I was wrong.
Kakashi had always known Souma was inventive, but he underestimated something far worse—
The boy's chakra control was monstrous.
Wrong seals?
No backlash.
Random experimental jutsu attempts?
No damage.
He just kept brute-forcing adjustments until the technique bent to his will.
Had Kakashi known beforehand, he would've absolutely used his Sharingan to record everything.
He took a deep breath, forcing down the chaos in his mind.
"…In terms of practicality, pairing a barrier technique with a chakra-based weapon is more efficient."
"Only if you actually have chakra weapons. Otherwise the effect is mediocre. For me, integrating it directly into the technique is better; for normal shinobi, just stabbing someone is probably more effective."
Souma wasn't trying to be difficult—he understood the logic.
But chakra weapons weren't something you bought by simply throwing money at a shop.
If he had a legitimate source for a chakra blade, he would've been saving up long ago.
Kakashi thought about it and found himself unable to argue.
True enough.
If such tools were easy to obtain, he would have reforged White Fang's tanto ages ago.
"Sigh… merging them is still difficult," Souma muttered.
Chakra scalpels didn't require many seals—but Barrier Release did, several of them.
To merge the two, he'd need supporting hand signs as well.
The resulting sequence would be a nightmare.
Even if he succeeded, it would be useless in real combat.
Unless you were Kakashi or Zabuza, no one was going to politely allow you to weave twenty or thirty seals.
If Souma's opponent tried that nonsense…
He'd smash them with a Rasengan before the second seal.
Surely that's more efficient than a fancy technique?
He sighed, picking his book back up.
Absorption barriers would require more development.
Ninjutsu creation wasn't a straight path—and he wasn't in a hurry.
Chakra absorption wasn't useful unless fighting extremely strong enemies.
But…
A barrier absorbing chakra paired with sealing techniques?
There was potential.
He read a few more lines, then glanced sideways at Kakashi—and at Kasumi on the tree branch above.
"Sensei," Souma asked quietly, "there's something I've been curious about."
"Hm?"
Kakashi was reading as usual.
Tenten fiddled with her kunai, half listening while watching the two with bright interest.
Souma shifted positions.
"I clearly remember the first time we met on the street. You were reading the same kind of book you're holding now. Back then, you actually looked embarrassed—closed it immediately."
"…"
Kakashi lowered the book and stared at him.
He had a very bad feeling.
Souma continued in a whisper:
"But now look at you. Two girls right next to you, one directly above your head… and you're reading it out in the open. How did you train that level of shameless composure?"
"Sensei, what kind of book are you reading?"
Tenten leaned over, curious.
She tried to peek at the cover.
Kakashi didn't even twitch.
"Have you heard of Lord Jiraiya?"
"Huh? Of course. One of the Legendary Sannin!"
Tenten nodded vigorously.
"This book," Kakashi raised it slightly, "was written by Lord Jiraiya himself."
"Can I see?!"
Tenten's eyes sparkled.
A book written by one of the Legendary Sannin?
It had to be profound!
Kakashi remained silent.
Souma's question he could ignore—but he definitely heard the implication.
He snapped the book shut with a sharp thwap.
"…Break time's over. Time to move. The earlier we reach Kyoto, the earlier we meet the client."
"Ehhh~? That was the worst subject change I've ever heard," Tenten muttered.
Souma smiled but didn't comment.
It wasn't that he wanted to expose Kakashi, but the man had grown… bold.
From the shy, embarrassed jōnin he'd met two years ago—to someone reading that book with two girls present.
Was he not worried about his image?
Especially Kasumi, perched on the tree—her viewing angle probably gave her a perfect look at the book's contents.
Kakashi said nothing.
Even with only three children present, two of them were girls.
If—when—they eventually learned what Icha Icha Paradise truly was…
His reputation might not survive.
Tenten was sharp.
Kakashi wasn't petty.
So why not let her see?
Only one explanation—
The book was suspicious.
She secretly memorized the title.
Icha Icha Paradise.
They eventually reached Kyoto.
At the mission reception point, Kakashi entered the estate alone to report their arrival.
The Sakuraba family were not minor nobles—they required formality.
The moment Kakashi was out of earshot, Tenten whispered urgently:
"Souma! Do you know what book Kakashi-sensei was reading?"
Souma blinked.
Even though Kakashi still read whenever possible, he was being extra careful about hiding the cover.
How sharp was Tenten's eyesight?
"Icha Icha Paradise. Ever heard of it?"
She looked at both Souma and Kasumi.
Kasumi said nothing—but the tips of her ears were noticeably red.
Souma chuckled.
"I have no idea. But if it's written by one of the Legendary Sannin, I'm sure it's… impressive."
"Suspicious! Very suspicious!"
Tenten narrowed her eyes at him.
She knew Souma too well.
He never asked pointless questions.
If he brought this up, he definitely had an agenda.
"Suspicious or not, I really don't know."
Souma shrugged.
Tenten pouted, but let it drop.
Souma clearly knew more but didn't want to say—and prying would just make things awkward.
Fine. Subject change.
"Right, Souma… do you think I should start practicing actual ninjutsu?"
"Hm? Why the sudden interest? You like tools and taijutsu."
Tenten sighed.
"I do. But our team… is missing someone good with ninjutsu. It limits us sometimes."
Souma paused.
He hadn't expected that.
She really was still Tenten—
Always thinking about her team first, not herself.
He thought for a long moment.
"Pure weapon combat does have limits. But your time and energy are finite. You'd need to plan carefully."
"I know," she nodded, eyes serious. "But with your abilities, if I learn a few ninjutsu, our team could pull off far more combinations."
She added:
"For example: Earth Release: Earth Prison Hall. You can't use the nature transformation part, so you can't perform the full technique. But if I provided the natural transformation, wouldn't that work?"
She must've been thinking about this all afternoon—her reasoning was sharp.
Souma nodded.
True.
A ninjutsu-capable teammate would greatly expand their tactical flexibility.
But…
"If you're only considering ninjutsu to compensate for me, then it's unnecessary. I know many methods. Even if barrier absorption doesn't fit my current style, I have other tools."
He pulled out eight seal tags.
Kasumi stared.
She didn't recognize them.
Tenten, however, went stiff.
"…Binding Formation Seals?"
Souma nodded.
"Sealing and barrier arts have enormous room for development. Honestly, I suspect the reason I can't learn nature transformation or genjutsu isn't a shortcoming—it might be the Sage of Six Paths nudging me toward fields no one else pays attention to."
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