Chapter 37: Requesting C-Rank Jutsu
Kaito sighed inwardly:
"It seems there really are no other options this year. I'll have to graduate."
He put on a thoughtful expression and said carefully: "I'll give it a try this year. I actually wanted to attempt it last year too, but it was such short notice that I got nervous and didn't know if I was ready."
Then he showed a look of slight longing mixed with disappointment, lowered his head, and said in a somewhat dejected voice: "But I heard that Uchiha Rai, Senju Teru, and Shimura Shin can all perform C-rank jutsu, so I guess it was fortunate I didn't participate in the exam. If I had taken it, I would have certainly embarrassed myself."
Kaito maintained this carefully crafted expression, hoping that Genshu would sympathize with his situation and provide him with some C-rank Wind Release techniques.
Seeing Kaito's disappointed expression, Genshu felt genuine sympathy for the boy. He thought to himself: "It's genuinely difficult for an orphan without clan support to become a shinobi. Without the resources, training scrolls, and personal instruction provided by a clan, they're at a tremendous disadvantage. I myself experienced many hardships because I came from a civilian family."
He sighed and decided: "Alright, I should encourage him and provide a C-rank jutsu to help level the playing field. Wind Release: Great Breakthrough is a very fundamental technique for Wind Release users. I believe the Hokage would approve this. But first, I need to assess his current progress."
He tried to encourage Kaito, then asked: "We tested your elemental affinity over a year ago. How much have you progressed with Wind Release since then?"
Kaito replied modestly: "Sensei, I can already cut leaves cleanly in half with wind chakra. I learned the Wind Breathing technique from the Library scrolls on my own. I can also perform Great Breakthrough, but I'm still working on improving its power and efficiency."
Genshu was pleasantly surprised by this answer and thought: "I didn't expect him to have progressed this far and even taught himself jutsu from the Library. He truly is very diligent and self-motivated. And E-rank and D-rank techniques aren't particularly difficult to perform with proper chakra control. However, since he's already learned these two foundational techniques, learning Wind Release: Great Breakthrough should be considerably easier for him."
Then he said aloud: "That's excellent progress. Can you demonstrate what you've learned?"
Kaito nodded, and the two walked together toward the Academy training grounds.
Kaito first properly performed the Wind Breathing technique.
Although he could execute it without hand seals, he deliberately formed all the required seals slowly while demonstrating it for Genshu. Genshu nodded approvingly and said: "Very good. Now show me Great Breakthrough—try it on that tree over there."
He pointed to a nearby training tree.
Kaito formed the hand seals again, moving only slightly slower than necessary. He also carefully controlled the jutsu's power output. The wind blast only knocked off some leaves and a few small branches.
After performing the technique, he thought: "Alright, that should be convincing enough. If I went all out and stripped this tree completely bare with deep gouges in the trunk, someone would definitely become extremely interested in investigating my true abilities."
Genshu was impressed by Kaito's demonstration and thought: "Very good performance. Although the destructive power is somewhat lacking, considering he's only nine years old and completely self-taught, it's quite commendable. But his ninjutsu talent clearly isn't as exceptional as those three clan prodigies."
Genshu considered whether he could help Kaito further, but couldn't think of additional ways to support him. He finally concluded: "Oh well. Even if he doesn't become a ninjutsu specialist, he's still a sensory-type ninja with valuable detection abilities. Moreover, his taijutsu foundation is solid. And although his ninjutsu isn't exceptional, Wind Release can dramatically enhance Fire Release techniques through combination attacks. So with his sensory capabilities and Wind Release support, he can still provide tremendous tactical value to any squad."
"Becoming a tokubetsu jonin within ten years shouldn't be difficult for him. If he develops his skills well and gains experience, he might even achieve full jonin rank."
After organizing his thoughts, he said encouragingly: "Kaito, well done. You've learned these two techniques very competently. But you should definitely focus on increasing their power and range."
Kaito nodded respectfully and said: "Yes, Sensei."
Genshu continued: "Don't worry about accessing C-rank jutsu. I'll speak with the Hokage and see if I can obtain one for you."
Kaito quickly bowed and thanked him sincerely.
The next day, after receiving Hiruzen's permission, Genshu handed the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough scroll to Kaito. He explained: "This technique is essentially the advanced version of Great Breakthrough. Practice it diligently; mastering it will significantly improve your chances of passing the graduation exam."
Kaito thanked him again with genuine gratitude.
From the following day onward, Kaito left a Shadow Clone at home and resumed his fuinjutsu practice routine.
Over the past two months, because he had been undergoing intensive ninjutsu and chakra flow training, he hadn't maintained a Shadow Clone for fuinjutsu study. He still had several basic sealing formulas left to master.
Kaito estimated it would require another 2-3 months to complete learning these fundamental sealing techniques. Then he could progress to the intermediate-level scroll.
One question he currently faced was whether he should leave one or two Shadow Clones at home during the school day.
Since he had started intensively training with Shadow Clones, his chakra reserves had grown more than threefold.
According to the scroll's technical description, a Shadow Clone was only considered stable and functional if it could expend two-thirds of its initial chakra before being forcibly dispelled.
According to this principle, Kaito could currently create only one truly stable Shadow Clone.
However, practicing fuinjutsu for seven hours didn't actually require that much chakra consumption. So theoretically, if he wanted to, he could maintain two Shadow Clones simultaneously.
After careful analysis, he decided: "For now, I'll only maintain one Shadow Clone during school. I'll observe how the first week progresses, then make a final decision about increasing to two."
After receiving the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough scroll from Genshu, Kaito began studying it immediately that same day.
This technique was structurally very similar to the basic Breakthrough. It simply required considerably more chakra and produced much greater destructive power.
He successfully learned the basic execution that very day. But there remained substantial room for improvement. The power output needed to be dramatically increased, and the hand seals had to be reduced eventually to zero. He recalled: "I remember Orochimaru devastated entire sections of the Forest of Death with this technique during the Chunin Exams. So I still have tremendous work ahead to increase its power to that level. But for now, I've at least learned the fundamental technique. I'll keep the scroll for three weeks to practice, then return it to Genshu as promised."
Later that week, Genshu systematically tested everyone's chakra nature affinity.
As expected, most students possessed Fire Release affinity. The remainder were divided between Earth Release and Water Release. No one in the class had Lightning Release affinity, and Kaito remained the only student with Wind Release.
Genshu also explained in detail the five elemental jutsu they would be learning throughout the year.
The Lightning Release technique merely created a string of static electricity that could startle anyone who touched it. But it completely lacked offensive power and was essentially harmless.
The Water Release jutsu involved projecting a small pressurized stream of water from the mouth.
The Fire Release technique surprised the entire class with its implications. Although it was a simple jutsu that emitted a concentrated heat ray from a single fingertip, Genshu revealed it was actually the most basic technique in a series of six related jutsu. Each of these six techniques built upon and complemented the others, and the final technique in the series was an extremely powerful A-rank jutsu.
This information made Kaito very interested in learning the complete Fire Release series.
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/DarkFoxx (30+ advanced chapters)