Chapter 175. Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Personal Ninjutsu

Chapter 175 - 175. Hiruzen Sarutobi's Personal NinjutsuTwo days later, at the entrance of Konoha Village. "We're finally back!" Kurenai Yuhi looked at the familiar surroundings and couldn't help but sigh. No matter how good the outside world is, it can't compare to home—especially since the Land of Water and the Land of Rivers are far inferior to the Land of Fire. "Do we need to register this time?" Rin Nohara glanced at the dense crowd of ninjas behind them and couldn't help but ask. "No need." Tsunade waved her hand. They were returning victorious. Registration wouldn't be necessary, and Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't have anything to say about it. "Lady Tsunade!" At that moment, a series of voices rang out. Tsunade glanced over, feeling a bit troubled. It was a group of ninjas who had come to greet her, led by none other than Hiashi Hyuga. Many members of the Hyuga clan had participated in this battle, so his presence was reasonable. But Tsunade knew his intentions weren't limited to just this. Unable to avoid him, she stepped forward to meet them. In an instant, the entrance to Konoha Village became bustling with activity. "Rin!" A man and a woman suddenly appeared in front of Hanekawa, Rin Nohara, and Kurenai Yuhi. "Dad! Mom!" Rin immediately broke into a happy smile upon seeing them. Hanekawa and Kurenai, already acquainted with her parents, greeted them as well. Ten minutes later, the greetings among nearly 500 ninjas finally ended. "Let's enter the village!" Tsunade raised her arm and commanded. As they entered Konoha Village, they were greeted not only by ninjas but also by ordinary villagers who crowded both sides of the road. "Lady Tsunade!" Cheers of excitement filled the air. Tsunade responded with a smile. "Huh?" Kurenai nudged Hanekawa with her elbow. "I heard your name just now." Hanekawa paused briefly and listened carefully. Soon, he located the source of the voice. A group of people was gathered, waving at him enthusiastically. Scanning the crowd, Hanekawa recognized them as former students from the ninja academy and patients he had treated at Konoha Hospital. Among them was Yūgao Uzuki, who was jumping up and down, excitedly shouting his name. Hanekawa waved at them, causing an even louder cheer to erupt. "Hanekawa is amazing; it seems like so many people already know him," Rin said in awe. In her heart, Hanekawa was always her role model—a strong medical ninja she aspired to become. But as the gap between them grew, her admiration turned into pure reverence. "Indeed," Kurenai said with a bright smile. The more famous Hanekawa became, the happier she felt. Unfortunately, her own reputation didn't measure up. Aside from being known as Tsunade's student, most people probably didn't know her at all. "You two won't be far behind," Hanekawa said with a smile. Judging by the current trajectory, both Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi would undoubtedly become elite jōnin in the future. Under Tsunade and Hanekawa's influence, they had both achieved epic-level growth compared to their original selves. When they reached the Hokage building, the ninjas and villagers who had come to greet them dispersed. "Everyone, you've worked hard. Go straight home!" Tsunade addressed the group of nearly 500 ninjas. "I'll report your rewards to the Hokage!" "Thank you, Lady Tsunade!" The crowd responded in unison before excitedly heading home with their families. They had been eager to return but didn't dare leave without Tsunade's command. "Let's go see the old man," Tsunade said, turning towards the Hokage building. Hanekawa and the others quickly followed. With a loud bang, the door to the Hokage's office was kicked open. Hiruzen Sarutobi had anticipated this and wasn't startled. After all, the cheers earlier had been quite loud. "The welcoming ceremony wasn't my doing," Hiruzen said with a leisurely smile. "It was spontaneous." He had merely informed Hiashi Hyuga of Tsunade's return time. "I'm not here to hold you accountable," Tsunade snorted. She only half-believed Hiruzen's explanation. "Defeating Kirigakure was a tremendous feat for your squad—" Hiruzen began but was interrupted. "There's no need for that talk; let's get straight to the point," Tsunade said, waving her hand. "Your personality hasn't changed at all... Fine, let's discuss the important matters." After a glare from Tsunade, Hiruzen quickly continued, "Regarding rewards, because so many ninjas are involved, it'll take a few days to distribute them." Tsunade nodded slightly, indicating her understanding. With nearly 500 ninjas, rewarding their contributions was a complex matter that couldn't be resolved in a single day. In addition to rewards, there were also compensations for the families of fallen ninjas. Although this was a decisive victory against Kirigakure, many ninjas had still sacrificed their lives. Their funerals and compensation for their families were Konoha Village's responsibility. "Other rewards can wait, but Hanekawa's reward needs to be given now," Tsunade said, glancing at Hanekawa. "Oh? What reward does Hanekawa want?