Ryu's first meeting with Naruto was a success. He made the meeting seem coincidental and also invited him to his home. Crucially, other than his friends and the ramen guy, no one else knew Ryu had personally reached out to the boy.
Now, the only problem was designing the perfect training method. Ryu thought, "Naruto is not the type to sit still and meditate for hours; I will have to be creative and use his stupid nature. carrot-and-stick approach will be best for him."
As he walked back home, ideas began to coalesce. He needed to find a way to optimise Naruto's training and make him stronger than his canon self.
Ryu thought, "Naruto did nothing but disappoint after the Fourth Ninja War. I mean, how on earth did he lose [Six Path-Chakra Mode] and [Truth-Seeking Balls]?"
"Basic chakra control and physical conditioning are important, but they wouldn't be enough. I needed to design a training method that is tailored specifically for him."
Ryu quickly listed Naruto's innate advantages and thought, "He has a vast chakra pool, accelerated healing, and a mind stupid yet capable of handling the backlash of the Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu.... First, I need to find ways to optimise what he can already do…"
Ryu exhaled and said, "I will think about it later. I have my own training to do now."
Ryu reached the training grounds and immediately started his routine. After finishing his own demanding physical regimen and carbon control, he decided it was time to check on the progress of his adopted siblings. He observed Jiyuu and Yasashii working on their ninjutsu.
Jiyuu effortlessly performed advanced Water Release techniques, surpassing genin standards without any difficulty. Across from him, Yasashii quickly wove a few hand seals and placed his hand down, and the ground instantly shot up into a dense, solid earth pillar—a strong performance of basic Earth Release.
Ryu approached them and asked, "How is the training going?"
Jiyuu wiped sweat from his brow. "Smoothly, Brother. We've got the basics down."
Ryu nodded slightly. "I can see that... You now know the basics of elemental ninjutsu. Now, you must challenge yourselves. Jiyuu, I want you to perform all these jutsu without using any hand seals. This exercise will take time, but it will directly help with the primary ninjutsu I showed you in genjutsu. That jutsu will be active for a long period of time, so you should be able to do it without any seal."
"Have you two thought of a name for your unique jutsu yet?" Ryu then asked.
Jiyuu shook his head. "No, we haven't decided on a name yet."
Yasashii replied immediately. "I have a few ideas."
Ryu looked at Yasashii. "I'll leave the name to you two. It's not the most important thing right now." He then focused on Yasashii. "I want your main attack to be Ninjutsu-based and defence to be fuinjutsu-based, or if possible, ninjutsu combined with fuinjutsu."
Ryu turned to Jiyuu. "Have you begun training to manipulate Oobleck yet?"
Jiyuu replied, "The basic water is easy, but this Oobleck feels fundamentally different from pure water."
"That is correct," Ryu replied. "That material is not simple water, but it is partially water, so your starting point should be basic water control. Try to feel and control it through its water component first. After that, you can infuse it with your chakra to shape and manipulate it according to your desires. Yes, it will use more chakra than simple water jutsu, but in turn, you will have vastly superior control."
Ryu paused. "What I showed you last time was a Genjutsu, just as a proof of concept, but I will show you the real thing this time."
He extended his arm, and instantly, a shadowy substance emerged from beneath his sleeves, enveloping his exposed skin in a swift, seamless motion. The black shade solidified into a hard, shiny black shell in an instant. It was beautiful and ugly at the same time.
Ryu used his other hand and flicked the black shell. The sound was a distinct, hardCLANK, as if his hand were solid metal.
"This unique material allows me to switch it instantly from a powder form to a metal-hard solid," Ryu explained. "With enough power and control, I can make it even harder. It has its advantages compared to what you are attempting, but your jutsu will also have unique strengths."
Jiyuu asked, "That is encouraging, but how could anyone learn that level of control? I can only guess the amount of concentration for controlling every particle that is not one of five elements… You are you, and I am not you."
Ryu stressed, "You do it through practice. I know complex materials require superfine chakra control and concentration, but it's not impossible. This seal on your back is an advanced learning and evolving seal. It acts like an additional, small brain. It learns and stores all the complex data from your training, anticipating and replicating the exact chakra fluctuations needed to maintain reducing your load. Now that it has become a part of you, it enhances your learning process. However, teaching it remains your responsibility. You still need to put in the hard work. If you succeed even once, it will remember that feeling and replicate the results perfectly."
Yasashii asked, "Does this seal also work for Taijutsu?"
Ryu nodded. "Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and in a way, Fuinjutsu too. If you perform any technique once, it will learn from your actions, allowing you to consistently replicate perfect results."
Ryu's gaze shifted to Jiyuu. "The data gathered from your training will not only benefit your progress but also play a crucial role in accelerating Souji's recovery process."
Jiyuu replied, "Glad I could be of help, Brother."
Elsewhere, Rina and Souji were training with their [BodyGPT] seals, focusing on advanced chakra control and minute muscle control, respectively. Ryu had ordered Rina to continue advanced chakra exercises, insisting her current level was 'far from perfect'. Since they were already experienced ninjas, they accepted their assignments without question.
Ryu turned to watch the progress of the twins, Kaia and Akihiro. They were failing at the basic leaf-sticking exercise, attempting to keep a leaf attached to their foreheads using only chakra. This was their public assignment, alongside the private task of sharpening their basic sense and intuition in a dark, sensory deprivation room.
Kaia's leaf fluttered and fell to the ground. She stomped her foot, enraged. "This is useless! It has no purpose! Why are we doing this pointless training?"
Ryu walked over, his expression calm. "Do you trust the guidance of your big brother, or do you think you know better than the proven methods?"
