"Yesterday, sensei taught me the technique of One Handed Seals. I asked him about it, and he said he could teach you too. After all, the traditional seal methods are too rigid for battling the warriors of the Land of Iron."
At the entrance of Konoha Village, two boys with dark circles under their eyes were waiting for their sensei. Although Minato looked a bit weak, it was evident that last night wasn't just about staying up late; he must have also expended a lot of physical energy in training.
However, his spirits were high. After speaking, he looked at Tatsuma, who seemed dispirited, constantly picking at his nail with a tissue, wanting to ask something but apparently finding it difficult to broach the subject.
After all, he had just mentioned that he had learned something that he could teach Tatsuma. If he were to ask Tatsuma directly, wouldn't it seem like he also wanted to learn what Tatsuma had practiced last night?
Minato was just curious about what Tatsuma, who also seemed to have stayed up all night, had learned. After all, when he asked his own sensei yesterday, his sensei remained secretive, only saying that Tatsuma's gains would be plentiful.
Tatsuma yawned, then wiped away the tears that had been stimulated at the corners of his eyes, and weakly said, "Last night..."
After enduring Minato's increasingly curious gaze, Tatsuma finally said, "I spent the whole nigh taking a bath"
Noticing Minato's increasingly strange expression, Tatsuma sighed and said, "I'm not joking. Sensei played a prank on me yesterday. I had to spend the whole night bathing just to be presentable.
As for studying, I did have plenty of options, but I didn't have time to study last night at all. However, I brought the scrolls with me. One is notes on simplifying Water Release seals, and the other is insights on defending and countering Fire Release."
With that, Tatsuma took out a scroll and tossed it to Minato, saying, "You start learning from this scroll on the way. I'll study the simplification of Water Release seals first."
Minato took the scroll, intending to take a look while Jiraiya and the others were getting the village permit. However, as soon as his hand touched the edge of the scroll, he noticed that Tatsuma's expression was very odd.
Having known Tatsuma for several years, Minato knew him too well. He immediately sensed something was amiss, especially with Tatsuma's recent revelation about Tsunade's prank and spending the whole night bathing.
Suddenly, Minato grinned, displaying an extremely warm smile, warmer than the early spring morning sunlight. However, he turned the scroll towards Tatsuma and opened it.
"Bang!"
"Damn it! Are you kidding me?!"
Tatsuma was surprised that Minato, with his prominent features, could also prank like him. In an instant, the fatigue from staying up all night faded away, and his brain started to work at high speed.
A simplified seal for Water Release, which he had only had time to test before leaving this morning, immediately surged forth. His right hand formed a cupped palm, while his left thumb pressed down on the right hand, forming the first unique seal.
At the same time, the scroll in Minato's hand, enchanted with a Sealing Jutsu, burst into a large blob of fluorescent dye, rushing towards Tatsuma along with a wave of air.
Tatsuma seized the moment, crossing his fingers in front of his chest. In an instant, the morning mist that hadn't yet dispersed gathered towards Tatsuma. The first drop of water transformed from the mist, and soon droplets of water began to swirl around Tatsuma.
With the guidance of the first drop of water, the rest of the water swiftly transformed and was mobilized. In the blink of an eye, a cylindrical water barrier formed around Tatsuma.
"Water Release! Water Wall!"
"Bang!"
The wave of air and the fluorescent dye collided with the Water Wall. The fragile Water Wall seemed to show signs of being shattered at any moment, but miraculously stabilized and swallowed the dye.
The Water Wall around Tatsuma, now shining brightly due to the dye, even startled the village's guard ninjas, who jumped out, thinking there was an external threat.
"Splash!"
Once Tatsuma confirmed that all the dye had been engulfed, he flung the Water Wall aside. Then, with an angry look, he turned towards Minato, about to demand an explanation, when the angry voices of the guard ninjas reached them.
"Hey, hey, hey! You two little rascals, aren't you making too much trouble?! It's early in the morning. If you want to spar, go to the training grounds!"
"Ah! We're really sorry."
Seeing the guard ninjas' angry expressions, both Minato's mischievous smile and Tatsuma's anger instantly faded, replaced by apologetic looks towards the guard ninjas.
Tatsuma didn't dare to demand an explanation from Minato anymore. After all, it was his own idea to prank Minato, which led to this farce. He just underestimated Minato's observation skills and almost got himself into trouble.
"Hmph! You've turned this area into a fluorescent mess. What are we supposed to do?!"
The guard ninjas were still very angry. After all, the village entrance was the first impression outsiders got of Konoha. With a shiny green mess on the ground, it greatly affected Konoha's image.
"We're sorry, we're sorry. Since it's caused by my two students, let me, their sensei, make up for it."
At this moment, a tall figure descended with an apologetic expression, looking at the guard ninjas. Seeing Jiraiya, the guard ninjas softened their stance a bit, though still expressing their dissatisfaction.
"Jiraiya, if you're unruly yourself, fine, but how come your students are just as unruly? Make sure it doesn't happen again next time!"
"Absolutely, we'll make sure."
