Waiting for the Perfect Moment

Hibari was not afraid of ordinary Water Dragon Bullets; he could block them with an Earth Style technique.

But this Water Dragon Bullet from Second Uncle Tobirama was no joke. Judging by the posture, it was clearly not a casual release, especially with the dragon looming right over his head. It was too late to block it now!

"What kind of grandfather uses a Water Dragon Bullet of this power on his own grandson!!!" Hibari shouted indignantly.

"And what kind of grandson uses Strength of a Hundred to smash his grandfather's head!!!" Tobirama retorted immediately, showing no mercy.

Watching the behemoth crash down, Hibari knew clearly that it was too late to weave signs for a counter-jutsu; only dodging could save him.

However, as a man of the Senju Clan, he had his own pride.

He also understood that if he didn't show something new that would catch his uncle's eye during this test, there would be no chance of learning those "strange and bizarre" ninjutsu by his side.

After dodging this, I have to show my real skills... he muttered to himself.

The next second, just before the water dragon struck, Hibari didn't panic; he vanished from his spot with a Body Flicker Technique.

Immediately after, his figure appeared in the distance where the water splashed.

Seeing Hibari dodge the water dragon cleanly, Tobirama didn't pursue. Instead, he stood with his arms crossed, his tone tinged with arrogance. "It seems that's all you've got.

At your age, it's not bad, but it's only 'not bad.' If you don't have anything else to satisfy me, you brat can go back and train for a few more years!"

Hibari caught his breath, then looked at Tobirama with a serious gaze, saying in a low voice, "Second Uncle, our Senju Clan naturally possesses abundant chakra. You and Uncle Hashirama know that my chakra levels far exceed those of our clansmen..."

Hearing this, Tobirama frowned slightly. Hibari was right. For some reason, ever since the boy was born, he and his elder brother Hashirama had noticed something unusual.

Senju clansmen were born with massive chakra reserves, but this boy clearly exceeded the norm, even reaching more than double that of his peers.

However, there had been such cases before, like his elder brother Hashirama. Even though they were born of the same mother, Hashirama's chakra volume completely crushed his. Thus, Tobirama didn't dig too deep into Hibari's anomaly; after all, having more chakra was always a good thing.

But unlike his brother Hashirama, Hibari had an obvious weakness... though now was not the time to think about that.

"Are you trying to show off?" Tobirama asked in a flat tone. "Even if you have an advantage in chakra volume, that's no reason to be proud, Hibari." He truly didn't understand the intent behind Hibari's words.

"I'm not so conceited as to be smug about something like this, Second Uncle." Hibari looked at Tobirama, his voice dropping further. "I just want to tell you that precisely because I have enough chakra, I can perform some techniques that require an immense amount of it at this age!!!"

As he spoke, his hands were already in motion.

Tiger, Hare, Snake, Horse, Ram, Bird, Tiger, Rat...

Watching the complex hand signs Hibari was weaving, not only Tobirama but even Hashirama, who was watching from afar, wore expressions of surprise.

"This sequence of signs..." Senju Hashirama murmured from a distance, his face filled with shock. "It's Mito's technique..."

Princess Tsunade repeated, confused, "Grandma Mito??"

At the same time, Tobirama recognized what Hibari was doing.

He whispered in astonishment, "This is an A-rank sealing technique..."

Hibari looked at Tobirama's shocked expression and grinned. "That's right, Second Uncle. Since you know I can even undo the seals on the warehouse, you should have guessed I have a knack for sealing techniques, right? So don't be so surprised."

Tobirama stared at Hibari's moving hands, his mind racing. Even though the boy spoke lightly, the long duration of the sign-weaving clearly indicated a complex technique. Sealing techniques were inherently cumbersome, and A-rank ones were even harder; average people couldn't handle them at all.

However, Tobirama had no intention of interrupting; instead, he grew interested, wanting to see if Hibari could actually pull it off.

"Sealing Technique: Adamantine Sealing Chains!!!" Hibari finished the final sign and shouted.

The next second, several chains formed from chakra burst out from behind him, writhed in the air, and lunged straight at Tobirama, clearly intending to tie him up like a rice dumpling.

In the distance, Uncle Hashirama held Tsunade and muttered, "Hibari is quite something, learning the signature ability of the Uzumaki Clan? Mito is the same, teaching him everything."

Come to think of it, Adamantine Sealing Chains were indeed a technique unique to the Uzumaki Clan, relying entirely on formidable vitality and chakra, even capable of suppressing a Tailed Beast. Of course, Hibari was still far from that level; Grandma Mito could use it without hand signs, which was the true pinnacle.

However, the technique was considered "unique" mainly because of its massive requirements. Since the Senju and Uzumaki were relatives, they were quite similar in this regard. Hibari had pestered Grandma Mito until she finally gave in and taught it to him.

Tobirama dodged the chains while still finding the leisure to speak. "At your age, actually pulling off an A-rank sealing technique is indeed surprising. But Hibari, the power of a ninjutsu depends on the user.

Compared to your Grandma Mito, your Adamantine Sealing Chains are far behind. The sign-weaving time is too long; if you really met an enemy, you'd be dead already."

Hibari raised the corner of his mouth, smugly. "Wrong, Second Uncle! It's precisely because it's you that I dared to weave signs so slowly. I already calculated that you would wait for me to finish my move. This isn't you going easy on me; it's my own judgment, don't get that confused!"