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a smile. Hanekawa was undoubtedly the key figure in defeating Kirigakure. If not for his discovery of Kirigakure's base, the war might have dragged on indefinitely. Moreover, Hanekawa's strength during the battle had greatly surprised Hiruzen. After all, he had single-handedly defeated one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. This feat demonstrated that Hanekawa possessed the capabilities of a jōnin. When Hiruzen considered Hanekawa's age and his connection to the Hokage lineage, he couldn't help but feel elated. As Tsunade's mentor, Hiruzen's reputation would also rise indirectly. However, he cared less about his reputation and more about Konoha's future. "Lord Hokage," Hanekawa said without hesitation, "I'd like to learn composite ninjutsu." "Composite ninjutsu is extremely difficult," Hiruzen said, raising an eyebrow. "You need mastery over multiple chakra natures to even begin learning." Tsunade tossed a scroll to Hiruzen and said, "This details how Hanekawa defeated Kuriare." Hiruzen opened the scroll and quickly showed a look of surprise. Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Although it was only a textual description, with his experience, he could infer the specific battle details. "What a shame," Hiruzen sighed. "If I were twenty years younger, I'd definitely take you as my student." His three students—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru—were undoubtedly strong. However, none of them had inherited his signature techniques, such as the summoning jutsu for Enma the Monkey King or his Five-Element Composite Ninjutsu. This was because they didn't need them. Tsunade was a medical ninja. Jiraiya shifted his focus to Sage Mode after gaining the Mount Myoboku legacy. Orochimaru, despite his unmatched talent, became obsessed with experiments following Nawaki's death and deviated from his original path. Furthermore, all three were summoners of the three great sanctuaries, so they had no use for Enma. Hanekawa, however, seemed like the perfect candidate to inherit Hiruzen's legacy. "No way!" Tsunade immediately rejected. "Even if you were twenty years younger, Hanekawa would still be my student!" "I was just thinking about it," Hiruzen coughed awkwardly. "I didn't actually plan to take him as a student." "Don't even think about it!" Tsunade said firmly. "You really do favor this student," Hiruzen remarked with a smile. "Stop talking nonsense and hand it over already!" Tsunade snapped, feeling a bit flustered, as if he had hit the nail on the head. Hiruzen shook his head, dismissing the thought, and took out two scrolls. "Thank you, Hokage-sama," Hanekawa said, stepping forward to receive the scrolls. "Composite ninjutsu isn't just about combining two or more jutsu," Hiruzen explained with a smile. "It requires careful balancing of chakra natures. If you encounter any issues while learning, feel free to come to me." "Yes," Hanekawa replied with a nod. To him, composite ninjutsu seemed like a simplified version of Kekkei Genkai. Kekkei Genkai involved the complete fusion of two chakra natures to create a new one. Composite ninjutsu, on the other hand, merely used one chakra nature to enhance another, such as wind augmenting fire. The advantage of composite ninjutsu was its relative simplicity and the ability to combine multiple chakra natures. The fusion of three chakra natures, known as Kekkei Tota, was exceedingly rare. The only known example in the original story was Onoki's Dust Release. Anything beyond that was practically unheard of, highlighting the immense difficulty. However, composite ninjutsu could incorporate not just three but all five chakra natures. For instance, Hiruzen's Five-Element Great Bullet Technique far surpassed ordinary Kekkei Genkai in power. "Why only two?" Tsunade asked with dissatisfaction. Hiruzen chuckled helplessly. He was starting to feel like his role as a teacher was being overshadowed. "Tsunade, two composite ninjutsu are enough to keep him busy for a long time," Hiruzen explained. "Once he masters them, he can come back for more." For a genius like Hanekawa, Hiruzen was always lenient—especially since this genius belonged to the Hokage lineage. He was free to learn as much as he wanted. Just like Minato Namikaze, who had the qualifications to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique and was allowed to study it ahead of schedule. "Thank you, Lord