"That's right!"
"You need to give this brand-new ninjutsu a name."
Orochimaru glanced at Shin'un before him. Given his considerable talent, Orochimaru patiently began to explain.
"The original Lightning Release: Lightning Wall was a C-rank defensive ninjutsu. But after your modifications, its hand seals, chakra flow, effects, range, and power all differ from the original."
"By my assessment, it has gone from a C-rank defensive Lightning Release ninjutsu to an A-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu combining defense and offense."
"These absolutely qualify as two entirely different ninjutsu. Of course you can name it."
After speaking, Orochimaru casually turned his head and saw Yūichi lying in his former spot. His eyes immediately narrowed.
"A-rank? My modified ninjutsu reaches A-rank difficulty?"
Noticing the change in difficulty Orochimaru had mentioned, Shin'un raised his eyebrows and looked at him.
Rather than answer Shin'un immediately, Orochimaru walked over to Yūichi, who was lying in his spot, and stared at him with an icy gaze.
After sensing the chill of Orochimaru's stare, Yūichi jolted awake and scrambled away on all fours. Orochimaru took a deep breath and picked up the tome that Yūichi had bent beneath him in his sleep.
As he smoothed out the bent pages, he answered Shin'un's question.
"Of course. My judgment is never wrong. Its difficulty fully qualifies as A-rank."
"In that ninjutsu just now, I saw those currents merge and intertwine perfectly, forming an almost transparent dome of lightning for defense. Do you think that's easy?"
"Of the five chakra natures, Fire Style is the most explosive, while Lightning Release is the most chaotic and difficult to control. Controlling the most unruly Lightning Release to that extent certainly deserves an A-rank difficulty rating."
Thinking over Orochimaru's words, Shin'un finally realized that his modifications had sent the difficulty of mastering the ninjutsu soaring. A higher difficulty rating was hardly surprising.
"Give it a name?" Shin'un understood. He did indeed need a name to distinguish his modified ninjutsu from the original Lightning Release: Lightning Ring Wall.
"Hmm... the biggest difference between the original and the modified version is the added lightning ring that delivers a second-stage paralyzing attack, so..."
Turning to Shiina Kō beside him, Shin'un asked, "Lightning Release: Lightning Ring Wall. What do you think of that name?"
Seeing that Shin'un was seriously asking for an opinion, Shiina Kō very much wanted to say that naming a new ninjutsu was not something Kō had any experience with.
However, looking into Shin'un's sincere eyes, Shiina Kō ultimately gave it some proper thought before answering him.
"It should be pretty good..."
Hearing their exchange, Orochimaru seemed uncomfortable with such an utterly uninformative conversation. Or perhaps it was because someone had bent his beloved tome beneath them, and Shin'un noticed that some pages were not merely bent, but damaged as well...
"The name doesn't matter! A simple one is easier to remember, and a complicated one sounds impressive even if people don't understand it. It makes no difference, so long as the important part, the difficulty rating, is accurate."
After speaking, Orochimaru set aside the tome he was straightening, shot Yūichi a discreet glare, and gathered Shin'un and the others around him.
He glanced up at the sky. Through the dark clouds covering it, he could faintly see that the sun had reached its highest point.
"It's noon. I'm very satisfied with the results of this test. All three of you are talented shinobi who grasp things with just a hint, so I won't be kicking anyone off the team."
Before Shin'un could react, Shiina Kō eagerly asked a follow-up question.
"Do you mean we can all stay as your students?"
Faced with such a pointless question, Orochimaru could not be bothered to turn his head. He merely directed his gaze toward the excited Shiina Kō.
Under Orochimaru's uniquely chilling gaze, Shiina Kō immediately sobered up and realized that the question posed to their teacher already had an answer.
Once he saw that Shiina Kō understood the mistake, Orochimaru finally looked away.
"Don't make me repeat the same meaningless words... understood?"
"Understood..." Shiina Kō replied quietly.
Glancing at Shiina Kō's bowed head, Orochimaru returned to his earlier topic.
"We're at war now, so I may not teach you in person very often. Much of the time, you'll need to train on your own, but I'll draw up a training plan for each of you and provide the materials and guidance you need."
"In addition, I'll choose a captain from among you three to supervise and manage you in my place when I don't have time."
Before Orochimaru had finished, Yūichi's eyes were already gleaming. The competitive streak rooted deep in his Uchiha blood had been stirred, making him want to compete for the position of captain of their three-person squad.
"Sensei, I..."
"I'll entrust that responsibility to Hirakawa Shin'un!"
As though he had anticipated Yūichi's reaction, Orochimaru handed the duty to Shin'un just before Yūichi could raise his hand and speak.
At once, Shin'un solemnly accepted the responsibility, Shiina Kō applauded happily, and Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction. Uchiha Yūichi seemed to be the only one hurt.
"Why does it feel like he's targeting me..."
Though dejected, Yūichi still accepted Hirakawa Shin'un as their captain. With a woeful expression, he joined Shiina Kō in applauding Shin'un.
Secretly taking in Yūichi's reaction, Orochimaru felt his frustration over the deformation of his borrowed tome ease somewhat. He continued:
"Shin'un-kun, I'll entrust this duty to you."
"Ordinarily, you must supervise your teammates as they complete the training plans I set. When I'm not around, you'll have to shoulder command of all three members of the squad and lead your teammates out of danger."
"Remember, no matter when, as long as a shinobi remains calm and rational, thinks carefully, and observes everything around them, they can always achieve their goals."
After speaking, Orochimaru looked at Shiina Kō and Yūichi on either side of Shin'un, his tone solemn.
"Not just Shin'un. I hope all three of you remember those words. This is the first thing I am teaching you as your teacher."
"Yes!" ×3
Watching the three children, who barely reached his waist, solemnly acknowledge his words, Orochimaru said nothing and merely nodded.
"It's getting late. Head back to camp. It should already be mealtime. Children need to eat more."
"Shin'un, come see me tomorrow to collect your training schedules."
With that, Orochimaru departed using the Body Flicker Technique.
Shin'un and the others had no desire to linger and admire the scenery in the gloomy forest either. Feeling the hunger in their stomachs, they headed toward the Konoha camp.