"Practicing ninjutsu..." Thinking back to his fight with Shisui, Xue Ge immediately realized what he meant. "You mean that technique you used to suddenly disappear?"
"The Body Flicker Technique." Shisui wagged a finger and smiled.
Xue Ge froze for a moment, then frowned.
"The Body Flicker Technique... no, that technique can't activate that quickly."
While studying the Three Body Technique, Xue Ge had also looked into the so-called Advanced Three Body Technique-essentially a set of ninjutsu every ANBU member needed to know.
The Body Flicker Technique, the Immobilization Technique, and the Invisibility Technique.
Of the three, Xue Ge considered the Body Flicker Technique the most worthwhile. An opponent of equal strength could easily break free of the Immobilization Technique, while certain sensory ninjutsu could easily render the Invisibility Technique ineffective.
It wasn't as though he had never asked about the Body Flicker Technique, either. According to En, its greatest drawback compared with the Substitution Technique was that most people briefly froze both before and after using it-their nervous systems couldn't adapt to moving at such high speeds.
Though that pause was very short, it was still enough to prove fatal in a fight on a knife's edge.
But when Xue Ge had fought Shisui earlier, Shisui's movements before and after flickering had been utterly fluid, without any discernible pause. Almost as soon as Xue Ge heard him form a hand seal, he had been kicked to the ground.
"I guess I'm just naturally gifted." Shisui shrugged, looking entirely unconcerned. "Maybe I was born suited to the Body Flicker Technique. Yeah, using it feels completely natural to me. There's no discomfort."
"My vision can't quite keep up, though, so I'm still training. Once it can, you'll be facing a Shisui who can flicker nonstop."
Shisui pointed to his eyes, then spread his hands with a smile.
Merely imagining Shisui flickering nonstop made Xue Ge's scalp prickle. Given the Body Flicker Technique's speed, finding a counter was already difficult, and Shisui was a monster who didn't pause at all...
At that moment, Xue Ge had no idea that the boy before him would become known as Body Flicker Shisui in the coming Third Shinobi World War, striking terror into Kirigakure and becoming renowned for his extraordinary mobility, just like Minato Namikaze.
"So, do you want to learn the Body Flicker Technique?" Shisui suddenly asked, watching Xue Ge sink into thought.
Xue Ge snapped out of it, determination shining in his eyes. "Of course."
His fighting style already revolved around speed, and that was the path he had chosen for himself. After learning about many powerful ninjutsu, Xue Ge felt that taking attacks head-on was far less realistic than evading them with mobility.
For now, he still avoided close-range attacks through basic movements like rolling, turning aside, and dodging. If he learned the Body Flicker Technique, he could flicker straight behind an opponent and counterattack, just as Shisui had done earlier.
That would give him far more tactical options.
"Good. Then listen carefully." Shisui smiled, then began explaining the Body Flicker Technique to Xue Ge in detail.
Xue Ge listened intently, nodding from time to time to show he understood. The Body Flicker Technique was no ordinary ninjutsu, and the ANBU members hadn't taught it to him before. Though he didn't know where Shisui had learned it, Shisui himself was a genius in this field. His guidance would undoubtedly spare Xue Ge plenty of wasted effort.
Xue Ge memorized every key point in Shisui's explanation, including the hand seals, how to mobilize chakra, and ways to combine the Body Flicker Technique with other ninjutsu. He planned to find a scroll and write it all down as soon as he got back.
Two hours slipped by before they knew it, leaving Shisui's mouth dry from talking.
"Let's leave it there for today." He leaned against a tree, looking a little sleepy. "If you have time tomorrow, you can come find me in the third-year class. But I've already covered the basics. As for the deeper stuff... I don't think you'd necessarily understand even if I explained it."
Or I might not be able to explain it myself, Shisui added silently.
Sometimes, ordinary people simply couldn't understand a genius's insights. Shisui thought highly of Xue Ge and wanted to befriend a younger boy with such a promising future, but he clearly didn't believe Xue Ge had any exceptional talent for the Body Flicker Technique.
Xue Ge went over Shisui's key points in his mind once more, then nodded.
"Well, it's about time to head back and sleep..." Shisui yawned and scratched his head. "Oh, right. You said earlier that you came here to practice ninjutsu too. Hmm... I got so caught up in explaining mine that I haven't seen yours yet. How about showing me?"
"No problem." Xue Ge nodded, then extended his right arm and opened his hand.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-"
A swirl of blue-green wind began gathering and spinning in Xue Ge's palm, gradually condensing into a sphere.
"..." Shisui's expression suddenly grew grave, all his sleepiness vanishing. His instincts told him that the "ball" before him... was dangerous.
Xue Ge was a little stunned himself. He wasn't particularly proficient with the Rasengan and had expected to need several attempts. He hadn't imagined he would successfully form the sphere on his first try.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Xue Ge didn't have Minato's ability to maintain a Rasengan for several seconds. He felt that if he didn't use it immediately, the thing would explode.
With that in mind, he thrust the Rasengan straight into a nearby tree. With an explosive crack, the Rasengan detonated inside the trunk, snapping the entire tree in half and bringing it crashing down.
Not bad. It wasn't as powerful as Minato's, but... Xue Ge had never expected to develop a Rasengan on Minato's level anyway. This one already had practical value in combat.
Unlike the composed Xue Ge, Shisui, who had never seen a Rasengan before, stared blankly at the tree as it crashed to the ground.
A few seconds later, he whipped his head toward Xue Ge. "That was ninjutsu?"
"Yeah." "The hand seals! Where were the hand seals?!" "It's a ninjutsu that doesn't need hand seals." "A ninjutsu without hand seals..."
Shisui murmured, "I'd only ever heard of something like that. I never imagined I'd suddenly get to see it today."
Xue Ge stared at Shisui through half-lidded eyes. Doesn't seem as remarkable as using the Body Flicker Technique with just one seal.
Shisui finally snapped out of his fascination with the Rasengan's power and asked excitedly, "Could you teach me that ninjutsu?"
Shisui's combat methods and fighting style were extremely similar to Minato's. The Rasengan would undoubtedly suit him very well too.
Xue Ge shook his head regretfully. "I developed this technique with someone else, so I can't teach it to you on my own. But if I see him again, I'll ask him for you."
"I see. That's a shame..." Shisui shook his head regretfully, but didn't try to press the issue. Though he had
just taught Xue Ge the Body Flicker Technique, a technique any ANBU member could learn couldn't compare to a personally developed ninjutsu...
...Wait.
"...Did you just say you developed it with someone else?" Shisui gave Xue Ge a strange look.
Xue Ge thought back. He had proposed the principle behind the Rasengan's rotation, which had become its primary operating mechanism. So that should count as taking part in its development, right?
"Yeah," Xue Ge replied.
"..." The strange look in Shisui's eyes turned to shock.
A child this young was already developing ninjutsu-and one that didn't require hand seals, at that.
This kid was a genius!