That sounded a bit far-fetched, but it wasn't entirely unreasonable. Reading an opponent's mind in battle was a skill in itself, and Hibari hadn't called for a timeout before weaving his signs.

Tobirama snorted. "Just a bit of cleverness. With your current chakra and proficiency, you can't catch me. Pack it up, or this technique will drain your life force!"

The reason Adamantine Sealing Chains were called unique to the Uzumaki Clan was that while ordinary sealing techniques would fail without chakra, these could drain life force to keep going, making them dangerous—most people wouldn't dare use them.

But Hibari didn't listen at all, desperately pushing his chakra as the chains chased Tobirama all over the field.

After a while, Tobirama grew a bit anxious. This was just a test, after all. Hibari had talent; if he burned his life force like a hot-headed youth, it would be a loss for the Senju family. It wasn't worth making a big deal out of it.

"You damn brat!!!" Tobirama cursed in dissatisfaction.

The next second, Tobirama, who had been chased by the chains, flashed and suddenly vanished from the air. Hibari stared intently, his pupils constricting slightly.

"It's the Flying Thunder God!" Hibari's eyes lit up, he whispered.

Before the words had even faded, Tobirama had flashed right beside his arm, perfectly catching his remark. "Good observation." As he spoke, his hand reached onto the Black Layered Armor on Hibari's arm, emitting a faint "click."

"I've got you, you know the consequences, right, Hibari?" Tobirama held his arm, his tone casual.

Though caught, Hibari didn't panic at all. Instead, he asked, "Second Uncle, you placed the formula on my arm the last two times we touched, didn't you?"

"It's an instinctual reaction." Tobirama didn't hide it and admitted it directly.

"Then what if I said this was also part of my calculation?" Hibari tilted his head, looking at Tobirama with a raised corner of his mouth. "Ever since you started worrying about me overusing the Adamantine Sealing Chains, I started planning."

Tobirama clearly paused, but quickly said, "No matter how you calculated it, now that one of your arms is pinned by me, even if you have a backup plan, trying to weave signs is..."

"Not all ninjutsu require hand signs, Second Uncle." Hibari interrupted before he could finish. "It's not that you've pinned me; it's that I... have pinned you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the arm that had been caught suddenly flipped, grabbing Tobirama's arm in return. Now, they had both locked each other.

Immediately after, the clattering gold chains on Hibari vanished without a trace. His other hand, now free, was already raised, and visible chakra was rapidly rotating and gathering in his palm...

Although he was just a fledgling bird of the Senju family that hadn't grown its feathers yet, even a fledgling could peck if cornered!

One had to know, the title of "Fastest Shinobi in the World" for Second Uncle Tobirama wasn't just for show. Given Hibari's current speed, if Tobirama hadn't been willing to get close, Hibari wouldn't have been able to touch even a corner of his clothes.

So, all that previous effort, the Adamantine Sealing Chains chasing him around, was actually Hibari acting. He was waiting, waiting for the perfect moment to "trick" his uncle into coming right to him.

There was nothing despicable about it. The test hadn't ended; Second Uncle Tobirama was the opponent. When dealing with an enemy, winning was the only truth—the means didn't matter.

Besides, without playing a little clever, how could he, with his limited skills, scrape even a shred of a chance of victory from a master like Tobirama?

Hibari knew clearly: to gain his uncle's approval, he had to show something real. A-rank Sealing Technique: Adamantine Sealing Chains? It looked impressive, but it was ultimately the family technique of the Uzumaki, not his own.

And what kind of man was his uncle? He was a hardened man who spent his days pondering new ninjutsu and creating a pile of strange, bizarre techniques.

Therefore, Hibari felt that to make his uncle look at him with respect, he didn't necessarily need overwhelming strength—with his age and experience, dreaming of fighting Tobirama for three hundred rounds was pure fantasy.

In this test, the other hidden "bonus" was undoubtedly "innovation." If he could bring out a brand-new ninjutsu that no one had ever seen, the effect would definitely be different.

There was no need to think twice. At this point in time, no one had ever seen the "Rasengan," a technique that required no hand signs. This was the "scoring weapon" Hibari had prepared.

Of course, if he had plenty of time, Hibari might have been able to come up with some new tricks on his own. But he was in a hurry to learn from his uncle and couldn't wait; furthermore, he genuinely liked the Rasengan and found it practical.

Don't let the current peace fool you; Uncle Hashirama had only just returned from the Five Kage Summit with Tobirama this morning.

But beneath the surface of the ninja world, there were many undercurrents; the next war could arrive at any moment. On the battlefield, swords had no eyes, and if he wanted to survive, he had to desperately improve his strength.

Therefore, mastering a powerful, no-sign ninjutsu like the Rasengan, even a minute early, was a win.

Survival was paramount. He couldn't just hold back and refuse to use it out of respect for the future Fourth Hokage's invention; that would make him a fool! It was questionable whether he would even live to see the Fourth Hokage's era!

Because of this, the "thick-skinned" Hibari didn't hesitate to start working on the Rasengan.

Fortunately, his talent was indeed good, and he mastered it in no time. Effectively, he had snatched the title of "Rasengan Developer" from the future Fourth Hokage ahead of time.

Thinking about it, he felt a little sorry for that guy, but... he would make it up to him properly if there was a chance in the future.