Bonus
— — — — — —
"Huh?"
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock as she exclaimed, "Are you serious? Why didn't you mention this before? When did you figure it out?"
"Uh…"
Kaito scratched the back of his head awkwardly and replied, "It's been a while, I guess. Didn't I tell you?"
Actually, it had been several years since he noticed it. About three months after starting to train in the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had completed the verification process.
He could have sworn he told Tsunade about it.
Didn't he?
Well, if not, he must have forgotten.
With so many things to train and not enough time in the day, forgetting something was perfectly normal for him.
Crack, crack, crack!
"Of course you didn't!" Tsunade's face darkened as she clenched her fists, glaring at Kaito with a menacing look. Gritting her teeth, she growled, "You forgot something this important? Seriously?"
In the next moment, she pressed her fists against his temples, twisting them aggressively.
"Ah!"
Kaito winced and hissed in pain, quickly swatting her hands away. "Alright, alright! I forgot, okay? It happens when there's too much going on!"
"I thought I had already told you."
"And besides, it's not too late to know now, is it?"
"You've been under contract for years, used teleportation countless times, and your talent for space-time techniques has already hit the ceiling!"
"On top of that, you've mastered plenty of sealing techniques yourself. Learning the Flying Thunder God Technique should be quick and easy for you now!"
"Especially since I've already improved and simplified the Flying Thunder God Technique further."
"All you have to do is follow the training steps, and it shouldn't take long before you master it and start using it effectively."
"Here, let me pass the updated training method directly to you."
As he spoke, Kaito raised his hand and lightly tapped Tsunade's forehead. Using his mental energy, he transmitted the refined Flying Thunder God Technique and some of his experiences directly into her mind.
With his current mental strength and quality, transmitting information and experience was no longer a challenge.
Receiving the influx of information, Tsunade quickly closed her eyes to digest it all, temporarily forgetting to argue with Kaito.
— — —
Meanwhile, Kaito turned to Mikoto and the others.
"Huh? What's wrong with Tsunade? Is she about to break through or something?"
Mikoto noticed Tsunade's unusual behavior and couldn't help but ask.
"Uh… not exactly." Kaito scratched his head again, looking embarrassed. "She's just processing the Flying Thunder God Technique and related experiences I passed on to her."
"Eh?"
Mikoto and the others were momentarily stunned. "Didn't you already teach Tsunade the Flying Thunder God Technique a long time ago?"
"Don't tell me… you forgot?"
"Ahaha!" Kaito let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah, I forgot. There was just too much going on back then! I never got around to it."
"Well, at least I'm making up for it now."
"With her talent, she might catch up in no time!"
"Honestly, she might even master it faster than you guys."
At this, Mikoto, Kushina, and Minato—who had all completed the prerequisite sealing technique training—felt a sudden surge of pressure. They were just about to begin formal training in the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Hearing Kaito's words, they couldn't help but feel the need to work harder.
"Guess we've got to step up our game," Minato said with a wry smile, shaking his head.
As the conversation continued, more and more Uchiha clan members, along with the other two clans allied with them, began gathering around.
They looked at Kaito with expressions of awe and admiration, unsure what to say.
The Uchiha, in particular, were stunned.
Even those who had been contracted didn't fully realize how strong Kaito had become.
Up until recently, many of them had still viewed him as a mere child, a young master to be protected.
But now it was clear—Kaito was no ordinary kid. He was already a top-tier powerhouse.
Seeing their reactions, Kaito thought for a moment before stomping his foot lightly. Immediately, a barrier reactivated, covering a three-kilometer radius around them.
"Huh?"
Coincidentally, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, who had been trying to sneak closer, were stopped by the barrier.
"What's going on? Why can't we get through this barrier?"
The two were shocked. They quickly realized they couldn't penetrate it.
"This is the second time! Looks like this is the work of the Uzumaki clan."
"There was such a massive commotion earlier—clearly, an unprecedented battle took place here. But what was the outcome?"
"Whatever the case, we should retreat for now. If this barrier can stop us, it's likely we've already been detected. Let's go!"
Without hesitation, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu sank into the ground and swiftly retreated.
"Damn Uzumaki clan," Black Zetsu muttered as they fled. "It seems they've already discovered our existence. Otherwise, they wouldn't have developed a sealing barrier specifically targeting us."
"I need to find a way to wipe out the Uzumaki clan and erase this kind of sealing technique!"
