The Third Hokage relaxed as he looked at Natsuro, smiling warmly.
"Natsuro, from now on, if you want to come by, just come directly. You don't need to have the ANBU notify me."
"Understood, Lord Third." Natsuro responded in a relaxed tone. After all, the Third Hokage was his grandmaster, so he had little to worry about here.
"Mmm..." The Third Hokage glanced around, deep in thought for a moment, before speaking again. "Natsuro, when there's no one else around, you can call me 'Grandpa.'"
Natsuro was taken aback by the Third Hokage's words, feeling a bit speechless. However, seeing the hopeful expression on the Third Hokage's face, he didn't refuse.
"Grandpa Third."
"Ah, good, good..." The Third Hokage smiled broadly, looking completely like an ordinary old man, far removed from the legendary shinobi he once was.
Seeing the Third Hokage's demeanor, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Three years had passed, and the Third Hokage had aged even more.
At this age, with his body in this condition, the Third Hokage really should retire. But...
Who could the Third Hokage pass the position of Hokage to? Asuma, in terms of both strength and reputation, was still lacking. Kakashi, if he hadn't wasted so many years, might have been a suitable candidate. But Danzo, in his opinion, was too extreme. Unfortunately...
The best choices for the Third Hokage were Jiraiya and Tsunade, but one was preoccupied with prophecies, and the other couldn't even be contacted.
The Third Hokage must be having a hard time with this.
As the Third Hokage looked at Natsuro—who, despite being only ten years old, had developed like a twelve- or thirteen-year-old—his face was filled with satisfaction.
The Third Hokage couldn't help but feel a bit regretful that Natsuro was still so young, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait...
"Grandpa Third, these are the insights I've gathered over the years while studying the Flying Thunder God Technique." Natsuro pulled out a scroll, opened it, and then used a summoning technique to bring out several much larger scrolls, which he handed to the Third Hokage.
"Mm, good job. With these, perhaps our village will see more shinobi who can use the Flying Thunder God Technique in the future." The Third Hokage accepted the scrolls with a smile.
Natsuro simply smiled in return. He didn't believe it would be that easy. The more he studied the Flying Thunder God Technique, the more he realized just how high the talent requirements were. Even with these insights making it somewhat easier, he doubted many would master it.
"Natsuro, is there a particular jutsu you want? These insights into the Flying Thunder God Technique are probably worth an A-rank jutsu." The Third Hokage said after some thought.
He was taken aback by the Third Hokage's offer, as were the ANBU hidden nearby, whose chakra signatures wavered slightly. Natsuro was genuinely surprised. The value of the insights he provided was, at most, equivalent to a B-rank jutsu, and being knowledge-based, the more realistic exchange would be for a C-rank jutsu.
Yet, the Third Hokage had instantly raised the grade to A-rank...
This favoritism was so blatant that even the hidden ANBU couldn't help but react. But who could blame the Third Hokage? Natsuro was the Third's grand-disciple, and had just been calling him "Grandpa." The ANBU couldn't help but feel envious.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique." Natsuro said without hesitation.
"Ah, that technique, I'm quite skilled with it." The Third Hokage said, stroking his beard.
"Of course, Grandpa Third, you created this technique yourself." He responded, praising him.
The Third Hokage's eyes lit up. Natsuro knew that? This made him even happier. "Alright, Natsuro, let's go to the training grounds behind the office. I'll demonstrate it for you."
"Yes, Grandpa Third."
In fact, Natsuro already knew the principles behind the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, which essentially stemmed from the Shadow Clone Technique. Given time, he could have created it himself. But since the opportunity to learn directly was available, why waste time creating it from scratch?
Even knowing the principles, creating the technique wasn't something that could be done instantly. Since the opportunity was there, it was better to learn it directly. Spending time to create it himself just to showcase his talent didn't appeal to him.
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At the training grounds behind the Hokage's office...
"Natsuro, watch closely." The Third Hokage said as he began forming hand signs.
He moved through the signs slowly, far slower than he would in combat. This was to give Natsuro a clear demonstration of the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique. Natsuro could clearly sense the chakra flow, which was steady and perfectly aligned with the technique's requirements.
Even though he had aged, the Third Hokage was still the "Professor of Ninjutsu." His control and understanding of ninjutsu had only deepened with age, although his chakra reserves had diminished.
The Third Hokage's hand signs were slow, but there weren't many of them. Soon, a single shuriken flew out, multiplying into dozens of shadow clones all flying in the same direction.
And this was the result with only a small amount of chakra. With more chakra, the Third Hokage could easily produce hundreds or even thousands of shadow clones.
Natsuro watched with growing excitement. If this technique was combined with the Flying Thunder God kunai... Despite some limitations, just being able to create dozens of kunai would be more than enough.
Of course, the downside that shadow clones could be dispelled by attacks remained, but that didn't matter. He would just have to figure out how to use the technique effectively.
"Natsuro, did you see that clearly? If not, I can demonstrate it again." The Third Hokage said with a smile.
"Yes, Grandpa Third, I saw it clearly." Natsuro replied with a nod.
The Third Hokage's demonstration was excellent, even better than Jiraiya's would have been. Of course, that was only in a teaching context.
In a battle, chakra flow couldn't be allowed to surface like that; it would not only waste chakra but also give the opponent time to react and possibly learn the technique.
"Then why don't you give it a try?" The Third Hokage said, a mix of surprise and delight on his face. Even though Natsuro knew the Shadow Clone Technique, mastering a new technique after just one demonstration wasn't easy.
"Alright." Natsuro stepped forward, casually tossing a shuriken before forming hand signs.
The Third Hokage's eyes lit up as he watched his hand signs. The speed and the fact that Natsuro's chakra flow was keeping up showed how solid his foundations were.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
This was Natsuro's first attempt, and without holding back, he used a normal amount of chakra. In an instant, the single shuriken multiplied into hundreds of clones, filling the training ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
The Third Hokage watched with a satisfied smile. His grand-disciple was undoubtedly a true genius!
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