Li Anshi stepped forward, unrolled the sealing scroll, formed a hand seal, and slapped his hands down on it.
Poof!
White smoke billowed from the scroll with a muffled sound.
When the smoke cleared, a neat stack of books appeared where the scroll had been.
"Alright, Nawaki."
"These were given to me by your sister. They're your great-granduncle's research notes on the development of the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"I have already completed the final, missing part of the finished jutsu."
"Now, I'm giving all of this to you."
Pat, pat...
He gently patted the top of the books, feeling a little sentimental.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was a powerful supplement for his own weaknesses.
Similarly, it was these materials that had given him a much deeper understanding of "ninjutsu."
It was just like a martial arts manual from the world of Wuxia.
The notes Tobirama Senju had left for his clan detailed everything, from how to first sense the fluctuations of space to how to utilize them.
Previously, because he had cultivated Li Xunhuan's internal energy method, the chakra he refined was more akin to internal energy, different in nature from the chakra refined by the ninjas of this world.
Therefore, he couldn't even use low-level techniques like the Three Basic Jutsu.
But after thoroughly studying and understanding the Flying Thunder God Technique, Li Anshi had grasped the secrets of ninjutsu.
Given enough time, he could even create elemental ninjutsu tailored to his own chakra nature.
However, for him, creating elemental ninjutsu would only enrich his combat methods; it wouldn't effectively increase his strength.
So, he hadn't wasted time creating new techniques. Instead, he had focused on enhancing his internal energy-chakra, allowing it to better strengthen his body and increase his potential.
Then, when the time was right, he would open the bridge between heaven and earth and advance to the "Xiantian realm."
At that point, he would be able to absorb the natural energy of the world and elevate his internal energy-chakra into "senjutsu chakra."
"Nawaki, in my opinion, your great-granduncle Tobirama's talent and ingenuity surpassed even your great-grandfather Hashirama's."
"If you can fully grasp the Flying Thunder God Technique he left behind, then even if you don't ultimately succeed in mastering it, the knowledge you gain from these materials alone will make it easy for you to create your own jutsu."
"Oh?"
Nawaki looked at him in astonishment.
From the day he was born until now, in everyone else's view, his grandfather Hashirama was the strongest.
He was a legendary powerhouse regarded by all ninjas as a "God."
Before Hashirama, the only one revered as a "God" by ninjas was the legendary "Sage of Six Paths."
This showed just how highly the ninja world regarded him.
His great-granduncle Tobirama's strength was also formidable, but it was within a range that other ninjas could comprehend.
The world's evaluation of him was merely "the fastest in the ninja world."
But now, for the first time, Nawaki was hearing someone say that his great-granduncle's talent surpassed his grandfather's.
"Don't look at me like that."
Li Anshi rolled his eyes at him.
It wasn't the first time he had received that kind of look, the kind one gives a fool.
When he had discussed the First and Second Hokage with Tsunade, and had said he felt the Second was more talented than the First, she had given him the exact same look.
At that time, because Tsunade was rather cute, he hadn't been able to resist pinching her cheeks and pulling them for a long time.
With Nawaki, he just wanted to give him a few hard slaps.
But then, considering Nawaki's current physical condition, he abandoned the thought.
He was afraid one slap might kill him.
"Hehe..."
Nawaki gave a silly laugh and averted his gaze.
What a joke. His sense of danger had nearly scared him to death just now.
If he kept staring, he might just find himself in the Pure Land, meeting his grandfathers Hashirama and Tobirama.
"Sensei, I'm just a little curious."
"Why do you think Grandpa Hashirama's talent doesn't compare to Grandpa Tobirama's?"
"Grandpa Hashirama is hailed as the God of Shinobi. Even ten of Grandpa Tobirama couldn't beat him."
"That's right. In terms of strength alone, the First Hokage was more than ten times stronger than the Second."
Li Anshi nodded, agreeing with him.
"However, Nawaki, evaluating a ninja's talent and ingenuity isn't based on strength alone."
"When you mention the First Hokage, everyone knows he was powerful, his Wood Release was invincible, and he was recognized by all as the 'God of Shinobi'."
"But think about it carefully. Besides his strength, what did he leave behind in this world?"
"Moreover, even his Wood Release is classified as a Kekkei Genkai."
"The First's power can also be seen as the power of the Wood Release."
"So, Nawaki, tell me."
"Besides the Wood Release, what other talents did the First Hokage possess?"
"His philosophy of peace?"
"But in that era, he wasn't the only one with a peaceful ideology, was he?"
"Madara Uchiha, the Kage of the other great villages—which of them wasn't a great person with a vision for peace?"
"The reason the First Hokage is considered the greatest is because he was the first to establish a ninja village, ending the turmoil of the Warring States period."
"And he didn't use his invincible strength to conquer the other villages. Instead, he exercised restraint, bringing over a decade of peace to the ninja world."
"Of course, from today's perspective, I hold a negative view of his decision to distribute the Tailed Beasts among the great villages."
"All of the above were brought about by the First's strength and have little to do with his talent or ingenuity."
"The Second Hokage, however, was different."
"Although he was a member of the Senju clan and the First's own younger brother, he didn't awaken the Wood Release or any other Kekkei Genkai."
