第42章 属于知其然不知其所以然

"Good!" Senju Hashirama replied without hesitation, his tone filled with trust. "Then I leave this heavy responsibility to you, Kiyono. You must do your utmost to build me a top-tier intelligence department!"

"Yes! Lord Hokage! I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Yamanaka Kiyono immediately straightened his back and responded loudly.

Finally, Lord Tobirama turned his gaze toward Akimichi Kira. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke: "Kira, our Hokage Building is still lacking a group of reliable guards. Your Akimichi Clan's secret taijutsu is formidable, and you have many capable men in your ranks.

Therefore, I would like to ask you to pull some capable people from your family to be responsible for the safety of the Hokage, so that no blind fools come here to cause trouble."

He paused, then added: "Also, I think that child Torifu is quite excellent and has a bright future. How about... letting him come over to serve as a personal guard for the Hokage? What do you think?"

Akimichi Kira was as clear-headed as a mirror. Their Akimichi Clan didn't have the brains of the Nara Clan, nor could they handle the delicate work of the Yamanaka Clan.

But then again, having real, tangible strength and being able to use it to get close to the edge of power was already an excellent path. Furthermore, with the Nara and Yamanaka families looking out for each other, as long as his own clan didn't act like fools, the Akimichi Clan wouldn't suffer any losses.

So, without a moment's hesitation, he replied in a booming voice: "Borrowing men? That's too formal! If Lord Hokage needs him, it's a massive blessing for that kid.

Rest assured, I'll have Torifu come to report first thing tomorrow morning! From now on, if there's any heavy lifting or errands to run, just put him to work!"

"Good! That's the spirit!" Senju Tobirama laughed heartily.

With that, the first "cake-cutting" in the Hidden Leaf Village was successfully concluded.

A new power structure was established, with the Senju Clan as the lead, the Sarutobi Clan assisting from the sidelines, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio serving as the vital pillars.

As the village continued to develop, new people and new families would naturally emerge, wanting to come in and get a slice of the pie, but that was a matter for the future.

The meeting ended, and it was time for everyone to disperse. Just as they were about to stand up and leave, Senju Tobirama suddenly called out to stop Yamanaka Kiyono. "Kiyono, wait a moment."

Yamanaka Kiyono paused his steps and turned around, a hint of confusion on his face. "Lord Tobirama, is there something else?"

"It's a personal matter, I'd like to consult with you," Tobirama said.

"Consult is too strong a word," Yamanaka Kiyono waved his hand. "Just tell me what it is; if I can help, I will certainly do my best."

Tobirama smiled and stopped beating around the bush. "I do need your help.

I've been working on a sealing jutsu involving the mental and spiritual realms. The general framework is finished, but I'm stuck on a few key points, and it's still lacking something.

Your Yamanaka Clan is the most proficient in mental secret arts and are experts in this field, so I wanted to invite you to take a look together. Perhaps you can provide some different perspectives."

Hearing this, Yamanaka Kiyono didn't find it troublesome at all; instead, his eyes lit up. "The opportunity to participate in a jutsu you are developing is rare. Fine, let's study it together!"

Watching Yamanaka Kiyono follow Lord Tobirama away, Nara Lvxun and Akimichi Kira didn't ask any questions and left the Hokage Building to busy themselves with their own affairs.

The matter of the Ninja Academy enrollment was settled, and the major families calmed down. Over the next two days, the registration site was quite lively, with many parents bringing their children to sign up.

However, the population of the Hidden Leaf Village was limited, and there weren't an overwhelming number of children of the appropriate age, so the school wasn't as bustling as it would be in later years.

Hibari's younger sister, Tsunade, went to school happily on her own. As for Hibari himself, he simply sent his Shadow Clone "Moji" to school, while he stayed home to enjoy the peace and quiet, taking the opportunity to delve into more profound things.

With the students ready, the Ninja Academy officially began classes. It was said that Lord Hokage Hashirama even went to the school in person to give a speech, talking at length about how the "Will of Fire" must be passed down from generation to generation.

Hibari didn't even attend, once again letting "Moji" do the work for him.

Senju Tobirama had been so busy these past few days that he was nowhere to be seen, seemingly having little interest in managing Hibari, as if he had other "concerns" outside.

Early that morning, Hibari sent "Moji" to pick up Tsunade for school as usual, then strolled over to Tobirama's room.

Seeing that the second master wasn't there, he didn't find it strange and very naturally picked up a scroll on "Space-Time" theory to read.

If there was one thing among the myriad of ninjutsu in Tobirama's possession that made Hibari covetous, it was definitely space-time ninjutsu. He dreamed of learning the Flying Thunder God.

But the barrier to entry for this thing was truly high; without a solid theoretical foundation, one couldn't even find the door. Thinking about the next few decades, even the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't master it, so the difficulty was self-evident.

But the more difficult it was, the more excited Hibari became. Recently, he had been burying himself in space-time theory almost every day.

"Jumping from one space to another, folding, leaping... what is all this written here? Can't they explain it more clearly?" Hibari stared at the obscure descriptions on the scroll, feeling a headache coming on.

There were several types of space-time ninjutsu. His own "Substitution Jutsu," which he used for trickery, was the most superficial kind; he knew how to do it, but not why it worked.