Hokage," Hanekawa said quickly. He couldn't deny that Hiruzen Sarutobi had been quite generous toward him. Of course, he understood the primary reason—his identity as Tsunade's student and being part of the Hokage lineage made him one of their own. If he were an Uchiha, the treatment might not have been as favorable. "All right, that's settled," Tsunade nodded, then asked, "Anything else?" "Not for now," Hiruzen said before adding, "If Iwagakure shows any unusual movements, you'll need to support Minato at that time." "Just let me know," Tsunade said without hesitation. With Jiraiya away and Orochimaru dealing with Kumogakure, the responsibility for Iwagakure naturally fell to her. Fortunately, with someone like Minato, who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique, it wouldn't be a particularly tough battle. "You've all worked hard these past two weeks. Go and rest," Hiruzen said with a smile. "Understood," Tsunade replied and turned to leave. Hanekawa, Kurenai Yuhi, and Rin Nohara bowed to Hiruzen before following Tsunade. Unlike Tsunade, they were juniors and didn't dare to act impolitely. "All right, you don't need to follow me anymore. Take two days off," Tsunade said, stopping at the entrance of the Hokage building. "Yes," the three answered in unison. Hanekawa also didn't linger and returned home with Kurenai. "You're back?" Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinku, asked while cleaning the house. He had returned to the village earlier but didn't go to see Hiruzen, so he arrived home ahead of them. The house had been empty for two weeks and had gathered some dust. "Let us help!" Kurenai quickly grabbed two brooms, handing one to Hanekawa. The three of them spent half an hour cleaning the living room and bedrooms. After finishing, Hanekawa sat on the sofa and took out the two scrolls Hiruzen had given him. One was Earth Dragon Flame Flow, an enhanced version of the Earth Dragon Bullet that incorporated Fire Release, turning mud bullets into fire bullets. The other was Lightning Water Dragon Bullet, an upgraded Water Dragon Bullet enhanced with Lightning Release, creating an electrified water dragon. After some thought, Hanekawa decided to learn Lightning Water Dragon Bullet first, as his proficiency in Water and Lightning Release was stronger than in Earth Release. Currently, he hadn't yet obtained the "Earth Release Special Jōnin" skill tag, so his Earth Release techniques were slightly weaker. However, his progress bar was over 70%, so he estimated it would take another month or two to master. As for Wind Release, he hadn't acquired the "Wind Release Special Jōnin" skill tag either, and its progress was slower, just reaching 50%. Hanekawa's slower progress was understandable, given the sheer number of jutsu he was learning. He hadn't yet mastered the Lightning Chakra Mode or Strength of a Hundred Seal, and now he was adding composite ninjutsu to his workload. But that didn't bother him—he was young and had plenty of time. Speaking of time, Hanekawa recalled the timeline of the Third Shinobi War in the original series. After the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were defeated, Kirigakure didn't completely give up. Around the next year, they launched another attack on Konoha, this time with the Three-Tails Jinchūriki. Unfortunately for them, they encountered Madara Uchiha and ended up being controlled. No, wait—the real misfortune fell on Rin Nohara. Hanekawa remembered that Obito Uchiha awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan due to two major events: 1. The Battle of Kannabi Bridge, during which Iwagakure launched a surprise attack on Konoha. Obito was injured and presumed dead but was rescued by Madara Uchiha. Meanwhile, Iwagakure's true objective was Kumogakure, deploying 10,000 ninjas there while sending only 1,000 to Konoha. 2. The incident where Madara controlled Kirigakure ninjas and implanted the Three-Tails into Rin's body. Obito, attempting to rescue her, witnessed her death and awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan in rage, massacring everyone in sight. Hanekawa wasn't sure when exactly these events would take place—likely next year, though it could happen sooner given the altered circumstances. Regardless, he resolved to train and grow stronger in the meantime. This applied not just to him but also to Kurenai and Rin—especially the latter. If Rin could master the Spirit Transformation Technique, even if she were captured, she could use astral projection to notify them. Of course, that would be a worst-case scenario. _ Patreon.com/rashta 1. 320 adv ch of Talent System In Naruto 2. 560 adv ch of Qian Renxue's Younger Brother 3. 270 adv ch of Uchiha Madara's Cousin 4. 163 adv ch of WDQK: Divorcing Ling Qingzhu (Complete) 5. 487 adv ch of This Danzo Is Weird