Chapter 19: Sasuke's Shock, The Secret Meeting of Konoha's Elders
Early the next morning.
The three members of Team 7 were already standing inside Byakuya's bookstore.
"Have you guys eaten breakfast?"
"Yep, we ate!"
Sakura and Naruto answered in perfect unison.
Sasuke merely gave a small nod.
Seeing this, Byakuya nodded as well.
Then he locked the bookstore door and led the three of them out of the village.
Although he had told Sasuke to go find Kakashi and join the Anbu…
Kakashi was always "unable to get up" in the mornings.
And Sasuke didn't want to waste this precious time.
So he simply tagged along with Sakura and Naruto to see what was up.
Who knows—maybe he could learn something valuable!
…
The four of them soon arrived at a riverbank outside the village.
"We're here. Let's begin training."
After speaking, Byakuya turned to look at Naruto.
"Naruto.
Your chakra control is terrible.
If you want to get stronger,
the very first step is improving your chakra control."
"Got it!"
Naruto nodded enthusiastically, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
He had seen Hinata's rapid progress, so he had complete faith in Byakuya's ability.
"How do I do that?"
"You should have learned how to gather chakra in your feet and walk up trees steadily, right?"
"Yup!"
"Then the next step is simple—water-walking."
"The principle is exactly the same."
"Alright!!"
The moment he heard that, Naruto dashed excitedly toward the riverbank.
"Sakura."
Byakuya turned to look at the pink-haired girl.
Truthfully, he hadn't originally planned to teach her anything.
After all…
Once he pulled a Pokémon card that suited Sakura perfectly and just handed it to her,
her strength would skyrocket instantly.
So convenient!
But…
Diamond-rank cards were extremely hard to come by.
And each one had its most compatible user.
Finding one that was truly perfect for Sakura…
wasn't easy at all.
So for now, he decided to teach her a little something first—
so she wouldn't feel too left behind.
"Your chakra control is excellent.
You're very suited to become a medical ninja.
You should consider developing in that direction in the future.
However… even medical ninja need a certain degree of self-defense capability."
As he spoke, Byakuya gathered chakra into his fist.
At the same time, he carefully explained to Sakura the exact way to use the technique,
as well as the method of chakra concentration.
After he finished explaining,
he suddenly drove his fist downward!
BOOM!!
The ground shook violently and then split apart with terrifying cracks.
The sheer power was horrifying.
"S-so strong…!"
All three of them stared wide-eyed.
Naruto especially broke out in cold sweat.
"If Sakura ever hits my head with a punch like that…"
Just imagining it,
he shivered all over.
"From now on I absolutely cannot make Sakura angry!
Definitely not!
Even Byakuya is off-limits!!"
"Amazing!!"
Sakura's eyes were shining.
"If I had learned this move earlier,
I could've sent Ino flying for sure!
Byakuya-kun, what's the name of this taijutsu?"
"Cherry Blossom Impact~"
"Byakuya-kun…"
Sakura's face instantly turned bright red.
"Is this… a ninjutsu you created just for me…?"
"Uh…"
Byakuya suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
After all…
In the original story, this technique was something Sakura created herself.
That's why it had this name.
Following the principle of "if it can't be explained, don't explain,"
he decisively changed the subject.
"Just practice this technique properly for now."
Then he turned to look at Sasuke.
"Sasuke, since you came too,
I'll teach you a ninjutsu as well."
"Hm?"
Sasuke's face remained expressionless, but inside he was secretly delighted.
After seeing Hinata's transformation and now Sakura's new taijutsu, he was actually quite envious.
He wanted some special techniques too.
"I once heard Naruto talk about it.
Kakashi has a technique called Lightning Cutter (Chidori).
I figured it out myself after hearing the description."
As he spoke,
Byakuya swiftly formed hand seals.
Moments later, dazzling light gathered in his hand,
accompanied by the sharp "chichichi" sound—like the chirping of a thousand birds.
It was none other than one of Kakashi's signature techniques—Chidori!
"!!"
Sasuke stared at the technique, eyes filled with pure shock.
"He created it just from Naruto's verbal description?!
This is insane…!
Creating a ninjutsu…
Does he think it's as easy as playing with clay?!"
While feeling astonished, Sasuke's admiration for Byakuya grew even deeper.
"As expected of the man who's always been one step ahead of me…
Way better than that cat-finding sensei Kakashi!"
After teaching Sasuke Chidori,
Byakuya simply took out a magazine, sat quietly under a tree, and started flipping through it.
He quite enjoyed this kind of leisurely moment.
…
Meanwhile.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had gathered his three old teammates, and they were now sitting together in his office, discussing the intelligence they had obtained from Byakuya yesterday.
"Hmph!
Divination?
What utter nonsense!"
Danzo's eyes flickered as he slammed the table and roared,
"Sarutobi.
You're not a child anymore.
How can you believe such ridiculous drivel?"
"I don't believe in divination either."
Utatane Koharu spoke slowly,
"But this intelligence is far too detailed.
It makes one wonder whether this boy Byakuya has some special channel for gathering information."
"I had someone investigate Byakuya's background—clean family history, no issues."
Mitokado Homura said,
"Still… maybe he really does have some kind of divination ability.
Didn't Jiraiya once say
that the Great Toad Sage can foresee the future?
Perhaps he possesses a unique kekkei genkai and saw this scene in a dream.
That would explain how accurate it was."
"Possible."
Koharu nodded.
"If that's the case, then we cannot afford to ignore it.
Better to believe it exists than to dismiss it completely!"
"I still think it's completely unnecessary!
That brat is just spouting nonsense!"
"Danzo, why are you so vehemently opposed?
Could it be… you still have contact with Orochimaru?
Or perhaps all of this is something you've been plotting?"
The other three instantly turned their gazes toward Danzo.
Danzo froze for a second before giving an awkward cough.
"Of course not!
I was merely talking about the divination nonsense~
Nothing else."
Seeing that the three seemed to accept his explanation,
Danzo finally let out a long breath of relief.
"What a hassle…
Should I inform Orochimaru about this or not…?"
…
At the same time.
Kakashi was standing silently in front of the Memorial Stone, murmuring to himself.
"Obito.
You know what?
Two of my students passed the Chūnin Exam preliminaries.
One of them is like me—a genius.
The other one is like you—a lovable idiot.
The bond between them… it's a lot like ours~
Really makes me nostalgic…
I still remember how you almost got all three of us eliminated because you were late that one time~
Oh, and that Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique of yours…
I still remember it perfectly.
Haha…"
Kakashi gave a soft chuckle, then fell silent once more.
After who-knows-how-long,
he let out a long sigh.
"Obito… those three kids are actually following someone their own age to train.
It's really worrying.
I should go check on those three little guys.
I'll come visit you again tomorrow."