Jiraiya quickly assured them, and the guard ninjas gave him some face. However, they looked back with difficulty at the land stained by fluorescent dye, then glanced at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya nodded continuously, then formed hand seals with both hands, ending with the Snake seal. He slammed his palm onto the ground, causing the earth to churn and, in no time, it returned to normal.
Satisfied, the guard ninjas nodded and exchanged a few words with Jiraiya. They also checked the village permit Jiraiya had brought with him before turning back to their duty posts.
Turning back, Jiraiya gave Tatsuma and Minato a stern look, saying, "Hmph! You two start causing trouble the moment I'm not around, huh?!"
Minato, feeling embarrassed, rubbed his forehead, though Jiraiya had actually hit his head protector. He didn't feel any pain at all, but he made sure to show a good attitude and apologize.
Tatsuma grimaced because his head protector wasn't on his head but on his left arm, serving as an arm guard. When Jiraiya smacked him, it hit him squarely on the forehead.
After the pain subsided, Tatsuma curiously asked, "Jiraiya sensei, what about my sensei and Orochimaru-sama?"
Although the three of them had gone to the Hokage Tower together, only Jiraiya had arrived here first, leaving Tatsuma curious. Jiraiya scratched his stubble with his fingernails and replied, "Orochimaru went to get the gift for my sensei, and Tsunade went back to get her luggage."
"Luggage? Aren't my sensei's belongings all here with me?"
Tatsuma patted his backpack, looking puzzled. Jiraiya explained, "The clothes we wear and the attire needed for diplomatic missions are different. I didn't consider this earlier."
"Oh, formal attire."
Tatsuma nodded in realization, but then he quickly glanced at Minato and said, "Neither I nor Minato have formal attire. Are we supposed to make it ourselves?"
"Hey! Us common folks don't need fancy attire. Orochimaru doesn't have one either. As long as Tsunade's got it covered, and she's got plenty. You two can just wear Nawaki's when the time comes."
Jiraiya said nonchalantly, then added, "I wonder if Tsunade has any uncles or cousins who are as tall as me. It won't be comfortable if the clothes are too small."
Hearing that there was no need to prepare, Tatsuma nodded. He dreaded spending money, and he was already upset about buying two coats yesterday. Formal attire, which would only be worn a few times, was out of the question.
"Oh, by the way, kid, I noticed something different about your Water Wall just now."
Jiraiya looked at Tatsuma. He had seen from afar the ninjutsu Tatsuma had used just now. He recognized it as Water Wall, but whether it was the hand seals or the process of forming the ninjutsu, it seemed a bit different from the Water Wall he knew.
In response, Tatsuma replied, "It's a modification by Second-sama. The hand seals are shortened, but it requires higher Chakra Nature Transformation. I can't summon too much water or Chakra to create water at the moment."
"Ah, if it's Second-sama, then it makes sense."
Jiraiya was initially curious, but upon hearing that it was improved by Senju Tobirama, his doubts vanished. He didn't continue to inquire further, knowing that this knowledge now belonged to Tatsuma alone.
Tatsuma hadn't voluntarily shared the information, and Jiraiya couldn't pry into it. If Tatsuma were to talk to him about it someday, he would certainly listen, but he wouldn't actively inquire or set traps to make Tatsuma reveal it. This was the basic line as a sensei.
However, his gaze quickly fell on the scroll filled with Sealing Jutsu in Minato's hands, and he asked, "What's that?"
"It's Second-sama's insights on Fire Release Ninjutsu, defense, and countermeasures. I haven't unsealed it for Minato yet."
As he spoke, Tatsuma took the scroll from Minato's hand, performed the necessary hand seals to unravel the Sealing Jutsu, and as the seals faded away, the true contents of the scroll were revealed.
As Tatsuma performed the hand seals, Jiraiya had already averted his gaze, remarking, "Insights on Fire Release, just as expected from Second-sama."
At this moment, Minato realized that the scroll Tatsuma gave him was actually the insights of Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, and he became a bit flustered, especially considering how casually he had treated it earlier.
Moreover, he didn't know whether he should accept it now. Seeing Minato's expression, Tatsuma tossed the scroll to him again, saying, "Take it and study well. Just don't hold back on me with the One Handed Seal later."
In a fluster, Minato caught the scroll. He glanced at Jiraiya, who nodded, then he solemnly said, "I will study it diligently, and I'll teach you everything about the One Handed Seal too. If you have any questions about it that I can't answer, I can ask my sensei for you."
"Hmph! 'My sensei,' huh? I'm standing right here. If he doesn't understand something, wouldn't he just come directly to me?"
After Jiraiya spoke, both Tatsuma and Minato smiled. At this moment, Orochimaru and Tsunade arrived, each carrying a large scroll on their backs.
Tsunade looked at Orochimaru, who nodded, and then she spoke, "Let's go! We need to reach the Land of Iron as soon as possible."
"Yes!"
After responding, Tatsuma glanced at Tsunade, knowing that for this mission, his own sensei should take the lead.
----
Check out my Patreon for more advanced chapters up to 50 at patreon.com/HellGolt