Even as they retreated several dozen kilometers away, Black Zetsu couldn't shake his curiosity. He decided to wait nearby until the people in the valley left and the barrier was lifted so he could investigate further.
There had to be valuable information to glean.
— — —
Back to Kaito's Side
With the barrier reactivated, the surrounding crowd was visibly alert.
"Did something happen, Lord Kaito?" A Uchiha asked nervously.
The others scanned their surroundings warily, some activating their Observation Haki to sense any disturbances. However, their efforts yielded nothing unusual.
At that moment, Kaito clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention back to him. With a reassuring smile, he said, "Relax. There's no new enemy here. This area is temporarily safe."
He paused, letting the crowd calm down and look at him curiously before continuing. "The reason I activated the barrier isn't because of enemies but because some of you are about to undergo something important."
His words piqued the curiosity of the crowd. Some of them began to realize where this was heading.
"I'm sure many of you have noticed that some of your clansmen seem to harbor secrets—acting mysteriously at times, right?"
"And haven't some of them experienced rapid strength growth in recent years?"
Those who were already under contract with Kaito immediately understood. They exchanged knowing smiles and glanced at their uncontracted comrades with excitement.
It was clear that Kaito believed these individuals were ready.
Given the display of Kaito's power earlier, it was only natural for everyone present to be in awe. The alliances between the three clans were strong, and admiration for him ran deep.
"Huh?"
Many among the uncontracted crowd looked surprised.
"Lord Kaito, how did you know?"
"Does this have something to do with you, Kaito-sama?"
"Exactly." Kaito nodded. "It's because their goodwill toward me met the required threshold. They entered a contract with me, gaining immense benefits in return."
"Of course, there's a price. Once contracted, they'll be bound to me to some extent."
"Previously, those of you who weren't contracted simply didn't meet the conditions."
"But now, you've all reached the necessary level."
"So, I'm here to ask—would you like to sign a contract with me? Take your time to consider it."
"Of course, this is entirely voluntary. No one will be forced."
Though he gave them the option, Kaito was confident no one would refuse. Goodwill levels of 80 or higher practically guaranteed trust and loyalty.
Unsurprisingly, the uncontracted individuals immediately expressed their willingness to sign.
Kaito wasted no time. With a wave of his hand, he conjured hundreds of runes, sending one to each uncontracted person.
"Touch the rune and choose 'agree' in your mind. That's all it takes," he instructed.
The crowd eagerly complied, each person touching the rune in front of them. A stream of light flowed from the runes into their arms, traveling up to their minds and settling in the center of their consciousness.
Moments later, a surge of information flooded their brains, forcing them to close their eyes and focus on processing it.
"This is the first time I've seen such a large-scale contract ceremony," Tsunade remarked as she approached, smiling.
It was clear she had already digested the revised Flying Thunder God training method Kaito had shared with her.
"I've seen the younger generations undergoing group contracts before," Mikoto added with a grin. "But never on this scale!"
"How long do you think it'll take you to master it?" Kaito asked, turning to Tsunade.
"Hmm…" Tsunade tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I have to admit, you were right. My spatial abilities are already pretty decent!"
"After learning the Flying Thunder God technique, I can clearly perceive spatial dimensions. I just need to fill in a few gaps in my sealing knowledge."
"With that, I should be able to get the basics down in about two weeks."
"Thanks for this! Your revised method is so much better than my granduncle's original version!"
"With his, even with my spatial talent, it'd probably take me years to learn."
"Uh… I wouldn't say that," Kaito chuckled. "Creating a technique like the Flying Thunder God is incredibly difficult, let alone it's a powerful space-time ninjutsu!"
"Back then, your granduncle achieving that much was already amazing."
"And for a genius like him, he probably thought his training method would be manageable for anyone with spatial talent."
"People tend to use themselves as a benchmark when creating things. Your granduncle was no exception."
In truth, the Second Hokage's version of the Flying Thunder God technique was tailored for prodigies. Only exceptional geniuses could understand and master it.
"Yeah… now that I think about it, you're probably right," Tsunade admitted, recalling her own experience with developing medical ninjutsu. "I had similar issues when creating my medical ninjutsu and writing down my techniques."
"So it wasn't that he couldn't make a more accessible version. He either didn't see the need or didn't realize there was a problem."
"Probably both," Kaito agreed with a smile.
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