Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Art of Kai!
Chapter 41: Art of Kai!
Time flew by, and spring turned into summer. The village of Konoha was now filled with the sound of ringing bells.
From one end of the street to the other, bicycles weaved through the crowds. Many children called out to their friends, racing each other on smaller-sized bikes. In a short time, bicycles had become their new favorite toy.
At home, looking at the account books, Genichi was also very happy. He finally had enough money to buy a proper chakra blade. Both the swords he had used before and the two he was using now were ordinary blades. At most, the new ones he bought were of slightly better quality, but they couldn't conduct chakra well. They couldn't be compared to his master Sakumo's White Fang tantō.
But the materials that could conduct chakra well were extremely precious. A single blade could cost millions, or even tens of millions of ryo.
Genichi had completed two S-rank missions, and an S-rank mission started at a commission of at least one million ryo. But that wasn't his alone; he had to split it with the village and his teammates. Moreover, Genichi ate well and ate a lot, even buying the special, high-quality soldier pills that could be digested quickly to replenish stamina. On top of that, although he could use the equipment at Konoha Hospital for free, he still had to pay for the consumables himself.
So, before, Genichi simply couldn't afford a chakra blade.
But now things were good. Although bicycles hadn't become a massive hit, they were selling very well in Konoha and had now expanded to several other large cities, like the capital of the Land of Fire. Now, a steady stream of income was flowing in, and it wasn't a small amount. It was far more profitable than his family's dango shop.
And the next step was to start selling outside the Land of Fire. Whether it was cooperating with major merchants from other countries or shipping the goods there himself, he could make a lot of money. Furthermore, Genichi didn't need to worry about the details. He had brought the Hatake family in on it and was also cooperating with a carriage business in Konoha—the very same one where he had initially custom-ordered his first bicycle. So, he didn't need to worry about the specific operations, and his parents handled the accounting.
"Maybe I can even change the technological development of the shinobi world!"
Putting down the account book, Genichi smiled slightly, then put the matter aside. Compared to technology and the like, he preferred to gather great power unto himself.
And just as Genichi was counting his money, in the Hokage's Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was looking in surprise at the arriving Tsunade.
Ever since the end of the Great Ninja War, Tsunade had not come here. She wouldn't come even when he went to find her. Every day, she was either drinking or gambling. Hiruzen was also helpless, watching as an outstanding disciple of his gradually fell into decadence. But he had no way to change things and could only let her be. Hiruzen was even well aware that Tsunade held a grudge against him in her heart. But he had no way to resolve that knot.
Hiruzen did know that Tsunade had been going to the Konoha Hospital recently with Genichi and Shizune, but he hadn't paid it much mind. After all, the relationship between Shizune and Tsunade was special.
So, is she here this time for Shizune? Is she planning to take Shizune and leave Konoha as well?
Sighing internally, Hiruzen took the pipe from his mouth. "Tsunade, what is it?"
Tsunade said faintly, "Give me the Konoha Hospital."
"And approve my funding. I want to nurture more medical ninja, innovate our medical techniques, and build better laboratories."
Hiruzen was stunned.
She's not leaving?
Seeing the silent Hiruzen, Tsunade couldn't help but frown. "What, is there no money?"
"Impossible. Old man, I know for a fact that the village made a killing recently!"
Hiruzen came back to his senses and coughed quickly. "Um... Tsunade, submit a report, and I will approve it immediately."
"Then be quick about it!" Tsunade was already prepared and threw a report down.
Hiruzen quickly took a deep puff of his pipe and flipped open the report, Browse through it rapidly.
Tsunade... she's serious! Hiruzen had even thought that maybe Tsunade had lost money gambling and had come to swindle some funds. But now it seemed...
Hiruzen looked up at Tsunade and then realized that his student's whole demeanor seemed a bit... different! He lowered his head, flipped the report to the last page, and signed it.
Tsunade took the report and left in a hurry, full of purpose.
