan ought to have some talent for space-time techniques, too.
Since the Anbu's daily patrols around the village were tedious, Li Yu sent Wood Clones to report for duty and go on patrol every day, while his real body stayed home to practice ninjutsu.
By observing the village during his daily Anbu patrols, he'd figured out where Minato often trained.
And so Li Yu found Namikaze Minato in a wooded area. He was gathering chakra in one hand, staring intently at his right hand as he worked on altering the chakra.
"Hey, Minato. Researching a new jutsu?"
Minato stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Li Yu as he approached.
"Nawaki, I heard from Teacher Jiraiya that you joined the Anbu. What brings you here?"
"Oh, Lord Jiraiya told you about that? Is he planning to have you join the Anbu for some experience, too?"
"He might be."
Looking at the Flying Thunder God Formula on Minato's kunai, Li Yu hadn't expected him to make such progress so quickly.
"Judging by the formula on your kunai, you're studying the Flying Thunder God, the space-time jutsu left behind by the Second?"
Minato replied a little sheepishly, "That's right."
"Minato, you're gathering chakra in one hand. Are you studying changes in its nature?"
Li Yu gathered a mass of blue Chakra Threads in one hand. They spun rapidly around the center of his palm.
Minato's eyes lit up. "You've made chakra tangible!"
Li Yu didn't waste words. He sent the Rasengan crashing into the nearest tree, leaving several deep rings of dents across its surface and a hole in the middle. A huge hole had been blasted through the other side of the tree.
Li Yu said smugly, "That's right. It makes chakra tangible, and it doesn't require Hand Seals. Its power depends on how much chakra you put into it."
He'd shown off right in front of the future Fourth Hokage, creating the Rasengan ahead of time and using it to trade for Minato's insights on training in the Flying Thunder God. Studying with the person who would eventually master and popularize the technique would make the process twice as effective.
"Minato, how about I trade you this jutsu for your Flying Thunder God training notes?"
Namikaze Minato was tempted, but still hesitated. "The Flying Thunder God is a high-level jutsu that Teacher Jiraiya asked the Third Hokage for. We'd need the Third Hokage's permission."
"Minato, you've got it wrong. I'm from the Senju Clan. The family has all of Senju Tobirama's jutsu. I just want to study it with you and share our insights."
"If that's the case, then all right."
Don't be fooled by Namikaze Minato's friendly smile—he was sharp as a tack. He clearly wanted to learn my Rasengan, yet somehow I was the one who had to offer it to him.
Forget it. I had more faith in the Flying Thunder God than the Rasengan. It could be used to attack or escape, and combined well with all sorts of ninjutsu.
Li Yu readily taught Minato how to train in the Rasengan and got Minato's Flying Thunder God notes in return. They also discussed the Flying Thunder God, and Li Yu suggested that adding a powerful Sealing Jutsu might improve it.
This would also help lay the groundwork for Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
With the Flying Thunder God notes he wanted in hand, Li Yu returned home to study them properly.
There was another jutsu he needed for his plan. He'd start by researching it.
The Sharingan was already difficult enough to evolve, let alone the Mangekyō Sharingan. It took the death of one's closest friend, someone with whom one shared the deepest bond, to awaken it.
From the original story, Itachi had been able to transfer his ocular powers into Sasuke's eyes during their final battle. That meant ocular powers could be shared.
If so, he could try to find out whether it was possible to absorb the ocular powers of other Sharingan and rapidly evolve the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Where should I start?"
"Right, Izanagi."
"That's it. Izanagi."
By using all the light and ocular powers of the eye, this ultimate genjutsu could, for an extremely brief moment, turn everything unfavorable to the user—including death—into a dream, while making everything favorable to the attacker real. It allowed the user to freely control the boundary between reality and dreams, and could be cast on oneself.
If he could modify this jutsu, he might be able to transfer all the ocular powers into another pair of eyes.
"Where can I get my hands on this jutsu?"
Li Yu immediately fell into a daze. Where else could he find it but the Uchiha Clan?
"Danzo, that old geezer..."
Danzo had probably gotten so many Sharingan and Uchiha secrets because of the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
Li Yu smacked his forehead.
"I've got it!"
"The Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan have been at odds for years. The Second, Senju Tobirama, researched forbidden techniques and all sorts of ninjutsu. As their longtime rival, he must have gotten his hands on some Uchiha jutsu."
Li Yu hurried to the clan's secret chamber to look for the research materials left behind by the Second.
He unrolled a scroll, and sure enough, it contained quite a few Uchiha jutsu: Uchiha Shurikenjutsu, Great Fireball Technique, Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Great Fire Annihilation, and Izanagi.
"Holy crap!"
"Susanoo?"
No wonder the Second had fought the Uchiha Clan for so many years. The collection was nearly complete; only Izanami was missing.
There were detailed descriptions of the Sharingan and its evolutions, all the way up to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
There were also detailed descriptions of Susanoo, from its initial form through its first, second, third, and fourth forms, all the way to its Complete Body.
And below that was Majestic Attire: Susanoo: equipping Susanoo as armor on the Nine-Tails, combining the Nine-Tails' overwhelming strength with Susanoo's powerful defense.
Wasn't that the ultimate move Lord Madara used in his battle against Senju Hashirama at the Valley of the End? The Second had even recorded it.
After reading everything, Li Yu rolled up the scroll. The most important thing now was to research the jutsu and find a suitable target from whom to take ocular powers.