Chapter 169: Reaching a compromise

"Flying Thunder God Jutsu?"

Upon realizing which technique Uzumaki Mito wanted to replace what Tatsuma requested, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt relieved. His sensei had created too many forbidden techniques, ranging from completed systems to incomplete ones, with some still in development.

Among them, there was a portion of techniques so dangerous that Sarutobi Hiruzen preferred they never saw the light of day again. However, among the numerous forbidden techniques, there were one or two that Sarutobi Hiruzen was willing to let spread.

One of them was the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, an advanced version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. To be more precise, it should be said that the Shadow Clone Jutsu is a restricted version of the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Initially, his sensei had created the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, but due to its extreme danger, modifications were made, resulting in the creation of the Shadow Clone Jutsu that others could also learn.

And another technique is the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. The Flying Thunder God can be said to be the most mysterious and difficult Ninjutsu in this shinobi world. The concept of space-time is difficult for ordinary people to understand, let alone learn and apply.

Among forbidden techniques, practitioners of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu are actually the most numerous. Including Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and others from that generation of Hokage's guards, all attempted to learn it.

However, unfortunately, none of them were able to master this technique. They couldn't even reach the entry level mentioned by their sensei for the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, so they couldn't progress.

Over the years, Sarutobi Hiruzen has had Chunin from the village attempt to learn this technique more than once. However, no one has ever succeeded, not even those exceptionally talented geniuses.

Sarutobi Hiruzen even speculated whether Tobirama's innate Space-Time talent, as mentioned by their sensei, was exclusive to him alone, much like the Wood Release talent of the First Hokage in the past.

Senju Tobirama analyzed the prerequisites for learning this technique, listing three major requirements. First is the Space-Time talent. Since him, no one has ever broken through this barrier.

The second requirement is exceptional knowledge. One needs to understand the concept of Space-Time and integrate it into the application of Chakra.

The final point is having extraordinary reaction speed to adapt to the information transformed by Space-Time. Without this, the Flying Thunder God will only degrade into a poor Ninjutsu similar to Heavenly Transfer Jutsu.

Of course, the last point is Tobirama's own personal opinion.

After all, in his sensei's words, throughout his life, apart from himself, he only admired the Wood Release of the First Hokage and the Sealing Jutsu of the First Hokage's wife. Besides these, in his opinion, other people's techniques are either poor or crude.

Even the Uchiha's power, which could be considered god-like in the eyes of other enemies, is nothing more than inherited cheats in the eyes of his sensei and not something based on knowledge.

Sarutobi Hiruzen concluded his brief reminiscence of his sensei and then slowly turned his head to look at Tatsuma. At this moment, Tatsuma had also come to stand before him and Uzumaki Mito.

Seeing Tatsuma, who bore a resemblance to his sensei in looks by about forty or fifty percent and shared about seventy or eighty percent similarity in behaviour, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and said, "The Flying Thunder God Jutsu is unlike any other Ninjutsu. It is not just a Ninjutsu.

It combines Summoning Jutsu, Sealing Jutsu, Sensory techniques, Ninja Tool Throwing Jutsu, and even incorporates close combat and tactical formations into a system. It demands far more from its learners compared to other Ninjutsu.

Even within Tobirama sensei's creations, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu stands out as one of the top techniques. It's a pity that within the shinobi world, the maximum evaluation for the difficulty of Ninjutsu learning is only capped at S-rank. Otherwise, the difficulty rating for learning this technique would be even higher.

Since Tobirama sensei developed the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, no one else has been able to master it. Tatsuma, do you have confidence?"

Even Tatsuma couldn't contain his excitement at this moment. Last night, he had spent the whole night studying Senju Tobirama's preliminary research before developing the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and his mind was filled with countless speculations.

Now, with the hope of confirming his own speculations, Tatsuma was also somewhat excited. He nodded and said, "Hokage-sama, I believe that any technique that can be developed is possible to learn. Perhaps no one has ever replicated the brilliance of Second Hokage-sama, but maybe it's just a matter of suitability. Just like not every ninja can be as proficient in the Five Elements Escape Jutsu as you, Hokage-sama."

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but smile. The frustration accumulated throughout the entire day's Jonin meeting vanished in an instant. He jokingly patted Tatsuma on the head and said, "So, will you be the child with the talent to learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu?"

"I think it's not just me. There must be others with the talent, but they simply haven't had the opportunity to encounter this technique, like Minato," Tatsuma replied.

Tatsuma had no intention of monopolizing this Ninjutsu. It wasn't about sentimentality; rather, Minato was genuinely very clever. They often studied the same Ninjutsu together, and the exchange of different insights accelerated Tatsuma's understanding of Ninjutsu.

