"Kid, the Flying Thunder God Technique isn't that easy," Senju Tobirama said. "This is just the foundational theory."
Hearing that, Renya felt like the sky was collapsing.
The dream of effortlessly slicing down enemies like they were nothing had vanished.
He looked at the thick book in his hand with a complicated expression.
Was this technique even necessary to learn?
The low-tier version of the Flying Thunder God Slash he had developed already worked fine.
Senju Tobirama patted Renya on the shoulder and consoled him.
"Study hard. I believe you can learn it."
Renya didn't reply. He returned to his room in a daze.
Looking at the stack of books on his desk, he let out a helpless sigh.
He hated reading the most—especially these kinds of advanced texts that required not only reading, but full comprehension.
Wasn't this just making things hard for people?
Now he finally understood why in the decades to come, only Namikaze Minato ever managed to learn this technique.
This wasn't something a normal person could pull off...
Renya hadn't even started learning yet and was already thinking of giving up.
But when he recalled how powerful the Flying Thunder God was, he found his determination again.
He opened the book on space-time theory and began to read.
But when he got to the table of contents, he was completely dumbfounded.
[Chapter 1: The Fundamental Understanding of Spatial Dimensions]
[Chapter 2: Special Applications of Chakra]
[Chapter 3: Spatial Coordinate Positioning]
[Chapter 4: Dimensional Folding and Traversal]
Renya: "???"
What the hell—is this still the Shinobi World?
How could there be knowledge this complex and profound?!
Wasn't learning ninjutsu just about knowing the hand signs and chakra flow?
Renya stared at the table of contents several times in disbelief, but eventually had to accept reality.
"Tch, so what if it's a little complicated?" Renya scoffed. "I can definitely learn it!"
With that, he earnestly started reading the actual content.
Only to find himself completely bewildered by what he read.
He recognized the characters, but when they were strung together like this, they made no sense at all.
"Maybe I'm opening it wrong."
Renya closed the book and reopened it.
Still incomprehensible...
"I don't believe this!" Renya gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep reading.
If once wasn't enough, then he'd read it twice, three times!
As long as he put in the effort, he'd be able to understand it eventually!
Though he couldn't help but wonder—how on earth did that old man Senju Tobirama even develop the Flying Thunder God Technique in the first place?!
But as he read, Renya gradually closed his eyes.
When he woke up, it was already the next morning.
"I actually studied so hard I fell asleep?" Renya muttered in awe.
This was the first time in years he had studied this seriously.
That sensation of knowledge seeping into his brain—it was addictive.
"Let me see where I left off yesterday."
As he spoke, Renya looked at the page number in the bottom right corner.
"What the hell? Still on the first page?!"
He clearly remembered reading for a long time last night—there's no way he was still on page one!
Must've been the wind messing up the pages.
But it didn't matter—as long as he'd read it, he'd remember.
Thinking that, Renya smiled and flipped to page two.
But when he looked at the content, his smile instantly froze.
"No way... I don't remember any of this."
Renya started doubting himself. Had he really only read the first page?
That couldn't be—he'd read for such a long time...
"Damn it, I must've been hit with a genjutsu!" Renya clenched his fists. "Damn that Uchiha Tanaka!"
It had to be Uchiha Tanaka casting a genjutsu on him back in the office!
Otherwise, how else could he not remember a single thing?!
Deep down he knew he hadn't been caught in a genjutsu—this was just a little lie to comfort himself.
Renya didn't want to admit that he simply couldn't understand the theory...
This crappy feeling was like having a beautiful woman stand naked in front of you, only for you to be a eunuch.
"No, I won't give up!" Renya picked up the book and started reading again.
For a technique this difficult, it was normal not to master it in a short time.
As long as he was willing to work hard, he could still learn it even if it took a few years!
...
From then on, whether he was eating or training, Renya always had a theory book in hand.
Senju Tobirama noticed this and was slightly surprised.
He thought Renya would give up. He hadn't expected such determination.
Maybe… the kid really could learn the Flying Thunder God Technique...
But soon, he dismissed that thought.
Because he noticed that Renya had been stuck reading the same book the entire time. Clearly, he didn't understand it.
Once Senju Tobirama realized this, he gave up hope entirely.
If Renya couldn't even understand the most basic theoretical foundation, how could he possibly learn the Flying Thunder God Technique?
But seeing how seriously Renya was trying, Tobirama didn't have the heart to strike him down. Instead, he praised him for making progress.
That made Renya overjoyed.
To be praised by the creator of the Flying Thunder God Technique meant he must have some talent in time-space ninjutsu!
So Renya became even more motivated.
Sometimes, when Tobirama saw Renya studying so earnestly, he didn't know what to say. He could only sigh helplessly.
If he'd known it would turn out like this, he wouldn't have taught the kid in the first place.
What if, in the future, Renya resented him for leading him down a path he couldn't follow?
...
Time passed day by day.
Even though Senju Tobirama did his best to keep the death of Senju Hashirama a secret…
As time went on, the other nations gradually discovered the truth.
Once it was confirmed that the God of Shinobi was truly dead, the leaders of every village were overjoyed!
If not for Hashirama's deterrence, war would've broken out long ago.
The peace treaty signed at the Five Kage Summit had become nothing but a meaningless scrap of paper after his death.
Treaties were made to be broken, after all.
The four great ninja villages now simultaneously turned their eyes toward the Land of Fire, that juicy piece of meat.
Each country began sending ninja to the borders of the Land of Fire, conducting small-scale military incursions.
———
Hokage Office
Senju Tobirama stared at the documents in his hand, temples throbbing.
"These bastards really think Konoha is a pushover?"
He slammed the file down on the desk and said toward the shadows,
"Summon the clan leaders to the Hokage Office."
It didn't take long before the clan leaders arrived.
Once Tobirama confirmed everyone was present, he said gravely,
"All the nations are continuously dispatching troops to invade the borders of the Land of Fire."
Hearing this, the clan leaders looked grim. The day had finally come.
"Hokage-sama, give the order!"
"Let these bastards see the might of Konoha!"
Tobirama nodded and began outlining the battle plan.
"Ino-Shika-Chō, you'll handle the northeastern battlefield of the Land of Fire."
"Shimura, Sarutobi, Aburame—you take the eastern front."
...
The combat assignments were quickly finalized.
The clan leaders left the Hokage Office in haste, preparing to rally their clansmen and head to their designated battlefields.
Tobirama stood by the window, looking out at the bustling village below.
"Brother... the peace you worked so hard for... is over."