Anyone who's watched Bleach knows that chanting Kidō greatly boosts its power—and it looks incredibly impressive and stylish.
Seiryū said he wanted to be stylish for once too, to experience what it felt like to be a great poet. He had to maintain that aura, just like the genius persona he always portrayed!
The problem was, he'd already tested it. In the Naruto World, the power of Shakkahō barely changed whether he chanted or not… at least at first.
Seiryū began to suspect that the function of Kidō chanting in this world might be tied to the number of hand seals used—using a longer preparation time to increase the overall power.
A very reasonable hypothesis.
Abandoning the chant would be like the First Hokage clapping his hands and instantly producing whatever he wanted with a single seal. Adding a chant would mean forming more seals to amplify the technique's power.
But the outcome wasn't what he expected.
Seiryū had tested it himself. There was no change in the power of replicated Kidō, whether he used one seal or several.
All it did was make the process more tedious and time-consuming.
Completely counterintuitive!
Hand seals were meant to better channel Chakra within the body. More seals didn't necessarily mean stronger Ninjutsu.
If they could save time, what ninja would willingly spend several—or even over ten—seconds casting a technique?
The faster a Jutsu could be cast, the better. That's just common sense.
So, was there really no connection?
Even though his hand seal experiment failed, Seiryū still firmly believed the chant had a purpose. There had to be a way to amplify Kidō in this world.
He just hadn't found the commonality yet.
He was missing something—a catalyst, a condition, an element.
He needed to find it. He was determined to become that stylish, poetic genius. Not even Jesus could stop him!!
So—
Seiryū stayed up all night, repeatedly pondering what that commonality might be, experimenting constantly. By the time dawn broke, and pale light spilled into the sky, the sleepless Seiryū felt numb.
"If we're talking about ways to enhance Ninjutsu, then the only thing left is Sage Mode. Could the key really lie in that?"
After a full night of intense contemplation, Seiryū naturally came up with his own conjecture.
The chant was meant to boost the power of Kidō. If there was a shared element in this world, the only thing that came to mind was Sage Mode.
When using Sage Mode Chakra to cast Ninjutsu, the power increased dramatically.
Didn't that count as a commonality?
It should!
However, Sage Mode wasn't something a kid his age could access. It was even possible that Jiraiya hadn't mastered it yet...
Seiryū exhaled. "It's not something I can try in the short term. Forget it, I'll set this aside for now…"
The dream of becoming a stylish great poet would have to wait.
He'd have to look for another opportunity. It was a long and difficult journey.
His obsessive-compulsive tendencies were actually quite selective. If he sensed the opportunity and it seemed achievable, he would become obsessive. Otherwise, he wouldn't lose sleep over it.
If it couldn't be done at this stage, he wouldn't force it.
Priorities mattered. Could a living person really be held back by something so minor?
Now that Bakudō could be replicated, a knot in his heart had finally been undone.
Next, he needed to focus on training in swordsmanship to complete the mission: [Learn the Four Basic Techniques of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō.]
His OCD now shifted toward the reward: [Hakuda Talent Enhancement]...
Just then, Shinku who had just woken up, pushed open the door with a yawn. His room faced the backyard, so he spotted Seiryū and was stunned. "You're up this early?"
Then, noticing Seiryū still wearing yesterday's clothes—and they were a bit dirty—he opened his mouth, surprised. "You didn't sleep last night, did you? Were you training the whole time?"
"Good morning, Uncle Shinku," Seiryū greeted, then explained, "Not training. I was just thinking about something, and before I knew it, it was already morning…"
Shinku twitched the corner of his mouth, then reminded him, "Even though you're from the Uzumaki Clan and your stamina is higher than average, you still need to rest when it's time…"
"I know," Seiryū replied.
When you're deeply focused on something, it's easy to lose track of time.
In his previous life, he wouldn't sleep until he won a game and by the time he did, it would already be morning. Same principle.
"It's still early. Go get some rest."
"Okay."
The sky was just starting to brighten, and there was still about an hour before class. Seiryū decided to take a quick nap. With his body, going two or three days without sleep wouldn't be a problem.
But a short nap would be enough to restore the energy he'd lost overnight.
He took a shower, then lay down in bed.
About an hour later, Seiryū woke up refreshed.
He spent half an hour washing up and eating, then headed to the Ninja Academy with Kurenai.
As soon as he arrived and sat down in his seat.
A kid rushed over.
Asuma stood confidently and declared his challenge, "Seiryū, I challenge you! Wait for me during Practical Training Class this afternoon!!"
He hadn't gone anywhere during the entire month-long holiday, dedicating himself to training Ninjutsu with his father. His strength had improved again, and now he wanted to reclaim his pride.
He also wanted to emulate Kakashi and have an unrestricted sparring match with Seiryū.
This time, he might not lose!
But since there was no [ding] in his mind, Seiryū immediately lost interest and waved his hand. "I don't accept. Go find someone else, Asuma."
Wait, there's Practical Training Class on the first day back?
The Ninja Academy really doesn't care if students drop dead, huh?
Seiryū glanced around the classroom and pointed at Kakashi in his seat. "Look, Kakashi is over there. He's free. Go challenge him."
Meaning: he had no time this afternoon, so don't bother him.
Kakashi, in his seat: "???"
Wait, what's with that?
He hadn't even said anything, and suddenly the trouble was being passed to him?
Asuma was stunned too. He hadn't expected Seiryū to refuse. He frowned and tried to provoke him. "What? Are you scared?"
Seiryū didn't take the bait. Only little kids fell for that kind of provocation. He kept waving him off. "Yeah, yeah. I'm scared. I surrender."
Asuma: "…"
This isn't how the script is supposed to go! Isn't a genius supposed to never back down from a challenge?
Or was Seiryū actually scared?
No way. He knew Seiryū was Jiraiya's apprentice, one of the legendary Sannin. There's no chance he got weaker. That could only mean… Seiryū was looking down on him!!
Feeling belittled, Asuma's anger flared. "You looking down on me?!"
Seiryū gave him a sidelong glance. How did he come to that conclusion?
He wasn't looking down on anyone. He just had no motivation without a quest. He shook his head. "How could that be? Am I that kind of person? Obviously not!"
Asuma was annoyed, but he suddenly remembered something and sneered. "The final challenge segment during Practical Training Class this afternoon is mandatory. If you surrender, the score goes to me!"
Now it was Seiryū's turn to be speechless. "…"
What a dumb rule.
If the system gave him a quest, he'd care. But without one, he really didn't feel like doing anything—no motivation at all!
Sigh. Oh well. Looking on the bright side, he could treat it as a chance to hone his combat experience. That was still important.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)