Seiryū looked like he'd suddenly understood something and playfully praised, "Developing a new Ninjutsu on your own… Jōnin Minato really is amazing. As expected of a Konoha Jōnin!"
That said.
Even though Seiryū was curious about how far Minato had progressed with the Rasengan, he didn't ask directly.
That was a private matter.
Yes, he was still a kid, and if he asked, most people would probably just think it was childish curiosity.
But Seiryū had his own sense of propriety. He understood the principle of not asking deep questions when you weren't close enough.
Minato chuckled and shook his head. "It's not that amazing. If you want to talk about amazing, you're not bad either. I looked through those workbooks, and there were questions even I couldn't solve…"
The workbook incident had been so sensational—with even the Hokage reportedly unable to solve the questions—that it wasn't just students at the Academy who took notice.
Even some Jōnin were paying attention.
Out of curiosity, he had picked up a copy to try out. But… several of the questions left him utterly baffled.
Kushina had teased him for days afterward, saying even a student's workbook had beaten him… He'd heard about Seiryū's reputation too—an even greater genius than he was when he was at the Academy.
Oh yeah, and his teacher also mentioned Seiryū seemed to have learned Lady Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist?
With talent like that, even he felt a little overshadowed!
Seiryū, unaware of all that, blinked in surprise. "Huh, even Jōnin Minato practices with workbooks? I thought that was just for students."
Minato smiled. "Well, when it's a workbook even Hokage-sama can't solve, it sparks a bit of curiosity."
Jiraiya, who had just returned to the village and didn't know what had been going on lately, asked with interest, "Workbooks? What workbooks?"
Minato explained the situation.
"Even the Old Man couldn't solve them? Now I'm curious…" Jiraiya raised a brow, feeling oddly competitive.
His own literary works were always criticized by the Old Man as "useless drivel," yet a workbook created by some kid actually got the Old Man to spend money and turn it into a Ninja Academy course?
He felt… defeated for no reason.
Seiryū looked at him. "If Jiraiya-sama is interested, I can give you a workbook another day."
"You're a sharp one." Jiraiya laughed, then waved it off. "But forget it. I'm past the age of studying. If the Old Man couldn't solve them, I'd just be torturing myself."
He knew his limits. Sure, he was curious, but if even the Hokage couldn't crack it, what hope did he have? He wasn't trying to dig himself into a hole.
After a short pause, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes slightly, probing, "Seiryū, kid, Minato says you're a genius. How many Ninjutsu have you learned so far?"
That punch from this morning had left a lasting impression. Based on his experience being sent flying by Tsunade over the years, that strike really did feel like the Monster Strength Fist.
But Minato had said outright that Seiryū wasn't Tsunade's disciple, so... where had he learned it?
Seiryū caught the hint in his tone and replied calmly, "I only started learning Chakra Nature Transformation yesterday. I haven't learned any Ninjutsu yet."
"But I did tinker around and develop a Chakra Application Technique myself, inspired by Lady Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist…"
Since Jiraiya had already taken an interest in him, Seiryū didn't mind showing a little of his strength.
Jiraiya was one of Konoha's top-tier shinobi in both power and status. Aside from being a pervert, he didn't have any real flaws.
The punch he threw this morning was intended to leave an impression and make future contact easier, but he hadn't expected to run into him again that very afternoon... even Seiryū found that surprising.
"He developed it himself!?" Jiraiya's eyes widened, genuine astonishment surfacing.
Wait, how old was this kid?
Developing a Chakra Application Technique based on Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist… that was practically the same as developing a new Ninjutsu from scratch.
Could a first-year student at the Ninja Academy really pull something like that off?
Was he really this monstrous?
Jiraiya let out a slow breath, then said seriously, "Can you show me? This morning… well, Tsunade and I go way back, and I know her Monster Strength Fist well. Maybe I can give you some feedback or suggestions."
Although he'd taken a punch earlier, it had happened too fast. He hadn't gotten a chance to really feel it out. He'd just thought it felt similar to Tsunade's technique.
Now, hearing that Seiryū had developed it on his own, Jiraiya was seriously intrigued.
Seiryū's eyes lit up. "Of course."
He was also curious—was there a difference between his version of the Monster Strength Fist, which incorporated the application technique of Hado #1: Sho, and Tsunade's?
Walking over to a tree with a trunk about as thick as an adult's thigh, Seiryū took a deep breath, eyes locking onto his target. He clenched his fist, and his Chakra surged in an instant. With a sharp swing, he slammed his punch forward.
Boom!
With a dull thud, the tree in front of him was punched straight through. Splinters flew in every direction as the entire tree collapsed.
The sheer force of that strike was terrifying.
Jiraiya: "..."
So he had held back this morning?
If that punch had hit him with full force while he was unguarded, he would've gone flying...
Jiraiya's voice was filled with disbelief. "You really developed that yourself?"
As he carefully analyzed the strike, he realized something even more startling… this kid's Monster Strength Fist was more refined than Tsunade's.
No, maybe "refined" wasn't quite the right word. The focus was simply different.
Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist prioritized pure explosive force and raw destruction. Seiryū's version was a little weaker in sheer destructive power, but its impact and penetrating power were far stronger.
In other words, the energy was more tightly focused and concentrated.
Could a kid who hadn't even graduated the Academy really create a technique like that from scratch?
Minato was equally stunned. He mumbled, "That kind of precise Chakra control… at this age? He really is a genius…"
This level of fine-tuned Chakra control, and in an Academy student at that… even some regular Jōnin couldn't do that.
Is the Uzumaki Clan really this ridiculous?
Wait, no. Even though Kushina had strong Chakra control, she wasn't this extreme, was she?
Just as Seiryū was about to respond, Kurenai cut in first, placing her hands on her hips and announcing proudly, "Of course Seiryū developed it himself! And it only took him two months!"
"Two months!?"
Minato and Jiraiya exchanged glances, both seeing the same shock in each other's eyes.
Two months?
Forget developing it solo, even with guidance from a famous master, learning something that advanced in just two months was...
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)