[A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I hope you guys have better luck than me 😅]
Kaito looked at Fujin and asked, "So, what's up? Why did you want to come here?"
Fujin replied, "Well, I wanted a place where I could train alone. A place where I can cause a lot of destruction without attracting trouble. Know any?"
Kaito replied, "Sure. There are plenty of unoccupied mountain peaks nearby. Want a lift?"
Fujin answered, "Sure, but I want to meet your father first. Take me to him."
Fujin jumped on Kaito's back as Kaito took a flight. He asked, "What do you want to do with father?"
Fujin replied, "Not much. Just wondering whether he'll teach me how to harness and control nature energy. One of the jutsus I'm learning has a massive backlash. I'll probably not be able to handle it unless I can strengthen myself with nature energy."
Kaito was surprised. He asked, "Such a strong backlash? The jutsu must be impressive."
Fujin chuckled and replied, "It is. I'll show it later."
They reached Ryu's cave. Ryu opened his eyes as he saw Kaito and Fujin flying in. Kaito landed in front of his father and Fujin jumped down. Ryu observed Fujin and a surprise appeared on his gigantic face. He said in his jagged voice, "Impressive. Your body has gotten a lot stronger since the last time we met. I didn't expect you to make such quick progress."
Fujin nodded and said, "Yeah, it was one of the aspects I focused on."
There was no need to guess what caused the explosive growth. Though Fujin's main focus in the last four months was on mastering the Flying Thunder God jutsu, he also kept his training on the Eight Inner Gates. Though he struggled to open the Gate of Life, once he did, it didn't take him a long time to open the Gate of Pain. He was currently working towards opening the Gate of Limit, though he would require a lot more time to actually be able to open it.
Ryu asked, "Good. Why did you come to visit me?"
Fujin didn't beat around the bush and directly said, "I want to learn Senjutsu. My chakra has already increased beyond what you had mentioned the requirement for learning it was. My physical body is perhaps even stronger in that regard. So, can you teach it to me now?"
Fujin had thought a lot about the matter before asking. Learning how to harness Nature energy was risky. In terms of chakra, he was far lacking compared to what Naruto's chakra levels would be when he attempted it. However, he should be much better off than Jiraiya when Jiraiya began learning how to use Nature energy. It was why Fujin was being insistent for the first time. The only variable that Fujin was aware of but couldn't calculate was the Winged Sabertooths would have a different method of teaching as compared to Toads involving different risks. So, he couldn't be certain about the risk level.
Ryu didn't move from his lying position and looked to be in deep thought. A couple of minutes later, he answered, "No. Not yet."
A frown formed on Fujin's face. He asked, "Why not?"
Ryu answered, "What I had stated was just minimum requirements. You have done well in reaching those in less than 4 years. I have to admit that I didn't expect you to do it so quickly. However, as I said, they are just minimum requirements.
Don't forget that no human has ever managed to learn our form of Senjutsu. So, don't be impatient. Keep improving your strength. Once I feel you are ready, I'll do everything I can to make sure that you learn it."
Fujin fell silent. He could sense that Ryu's words were genuine. However, he didn't want to give up so easily. Senjutsu was an important power-up that he wanted. It would be the second skill that would allow him to differentiate himself from other rank S ninjas, along with the Flying Thunder God jutsu.
If the Flying Thunder God jutsu gave Fujin invincible speed and movement ability, Sage Mode would be what would give Fujin the ability to go head-to-head against top-tier rank S ninjas and still come on top without having to rely on his speed and hope that his opponent makes a mistake.
Fujin asked, "Didn't you say that you could help me improve my wind affinity and increase my chakra reserves if I fell short? Can we do that?"
Ryu answered, "Improving your wind affinity isn't an issue, but the method of increasing your chakra reserves isn't entirely safe and has several drawbacks. Also, it is very costly. Considering your current chakra levels, you don't need to depend on it. Just continue doing what you are and let your chakra reserves increase naturally."
Ryu thought, 'I didn't expect his chakra reserves to keep increasing at a fast speed despite him already using so much of his potential. It is more than 5 times what it was back when he met me the first time. I had estimated that he would only be able to increase it by four times and that he'd need another decade to reach that stage.
If I knew he'd progress this fast, I wouldn't have mentioned the existence of such a method. Anyway, it's good that he has managed to surpass my estimates. Otherwise, I would have had to use that secret technique to transfer some of my own chakra to him.
That would have weakened me and would have severely limited his future potential. Of course, my chakra would have made it easier for him to learn Senjutsu. As long as he did, any loss in potential would be meaningless for him. And, as long as Grandfather's prophecy came true, my losses would also be worth it.
That was why I was willing to do it. However, the current situation is much better.'
While Ryu was in thought, Fujin was analyzing, 'This could be troublesome. Considering his words, I think he might only teach me Senjutsu once my chakra reserves stop increasing or the rate of increase becomes very slow. However, when will that be? 10 years from now? 15 years? I can't wait that long. Though I have ways to delay the Fourth Great Ninja War, I might not be able to delay it by such a long time.'
Fujin asked, "Can you give me an estimate of when you can teach me Senjutsu?"
Ryu frowned. He asked, "Why are you so impatient? Something like Senjutsu can't be rushed. If your mind isn't at peace, then you won't be able to learn it no matter how strong you are."
Fujin fell quiet. After a few moments, he sighed and said, "There are a lot of undercurrents flowing in the Elemental Nations right now. There is a massive civil war in one of the major countries which has been happening for over half a decade. The other countries are slowly building up their power as well. And, recently a group has arisen that has extremely powerful ninjas and are capturing the Tailed Beasts."
Ryu's eyes widened on learning that a single group was capturing the Tailed Beasts. Fujin continued, "It is unknown what they plan on doing with the Tailed Beasts. However, I have a gut feeling that soon a huge war will break. A war that will make the previous three Great Ninja Wars look insignificant in comparison. I want to learn Senjutsu before all hell breaks loose. Otherwise, it'd be too late to learn it."
This time, Ryu fell silent. He had no interest in the Elemental ninjas or the ninjas. As such, he wasn't very aware of what was happening. However, from Fujin's tone, he could understand the severity of the matter. Though Fujin didn't provide any proof, the 'gut feeling" of someone as strong as Fujin wasn't something anyone would take lightly. After all, it wasn't as if there was any proof to show that the prophecy he believed in was true either.
Ryu asked, "What's a Great Ninja War?"
Fujin was dumbfounded by the question. However, he quickly recalled, 'Ah right. He hasn't had any summoner for a long while. Even I never summoned him due to how chakra-intensive it is to summon him.'
Before Fujin could answer, Kaito replied, "It's a war where every Ninja village on that continent fights against one another. They do it every once in a while. The last one was over a decade ago. Several strong ninjas die in each war."
Unlike Ryu, Kaito loved flying across the world. As a result, he had seen various battles play out while he stayed above the clouds.
Ryu thought for a bit and asked, "How long do you think it'll be before the start of the next Great Ninja War?"
[A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week's Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.]
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