Watching her go, Hiruzen felt as if the old Tsunade had returned. What had happened during this time? Hiruzen was somewhat puzzled, but he was happy to see Tsunade's change.
That fool Jiraiya was a constant headache. Thankfully, he had taught Minato, who was an outstanding ninja. And Orochimaru...
Thinking of Orochimaru, Hiruzen frowned slightly. Recently, this disciple of his had been getting very close to Danzō, and Danzō had been making a lot of small moves lately.
...
At home, after looking through his account books, Genichi continued his training. The Chunin Exams were coming up soon, and he had no missions for the time being, so he could train in peace.
Over the past few months, he had completely mastered the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough jutsu. He had also mastered the Water Severing Wave, though its power could still be improved. The Thousand Killings Water Soaring jutsu had been completed by Genichi, but like the Water Severing Wave, it was lacking in power and needed to be strengthened further.
As for his Wind Release nature transformation... Genichi could only say that training a nature you weren't born with was indeed very difficult. He was making progress, but even now, he still couldn't cut a waterfall. As for the Ice Release he had thought about before, he hadn't yet put it into action, and his research had yielded no results.
On the other hand, by following Tsunade, he had accumulated a wealth of knowledge over the past few months.
All in all, these few months had not been wasted.
Especially, the "Kai" (皆) hand seal. Genichi had finally crossed the threshold and was able to use it to break genjutsu. Thus, he now had one more technique: the Art of Kai.
The "Zai" and "Zen" hand seals he had used before, Genichi had also named the Art of Zai and the Art of Zen, respectively. These could be said to be his own unique secret techniques!
The Art of Pyo increased his speed, the Art of Kai was used for genjutsu, and the Arts of Zai and Zen were currently only used for Water Release. But according to the deep meaning hidden within the Art of Zai, Genichi felt it could be used for all ninjutsu, and perhaps even more. The analysis of the Kuji-kiri he had obtained long ago stated that the "Zai" hand seal could allow a person to freely use all supernatural powers. Unfortunately, for now, he could only use it for Water Release.
"It's fine, it's fine. I have more time than others. And since I have a talent in this area, sooner or later I'll be able to master it bit by bit."
Genichi performed the Art of Pyo, and then continued his research on the Art of Kai. The Art of Pyo could speed up his thinking process. Although it couldn't make him smarter, it could make his brain work faster. Perhaps that could be considered making one smarter. This was also why the more Genichi trained, the more he felt the importance of talent. It wasn't just a matter of one's upper limit, but also the speed of normal training. That was why he had started using the Art of Pyo in his daily training.
"Genichi!"
Suddenly, a clear voice came from outside.
His training was interrupted. Genichi frowned slightly, but then he adjusted his mood and stuck his head out the window. "Shizune, wait for me!"
He pulled his head back in, changed his clothes, grabbed his ninja tool pouch, and went straight out the window.
"Are we going to train together?" Genichi asked after he landed. Now that Shizune was on her summer vacation, she would come to find him to train together from time to time.
"Nope." Shizune shook her head, smiling teasingly. "You'll know when we get there. Let's go!"
As she spoke, she took Genichi's hand and led him to a bicycle by the side of the road. "Get on!"
Genichi smiled, got on the back seat, and wrapped his arms around Shizune's waist.
Shizune's face flushed slightly. She pushed off with her foot, and the bicycle started moving. This was the bike Genichi had given her.
The sound of the bell ringing echoed through the streets and alleys as Shizune rode the bicycle with Genichi to the Konoha Hospital. After entering the hospital, she led him straight to the back, finally arriving at a large, spacious new laboratory.
Genichi saw Tsunade and many other people inside, busy setting things up.
Shizune whispered, "Genichi, this is the new lab that Lady Tsunade is preparing to build."
Genichi blinked.
So Tsunade... isn't planning to leave Konoha after all?
(End of Chapter)