第16章 你小子,确实有点东西

Don't underestimate this trigger mechanism just because it's simple; it's actually incredibly practical. The flashy, complicated ones are the ones that tend to give you away.

After securing the tripwire, Hibari buried an iron wire in the dirt, running it all the way to the edge of the puddle he had just created.

Once everything was properly set up, Hibari pulled out a piece of specially crafted sealing paper and placed it steadily on the ground.

Then, the father-son duo of the Sarutobi clan watched as Hibari began to weave hand seals...

"This technique... is it a Lightning Style ninjutsu?" Sarutobi Hiruzen squinted, muttering under his breath.

"It's not just Lightning Style, it's a fairly advanced one... an A-rank ninjutsu, Lightning Style..." Sarutobi Sasuke had a sharper eye, but before he could finish his sentence, Hibari had already chimed in.

"Lightning Style: Thunderstorm!" Hibari shouted in a low voice.

At the same time, a massive surge of lightning-natured chakra erupted from his palms, crackling and popping as if it wanted to explode outward. Fortunately, Hibari maintained steady control, forcing the electrical discharge to stay contained within his hands.

The lightning in Hibari's hands gathered and intensified, the crackling noise making the Sarutobi father and son watching from the side feel uneasy.

If he lost control and it detonated, none of the three of them would leave in one piece, and Hibari himself would likely be bedridden for months.

"Seal!"

Just as Sarutobi Sasuke was debating whether to call out a warning, Hibari let out a sharp shout, forcing the restless lightning chakra into the prepared sealing paper.

In the blink of an eye, a slip of paper marked with the character for "Lightning," looking much like an explosive tag, was held in his hand.

"The most exhausting part is finally done..."

As he spoke, he deftly attached the charm to the tripwire. As long as someone triggered the mechanism, the charm would release, and the stored electricity would surge along the buried iron wire and flood the puddle ahead.

"Hibari," Sarutobi Hiruzen scratched his head, looking puzzled, "you don't actually expect some unlucky fool to fall into the water and get electrocuted to death, do you?"

"Haha, that depends on luck!" Hibari grinned cheerfully. "But hey, this isn't the only way to trap them. Even if they don't fall in the water, what comes next will be enough to make them suffer."

After saying this, under Sarutobi Hiruzen's inquisitive gaze, he pulled another explosive tag from his ninja tool pouch, walked a few steps away, and carefully embedded it into the trap's mechanism. Only after finishing the entire setup did he clap his hands and stand up.

"All done, pack it up!"

"I still don't quite get it," Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned in. "You went through all this trouble, what exactly are you aiming for? Care to explain?"

"Sure, considering you've taught me quite a bit on the road," Hibari lifted his chin with a hint of pride, "I'll solve the mystery for you."

He then gestured wildly as he explained it to the father and son.

Although terms like "hydrogen" and "oxygen" left them feeling confused, they understood the gist: the first stage was to electrocute the target; if that failed, it didn't matter, as the Lightning Style would decompose the water into explosive gases. After a short delay, the explosive tag would ignite, and the entire puddle would blow sky-high.

Given the power of this setup, anyone nearby wouldn't stand a chance.

"Although I don't understand what all that gas talk is about," Sarutobi Sasuke stroked his chin and smiled, "I have seen water saturated with Lightning Style before; if the timing is right, it does explode... So that's it. Is that how you got the better of Tobirama? You're quite devious."

"Sigh, it's a pity I don't know Water Style," Hibari smacked his lips with a hint of regret. "Otherwise, I have an even more powerful move in mind. It might even qualify as S-rank."

"S-rank? You're saying you can create an S-rank composite ninjutsu?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened. "I'm quite skilled with composite ninjutsu myself, and even I wouldn't dare make such a boast... You aren't just blowing smoke, are you?"

Hibari shot him a sidelong glance.

"The day I can actually use Water Style, I'll make sure to open your eyes."

He said this aloud, but inwardly he was thinking: When the time comes, I'll whip up a little hydrogen bomb and watch your jaw drop.

Although Hibari's trap was novel, in Sarutobi Sasuke's eyes, it was still a bit amateurish. If Tobirama had fallen for it, it was likely because he had let his guard down at home. After all, Hibari had never truly been on a battlefield, so a few oversights were normal.

So, once Hibari finished, Sarutobi Sasuke stepped in to help him adjust it, adding a few tricks of his own; he couldn't rely entirely on this one trap.

On the other side, Sarutobi Hiruzen was still hung up on the mention of the S-rank ninjutsu. He leaned against a tree, his curiosity still burning.

"Hibari, that move you mentioned... is it for real? An S-rank composite ninjutsu isn't something just anyone can come up with."

Hibari was busy focusing on the details of Sarutobi Sasuke's trap setup and felt impatient at the interruption.

"I'm not a child, why would I lie to you? The concept is real; it's just that I haven't had a way to test it. If I ever get water-natured chakra, I'm sure I can make it work after a few tries."

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed upon hearing this. "How old are you, exactly? 'Not a child'? Developing ninjutsu is one thing in theory and another in practice; it doesn't just work because you say it will.

You're just talking big here, so isn't it normal for me to be skeptical? After all, you haven't exactly produced any decent results before."

He smacked his lips and changed his tone. "Of course, if you could show me a technique you developed right now, I'd certainly look at you with new eyes."

