Chapter 96: Hidden grandmaster

Ryu thought about the drawbacks of Shadow Clone-Jutsu his grandfather had pointed out yesterday, and the reason why he could not use it for accelerating the learning process.

While he was lost in thought, Ryu remembered Naruto Uzumaki. He couldn't help but be impressed at Naruto's ability to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu and its more advanced form, the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, with seemingly no repercussions.

 

"How does he do it?" Ryu contemplated his chopsticks hovering midair. "Sure, he's a jinchuriki with massive chakra reserves, but what about the mental strain? Shouldn't it affect him more? Even adult Sasuke could only create a maximum of ten clones, and that was only for a few seconds to show Boruto."

 

A small, mischievous part of Ryu's mind couldn't help but wonder if Naruto's apparent immunity to the jutsu's drawbacks was due to his... less than stellar academic performance.

"What kind of idiot would you need to be to not feel any kind of mental backlash?" Ryu thought, immediately feeling a twinge of guilt for the uncharitable thought. "Is there nothing in his brain for mental strain to affect?"

 

Ryu shook his head, dispelling these thoughts. He knew it wasn't fair to judge Naruto so harshly. After all, the boy had faced challenges Ryu could scarcely imagine. However, he continued to wonder about Naruto's special powers.

Ryu thought, "Does he possess some unique mental ability? Plot armour for a MC? I could use some."

 

Shaking his head slightly to dispel these thoughts, Ryu's mind shifted to another pressing question. He looked up at his grandfather, who was calmly enjoying his meal.

 

"Grandpa," Ryu began, breaking the comfortable silence. "How is forbidden jutsu taught? To obtain it, is there a requirement or regulation of some kind?

 

Dan paused, "Not quite, Ryu. It's more nuanced than that." He leaned forward, sounding as though he were sharing a village secret. Ryu stopped eating, listening intently to what his grandfather had to say.

"The Hokage often gifts jutsu to exceptional ninjas as a reward or incentive. Sometimes, specific skills are required for missions. However," he added, his tone growing serious, "those who receive such knowledge are strictly forbidden from teaching it to others. The consequences for breaking this rule are severe."

 

The realm of ninja techniques and its established systems appeared unexpectedly more intricate and captivating than he had anticipated.

 

Ryu's eyes widened with curiosity. "Then... would it be impossible for you to teach me Fuinjutsu too?"

 

Dan raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on his lips. "Why would you think that?"

 

"Well," Ryu hesitated, "isn't Fuinjutsu considered forbidden techniques?"

 

Dan nodded slowly. "Fuinjutsu is indeed a very advanced, difficult, and forbidden art. Many elite jonin aren't even trained in intermediate or even basic fuinjutsu. Even more uncommon is advanced fuinjutsu, which only a select few are proficient in. Those who are very good at it are known as grandmasters. Leaf Village has the highest number of grandmasters among all villages; a few are also hidden grandmasters. I am also a hidden grandmaster."

 

"Hidden grandmaster?" Ryu echoed, his voice filled with awe.

 

"Yes," Dan replied, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Grandmasters are very rare, and they are targeted by other villages. The identity of most is kept hidden for their own protection and the village's security. so that both the general public and ninjas without authorisation for sensitive information are unaware of their identity. However, one cannot stay hidden for very long and eventually gets exposed. Those who are not exposed are called hidden grandmasters."

 

Ryu's mind raced with the implications. His grandfather, a hidden grandmaster of fuinjutsu? The revelation sent a thrill of excitement through him.

 

"Then how can you teach me?" Ryu asked, confusion evident in his voice.

 

Dan's eyes sparkled with pride and a hint of nostalgia. "Because, my dear grandson, I didn't learn it from the Hokage or from the forbidden scroll of the Leaf. I learnt directly from Mito Uzumaki herself."

 

Ryu's said, "Mito Uzumaki? You served as her guard.

 

"Indeed," Dan confirmed. "The knowledge I possess is not the intellectual property of the Leaf Village but of the Uzumaki clan. And now that Mito has passed away, there's no one alive who knows more about Uzumaki seals than I do. Not even the Hokage."

