Chapter 134: Talent Emerges
Hiruzen asked,
"Kaito, do you know what a vacuum is and its characteristics?"
Kaito fell into deep thought.
Was vacuum theory taught at the Academy? Probably not, but the library might have some information about it.
Kaito replied,
"A vacuum is essentially a space with nothing in it, not even air. As for its properties, I'm not entirely certain. But I have some theories—I wonder if they're correct?"
Hiruzen said,
"Indeed. Tell me your theories."
Kaito replied,
"Since there's nothing in a vacuum, the pressure inside should be extremely low, perhaps even nonexistent. So if something approaches a vacuum, it would be rapidly pulled into it. However, once that happens, it would no longer be a true vacuum."
Hiruzen was satisfied with this answer. He nodded and said,
"Very good, Kaito. You're exactly right. That's the fundamental principle of how vacuums work. The Wind Release: Vacuum techniques are based on the same concept."
Kaito listened carefully as Hiruzen explained.
"The Vacuum techniques and ordinary Wind Release jutsu are fundamentally the same; the only difference is they contain a Vacuum Core. So you must first learn how to create a Vacuum Core. Watch carefully."
Hiruzen extended his arm forward. Wind chakra formed in his hand, similar to the Wind Blast technique. Kaito observed intently.
A sphere of wind formed in Hiruzen's palm. But soon, the wind began moving away from the center. Kaito saw a spherical vacuum form at the core of the wind sphere. Its radius was about two centimeters.
Hiruzen explained,
"To create a vacuum, you simply need to remove all air from the space where you want the vacuum to exist."
Kaito nodded. The basic principle was similar to what he understood from his previous life. Only here, chakra replaced technology.
Hiruzen dispelled the jutsu. Kaito noticed the wind immediately rushed back into the vacuum sphere. Hiruzen said,
"Now you try, Kaito."
Kaito extended his hand forward. A wind sphere immediately formed in his palm. He focused his attention on the center and tried to push the air outward.
He quickly succeeded in moving air to one side of the center. But immediately, air from other directions rushed in to fill the gap.
Hiruzen observed carefully.
Kaito struggled for several minutes before making real progress. He successfully pushed the air at the center outward in all directions!
Slowly, a one-millimeter vacuum sphere formed. Hiruzen's eyes widened!
Kaito didn't notice Hiruzen's expression. All his concentration was focused on maintaining the Vacuum Core.
He kept trying to increase its size. He managed to enlarge it slightly, but it always collapsed. He persisted.
Hiruzen watched in genuine shock. He thought to himself,
Incredible talent! It took Danzo a full week to create a stable core. At Kaito's current pace, he'll manage it today!
Recovering from his initial shock, Hiruzen analyzed the young man before him.
This boy showed exceptional academic performance at the Academy, but nothing particularly special. Besides his relatively large chakra reserves, all his progress seemed to be the result of hard work. According to his instructor, even his large chakra reserves were built through rigorous training.
Even his aptitude for Wind Release didn't seem particularly outstanding. Could he be like certain ninja whose talents only manifest when learning advanced techniques?
Hiruzen analyzed further.
Yes, there are many such ninja in Kirigakure and Kumogakure who show exceptional Water Release or Lightning Release talent when practicing B-rank or higher jutsu. However, similar cases are extremely rare for Fire, Earth, or Wind Release.
Hiruzen highly valued Kaito's emerging talent. He'd previously expected Kaito to become at least an elite jonin.
However, he was still underestimating Kaito's potential. In the years to come, Kaito's mastery of Wind Release would reach a level the world would call catastrophic!
Kaito remained unaware of the shock he'd given Hiruzen. All his focus stayed on the Vacuum Core.
Creating a Vacuum Core required extraordinarily precise chakra control and exceptional Wind Release affinity.
Multiple times, he successfully increased the vacuum sphere's radius to five millimeters before it collapsed.
Ten minutes later, he finally succeeded in creating a stable Vacuum Core with a radius of 1.2 centimeters!
Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock once again! He let out a quiet sigh of relief, thinking,
Thank goodness I placed him under Renjiro's supervision. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a chunin so early, and this talent might have gone undiscovered!
