Flying Thunder God Formula

The next day, Senju Genma had completely lost any desire to go to class.

But he wouldn't skip school without a good reason, so he sent a Wood Release: Wood Clone in his place.

He didn't use a Shadow Clone because Wood Clones were more advanced. They could transmit information in "real time," possessed the original's will while also thinking for themselves, and could switch seamlessly with the original. They were also more durable.

What's more, Wood Clones were more realistic than Shadow Clones. According to Madara Uchiha, only Senju Hashirama could see through Hashirama's Wood Release: Wood Clones.

Senju Genma naturally couldn't compare to Senju Hashirama, but a Wood Clone was enough to fool the Academy teachers.

Even if Konoha's higher-ups found out, they would turn a blind eye. They wouldn't actually punish him for skipping class.

Since Senju Genma wasn't going to class, Uzumaki Kushina naturally refused to go, too.

Tsunade and Senju Genma couldn't do anything about it, so they had to let her send a clone to class in her place.

Not going to class didn't mean they could lie around at home and rest.

Senju Genma planned to focus on learning the Wood Release techniques Uzumaki Mito had given him, as well as Senju Tobirama's techniques.

Uzumaki Kushina, meanwhile, trained in the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Techniques. Tsunade and Uzumaki Mito also taught her whenever they had time.

At the training ground in the Senju Clan Grounds, Senju Genma took out two bundles of jutsu scrolls. After agonizing over them for a while, he chose Senju Tobirama's techniques.

He planned to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique first. At this stage, being able to run fast was more important.

He could wait until he was older and had more chakra before learning Wood Release techniques.

Senju Genma opened the scroll containing Senju Tobirama's techniques and soon found the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Unfortunately, the scroll didn't include any of the forbidden techniques Senju Tobirama had developed, which left Senju Genma a little disappointed.

Perhaps Uzumaki Mito felt that techniques like Impure World Reincarnation went against the laws of nature.

As an S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique was extremely difficult to learn.

Senju Genma began carefully studying the scroll and soon gained a basic understanding of how the Flying Thunder God Technique worked.

The Flying Thunder God Technique allowed the user to teleport to a marked location by leaving behind a chakra mark. It was similar to the Summoning Technique, except that the target being summoned was the user himself. It also couldn't be used on targets in a separate space.

This required the user to have enough chakra to create and use the formula repeatedly, the chakra control to create marks quickly, and the chakra sensing ability to find them just as quickly.

As it happened, Senju Genma met all three requirements.

The Sage Body was the pinnacle of Yang Release. Its traits included vast reserves of chakra, powerful vitality and sensory abilities, and the ability to freely use Natural Energy.

As for chakra control, he had Uzumaki Mito to thank. She had helped him build a solid foundation over the years, giving him excellent control over his chakra.

Two and a half months passed in a flash.

It turned out that having a cheat really was amazing.

Senju Genma sat in the study and held up a sheet of paper.

He could now sense the Flying Thunder God chakra marks he had left behind, but his perception was still quite vague when it came to the marks alone.

So now, he needed to design a formula of his own.

Senju Tobirama's formula was a pattern, while Namikaze Minato's was the words "Sword of Shinobi Love."

After studying the formulas of both men, Senju Genma quickly made up his mind.

Senju Genma placed his hand on the paper, and a compound heart shape, drawn in lines, soon appeared.

He threw the paper out the window and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique. His figure vanished from the study and appeared outside the window at the same time.

"Damn, why is this on the third floor?!"

"Are you all right? Why would you jump off a building for fun? Even with your unusual constitution, you can't treat your body like that!" Tsunade said angrily.

She was angry because Senju Genma wasn't taking care of his body.

Kushina said worriedly, "Tsunade is right."

Senju Genma said smugly, "I wasn't jumping off a building. I was testing a new technique I learned—the Flying Thunder God Technique."

Tsunade immediately exclaimed, "Granduncle Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Technique? That technique is really difficult. I tried learning it once, but I couldn't."

"You should know who you're talking to. For a genius like me, the mere Flying Thunder God Technique is nothing. Not only that, I even improved it with Sealing Techniques, giving the Flying Thunder God mark the ability to activate instantly and last forever. How impressive is that?!"

Senju Genma folded his arms, putting on an arrogant air. His little tail was practically sticking up to the sky.

Tsunade poked Senju Genma's cute yet handsome face.

"Why are you such a show-off? Go make us something to eat."

Senju Genma lowered his head and mumbled, "All right!"

He felt that his life was truly miserable. He had to train every day, then cook when he got home.

But he had no choice. They didn't like having outsiders around, so there were no servants in the house, and neither Tsunade nor Kushina could cook.

Kushina's cooking simply tasted bad, while Tsunade's might put their lives in danger.

Before long, Senju Genma brought the meal he had carefully prepared to the table.

"Tsunade, Kushina, dinner's ready!"

In his previous life, Senju Genma had lived alone, so he had learned to cook. He could make all kinds of homestyle Chinese dishes.

Of course, he could only make them. They certainly couldn't compare to the dishes he'd read about in novels in his previous life, where one bite was enough to make an enlightened immortal's favorability soar. Still, they were much better than anything Tsunade or Kushina could make.

"Genma, let me help," Kushina said in a hurry, running into the kitchen.

The two of them soon brought all the dishes to the table.

Tsunade sat down and breathed in the delicious aroma wafting toward her.

"Genma's cooking really is the best. It's much better than those restaurants outside. How come I can't make food like this?" Tsunade brought her nose closer to the dishes and fanned the aroma toward herself, already unable to wait.

"How about giving up your daily gambling and letting me teach you to cook?" Senju Genma said with a chuckle.

Tsunade shook her head vigorously. "How could I? Gambling is proof that I'm the granddaughter of the First. How could I give that up?"

Senju Genma teased her, "If Lord Hashirama knew you considered gambling proof of that, he'd definitely cry!"

"Let's eat!" The three of them said in unison, pressing their palms together.

"Let's eat" literally meant "I accept your gift. Thank you."

People in Japan believed that food sacrificed itself to nourish them and was a gift from nature. So before eating, they always approached their meal with gratitude and humility.

Senju Genma didn't feel any particular gratitude toward his food. He had simply lived here for years and adopted the local customs.

The three of them finished dinner amid laughter and conversation. It was a warm, homey scene.

"Will we always be like this from now on?" Uzumaki Kushina suddenly asked, her voice low.

Senju Genma knew she was feeling lost and afraid about her future.

On her very first day in Konoha, she had learned that she had been brought there to become the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Sometimes, she couldn't help thinking about it.

If she sealed the Nine-Tails, would she turn into a monster? Would Genma and Tsunade still accept her as part of their family?

"Of course we'll stay like this. We should always be like this!" Senju Genma answered gently, reaching out to stroke her beautiful red hair.