Hibari was getting annoyed by his nagging. He hadn't expected that the composed Third Hokage of the future would be such a chatterbox in his youth... But then again, even as Hokage, didn't that guy always use his crystal ball for unsavory things?

He was even called "little monkey" by Hashirama, so this current behavior made sense.

"I'm trying to learn here, and you keep interrupting." Hibari waved his hand dismissively. "It's just a ninjutsu, what's the big deal? Watch closely, today I'll show you what a 'genius inventor' looks like!"

He didn't give Sarutobi Hiruzen a chance to respond and raised one hand. Under the other's astonished gaze, a sphere of rapidly rotating chakra instantly condensed in his palm.

"This thing is called the Rasengan. I just figured it out a while ago, fresh and hot."

Hibari held the glowing blue sphere, his tone filled with unconcealed pride. "A high-end, seal-less ninjutsu. It's already been recorded in the Senju clan's archives, and Tobirama personally certified it as A-rank.

And that's not all; it can be infused with nature transformation, so the potential is huge. I reckon it could at least reach S-rank.

I haven't had time to work on the rest, but I'm showing you now so you'll stop thinking I'm just blowing smoke."

He said it as if the technique were truly his own original creation from scratch... completely disregarding the future Fourth Hokage.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't see through those nuances. He was stunned by this sudden display, staring at the Rasengan for a long time before slowly exhaling.

"I see now... no wonder Master Tobirama suddenly wanted to take you under his wing for training." He shook his head, his tone filled with newfound respect. "You kid, you've really got something."

"Glad you know, now stop bothering my studies." Hibari dissipated the chakra in his hand and replied casually.

With this confirmation, Sarutobi Hiruzen believed Hibari's earlier claim about the "S-rank composite ninjutsu" by at least seventy or eighty percent. His curiosity became even harder to suppress.

"Hey, Hibari, stop looking at that." He leaned over, threw an arm around Hibari's shoulder, and said with a grin, "Those are just small tricks, I'll teach you some another day. Tell me, what's the principle behind that S-rank composite ninjutsu you imagined?

You don't know Water Style, but I do! I have all five nature transformations! You tell me the theory, I'll try to develop it, and then we can surprise Master Tobirama. Wouldn't that be great?"

"In your dreams." Hibari shot him a look. "This isn't some C-rank or B-rank common technique you just give away. S-rank, and a composite one at that—you should know the weight of that."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was so preoccupied with the new technique that he didn't even notice Hibari's disrespectful tone, continuing to smile ingratiatingly.

"I know, I know, I won't take the credit! I'll say you taught it to me. If it really works, all the credit goes to you, and the technique will be recorded in your Senju clan's scrolls. How about that?"

Hibari couldn't help but laugh at his eager expression. It was no wonder Tobirama valued this disciple the most; his drive for new techniques and his willingness to swallow his pride to ask for advice really did set him apart from the rest.

If it were any other master from a prestigious family, would they ever lower themselves to "seek advice" from a little kid?

Actually, given the relationship between the two families, revealing a little something to Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't be a big deal. Thinking about how he could even use the Uzumaki clan's "Dead Demon Consuming Seal" later on, it was quite possible Tobirama had taught him that too.

Hibari pondered for a moment, the corner of his mouth curling up.

"That could work... but you have to give me something in return, right?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed out loud upon hearing this.

"I knew you'd say that; you never take a loss." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Tell me, what have you got your eye on?"

Hibari's eyes lit up immediately. He leaned in closer, his tone filled with flattery. "Well, I won't be polite then, Uncle Hiruzen!

You know, my Uncle Hashirama's summoning beasts... ahem, the Rashomon and such, they're loud and impressive, but not very agile. Uncle Tobirama is even more mysterious; they say he signed a contract with the ocean, which is why his Water Style is so terrifying.

But me? I can't even conjure a splash! So..." He winked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and drew out his words, "that 'strongest summoning beast' your family passes down..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was amused by his expression and shook his head with a smile.

The Sarutobi clan's summoning beasts were, naturally, the Monkey clan. He couldn't even count how many generations this contract had been passed down; it was likely as old as the family history itself.

In the ninja world, the reputation of the Monkey clan was indeed illustrious, thanks in part to the fame of their ancestor, Sarutobi Sasuke, and also to his own reputation as the future Third Hokage.

Over time, being called the "strongest summoning beast" wasn't entirely unreasonable.

Of course, if one were to talk about the true strongest, those would be the Tailed Beasts. But to use a Tailed Beast as a summoning beast? That was something only a legendary figure would dare to imagine. The "Jinchuriki" path was something that was only figured out later.

Setting aside the Tailed Beasts, it was hard to judge the strength of summoning beasts. The most famous ones were naturally from the three great sacred lands: Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryuchi Cave. The toads, slugs, and snakes that came from there were all formidable.

But the Monkey clan was by no means inferior to them, especially the Monkey King Enma, who had a contract with Sarutobi Hiruzen. With a body as hard as diamond, he could easily withstand the Kusanagi sword; his defense was top-tier.

Hibari was currently lacking a reliable summoning beast, so it was perfectly normal for him to be interested in Enma.

"Hibari," Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, his tone apologetic, "it's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that it's truly impossible. The Monkey clan and our Sarutobi family have a long-standing relationship of mutual prosperity; they aren't servants to be ordered around.

The rules of the contract passed down by our ancestors are very strict; only descendants with Sarutobi blood can sign it. You... after all, you are from the Senju clan. That rule cannot be broken."