Indeed, Kaito had been fortunate. He'd originally planned to spend six years at the Academy, building an extremely solid foundation to maximize his survival chances.
It was only due to pressure from other classmates passing the graduation exam that he'd decided to graduate early, to avoid unnecessary suspicion.
If not for that circumstance, his development would have stagnated for years. He would have missed the opportunity to rapidly strengthen himself and the chance to train under someone of Senju Renjiro's caliber and dedication.
In that alternate scenario, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to learn the Senju Taijutsu Style or the Vacuum techniques. Although he would have eventually learned these skills, his progress might have been delayed by three to four years!
Hiruzen looked at the Vacuum Core and said,
"Excellent. Maintain it for two minutes."
Kaito didn't respond verbally, simply doing as instructed. He successfully maintained it for a full two minutes. Hiruzen was impressed once more. He said,
"Now, envelop it with wind chakra, aim at that tree, and launch it like you would a Wind Blast."
Wind immediately began forming around the Vacuum Core, taking on a spherical shape.
Kaito focused on a tree and threw the vacuum sphere. However, the moment the sphere left his hand, the Vacuum Core began destabilizing.
After traveling about a meter, the Vacuum Core collapsed completely as air rushed in. The entire wind sphere then dissipated harmlessly.
Kaito exclaimed in frustration,
"What happened?"
Hiruzen observed and said,
"You successfully maintained the Vacuum Core while holding it. However, once you launched it, you could no longer sustain it. So the surrounding air entered the Vacuum Core, and your jutsu collapsed."
Kaito processed Hiruzen's explanation and nodded. He asked,
"Then how do I maintain the vacuum sphere after it leaves my hand?"
Hiruzen created another wind sphere with a Vacuum Core and said,
"Observe the movement of the wind around the Vacuum Core very carefully."
He slowly launched the sphere toward a large boulder. Kaito watched intently.
Incredible. The way the wind rotates prevents air from entering the Vacuum Core! And there appears to be a thin membrane of chakra separating the wind from the Vacuum Core itself.
The sphere struck the boulder. The outer wind layer only caused minor scratches.
However, when the Vacuum Core contacted the boulder, the stone where it touched turned to dust and was instantly sucked into the vacuum.
The Vacuum Core continued advancing about ten centimeters, absorbing everything in its path, before finally dissipating.
It left a hole in the boulder twenty centimeters deep and ten centimeters wide!
Hiruzen explained,
"To maintain a Vacuum Core, you must do two things. First, form a thin chakra membrane around the Vacuum Core to ensure nothing enters it prematurely. Then, rotate the wind around this membrane so that it neither damages the membrane nor allows external air to contact it."
"When the jutsu hits its target, the wind causes minor surface damage first, followed by the Vacuum Core striking. Since the chakra membrane is extremely thin, it breaks upon contact with any solid or even liquid surface. Once broken, the Vacuum Core absorbs everything it touches, regardless of hardness. When the core passes through, it appears as if the object has been cleanly cut. But it's not a simple cut."
Kaito nodded, understanding the lethality of this technique.
Hiruzen continued,
"When you cut someone with a sword, only a wound forms on their body. As long as they don't die immediately, a skilled medical ninja can heal them. Even severed limbs can be reattached. But with the Wind Release: Vacuum techniques..."
Hiruzen pointed at the hole in the boulder and continued,
"The Vacuum Core completely absorbs everything within a ten-centimeter diameter. Very few medical ninja can heal such a wound. If it hits any vital organ—the heart, lungs, liver—those organs are destroyed instantly, and survival is nearly impossible."
Kaito nodded gravely. Hiruzen's explanation matched exactly what he'd observed. He thought to himself,
Perfect! The Wind Release: Vacuum series is incredibly powerful. I finally have a way to penetrate enemy defenses.
He looked at Hiruzen and said,
"I understand now why you asked me not to use this technique against comrades, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen smiled and nodded, satisfied. He'd wanted Kaito to fully grasp the dangers of these jutsu. He said,
"The fundamental theory is clear. Now, practice it yourself. Begin."
Kaito nodded and began focusing intently on creating another vacuum sphere.
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