Ryuji Hyuga felt that this body of his could fully handle the secret techniques of those ninja clans. He did not rush to try them, only pausing for a few minutes before putting the techniques back and looking at other Scroll. His movements were calm and deliberate, with no sign of impatience.
He carefully memorized the positions of every Scroll that interested him. To an outsider, it would look like he was grabbing things at random and discarding them just as quickly. In truth, he was committing everything to memory as he went.
Eventually, Ryuji Hyuga walked to the deepest shelf and reached for the highest level, taking down the two Scroll that looked the newest and the most ancient. When he opened them and swept his eyes across the contents, his gaze narrowed without him noticing. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Hiruzen Sarutobi really did leave behind good things.
"Lightning Cutter?"
"Yin Seal?"
A look of open delight appeared on his face as he sat cross-legged and placed the Scroll in front of him to read carefully. This scene caused the man currently sitting in the Hokage Office, watching through the Crystal Ball, to frown slightly. Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a quiet sigh.
"As expected, still too young and a bit restless," he muttered to himself.
The truly powerful Ninjutsu were all recorded in the Book of Seals. That book held not only S-rank Forbidden Technique, secret arts, and Sealing Technique techniques, but also A-rank Ninjutsu like Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never leave the Book of Seals in a place like this.
In his view, some B-rank Ninjutsu were already extremely valuable for Ryuji Hyuga. Out in the open world, if a small or mid-sized force obtained a B-rank Ninjutsu, it could easily bring disaster upon them. It might even attract the bandits from Kumogakure.
If he had not seen Ryuji Hyuga's talent in Ninjutsu, and if the boy's recent performance had not been so striking, Root would never have opened the Forbidden Techniques Vault to him. As for why Lightning Cutter and Yin Seal were placed here, there was a trace of hope mixed in, but mostly it was meant as a test of Ryuji Hyuga's temperament. Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to see what choice he would make.
If he steadily chose to train a B-rank Wind Release Ninjutsu or Taijutsu, he would earn a high evaluation in Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind. If he chose a Sealing Technique technique or other elemental Ninjutsu, it would still be above average. Even choosing only Yin Seal would earn him a slightly below average mark.
In Hiruzen Sarutobi's opinion, there was no way Ryuji Hyuga could master Yin Seal in a short time. At least, it could allow him to make full use of his strong Chakra control. But if he chose both Lightning Cutter and Yin Seal at the same time, the result was obvious.
"Bottom tier," Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in disappointment. "He does not even understand that biting off too much means chewing nothing. This kid is far too confused and greedy."
His original intention was for the boy to pick techniques that suited him before leaving the village, so he could raise his current strength as much as possible. Once on the battlefield, blades and jutsu showed no mercy. If he could earn merit in battle, there would be another chance to learn stronger Ninjutsu later.
At that time, it would no longer be ordinary B-rank techniques. He might even touch something like the "Spirit Transformation Technique" that Kato Dan had once mastered. Unfortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that the boy was still not mature enough.
Allowing Ryuji Hyuga to enter the Forbidden Techniques Vault was also a sign that he himself had been somewhat emotional and restless lately. Thinking this, Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped watching, shut down the long-distance viewing technique, and lowered his head to continue reviewing the documents on his desk. The vanguard forces of Konoha had already been assembled, and there was still much that required his attention.
Inside the Forbidden Techniques Vault, when Ryuji Hyuga sensed that the feeling of being watched had disappeared, he finally smiled. He stood up and walked back to the clan secret techniques, laying them all out in front of him. Now it depended on how much he could truly master in this limited time.
Otsutsuki Bloodline, let me see your limit.
Some time later, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long breath and put down the last document. He turned his head toward the window without thinking. Winter nights came early, and the sky was already dark, with white streetlights lit one by one and stretching his shadow long across the wall.
His gaze drifted toward the horizon, where opaque snow covered everything in sight. The laughter of children playing outside floated in, faint and broken, like sounds rising up from underwater before finally breaking the surface. It made the office feel momentarily distant from the world outside.
"Is it already six?" Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the time, and his stomach answered with a quiet protest. Only then did he remember that he had skipped lunch. Before going home to eat, however, there was still one more thing he needed to do.
With that in mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi left the office and walked unhurriedly toward the underground levels of the building. He thought to himself that if nothing unexpected had happened, Ryuji Hyuga was probably already regretting his choice. If necessary, he planned to give the boy some direct advice and temporarily hand over the Scroll for Yin Seal, since that technique truly did suit him.
When he reached the tightly sealed door, Hiruzen Sarutobi formed seals andRemoved the Barrier Technique and Sealing Technique placed on it, then gently pushed it open. A sharp, noisy sound rushed out, making him halt instinctively. When he looked up, his pupils shrank.
Ryuji Hyuga was sitting cross-legged in a corner far from the shelves. Sweat had soaked his white high-collared shirt, clinging to his back and chest, outlining a frame that looked lean yet packed with strength. The sight was far beyond what Hiruzen Sarutobi had expected.
Violent and chaotic Chakra surged toward his right palm, turning into countless thin arcs of electricity that crawled outward. Bright blue trails flashed briefly in the air before vanishing. The intensity made the space feel alive with motion.
His fingers were drawn tight until the knuckles turned white, and thick veins stood out across the back of his hand. His skin showed an unhealthy scorched brown color, with a few small Lie cuts seeping tiny threads of blood. The blood was instantly dried by the burning arcs of electricity.
"So that is how it works…"
Ryuji Hyuga stared at his arm with his Byakugan, understanding dawning on his face as the words slipped out. Hearing the door open, he lifted his head. When Hiruzen Sarutobi met his gaze, he found those eyes brighter than he had ever seen.
In the next moment, Ryuji Hyuga closed his hand. The scattered, wild arcs of electricity suddenly contracted inward. The chaotic crackling vanished for an instant, then erupted into a sharper, denser, and far more piercing sound.
The shrill cry echoed like countless fierce birds screaming at once, making Hiruzen Sarutobi's ears ring. The pressure of the sound alone made his scalp tingle. It was nothing like the crude noise from before.
"Third Hokage!"
Ryuji Hyuga jumped to his feet and looked at the stunned Hiruzen Sarutobi. His voice was filled with excitement as he spoke again. "I learned it!"
The violent Lightning Release Chakra was now confined within the narrow space of his palm. It was no longer scattered sparks, but something close to solid form, made entirely of highly condensed, visible lightning. Countless fine but deadly arcs moved across its surface like living snakes.
The space around it seemed distorted and blurred by the dense lightning. Pure blue light flooded the room and completely illuminated Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, overpowering the faint glow of the candles. For a brief moment, there was nothing else in his vision.
"You…"
Looking at the boy before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth. Words failed him, and he suddenly felt his throat go dry.