Aren't You Being a Bit Too Impatient?

Hibari's shoulders slumped the moment he heard that, and he let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

He trusted that Uncle Hiruzen wouldn't lie to him, so it seemed this path was truly a dead end. Thinking about how he, a member of the Senju Clan, was actually fretting over a summoning beast, he felt it was a bit embarrassing to even mention.

He steeled himself. Forget it, he would just treat the S-rank ninjutsu concept as a freebie.

But just as he was about to speak, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke up again.

"However..." Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his chin, his tone shifting. "If you want a powerful summoning beast, it's not like I'm completely out of options."

Hibari's ears perked up immediately, and he hurriedly pressed, "What options? Tell me, Uncle Hiruzen!"

"According to the ancient records of the Enma clan, there are three other places of heritage in this world, and they are even older than theirs." Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret. "They are called 'Mount Myoboku', 'Shikkotsu Forest', and 'Ryuchi Cave'."

According to their legends, the summoning beasts living there are no weaker than the Enma, and perhaps even stronger. Throughout history, there have been occasional traces of them.

If you, kid, aren't willing to give up, you could go try your luck and look for these three places."

Hibari was speechless after hearing this. He had to put on a curious expression, but inside, he was already grumbling: What you're talking about... I know far more than just that.

Hibari had complained to Sarutobi Hiruzen earlier about the Senju Clan lacking a decent summoning beast, but he had been playing the victim a bit.

The Senju were, after all, a top-tier noble clan in the ninja world. Even if the two currently in charge were strong enough that they didn't need summoning beasts to hold their own, with such a deep ancestral foundation, how could they possibly not have left anything good behind?

Not only did they have one, but it had a massive pedigree—it was none other than one of the three great heritage sites Sarutobi Hiruzen had just mentioned: "Shikkotsu Forest".

Many people in the ninja world were aware of this. How did his grand-uncle Senju Hashirama get that Sage Mode of his?

It didn't just fall from the sky, did it? Even if everyone said Grand-uncle Hashirama had a Sage Body and was some kind of reincarnation, there had to be a way to learn sage arts.

Although Hibari hadn't asked Grand-uncle Hashirama directly, he figured it was most likely learned from Shikkotsu Forest through the clan's inherited summoning technique.

It was just that Grand-uncle Hashirama's constitution was too monstrous; once he mastered sage arts, he could enter Sage Mode instantly, and his strength would skyrocket.

Back to the summoning beasts. Logically, the three heritage sites should be on par with each other. If Hibari could sign a contract with the Slug Sage, it wouldn't be a disgrace; it would definitely be considered top-tier in the ninja world.

But the thing about the Slug's strength was... it was truly baffling. Its primary role was medical support; if it came down to a real fight, it probably wouldn't be of much help.

What made Hibari even more uncomfortable was that the Slug wasn't imposing enough, nor was it cool!

So, in Hibari's calculations, while the Slug was powerful, it wasn't suitable for him. It would be better to leave it for that little girl Tsunade to inherit later; he would look for other paths himself.

Aside from Shikkotsu Forest, where he could go back and ask Grand-uncle Hashirama—at least giving him a clear direction—the other two, Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave, were truly directionless.

Without spending months or even years, he wouldn't even find a shadow of them, and it would still depend on fate.

Therefore, Sarutobi Hiruzen's words were essentially useless to Hibari.

Still, it was a secret, and since the man was willing to share, it was kind enough. Hibari nodded and said:

"Our Senju Clan has heard some rumors, too. But these three places are indeed hard to find."

He sighed.

"Sigh... forget it, I'll talk about it when I have time later. If I really can't find them, I'll change my target. I heard there's a type of Salamander in the Land of Rain, and some Kubisaki Clan that keeps a pretty powerful lizard. Those sound alright."

Seeing that Hibari wasn't in a rush, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped trying to persuade him and said instead:

"I can't help you with that. Is there anything else you've got your eye on? How about I teach you my self-created composite ninjutsu, 'Fire Style: Earth-Flame Bullet'? It's not as good as that mysterious S-rank you mentioned, but it's more than enough to be rated A-rank. How about it? Not bad, right?"

Hibari nodded immediately upon hearing this.

If it was free, he'd be a fool not to take it. He was currently lacking ways to improve his strength, so he wouldn't turn anything down. Never mind a composite ninjutsu; even if it were a C-rank he'd never seen, he would swallow it up.

"Fine, I'll take a loss and trade this S-rank for your A-rank," Hibari nodded solemnly.

This made Sarutobi Hiruzen laugh in frustration.

Good grief, this is an A-rank composite ninjutsu I created and verified with my own two hands! And you think you're taking a loss by trading it for an S-rank theory you've only talked about? It's clearly me who's losing out!

What if your thing doesn't work, and the power isn't as great as imagined? Or worse, what if it's just empty talk and can't be realized at all? Wouldn't I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, be left with nothing?

This is only because our two families have a good relationship, and I have a good personal friendship with you, kid, that I'm teaching you. If anyone else said that, I would have blasted them out already!

But despite his annoyance, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't take it to heart. He knew this was just how Hibari was. In fact, even if he didn't have anything to trade, as long as he asked, Hibari would likely have shared that theory anyway.

Hibari naturally knew that he was the one taking advantage here, trading a nonexistent "S-rank" for a real "A-rank."