Summoning Jutsu also counted, but that was contract-based, relying on blood pacts to establish a fixed channel to "pull" a summoning beast from the other side. If the summoning beast knew the technique, it could use "Reverse Summoning Jutsu" to pull the ninja over.

In short, Summoning Jutsu was a point-to-point fixed transfer, which couldn't compare to the elegance of the Flying Thunder God, which allowed for free movement and could even transfer attacks out of thin air.

So, even though Hibari was quite skilled at Summoning Jutsu, it didn't help him understand the Flying Thunder God at all.

He scratched his head, muttering to himself: What is the second master up to, being so secretive these days? Isn't the business with the Ninja Academy over? Did something else go wrong?

But he also knew that Lord Tobirama managed all the affairs of the village and couldn't revolve around him all day. Thinking this, his slight annoyance dissipated; it was just a bit of idle grumbling.

Since the scroll was confusing, Hibari simply closed the book and tossed it on the table. But this simple action suddenly made him freeze, his eyes fixed on the book for a long time without moving.

After a while, he snapped back to reality, grabbed the book, and flipped through it several times.

He then quickly pulled a sheet of white paper from the table, folded it a few times, and pulled a kunai from his waist. With a "puchi" sound, he decisively stabbed it into the stack of paper—right next to the second master's beloved book.

Hibari didn't care about being scolded now. He stared at the stack of paper and suddenly let out a laugh, which grew louder and louder.

"Hahahaha! So that's it! Space-time... so that's how space-time works!" He laughed, slapping the table.

After laughing, he pulled out the kunai, put it away, and picked up the stack of paper, unfolding it repeatedly. He saw that every sheet had a neat hole in it, with the positions perfectly aligned.

"This space is like this stack of paper, and the Flying Thunder God is like this kunai," Hibari said, his eyes shining as he held the paper. "By 'stabbing' into space like this, you can open countless points... how many points you open depends on how many times the space is folded.

Then, to land at any point, you just need to mark it with the Flying Thunder God formula in advance..."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his mouth stretching to his ears. "In this way, can't you just 'whoosh' over there? That's roughly the principle! But I'll have to wait for the second master to come back and guide me on the specifics."

In Hibari's view, the key to learning the Flying Thunder God was understanding what "space-time" meant. Now that he felt he had finally grasped the method, didn't that mean he had received an entry ticket?

Of course, these were just his conjectures, and he would have to wait for Tobirama to return to verify them.

As it happened, just as Hibari was pondering this, the door creaked open. Lord Tobirama walked in, and when Hibari saw him, he was so happy he jumped off his chair.

"Second Master! You've come at the right time. Can you teach me the Flying Thunder God now?" He rushed in front of Tobirama, his eyes gleaming.

Tobirama was taken aback by the question and then waved his hand. "What nonsense are you talking about? Is the Flying Thunder God something you can learn right now? Master that scroll first; you've only just begun."

After saying this, he didn't give Hibari a chance to reply and directly changed the subject. "It's good that you're here; it saves me from having to look for you. We have a guest today, so hurry up and come greet him."

Interrupted like this, Hibari had to suppress his excitement. After all, with a guest present, it really wasn't the time to discuss ninjutsu secrets. However, he was still curious: what kind of big shot was worth the second master being so formal?

Just as he was thinking, Yamanaka Kiyono walked in with a smile and greeted Hibari, "Little Young Master, it's been a while."

"Lord Kiyono!" Hibari quickly responded with a smile. "What brings you here?"

While organizing the scrolls on the table, Tobirama replied without looking up, "I invited him here to treat your ailment. If all goes well, we can seal that problem of yours today."

As soon as these words were spoken, both Hibari and Yamanaka Kiyono were stunned.

Yamanaka Kiyono reacted first, surprised: "Tobirama, the patient you mentioned... is Little Young Master Hibari?"

"Lord Kiyono, you can just call me Hibari," Hibari quickly waved his hand. "What 'Little Young Master' nonsense, it's too formal."

Tobirama nodded, his tone becoming serious. "That's right, it's this kid. Don't look at him as being as sturdy as a little calf; he has had a hidden ailment. This matter was kept under wraps; besides our own family, only the Sarutobi father and son knew. So..."

"Don't worry, Tobirama," Yamanaka Kiyono immediately understood and replied solemnly. "I will never speak of this to anyone else, as it concerns little Hibari's safety."

He paused, unable to help but sigh: "But I really didn't expect... that Senju Hibari, who is known as a genius in the village, actually has a conflict with water-style chakra, unable to refine it, let alone use Water Release ninjutsu..."

Yamanaka Kiyono shook his head: "It's a pity for that 'Sea Release' skill of yours, Tobirama. No wonder you're so concerned. On one hand, Hibari is your own child, your grandson; on the other hand, I'm afraid you want your beloved grandson to inherit this family specialty, right?"

"Understood." Tobirama didn't waste any more words and beckoned to Hibari: "Come, lie down here and let Kiyono take a closer look. If there are no complications, we can put a 'lock' on that ailment of yours... today."

Hearing this, Hibari immediately threw all thoughts of the Flying Thunder God to the back of his mind. After all, treating his illness was the priority!