 

Dan's words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of history and hidden knowledge. Ryu's mind raced with this new information. "But didn't you teach anyone else?"

 

A shadow passed over Dan's face. He hesitated, picking his words carefully, before continuing, "I taught my son a few seals, but...He wasn't particularly talented in fuinjutsu. He only managed to learn some simple seals."

 

Ryu felt a pang of sadness at the mention of his adoptive father. Then he enquired, "What about the Hokage and other elite ninjas? Didn't they pressure you to share your knowledge?"

 

Dan's expression hardened slightly. "The third Hokage was also taught by Mito-sama along, but he didn't spend as much time with her as I did, so I am better than him at Fuinjutsu. He was too ashamed to ask after what happened to my sister and our clan."

Dan went on, "Some tried to coerce me, and others tried to use charm to get me to give up the Uzumaki seals. However, I refused to give in. Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage also learnt Fuinjutsu from Mito-sama along with future wife of Minato, Kushina Uzumaki when they were both kids. Mito-sama left her legacy to Kushina Uzumaki. After becoming the Fourth Hokage, Minato must have added some of the forbidden Fuinjutsu he had learnt from Kushina Uzumaki and Mito-Sama to the Hidden Leaf Village Forbidden Jutsu Scroll. But still, no one can stop me from teaching Fuinjutsu to my own family, legally speaking."

 

His voice lowered, taking on a more serious tone. "There were even those who tried to forcefully extract the knowledge from me, but they were stopped by the village council. I've always suspected that some are simply waiting for me to pass away, hoping to extract the knowledge from my dead body."

 

A chill ran down Ryu's spine. The world of ninja politics suddenly seemed far darker and more dangerous than he had ever imagined.

 

"The Yamanaka Clan?" he whispered.

 

Dan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Yes and no," he replied carefully. "The Yamanaka Clan is indeed famous for their mind-reading jutsu, and they can even extract memories from the deceased. But they wouldn't stoop so low unless ordered from above."

 

"Danzo Shimura," Ryu said, his voice barely audible.

 

Dan's eyes widened in shock. "So you know of him? As I thought."

 

Ryu shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I... I met him at the orphanage. He was there to recruit children."

 

Dan's face darkened, his voice taking on an urgent tone. "Ryu, listen to me carefully. Be wary of an organisation called the Root and its leader named Danzo Shimura."

He continued, "You and a kid named Naruto are the only people with strong Uzumaki lineage in Leaf Village after the deaths of Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki. As I have already told you, the Uzumaki lineage is very sought after. Naruto is out of his reach and protected by Hokage and Leaf Council, but the same cannot be said about you."

His expression grew serious as he said, "He and his followers will stop at nothing to complete their missions if they set their eyes on you. Danzo, in particular, will do whatever it takes to further his goals. Promise me you'll be careful." 

 

Ryu nodded solemnly, feeling the weight of his grandfather's words.

 

Dan reached out to pat Ryu's hand as his expression softened. "Forget about forbidden techniques for the time being. Be patient, learn the basics I teach you, and master what's taught at the academy. Yuki will be coming to teach you the Medical Ninjutsu in a few months."

 

As they finished their meal, Ryu's mind buzzed with all he had learned. He was a little irritated that, despite knowing the training method, he could not learn Rasengan, nor could he learn the most versatile and signature justu in the Naruto story, the Shadow Clone Jutsu, due to them being a forbidden jutsu.

 

He thought, "While I cannot do Shadow Clone Jutsu, I can practice Rasangan in secret. But what if the Hokage spy on me with his crystal ball?"

Though his mind was full of questions, he finally gave up and sighed.

He thought, "I suppose I have to accomplish something and ask those jutsus as a reward. For me, that would be the most convenient and ideal choice. There is no use in thinking about what's not in my control. Let's just go with the flow, and as Grandpa said, focus on the task at hand."

Watching his grandfather across from him, he kept thinking, "There is one good thing to take away from all of this. My grandfather is a hidden grandmaster, and if I believe him, he is more skilled in fuinjutsu than the Hokage, so I will not have to worry about a good teacher in this regard in the future."

##PoWeR StOnEs##

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