"So, Natsuro, you probably haven't had a teacher before, have you?" Jiraiya asked, finally voicing the question that had been on his mind. Natsuro's abilities seemed almost unreal.
"Of course I had teachers, but if we're excluding the instructors from the ninja academy, then no, I haven't." Natsuro clarified. He understood what Jiraiya was getting at and wasn't pretending to be clueless.
'The instructors at the academy, though suitable for teaching, it's almost impossible for them to produce a student like Natsuro.' Jiraiya thought. He continued, "Were the attack techniques you demonstrated earlier taught to you by the instructors at the academy?"
Although he knew it was unlikely, if he had answered yes, Jiraiya would have wanted to meet that academy instructor—clearly, a hidden talent.
"Master Guy occasionally gave me pointers on taijutsu when he had time, but the rest I learned on my own." He answered truthfully, briefly mentioning his encounters with Guy.
"Hiss…" Even though Jiraiya had suspected as much, hearing it confirmed made him draw a sharp breath.
Guy? He must be the descendant of that eternal Genin. Jiraiya had heard of his exploits and it was indeed unfortunate. If his descendant was teaching taijutsu, then it made sense to some extent.
But what about ninjutsu? Shape transformation? Nature transformation? Jiraiya fell into deep thought again. He had taught several disciples, all of whom were very talented, but none had learned so much on their own with little to no instruction.
"Sensei?" Natsuro noticed Jiraiya was lost in thought and asked.
"Oh, Natsuro, you're exceptionally outstanding." Jiraiya said, snapping out of his daze and praising him.
"Mm, but I still need to work harder." Natsuro acknowledged his talent but emphasized that raw talent alone wasn't enough—he needed to strengthen his skills further.
"Haha, indeed. Many talented individuals have fallen short halfway." Jiraiya chuckled. He intended to use this moment to advise Natsuro against arrogance, but he didn't expect him to respond so thoughtfully.
This response showed confidence and a commitment to improvement, even surpassing what Jiraiya had aimed to convey.
So, what else could Jiraiya, as a teacher, really impart?
Jiraiya scratched his head. Teaching a genius wasn't difficult, but dealing with a talent like Natsuro presented its own challenges.
Perhaps focusing on ninjutsu would be best, Jiraiya sighed. Initially, he had planned to only offer life advice and build rapport on the first day, but it seemed he required little in that regard.
Jiraiya decided to focus on practical teaching, saying, "From the recent test, I have a rough idea of your current level. Honestly, it's very impressive. Among your peers, I've only seen a few who can compare to you, and they all had family teachings. So, you are undoubtedly the most outstanding among them."
Jiraiya, though often reminiscing about his disciple Minato, acknowledged that Minato, while excellent before Jiraiya's instruction, was not quite at Natsuro's level. He glanced at Natsuro, whose expression showed no change, and nodded to himself.
It seemed Natsuro's words were not just for show; he truly believed in his own potential. Jiraiya continued, "I originally planned for today to be a simple test, but it looks like I need to teach you some real skills. Natsuro, do you know what kind of talent is required to learn the Flying Thunder God technique, which you've just obtained from the Fourth Hokage?"He didn't hesitate. He had guessed about the Flying Thunder God technique when he first received the kunai and responded, "Spatial talent and perceptual talent."
Jiraiya nodded in agreement, then shook his head slightly, saying, "That's correct, but not entirely. In addition, you also need to master sealing techniques."
"Sealing techniques?" He furrowed his brow. Since he hadn't studied these in his past life, he wasn't too clear. After some thought, he said, "The summoning technique tests for spatial talent, and being able to summon kunai from a concealed state tests for perceptual talent. So sealing techniques…"
He considered this, realizing that Jiraiya's mention of a test had just been overlooked.
Seeing Natsuro deep in thought, Jiraiya patiently waited, smiling.
"'The Sword of Ninja Love" Natsuro recalled his control over the kunai and suddenly had a realization.
"Ha ha, that's right, it's 'The Sword of Ninja Love,' which represents the surface level of the Fourth Hokage's sealing techniques. If you can input chakra and control the kunai, it indicates you have a talent for sealing techniques." Jiraiya nodded with satisfaction. Teaching a clever student was indeed quite easy.
Natsuro nodded, he understood now. The initial step was indeed a test, but he had underestimated its significance.
"Learning the Flying Thunder God technique, in terms of spatial aspects, I can't teach you much, but I can still teach you a lot about sealing techniques." Jiraiya said modestly. Although his sealing techniques might not be as good as some, he was far from unskilled.
Natsuro's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously, his thoughts racing.
"So, 'The Sword of Ninja Love' is just a simplified final form. Actually, it doesn't have to be limited to those four characters, and it can be further simplified." He speculated.
"Yes, but simplifying it to that extent is already very challenging. It's already very hard to reach the point where you can condense the Flying Thunder God seal in an instant. Further simplification would require disproportionate amount of effort and yield minimal returns, which is why Minato didn't pursue it." Jiraiya looked at Natsuro with surprise, nodding in agreement but not endorsing further simplification.
Jiraiya's words did not dampen his enthusiasm. He found the idea reasonable but thought of another point and asked, "If the current Flying Thunder God seal is a simplified version after the 4th Hokage's adjustments, then when learning it, I could reverse it to add more complexity until I can master it, and then follow the path of simplification the 4th Hokage took…"
He became more convinced of this approach, and Jiraiya, upon hearing it, found the idea quite plausible. It would indeed help him advance more quickly in mastering the Flying Thunder God technique.
At this moment Jiraiya realized that Natsuro's progress at such a young age was likely due to his sharp mind. His approach to learning other skills would likely yield significant results.
"I think this idea seems viable, but it needs to be verified later. I'll give you Minato's insights; they should help you." Jiraiya said.
"Thank you, Sensei." Natsuro expressed his gratitude, appreciating the benefits of having a teacher.
With this, once he mastered sealing techniques and the Flying Thunder God's formulas, he could attempt the Flying Thunder God technique. Even without a simplified seal, it would at least allow for fixed point teleportation, which was still very impressive.
Join the patreon and get 35 chapters in advance