The Third Hokage felt rather depressed.
Minato had only researched Flying Thunder God for a few years, yet the Third had studied under Tobirama-sensei himself, even practicing the basics firsthand for over a decade—
and still never managed to learn it.
As for improving or innovating upon it?
That was even more impossible.
Meanwhile, Souma…
He had simply heard of Flying Thunder God and Flying Thunder Formation—
and immediately came up with new ideas.
What was the difference between people?
This was the difference.
At this moment, the Third finally understood the pain Hashirama and Tobirama must have felt watching prodigies rise.
It truly wasn't pleasant.
His emotions were complicated. After a long silence, he sighed.
"…Do you have any other ideas?"
"For example… maybe combining Flying Thunder Formation with barrier techniques?"
Souma said cautiously.
He could tell the Third's mood wasn't great.
"Flying Thunder Formation… and barriers?"
The Third blinked.
What was this kid talking about now?
If he asked directly, wouldn't it make him look like an incompetent 'Ninjutsu Professor'?
He forced himself to think it through.
Very quickly, he understood Souma's intention.
Flying Thunder Formation's range was limited, and each activation consumed effort.
But if combined with a barrier, it could become a continuous, stable teleportation system.
However—
That raised the question: how to make space-time transport precise and efficient?
He was still pondering when—
"We expand the Flying Thunder Formation into a barrier-style network and turn the positioning formula into a corresponding receiving barrier."
"Right!"
The Third suddenly understood.
Tobirama and Minato had designed Flying Thunder God's formula for speed and efficiency in battle.
Flying Thunder Formation, however, wasn't suited for combat at all.
If that was the case—why not make it more complex?
Expand the formula.
Clarify the markers.
Build fixed teleportation points.
It was absolutely feasible.
Souma nodded lightly and opened the Flying Thunder God scroll.
Words filled the entire scroll.
Good.
As expected—completely cryptic.
"Hokage-sama, do you have the Fourth notes?"
"Yes."
The Third opened a cabinet and retrieved a thick notebook.
This was Minato's accumulated notes when learning Flying Thunder God—
a heavy stack.
Souma flipped through a page and immediately understood why almost no one had inherited the technique.
It wasn't notes—
It was an index.
Lists of books to read.
Fields of knowledge required.
Foundational theories needed.
And yet somehow…
the index was still this thick?
Souma's expression was strange.
Luckily, he'd already read many of the books listed; he wouldn't need to start from scratch.
This alone saved a lot of time.
"The Fourth really was a genius to study all this," Souma sighed.
"…"
The Third took a long puff from his pipe, feeling speechless.
Genius?
Minato was a genius, yes.
But he had been exposed to advanced theory since childhood and only mastered Flying Thunder God much later.
And Kushina had helped him greatly.
Meanwhile Souma…
read everything on his own, analyzed it alone, and understood it alone.
Between the two, who was more of a genius?
The Third coughed internally.
"You're done? Put it away and take it home to study."
"No need. I've already memorized the scroll."
"???"
The Third stared, then fell silent for several seconds before nodding and retrieving the Flying Thunder God scroll.
"I'll hold onto Minato's notes for now."
Souma tucked the notebook inside his clothes.
A priceless treasure.
"About the research facility…" Souma began.
"It will be done. But we can't rush—manpower is a problem."
The Third picked up a pen and quickly wrote down three names.
"These are the three shinobi who have mastered Flying Thunder Formation. You can contact them later."
Souma already knew.
Shiranui Genma and the other two.
All three were special jōnin…
Come to think of it, he probably did need a more equal status when interacting with them.
Otherwise, things might feel awkward for everyone.
Souma considered it quietly.
"Hokage-sama, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"All right."
Souma stepped out.
A moment later, he heard a loud thump inside the office.
Probably something falling over.
Ichiraku Ramen
"Yo, Souma! Back already?"
"Yeah, I returned yesterday."
Souma sat at the counter, thinking about his plans.
A research institute…
It was the outcome of all the thinking he'd done last night.
Chakra Needles, medical techniques—those could be developed alongside the Medical Corps.
But kikaichū experiments, giant ant research—those definitely needed independent facilities.
And in the future, he would branch into ninja tools as well.
A research institute was essential.
"I wonder what the Hyūga are thinking. If they keep dragging this out, I'll have to put them at the back of the waiting list."
Souma sighed internally.
The complexity and slowness of noble clan politics…
The Aburame clan had cooperated with him for ages already.
Meanwhile, the Hyūga clan still hadn't given him a definite answer.
Neji was quicker than them—
That kid already had a clear direction.
Souma slurped ramen.
Halfway through, a weak voice sounded beside him.
"One bowl of ramen…"
"Oh? Isn't that Kakashi-sensei? Missing for one day and you already look like this?"
Souma couldn't help laughing.
Kakashi looked like someone who had been beaten by life.
"Ah…"
Kakashi rested his chin on his hand and sighed.
"That kid is… difficult."
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
"…How did you know?!!"
Kakashi was startled.
"Blond hair. Uzumaki. And you asked me about him before. It wasn't hard to guess."
Souma slowed his eating.
Kakashi fell silent.
True—Naruto did resemble the Fourth in some ways.
Naruto didn't know it, but Kakashi couldn't forget.
He sighed heavily.
"I'm struggling with how to teach him. You don't know… his Clone Technique—"
"Taijutsu. Fundamentals."
Souma wiped his mouth.
"Taijutsu?"
"Taijutsu is simple."
Naruto worked hard.
He just had terrible fundamentals and required more patience.
Kakashi thought it over.
Indeed—
Taijutsu was easy to learn, and starting with it would give Naruto early confidence.
Then they could slowly patch up his basics and eventually teach ninjutsu.
Wait.
Naruto hadn't even passed the test yet—
and he was already planning training?
Kakashi shook his head.
He looked back at Souma.
"What about you? What's your status now?"
"Special jōnin. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think it fits. Having an official rank makes everyone feel less pressure."
"…So you do know."
Kakashi nodded.
With Souma's skill, special jōnin was more than appropriate.
His inventions alone were enough to silence the entire village.
"Oh, Kakashi-sensei—interested in researching a new energy system?"
"!!!"
Kakashi froze.
This kid was plotting something again.
He just knew it.
After thinking carefully, he said,
"…If I can learn it, then yes—I'm interested."
"That's enough. Once the research institute is built, we'll study it together."
"Research institute? Wait—I'm busy—!"
But when he turned around—
Souma was already gone.
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