Chapter 21: A New Technique! (Please Keep Reading)

Walking one after the other, Genichi Shita and Jiraiya moved away from the core area of Konoha and came to a halt in a spacious clearing. Snowflakes were still drifting down, leaving a thick blanket of white on the ground. Jiraiya smiled and extended his right hand, palm upward. The next moment, a blue Rasengan rapidly formed in the center of his palm.

Genichi immediately gave him a thumbs up with a grin. "As expected of Master Jiraiya, you've mastered it so quickly."

Jiraiya chuckled, looking proud. "It’s not just that, you know!"

Genichi was startled. In the next instant, the Rasengan expanded. The surrounding air began to rotate at high speed, emitting a whistling sound that caused the snowflakes to swirl around it. Genichi’s eyes widened as he watched the Rasengan in Jiraiya’s hand undergo a drastic transformation; accompanied by a piercing hum, the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken he was so familiar with manifested before him.

Seeing the surprise on Genichi’s face, Jiraiya looked quite smug. "Genichi, this is the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"

"As expected of Master Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin. That’s incredible!" This time, Genichi’s praise was heartfelt. It had been less than a year since he suggested the concept to Minato Namikaze, and Jiraiya had already completed the jutsu. Although it was slightly slower than Naruto’s progress, Naruto possessed a massive amount of chakra and could create hundreds or thousands of shadow clones to train simultaneously, making the efficiency incomparable. Not to mention that Jiraiya was a wanderer who spent his time roaming. It could only be said that Jiraiya truly lived up to his reputation as the pinnacle of commoner ninjas.

Facing Genichi’s admiration, Jiraiya looked even more pleased.

"Master Jiraiya, can it be thrown?" Genichi asked hurriedly.

Jiraiya’s smile stiffened, and he replied with a touch of helplessness, "No."

"I see, so it's just a semi-finished product."

"Of course, it *can* be thrown," Jiraiya said, smiling again before dissipating the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. "Well, I'll show you the throwable version next time!"

Genichi nodded. He knew that it could certainly be thrown while in Sage Mode. However, Jiraiya’s Sage Mode required the cooperation of the two great toad sages of Mount Myoboku. Unfortunately, with his current chakra levels, Sage Mode was out of the question.

"Genichi, if there’s any ninjutsu you want to learn, I can teach you!" Jiraiya said with a laugh, exuding the bold confidence of someone who could produce any jutsu at will.

Genichi fell into deep thought. Previously, he had been severely lacking in ninjutsu resources, but now... he seemed to have enough. The techniques he currently possessed were sufficient for his needs. What he needed most urgently was more chakra. Should he ask Jiraiya for help capturing the Zero-Tails? Genichi secretly shook his head; now was not the time.

After some consideration, Genichi said, "Master Jiraiya, how about you teach me a defensive ninjutsu?"

Defensive ninjutsu? Jiraiya stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before forming a series of hand seals. "How about this?"

As he spoke, his white hair grew long and hardened, wrapping around his body until only his face was visible. The hair stood up in sharp spikes, resembling a hedgehog. The Needle Jizo! Genichi recognized this technique immediately; it was a secret jutsu created by Jiraiya himself. He just wasn't sure what nature transformation was involved—Earth Style or Yang Style? However, given that Jiraiya knew his situation, it shouldn't be Earth Style.

Jiraiya said, "Genichi, try attacking me. Use a shuriken, for example."

Genichi nodded, leaped backward, and flicked his wrists. Several shuriken flew out, only to be deflected with a clatter upon hitting Jiraiya. The defense was quite impressive. Let’s try again. Genichi jumped, drew his blade with his right hand, and slashed down from the air with all his might. He didn't just use his physical strength; he incorporated the chakra-burst technique taught to him by Sakumo Hatake.

Jiraiya’s eyelids twitched involuntarily. "This brat really doesn't hold back. Good thing my defense is up to the task."

Sure enough, as Genichi’s short blade descended, it was blocked by Jiraiya’s hair. This made Genichi’s eyes light up. This defensive technique was surely on par with Kakuzu’s Earth Spear.

Sheathing his blade, Genichi gave a thumbs up. "This jutsu is your own creation, isn't it, Master Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya dispelled the technique and laughed. "Of course. Not bad, right?"

Genichi nodded repeatedly and asked, "Master Jiraiya, what nature transformation is this technique?"

Jiraiya countered, "What do you think?"

"Yang Style?" Genichi asked.

Jiraiya nodded, then sat down on the snowy ground. "I recall you’ve mastered Yang Style nature transformation, haven't you?"

"Yes, though I'm not proficient in it. I've only mastered the Mystical Palm Technique," Genichi replied.

Jiraiya smiled. "The Mystical Palm Technique is no simple medical ninjutsu. Mastering it is enough. Well, let's begin. Start with the hand seals; Minato said you have quite a knack for them!"

Jiraiya began his instruction. The hand seals for the Needle Jizo were not complicated—only six seals—and could be performed in under a second if done quickly: Tiger-Horse-Boar-Ram-Tiger-Snake.

Genichi remembered the sequence after just one demonstration. But that was only the beginning. For the second step, Jiraiya had Genichi practice the seals to build familiarity. Genichi complied, and after only ten repetitions, his hand seals were fluid, taking him only a second to complete. The third step was to channel chakra to trigger the nature transformation while forming the seals. This was the most critical part, and it took Genichi half an hour to grasp the trick.

Finally, he attempted it for real. Tiger-Horse-Boar-Ram-Tiger-Snake. Genichi formed the seals, his speed not yet perfect, taking two seconds to complete the six signs. The next moment, his short black hair began to grow rapidly and harden. However, it stopped at his waist, only covering half of his body.

Jiraiya reached out and tapped the black hair. "The hardness isn't quite there yet. You need to practice more. You must achieve both length and hardness." Jiraiya laughed. "Hm, from today on, Genichi, you should grow your hair out, just like mine. Look how dashing it is."

Genichi nodded. He had no objection to growing his hair out. For the sake of his own safety, what was a little hair? Besides, Jiraiya’s long white hair did look quite cool.

"Alright, that’s enough for today! I’m heading over to Minato’s place. If you need anything, come find me there." With that, Jiraiya turned and walked away, waving his hand as he gradually disappeared into the distance.

Genichi waved back, watching Jiraiya leave, then continued to ponder the Needle Jizo technique. For a defensive ninjutsu like this, the fewer seals required, the better, so it could be used in the heat of battle. "I must continue to study the Nine Syllable Hand Seals," Genichi thought to himself. He could not slack off; even if there were no more improvements to make in his ninjutsu, his research into hand seals must not stop, especially the Nine Syllable Hand Seals.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Genichi, dressed in a white high-collared robe, arrived at the village gate to assemble. The first mission after the new year was about to begin.