"Uh, actually, there aren't many. Developing new techniques isn't that easy. It's true I'm a genius, but I'm not a god."
Seiryū let out a dry laugh.
The persona of a genius needed to be maintained, but he couldn't appear too much like a genius.
He had to keep a careful balance.
If he overdid it, he might be treated like some kind of alien and dissected.
Right now, he couldn't sweep across the ninja world. So when he needed to be low-key, he had to stay low-key.
Because of that, Seiryū had hidden quite a few things.
He hadn't revealed all the Hadō and Bakudō techniques he had mastered.
All in all, the "new techniques" he had publicly developed over the past three years were only a few types:
From the Hadō series: Byakurai, Tsuzuri Raiden, Arashi Kiri, and Shakkahō.
From the Bakudō series: Sai, Nuno, Seki, and Shooting Star.
Plus, Body Flicker Technique combined with Enhanced Strength Techniques.
As for Enhanced Strength Techniques and Rasengan, those were also things Seiryū had "developed" himself, but they couldn't really be considered new techniques. At most, he had learned how to perform them.
Seiryū was indeed a genius, through and through. But not to the extent that others would risk everything just to dissect him.
He controlled this balance perfectly.
"You little brat, not a single word coming out of your mouth is true."
Tsunade stared at Seiryū for a long time before finally saying softly, "It's been a year since you last developed a new technique, that 'Hadō #27: Rankiryu,' hasn't it? I don't believe you haven't developed any new techniques for over a year."
The last "new technique" Seiryū had revealed was indeed from a year ago.
Given Seiryū's talent, there was no way he hadn't created anything new since then.
This brat was just a freak.
Also, the name Wind Release: Rankiryu was perfectly fine.
But this brat insisted on naming techniques in strange ways, which already showed he wasn't right in the head.
She had initially thought the reason he numbered his techniques was because he had already developed over twenty.
But when she asked, that wasn't the case. The brat was just having an episode.
Seiryū shrugged. "I didn't say I had none, just that there really aren't many."
Tsunade probed, "How many is 'not many'?"
"Uh, a few?"
"A few?"
"Ugh, why are you asking so much? That's personal privacy. It's not convenient to reveal!"
Tsunade glanced down at Seiryū's lower half and curled her lip.
"A brat who hasn't even grown all his hair yet, acting all mysterious."
Seiryū: "..."
Where is this female hooligan even looking?
He felt like he had just been ogled.
"If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."
Tsunade didn't press further. She returned to the previous topic, looked at Kurenai, and said, "Kurenai, you start with your self-introduction. Your hobbies, dreams, what Ninjutsu you've learned, and so on."
It was still the exact same script the Third Hokage had used back then. A direct inheritance.
"Okay!"
Kurenai responded, thought for a moment, then said, "My hobby is cooking. My favorite foods are dango and ramen. My dream is to become a ninja like Tsunade-sama."
This wasn't flattery. It was truly her dream.
Kurenai continued, "I specialize in Genjutsu. I know a little Water Release, but I'm not proficient. Currently, I've mastered Three Cherry Blossoms, Place of No Return Technique, Hell Viewing Technique, and Fox's Heart Technique."
Kurenai was a ninja who specialized in Genjutsu.
She hadn't trained in Water Release much. Aside from using it to 'shout' Seiryū awake, she rarely used it.
Tsunade smiled slightly. "Not bad. To have mastered those Genjutsu at your age, your talent in Genjutsu is excellent."
That line—"to become a ninja like Tsunade-sama"—really hit the mark.
Little girls really were polite and adorable.
Unlike a certain someone who was always disrespectful and gave her nothing but trouble.
Tsunade pointed at Shizune. "Next, Shizune."
Shizune was her disciple and had followed her from a young age.
Naturally, she knew everything about Shizune.
However, the purpose of these introductions was to help the three of them understand one another.
"My hobbies are tidying up, cooking, and reading medical books. My favorite food is brown rice. I don't dislike anything. My dream is to become a powerful Medical Ninja."
Shizune was no longer as shy as before. She only felt nervous around strangers. Her voice was very gentle.
She paused for a bit, seemed to be thinking about which Ninjutsu she knew, then added, "I'm a Medical Ninja. I can use poison. I'm not good at other Ninjutsu, and I've only learned the basic Healing Technique when it comes to Medical Ninjutsu."
Practicing Medical Ninjutsu was extremely difficult.
Its difficulty was second only to Sealing Techniques.
Moreover, becoming a Medical Ninja required understanding human anatomy. Very few people could manage it.
Shizune was still young and currently only knew the most basic Medical Ninjutsu.
She wasn't even as strong as Seiryū, who had taught himself.
That was why Shizune greatly admired and respected him.
Tsunade nodded, then turned to Seiryū and raised her brow.
"Your turn, brat."
Seiryū had no choice but to go along with it.
"I don't really have hobbies. If I had to pick one, then eating, sleeping, and eating again probably counts."
"I like all kinds of food. I especially enjoy Kurenai's cooking. The bacon and eggs that go straight to your head, and the ramen mixed with soldier pills... it's truly delicious."
Kurenai's eyes lit up when she heard that.
Her efforts weren't in vain. Since Seiryū liked her cooking, she'd keep working hard.
Tsunade and Shizune, however, fell silent.
Seiryū's taste in food was something they really couldn't comment on.
"Dreams... hmm, I have many dreams too."
As he spoke of his dreams, Seiryū's tone suddenly rose with energy.
"Opening a BBQ restaurant. Becoming an astronaut. Achieving peace in the ninja world. Buying the Forest of Death and turning it into a tourist attraction if I get rich. And finally, the most important dream: training hard to become strong enough to teach a bad woman a lesson—"
Bang!
Before he could finish, Tsunade smacked him hard on the head. Her face darkened.
"You sure have a lot of dreams, brat. Some of them are quite unique."
"Skip the dream part of your introduction!"
She was so angry, she almost laughed.
Where did this kid come up with so many strange dreams?
And the last one was to 'teach her a lesson'?
Seiryū was very displeased.
He hated being interrupted mid-sentence. It was incredibly rude.
But seeing Tsunade's expression, he decisively backed down.
Still, he wouldn't forget today.
Konoha Year 45, March 3rd.
That bad woman Tsunade hit his head again.
Seiryū had recorded this grudge!
Afterward, Seiryū grumbled, "I specialize in Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Sealing Techniques, Body Flicker Technique, Medical Ninjutsu, and Shurikenjutsu."
"Huh, thinking about it, I seem to be good at all the skills related to being a ninja."
"I'm also a ninja born with all five elemental affinities. I've mastered all five Chakra Nature Transformations. But I didn't study Five Release Ninjutsu much. They're too easy and lack challenge, which doesn't suit my status as a genius. So I prefer using the new techniques I developed myself."
Yup.
Seiryū was showing off now.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)