Summer vacation had begun.
Shinsei holed up at home, reading the chakra training notes his father had gotten from who knew where. There were no ninjutsu, just a jumble of reflections and insights, including changes in water release nature and form.
There were also some notes on lightning release nature transformation, but unfortunately, none of them formed a coherent system.
Shinsei opened the water release ninjutsu scroll again. It contained two advanced ninjutsu.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave
Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave
He could already perform Water Release: Water Severing Wave, but he still lacked enough chakra for the latter.
Ever since he had cultivated qi two years ago, his chakra reserves had been growing steadily. By now, he estimated he could perform an ordinary A-rank ninjutsu three or four times, but water release ninjutsu had always consumed enormous amounts of chakra, especially when used somewhere without water.
The qi in his body had now opened his conception and governing vessels, gradually improving his physique. His grandfather had previously estimated that his eventual chakra reserves would be around jonin level. Now, they might reach elite jonin level.
Of course, someone like Kakashi did not count.
He also wondered whether reaching Foundation Establishment would increase his chakra reserves. In his previous life, his physique had improved considerably after Foundation Establishment, though it had been damn near useless in that Dharma-ending environment. Still, in this world with natural energy, it was worth looking forward to.
As for lightning release, few people in Konoha trained in it. The most famous was Kakashi. An even more formidable lightning release practitioner, Kakashi's father, Konoha's White Fang, was already dead.
Most powerful lightning release practitioners were in Kumogakure, especially with the Raikage's exclusive Lightning Release Chakra Mode. He really coveted that. It combined offense, defense, and speed. With Lightning Release Chakra Mode and a sage art, he could even go a few rounds with Madara Uchiha during the Fourth Shinobi World War. Unfortunately, he had no way to get it.
After lunch, Shinsei went to find his grandfather.
The old man and the boy headed toward the mountains behind Konoha.
As Shinsei's chakra reserves grew, their fights caused increasingly large disturbances, so they could only train in remote places.
"Any progress with lightning release?" Looking at his handsome grandson, the old man could not help feeling pleased.
"No." Shinsei shook his head and formed the monkey seal with both hands. Electric sparks emerged from his right hand, covering his entire palm. It looked much like Chidori, but if he struck someone with it, they would probably just get a shock. He still lacked advanced lightning release ninjutsu to guide him. His lightning chakra nature transformation had remained stuck.
"What a shame about White Fang." The old man shook his head. "Most good lightning release ninja are in Kumogakure."
"They have storm release, too." Shinsei felt it was a pity that storm release had emerged among the Kumo ninja.
"Storm release, hmm?" The old man looked thoughtful. "Do you want to develop storm release?"
"Yes." Shinsei nodded. "If I develop storm release, my chakra reserves won't be my bottleneck anymore."
The old man did not mock his grandson for having wild ideas. Of course he understood how difficult developing a kekkei genkai was, but he also knew how clever the boy before him was. His questions often left him speechless. Had he not deliberately kept him from learning earth release, the boy might already have been researching wood release.
But the earlier Uchiha Clan Massacre had only strengthened the old man's conviction that he had done the right thing.
This was no longer the age of the Senju.
A lake was a good place. Both of them knew water release, and using the natural water somewhere with water did not consume much chakra.
Only when fighting his grandfather did Shinsei go all out. He did not have to worry about hurting his opponent or suffering serious injuries himself.
"Here I come!" Standing on the water, Shinsei leaped up and kicked out with his right foot.
The old man could no longer catch it with his hand as he once had. He turned sideways to dodge, reached out to deflect the fierce kick, and applied force to throw his opponent off balance.
The left leg followed close behind. The old man dodged again and punched toward his opponent's lower abdomen with his left fist.
Bang!
Their hands collided. Shinsei used the force to retreat, adjusted his posture in midair, landed steadily on the water, and launched another attack.
The two figures, one large and one small, rapidly crossed paths, the sounds of their bodies colliding continually shaking the water's surface.
Despite their seemingly even exchanges, the old man naturally was not going all out. He was merely helping his grandson build taijutsu experience. A Senju's taijutsu ability was not to be underestimated, even an elderly Senju's.
Shinsei understood this, of course. He was also absorbing the old man's taijutsu experience through their exchanges.
By now, his taijutsu training system had largely taken shape. He had learned all the various movements and techniques; what remained was incorporating them into his own fighting system through combat.
There was no rushing these things. With enough fighting, it would all naturally come together. Every bit of extra training meant a little more composure when a real battle came.
"Watch out!" Shinsei warned.
He formed hand seals, four per second, rapidly completing eight seals.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
A spinning current rose from the lake, forming a dragon that lunged at the old man with fangs bared and claws brandished.
The old man dodged while forming hand seals.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
The lake water rose into a rapidly spinning wall that surrounded the old man. The two enormous currents collided, throwing up spray and churning the lake's surface.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave!
As Shinsei completed the final seal.
A thin, high-speed stream of water shot from Shinsei's mouth, pierced the Water Formation Wall, and struck the rocks behind it. The stream battered the mountainside, carving out a pitch-black cave. Chunks of rock fell into the lake, sending up splashes.
"Grandpa! You lost!" Shinsei had deliberately avoided his grandfather inside the water wall.
"No, you lost!" A large hand landed on Shinsei's shoulder, and the old man's figure appeared behind him.
"A shadow clone?" Shinsei tilted his head. "When you used Water Formation Wall?"
"Yes." The old man laughed heartily.
"Then how do you know I'm not a shadow clone?" Shinsei broke into a smile and turned into a cloud of smoke.
A shuriken fell from the sky and transformed into Shinsei with a bang.
He held a rapidly spinning blade of water in his hand and swung it.
The old man turned sideways to evade it, then suddenly thought of something and slowed down. The water blade swept past the hem of his clothes, shredding the corner of his white kimono.
"You won!" The old man was delighted, yet also felt a sense of loss. "I have nothing left to teach you."
"You could have dodged that just now." Shinsei pouted.
The old man shook his head.
"I'm merely a little older and more experienced. You'll naturally gain those things yourself in time."
Seeing that the old man was feeling down, Shinsei tugged on his sleeve.
"Then teach me your experience, Grandpa!"
"You still need to fight different people. Sparring only with an old man like me won't help you improve much anymore. It'll limit your perspective, too."
"Of course I'll spar with other people, but I still want to spar with you too, Grandpa."
"All right, all right."
The sun slowly sank, stretching their shadows.
The wind rose, stirring Konoha's leaves.