Akihiro, who currently had a leaf stuck perfectly to his forehead, quickly signed to his sister: Patience. Have faith.
"It looks like I need to show you the fruit of this kind training first," Ryu replied.
Ryu gathered a large amount of chakra in his right hand. The chakra immediately began to swirl and compress into a dense, blue sphere.
"This is the [Rasengan], an A-rank jutsu," Ryu said, holding it steady. "It can kill a Jonin in a single successful hit or completely incapacitate them even if you miss vitals."
The twins were awestruck. Ryu continued, "The Fourth Hokage took three years of dedication to create this, and it is a secret technique, recorded in the Forbidden Scroll."
Kaia questioned, "If we complete our assignment, will you teach us this jutsu?"
Ryu let the sphere dissipate, the silence returning with a deafening abruptness. "I cannot teach it to you, because it is not suitable for you; its chakra demand is too high. Also, it is a forbidden jutsu, not transferable. I need to ask permission for sharing this jutsu."
Kaia asked, "Then why show us?"
Ryu replied, "To show you and tell you that I learned this in one day... a jutsu that the Fourth Hokage took three years to develop and his own teacher three months to learn... I did it in one day."
Ryu's voice dropped, becoming intense. "If you raise your chakra control to its absolute limits and push it even further, the impossible will be made possible. It is the path to becoming an ultimate ninja. It is the path to [Sage Mode]."
Kaia and Akihiro exchanged a wide-eyed look. Akihiro used hand signs and asked, "What is Sage Mode?"
Ryu continued. "It is a powerful and dangerous technique. The physical requirement for it is very high, and one of them is strong chakra and perfect chakra control. It instantly elevates a ninja to the rank of a Kage."
Kaia asked, "A Kage… You mean like Hokage?"
Ryu replied, "Yes…. As far as my knowledge extends, there is only one person alive today who possesses this ability. In the past, the First Hokage also had it. The Fourth Hokage also possessed this ability, but not to the same extent as the First Hokage.
Ryu looked directly at Akihiro. "If you learn Sage Jutsu, you tap into nature and borrow power from it. The nature becomes part of you… And when that happens, one is able to see with their eyes closed."
That was a shocker for the duo. Ryu was encouraging them to achieve the impossible. He didn't know if they would be able to achieve it, but this carrot-and-stick approach would stop Kaia from whining. And for the sake of her brother, she would push herself to do the assignments.
Akihiro's hands flew up, signing with great speed. "You think I will be able to achieve it?"
Ryu smiled and answered, "Maybe, maybe not… There is only one way to find out. Now, how is the darkroom training? Are you comfortable with detection using water waves yet?"
Akihiro's fingers flew rapidly. "It is going smoothly, Brother."
Ryu nodded. "Good. Water waves are simple. Now we progress to the next phase, the ground waves, the faint geological vibrations heavy people make when moving, which are essential for your [InstinctGPT] to fully adapt to fighting blind. The third phase will be air sensing. This part will be difficult without ninjutsu, so at this point, you should complete all your chakra control exercises, repeat step two with earth affinity, and then move on to wind sensing after training your wind affinity. And lastly … actual chakra sensing…"
He focused on Kaia. "Kaia can already detect vibration better than you, as she has trained herself to listen through the vibrations felt in her sensitive fingers when she plays the piano."
Kaia nodded in understanding. Ryu continued, "But in combat, she needs to do so without touching the target. That is only possible by training your senses to the extreme and then use ninjutsu to further evolve them. Whatever you do, chakra control is something you cannot and should not ignore if you want to excel at ninjutsu."
Ryu concluded. "So stop whining and do your chakra control training."
Ryu thought, "Their [InstinctGPT] will aid significantly in the visualisation part. In time, it will optimise itself for them to somehow see everything around them."
Just then, a small red-and-white bird landed silently on Ryu's shoulder and tapped his collarbone with its beak in a rapid Morse code pattern.
Ryu listened patiently. The detection wards he had strategically placed around the training grounds had registered the intrusion seconds after the bird's arrival.
Kaia pointed at the bird. "The bird is beautiful! It's the spitting image of you."
Ryu just smiled, a hint of genuine amusement in his eyes.
Kaia sighed, looking down. "I've been told some of them can sing wonderfully. I always wanted to listen to the birds sing, but since I'm deaf, it's impossible. Even if I can't hear them, I still want to sing just like them."
Ryu's smile widened, a mischievous glint entering his eyes. "You will, Kaia. One day, you will sing like a canary."
Ryu stepped closer. "Your next assignment after achieving high-level senses, intuition, and chakra control is tuning your voice. Many ninjas train in altering their voice; it's a common infiltration skill. But you are going to max out that skill too and tap into frequencies not possible for ordinary shinobi… I want you to be able to shatter glass through your voice alone… You are our band's lead lady singer … you should be able to do that."
Kaia looked sceptical. "You have too much trust in me. Why do you think I can do the impossible when others cannot?"
Ryu's eyes softened with certainty. "Because… you are deaf. That is your bloodline, isn't it? You told Saya Uchiha that day, right?"
He paused for dramatic effect. "Due to your bloodline, you can attempt to reach ultrasonic frequencies without harming your ears, as they are already impaired."
The twins were speechless, their eyes widening in disbelief as their concept of weakness suddenly inverted into the ultimate strength, filling them with newfound determination and purpose.
Suddenly, someone jumped and landed silently behind Ryu.
Ryu greeted without looking back, "Long time no see," as Itachi Uchiha landed behind him with a dramatic superhero landing.
A/N :
Power stones are lacking ... Come on, guys. Shower some love on the story.
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