In the blink of an eye.
It was already December.
There was less than a week left before the Chunin Exams began.
At this moment.
At Training Ground Three near the Forest of Death.
"Buzz buzz buzz! Boom boom boom!!"
The surging wind pressure swept through all directions, and the terrifying clustered storm tore through everything in the field, releasing tremendous power.
The hurricane it stirred up uprooted the surrounding trees.
A thunderous explosion rang out, and a powerful shockwave spread outward.
Amid the dust-covered ground, a massive crater dozens of meters wide appeared...
At an open space not far away.
Looking at the destruction over there, Minato exclaimed, "Such powerful force, it looks like it's finished, the perfect Rasenshuriken!"
Seiryū was also very satisfied with the destruction he had caused, and smiled. "It can be thrown now, and the side effects of the Rasenshuriken have been overcome. It's truly been completely perfected!"
After a period of research.
Seiryū had also developed the Rasenshuriken.
And today, he had completely perfected this S-rank ninjutsu.
Allowing it to be thrown.
Previously, the Rasenshuriken used by Naruto from that other timeline had not been fully perfected.
It could only be used for close-range attacks.
Only after Naruto learned Sage Mode was the Rasenshuriken truly perfected.
Of course.
That did not mean only learning senjutsu could perfect the Rasenshuriken.
By the later stages.
Even without entering Sage Mode, Naruto could still throw the Rasenshuriken.
As long as it was fully perfected, and one's proficiency was high enough.
Minato said, "The power is indeed very impressive, but it consumes quite a bit of your chakra, doesn't it?"
Seiryū nodded, somewhat helpless. "It can't be helped, I'm still young after all, and my body hasn't fully developed yet. Being able to use it twice is already because my physique is special."
The Rasenshuriken consumed an enormous amount of chakra.
In the original story, even Naruto in Sage Mode could only use it twice with the senjutsu chakra stored in his body.
As time passed.
Seiryū's chakra reserves had already grown considerably, and his physique was special to begin with.
But even now, he could use the Rasenshuriken only twice.
Minato said, "I originally thought that to perfect the Rasenshuriken, you'd need to learn senjutsu and use the special nature of senjutsu chakra to make up for its shortcomings. I didn't expect you to completely solve it in just a few months."
He had naturally already mastered the Rasenshuriken as well.
However, it was not fully perfected yet. He could form it, but he could not throw it.
His original idea had been to use senjutsu chakra to make up for that flaw, but Seiryū had completed the final step today.
"Senjutsu chakra is indeed one possible path, but right now I can't learn it. I can't just keep using a half-finished ninjutsu, can I? I could only keep trying on my own."
At the mention of this, Seiryū felt somewhat helpless.
Learning senjutsu required certain conditions, and reaching a certain level of chakra was a necessary requirement.
Before his chakra met the standard.
Tsunade had explicitly forbidden him from training in senjutsu, and even his cheap Sensei Jiraiya had been warned by Tsunade.
Even if Seiryū wanted to take the risk and try, he had no way to do it!
Unless he took the initiative to undo the Dragon Vein chakra inside the Strength of a Hundred Seal, and use the Dragon Vein chakra containing natural energy to try it.
But the risk was too great!
If it really led to a 'Dragon Vein riot', then the fun would really begin...
Minato smiled. "Tsunade-sama is doing it for your own good. Sensei also said that senjutsu is indeed a risky technique, and it also requires certain conditions. At this stage, you shouldn't take that risk."
Looking at the purple diamond-shaped seal on Seiryū's forehead, he said, "If you feel it's not safe enough, then reinforce it with some other seals."
"I know, I don't want that bad woman smashing my head."
Seiryū touched the purple Strength of a Hundred Seal mark on his forehead. "If anything unusual happens, I'll reinforce it myself."
This thing was basically a time bomb that could go off at any moment.
If he did not deal with it, Seiryū just could not feel at ease.
Fortunately, he himself was also highly skilled in fūinjutsu, so if he noticed any abnormalities in the Dragon Vein chakra inside the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
He could reinforce it himself.
Not dwelling on that any further, Seiryū continued, "By the way, senpai, you've been to Mount Myōboku during this period, right? How was it, do you think senjutsu is difficult?"
He did not know when Minato had mastered senjutsu in the original story.
But here, Minato had already begun training in senjutsu.
"How should I put it? It is somewhat difficult, I guess?"
Minato thought for a moment.
Then said, "But I'm confident I can learn it. It's just that senjutsu doesn't really seem to fit my fighting style, so it probably won't have that much use in actual combat."
Entering Sage Mode took time, and the duration it could be maintained was also limited.
Minato felt that senjutsu did not match his combat style.
It was not that it was useless, of course.
It could be regarded as an extra method, an extra trump card, just in case!
Seiryū: "..."
He felt his senpai was showing off a little.
Other people did not even have a way to learn it, but he had both the qualifications to learn it and the talent to master it.
And yet he was saying it did not suit his fighting style.
Well.
For Minato, that really was the case.
Sage Mode was a trump card for many people, but for Minato, it was just another option.
With Flying Thunder God Technique, he would never be dragged into a drawn-out battle.
As a speed-type shinobi, he valued efficiency. In the time it took to gather senjutsu chakra, he could already have made countless moves...
Seiryū smiled. "You can try speeding up the gathering of senjutsu chakra. Senjutsu is similar to other ninjutsu in that it depends on proficiency. If you can enter Sage Mode in a single thought, it wouldn't delay much at all."
In the original story, the First Hokage could enter Sage Mode just by clapping his hands.
Compared to entering it in a single thought, that was only one extra action.
Perhaps the senjutsu of the three great sacred lands differed somewhat, but in essence, it was still the use of natural energy.
It was true that the First Hokage had his own special qualities, but that did not mean others could not achieve something similar.
Minato himself was a genius!
Minato smiled. "I can try that in the future. If it can really be activated instantly, then it would be quite useful in actual combat, and it could reduce my own chakra consumption."
"Once senpai learns it, you have to tell me the tricks of senjutsu. I really want to learn senjutsu too..."
"Uh, well, that would still require Tsunade-sama's permission..."
"No way, that bad woman warned you too?"
Silence was the best answer.
Seiryū felt a toothache, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "That bad woman..."
Minato shrugged. "Tsunade-sama is also worried that you'll take risks. After all... well, you do have a record."
Seiryū was speechless.
"Oh right, Kushina and I will come cheer for you during the Chunin Exams. This Chunin Exam won't be simple, so don't be careless."
"Of course not, I'm also really looking forward to seeing the performances of the geniuses from the other hidden villages..."
(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.)