After finalizing this "friendship deal," Hibari didn't hold back and began explaining his theory to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Since I dare to call this composite ninjutsu S-rank, it's definitely not simple," Hibari lowered his voice. "Most ninjas don't have enough chakra natures, and even I can't use it, because it involves four: Wind, Lightning, Water, and Fire."

He paused, and without waiting for Sarutobi Hiruzen to respond, he continued:

"First, you have to use Lightning and Water chakra to make them react, just like before. Then, use Wind chakra to wrap around the gathered 'energy' and launch it. Finally, use Fire... to ignite it and detonate the entire technique."

Of course, these were just the basics. Seeing that it would still take a while for Sarutobi Sasuke to finish setting the traps, Hibari simply broke it down and explained the principles to Sarutobi Hiruzen from start to finish.

It took a great deal of effort, but he finally managed to make this "little monkey" understand about seventy or eighty percent of it.

As soon as the explanation ended, Sarutobi Hiruzen's impatient nature took over, and he wanted to try it on the spot. He formed seals with his left hand, and several water orbs floated shakily in mid-air, while a spark of lightning crackled on his right hand.

Hibari saw this and was so startled he reached out to pin his arm down.

"Stop, stop, stop! Hiruzen, aren't you being a bit too impatient?" Hibari glared. "This thing is complex and dangerous. If you mess around with it here and it explodes, all three of us will be in trouble!

That's the light version; if you mess up the mission, do you think the Second Lord will spare you when we get back?"

Stopped by him, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally snapped out of his excitement over the ninjutsu concept and scratched his head with a sheepish laugh.

"My mistake, purely a mistake," he said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I didn't expect I could make such a low-level error. It seems my training isn't up to par; I'll have to practice more when I get back."

"As long as you know," Hibari let go and nodded. "Go find an empty spot by yourself and study it slowly. Be careful! If you really manage to pull it off, don't forget what you said—the credit has to go to me!"

In truth, Hibari knew perfectly well that with Sarutobi Hiruzen's brain, turning this "theoretical" thing into reality wouldn't be a problem at all.

His theory itself was sound; it was just a matter of making minor adjustments during practice. Perhaps in a while, this kid would really be able to whip up a "little firecracker," and that would be truly impressive.

With the instructions finished, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't hesitate and cleared his throat to speak.

"The 'Fire Style: Earth-Flame Bullet' I'm going to teach you isn't as convoluted as yours," he gestured. "Simply put, it's combining the Fire Dragon Bullet and the Earth Dragon Bullet, then blasting them out. It's an area-of-effect move..."

After a long-winded explanation, he concluded: "The key 'trick' here, or rather the 'ignition' point, lies in how you ignite the 'earth'.

The logic isn't complicated. Just like Fire Style: Flame Bullet, you mix in the 'oil' refined from chakra. It's best if the Earth Dragon Bullet is fully saturated. Once the Fire Dragon Bullet touches it, boy, the power just skyrockets!"

"How big of a commotion can it make?" Hibari asked curiously.

"The Fire Dragon Bullet explodes fiercely, and the Earth Dragon Bullet has plenty of impact. Put them together, and you get both an explosion and a collision," Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed out his chest, looking proud. "As for the power, it depends on the user. If I use it, it's at least equal to five Flame Bullets. The range is more than enough; leveling a training ground is easy."

"Sounds practical," Hibari agreed. "Especially when you're outnumbered; it's a great tool for clearing the field."

"You bet!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's tail was almost wagging in the air. "Don't you know who came up with this technique? Could it be anything less than top-tier?"

Hibari wanted to chat a bit more about the insights of creating ninjutsu, but Sarutobi Sasuke, who had been busy with the traps, finally finished and walked over, clapping his hands.

"Alright, we're on a mission, keep it down," he interrupted. "If you really want to discuss this, wait until we're back in the village. You two can hold a meeting and study it as much as you want, but not now."

He paused and then arranged: "Everything that needs to be set is set. Let's find a nearby spot to hide, observe the situation, and see if any 'guests' show up. By the way, be prepared to welcome Lord Hokage."

They say being a ninja on a mission sounds impressive, but the actual experience was boring and grueling. Hibari, executing his first mission, was now experiencing this deeply.

The traps were set, but they couldn't just stand there waiting for someone to step on them; that would be too stupid. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't fall for it. So, after finishing the work, the three of them found a small hill with a good view and hid in the woods.

Lurking and hiding required silence, which meant ninjas had to hunker down and wait patiently. Their mission was to wait for the enemy to appear and act accordingly, or wait for the Hokage of Konoha—Lord Senju Hashirama—to arrive.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sarutobi Sasuke, as veterans, were long accustomed to this kind of waiting, perhaps even numb to it. But for Hibari, it was his first time. Being forced to stay in one place without moving made him feel incredibly restless, as if he were being scratched by a cat.

Hibari shifted his numb legs and whispered to Sarutobi Sasuke, who was not far away: "Grandpa Sasuke, it's been two days already. How much longer do we have to wait? Should I sneak ahead to take a look, or slip into the valley to see what's going on with the Seven-Tails Chomei?

If Lord Hokage arrives and that guy has already run off, wouldn't we have done all this for nothing..."

Sarutobi Sasuke, lying in the grass, chuckled at this. He squinted at his surroundings before slowly replying: "What? Can't take it after just two days? Kid, your ninja mindset hasn't been trained well enough yet."