Chapter 11: The Harvest! (Please bookmark and follow)

After leaving the shop, Genichi Shimo and Minato Namikaze walked to a secluded spot and stopped. Minato Namikaze looked at Genichi thoughtfully. Genichi’s honesty surprised him somewhat, but he also appreciated and felt grateful for it. Naturally, he had fully understood what Ryuusei Futaki had said before leaving. Moreover, Minato had no intention of taking Genichi’s ninjutsu skills for granted. After Sarutobi Hiruzen’s suggestion, he had already been mentally prepared. However, when it came to taking on an apprentice, Minato really hadn’t considered it. At just fifteen or sixteen years old, he was still too young to accept disciples. Offering guidance to Genichi, of course, was no problem. Minato was quite willing to exchange ideas with the thoughtful and mature Genichi, who certainly didn’t seem like a mere five- or six-year-old child. After their recent interaction, Minato had come to see Genichi as an equal.

After a brief pause, Minato smiled and said, “Genichi, your talent is exceptional, your mind sharp, and you have a keen sensitivity to ninjutsu. However, though I am a Jonin now, I lack the experience to be your teacher, so I cannot accept you as my disciple.” He continued, “Of course, you’re always welcome to discuss ninjutsu with me. Incidentally, I’ve made some progress with water release techniques.” Genichi was unsurprised and quickly replied, “Thank you very much, Senior Minato. I won’t be shy about it.” Minato waved his hand, saying, “Just call me Brother Minato.” He added, “Although I can’t take you on as a student, I can introduce you to Master Jiraiya. Whether he will accept you, I can’t guarantee.” Genichi’s heart leapt with joy, and he bowed deeply. “Thank you so much, Brother Minato.” Since Minato had invited him to do so, Genichi didn’t hesitate.

Minato chuckled. “Don’t mention it, it’s nothing.” Then he pulled a small scroll from his ninja tool pouch. “The Rasengan is an excellent ninjutsu; I wouldn’t take yours without giving something in return. This is a water release technique I’ve mastered. It may not compare to the Rasengan, but it should suit you.” Genichi rubbed his hands together, hesitated only a moment, then accepted the scroll. “I won’t be shy, Brother Minato.” Minato watched him with a smile. “Take a look, and if you have questions, feel free to ask anytime!” Genichi nodded eagerly and immediately opened the scroll.

Water Release: Water Wall Formation! This technique was familiar to Genichi; many had used it before, such as Kakashi and Darui. The most memorable practitioner was the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Others expelled water upward to form a pillar for defense, like Kakuzu’s Water Curtain, which was similar. But Tobirama’s Water Wall Formation involved expelling water streams that circled around the user, creating a hollow cylindrical barrier, defending from all sides. Genichi vividly recalled Tobirama using this technique when battling the Edo Tensei Tobirama and Sarutobi Hiruzen. Apart from Tobirama’s unique variant, there was also his hand seals. Tobirama seemed to use only two or three seals, while the standard Water Wall Formation required six in the order: Tiger – Snake – Tiger – Snake – Tiger – Snake.

What Genichi observed now matched that. Tobirama’s first hand seal appeared to be the “Mae” seal from the Nine Hand Seals, but the subsequent two seals didn’t correspond exactly to any of the twelve basic hand seals. Nor did they match perfectly with the Nine Hand Seals. Perhaps the “Mizu” seal, which allows flexibility according to one’s preference—something only possible when a technique is mastered to perfection. For example, Naruto’s Shadow Clone and Multiple Shadow Clone techniques use “Mizu” seals, tied rather loosely. After recent research, Genichi thought Tobirama’s second seal in the Water Wall Formation might be the “Zai” seal combined with the Snake seal from the twelve basic seals. Whether this was accurate, he decided to study further later. Two seals naturally meant no need to form six. Most importantly, it was uniquely stylish!

Staring at the Water Wall Formation, a C-ranked technique, Genichi’s mind raced as he continued scrolling through the scroll’s contents. The second technique appeared.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

At this, Genichi’s brow twitched involuntarily. The forty-four hand seals Kakashi had used to fight Zabuza were legendary. Minato noticed Genichi’s slight expression and smiled, asking, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the Water Dragon Bullet technique?” Genichi laughed, “Since it’s a B-ranked technique, I expected the hand seals to be more complicated.” Also, Minato’s version had only four seals, likely the one from Tobirama and Kosuke’s era. If it were Zabuza’s version, well... he might not want to learn it at all.

Minato, unaware of the hidden humor in Genichi’s words, smiled and said, “The hand seals for Water Dragon Bullet aren’t very complex but not too simple either. This is the simplified version by the Second Hokage himself. Master Ryuusei said you have a strong understanding of hand seals and a high affinity for water release, so this was chosen for you.” This pleased Genichi greatly. The two then exchanged views on water release techniques before Minato took his leave.

Before departing, Minato gave Genichi his home address and advised him that he could exchange the Rasengan for a water release technique of equal rank from the village. This confirmed another source for Genichi’s ninjutsu.

After Minato left, Genichi opened the scroll again to study the two techniques. Trading the Rasengan for a C-ranked and a B-ranked water release seemed like a loss superficially, but the gains were more than that. For example, the friendship with Minato meant he could seek guidance often. Also, Minato was connected to Kushina Uzumaki. Additionally, Minato promised to introduce him to Jiraiya. While he might not become Jiraiya’s disciple, simply establishing that connection was an invaluable resource—a network of relationships. “These connections must be well maintained,” Genichi mused. “The genius persona sure comes in handy.” “Of course, the key is... benefit!” Without benefit, genius? What does that have to do with me?

As for why Minato didn’t offer an A-ranked water release technique in exchange, Genichi was almost certain Minato hadn’t mastered the Water Severing Wave technique. In his memories, Minato had never used water or wind release techniques. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, he didn’t need them; the Rasengan was a perfect match. “So now he’s probably just begun to master the Flying Thunder God and urgently needs to develop a technique that perfectly complements it.” “Truly enviable!” Genichi slowly closed the scroll.

He now possessed three water release techniques: Water Surge Wave, Water Wall Formation, and Water Dragon Bullet—two offensive and one defensive. Should he trade the Rasengan for the Water Severing Wave, a sharp A-ranked water release? After less than a second’s thought, Genichi rejected the idea. He knew he could never truly master that technique—not because he doubted his intellect, but because he doubted his chakra reserves.