"And yet, he reached the pinnacle of the ninja world through his own talent and ingenuity alone."
"The forbidden jutsu he created—any one of them, if learned, could greatly increase a person's strength."
"I don't know if you've ever heard this saying."
"'Of the thousands of forbidden jutsu in the ninja world, the Second Hokage created half.'"
"In the ninja world, if you don't know who invented a forbidden jutsu, you can say it was created by the Second Hokage, and you'll be right eighty percent of the time."
"Huh?"
Nawaki was stunned by his words.
He had known that his grandfather Tobirama had created many ninjutsu.
In Konoha's "Scroll of Seals," eighty percent of the forbidden jutsu recorded were his creations.
Each of these jutsu could be seen as one of his experiments.
He did not possess the invincible strength of his elder brother, Hashirama.
But as his brother's younger sibling, he had to stand behind him and support him.
Just as Izuna Uchiha had supported Madara.
In the Warring States period, Izuna was the reason Madara dared to face Hashirama alone.
Similarly, on the Senju side, Tobirama was Hashirama's confidence.
Both brothers believed that even without them, their younger sibling could lead the clan to fight on and protect their people.
Izuna was the first Uchiha after Madara to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
And Tobirama did not have his brother's Wood Release to counter it.
Therefore, to fight against Izuna, he had created one forbidden jutsu after another, relying on them in battle.
In the process, some of the jutsu he created were found to be unsuitable and were abandoned.
That was why many of the forbidden jutsu created by him and recorded in the Scroll of Seals were incomplete.
Or, they still had great potential for development or improvement.
It was just that because these jutsu had not been effective against the Mangekyo Sharingan, he had given up on them.
It was precisely because he had witnessed the Mangekyo's "Susanoo" that he knew that only his brother Hashirama could clash with it head-on and win.
If he were to face the Susanoo, he would be obliterated without a trace.
Therefore, the ninjutsu he created later in his life were rarely powerful offensive techniques, but mostly supplementary ones.
The "Bringer-of-Darkness Technique," which deprived the enemy of their sight, was one such example.
The "Flying Thunder God Technique," which allowed for spatial movement, was another.
After creating it, he had immediately used the "Flying Thunder God Slash" to kill Izuna with a surprise attack, giving the Senju the upper hand in their war against the Uchiha.
And in terms of high-level combat power, Hashirama had completely suppressed Madara.
Even after Madara had transplanted Izuna's eyes, evolving his own to the higher form of the Eternal Mangekyo, he had still been defeated by Hashirama's Wood Release.
It was under these circumstances that Madara had finally been persuaded by him, leading to the rival Uchiha and Senju clans joining hands to establish the village of Konoha.
After that, Tobirama had decided to make the Flying Thunder God Technique his primary combat method, modifying it several times to greatly increase its convenience.
The title "fastest in the ninja world" was not an empty one.
"But..."
Nawaki opened his mouth, wanting to say something to refute Li Anshi's words.
But after thinking for a long time, he really couldn't think of anything in which his grandfather Hashirama surpassed his grandfather Tobirama, other than in strength.
Although Konoha had been founded through the collaboration of Hashirama and Madara, it had always been Tobirama who had managed it.
Hashirama and Madara were more like a deterrent to the other villages.
Counting it all up, besides being a founder of Konoha, Hashirama's contributions to the village simply couldn't compare to Tobirama's.
The integration of the Senju clan into the village, the establishment of the Ninja Academy, and a series of other policies had all proceeded smoothly under his control.
It was only after his sacrifice that the integration of the clans and the reform of the Academy had been put on hold, leading to the current situation in Konoha.
"Don't think too much about it."
Seeing him struggling, Li Anshi smiled.
"Right now, your strength, knowledge, and experience are still far from enough."
"When your strength has increased, when you have seen more of the people and events of this world, and when you understand the patterns of its history, then you will have your own understanding."
"At that time, you can judge for yourself who had the greater talent, the First or the Second."
"Yes, I understand," Nawaki said in a muffled voice.
He was feeling quite vexed.
In his heart, he had always believed that his grandfather Hashirama was the greatest man in the world.
His sister, Grandma Mito, and everyone else in the village all thought so too.
But now, from Sensei Li, he had received a view that conflicted greatly with what he had believed for over a decade.
And the frustrating part was, after careful consideration, he felt that what Sensei Li had said made a lot of sense.
Perhaps, in the future, when he became stronger, had seen more, and had more experience, he would agree with his teacher's view even more than he did now.
"This one, this one, and this one."
Li Anshi picked out three books from the pile and handed them to him.
"These three are the Second Hokage's records, from his first contact with spatial fluctuations to his perception of space."
"Before you learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, you must first finish these three books. At the very least, you must have a certain understanding of spatial power."
"After you've finished them, we will proceed with the training to sense space."
"This..."
Nawaki took the three books, opened the one on top, and after a few glances, felt his head buzzing.
Although he had been the top student of his class at the Academy, his academic courses were not his strong suit.
This book, though just the preliminary material for learning the Flying Thunder God Technique, was not something he could understand.
"Sensei Li, can't you just teach me the technique directly?"
He closed the book, looked up at him, and asked.
Before, when he had taught him the Rasengan, he had broken it down into several steps, allowing him to successfully master it in a short period of time, even without knowing the principle behind it.