Moreover, he knew that Minato indeed possessed the talent to learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and he had further refined and improved the system of the Flying Thunder God.

From the preliminary research notes he had studied last night, Tatsuma could glimpse the difficulty of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. If he were alone, learning the Flying Thunder God Jutsu might require some additional luck.

The reason Tatsuma could learn other Ninjutsu in a very short time was not only because he was intelligent enough but also because other techniques had been thoroughly studied and improved by different individuals.

Even when Jiraiya and Orochimaru taught him Ninjutsu, they generously lent him their notes. Within the original Ninjutsu scrolls, there were vague points. If he were to learn on his own, it might take a long time to figure out.

However, with the summaries of predecessors, this process can be greatly shortened, avoiding going astray.

But the difference with the Flying Thunder God is that no one else has succeeded in learning it, and Tobirama is the creator of this technique. His perspective differs from Tatsuma's, so what Tobirama overlooks or casually mentions might be the difficult points in the learning process.

If someone ponders over it and the direction is correct, it's fine. At worst, it's just spending more time exploring and correcting mistakes. But if the overall direction is wrong, then the cost might not only be in terms of time but also encountering danger.

Therefore, in learning such a technique, talent, accumulation, effort, and luck or inspiration are also crucial. However, inspiration is not something that can be obtained at the snap of one's fingers. Thus, having another person to bounce ideas off of is also very helpful.

"Minato?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile on his face became even brighter. What he thought of was the friendship between the two boys that Jiraiya had mentioned to him more than once.

"I have Ninjutsu, and I'll teach it to you because I know you'll also teach me the Ninjutsu you've learned."

Such bonds are extremely rare among shinobi descendants, even non-existent. They only appear among civilians. However, thinking about the matter at hand, Sarutobi Hiruzen slightly restrained his smile and said earnestly, "I believe Minato has remarkable talent just like you. But you also need to understand that such forbidden techniques are not easily accessible for learning opportunities. Minato's current strength and contributions to the village are far from qualifying him to learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu."

In reality, their contributions on the surface were similar, and their completed missions were also similar. But in terms of true contribution, Tatsuma far exceeded Minato.

Three strategic plans, all of which severely damaged the enemy. The first plan, enticing the enemy deep into their territory, set the tone for the Wind and Fire countries' conflict, putting the Sand Ninjas at a disadvantage from the start. In this process, Tatsuma even killed Hoshi, a ninja with extraordinary potential in Puppet Jutsu.

The second plan, diverting the disaster to the east, liberated one of the camps, preventing a significant number of unnecessary casualties. It also manipulated the relationship between the Wind and Rain countries, causing the Land of Wind to pay a heavy price, thus ending the skirmishes with the Land of Rain.

The third time, decisive action, completely drove the Sand Ninjas out of the Land of Rain. The trauma inflicted on the Land of Wind still continued unabated, bringing continuous benefits to Konoha and the Land of Fire.

What's even more satisfying to Sarutobi Hiruzen is that in the three strategic plans, the first credit went to Orochimaru, the second to Jiraiya, and the third to Tsunade. These three individuals are all his disciples. Moreover, during this process, they greatly "admonished" Danzo and his Root organization, dispelling any inappropriate thoughts Danzo might have had.

Both their external and internal contributions are immeasurable. While others may not recognize the true heroes, how could Sarutobi Hiruzen not know?

Even after ending the frontline war, on the way back, Tatsuma still uncovered hidden threats to the village within the shinobi world. If Tatsuma's speculations prove to be true, it would be a great contribution to Konoha.

Therefore, when Uzumaki Mito proposed that Tatsuma learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, the only question he considered was whether Tatsuma could learn it. As for anything else, it was not worth considering.

But Minato fell short by a small margin. Although he met all the village's expectations of him, and even surpassed them in many aspects, compared to Tatsuma, he lacked some of the charisma of a leader.

Of course, at this age, hardly anyone can demonstrate such talent. It's just unfortunate that Minato, who came after Tatsuma, appears somewhat ordinary in comparison.

Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Tatsuma couldn't help but furrow his brow, and Uzumaki Mito did the same.

As Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Tatsuma deep in thought, he also recalled the village rumors. Although Orochimaru had already explained to him that it was a small scheme of Orochimaru's, at this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but wonder if Orochimaru had somehow guessed the truth correctly. Perhaps it was intentionally spreading rumors, but rumors aren't necessarily false, are they?

"I believe that two people supporting each other and moving forward together, helping each other, is also a good story, don't you think, Hiruzen?"

At that moment, Uzumaki Mito's voice broke in. Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped back to reality, and a hint of dilemma appeared on his face. Of course, he could hand over the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to Minato as well. However, if this matter were to be revealed in the future, not only would it be difficult for Sarutobi Hiruzen to convince others, but Minato's reputation might also be tarnished. Furthermore, if this precedent were set, others might also try to test the limits. What should he do?

Agree, and the need for the forbidden technique scroll would cease to exist. Refuse, and the reputations of those involved would be further tarnished. No one dared to openly criticize him as the Hokage, but what about Minato?

Tatsuma had also finished his thoughts at this point. He glanced gratefully at Uzumaki Mito. He knew Uzumaki Mito was not ignorant of the situation. By speaking somewhat stubbornly at this moment, she was also fighting for his and Minato's interests.

However, Tatsuma already had a solution in mind. He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said, "Hokage-sama, as you said, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu is less of a Ninjutsu and more of a system.

So, aside from the core Ninjutsu records of the Flying Thunder God, there are other contents that I need to study as well, such as Second Hokage-sama's research on Summoning Jutsu and Space-Time concepts. Minato should be able to learn these too, right?"

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes lit up. Apart from the core of the Flying Thunder God, there were indeed many prerequisites. Minato might not be able to learn the Flying Thunder God now, but he was certainly qualified to study these. Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction and said, "Of course. Initially, it was to enable others to understand and learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu that we borrowed the notes left by Tobirama sensei. Since you and Minato are interested in this research, the village will naturally provide support."

Tatsuma nodded, then asked in confusion, "But I saw that Second Hokage-sama's room still had many research notes."

"Ah, those would damage Tobirama sensei's image."

Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's response, Tatsuma understood. After all, constantly saying "evil Uchiha" and using those non-formal expressions wouldn't be suitable as teaching materials for others, so they were left behind.

"However, Tatsuma, are you sure about this choice?" Sarutobi Hiruzen admired the bond between the two and was satisfied with Tatsuma's decision, but he still wanted to ask. Tatsuma nodded and said, "I may not be able to fully grasp those research notes in the short term, and with Minato's talent, I believe he will quickly grow to the point where he has the strength and qualifications to learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. Besides, if necessary, I can just ask you for the Flying Thunder God Jutsu myself and then consult Minato on certain issues. If he also understands the Flying Thunder God Jutsu during this process, I don't think anyone would object, right?"

"Haha, of course not. Although it's a forbidden technique, if one can learn it through observation and discussion, others wouldn't say anything. After all, aren't the Uchiha experts in this regard?

Moreover, whether it's you, Minato, or other ninjas in the village, as long as you learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu and have the village's best interests at heart, wouldn't that ultimately be the best contribution to the village? As you said, I will have someone send over the relevant research on the Flying Thunder God, excluding the core. You and Minato can study it more. Once you have mastered this knowledge, you can come to me at any time to exchange it for the Flying Thunder God Jutsu."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled and said, Tatsuma also smiled and respectfully said, "Thank you very much, Hokage-sama."

Suddenly, there was a loud sound of someone forcefully pushing open the door from outside. A staggering figure entered, Tsunade, carrying several bottles of alcohol. Seeing the three in the hall, she raised the bottles and said, "Grandma! Join me for a drink! Jiraiya and that guy, Dan Kato, can't hold their liquor at all. They just had a tiny bit and passed out. And... even Orochimaru opposed me."

As she spoke, she stumbled into the hall. Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen, she said, "Hey! Let's play rock-paper-scissors. If I win, you'll agree to my proposal, okay?"

Upon hearing Tsunade not even calling him "sensei," both Uzumaki Mito and Sarutobi Hiruzen's faces darkened simultaneously. In an instant, chakra began swirling in the hall, causing even some tables and chairs to move.

Tatsuma stood aside, feeling quite small and helpless. He couldn't afford to provoke any of these three.

"Hiruzen, sorry to embarrass you. Tomorrow I'll make Tsunade come and apologize in person," Uzumaki Mito said with a cold face. Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He was startled by the chakra swirling in the hall as well. He stood up and said, "Mito-sama, I should leave now. Tsunade just returned from the battlefield, it's normal for her to vent her emotions. I am her sensei as well and know this isn't her usual behavior. I hope you understand."

"Mm." Uzumaki Mito nodded, and Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly left. Uzumaki Mito then turned to the somewhat bewildered Tatsuma and said, "Tatsuma, why don't you help out and refine some chakra?"

"Refine chakra?" Tatsuma was full of question marks.

---- 

Check out my Patreon for more advanced chapters up to 50 at patreon.com/HellGolt