Even though Deilu had already witnessed Yagyu Souma's brilliance—and had heard plenty of rumors from Asuma about the boy's impossible feats—
Hearing the words "two days" still felt utterly unreal.
The Iron-Wall Seal wasn't the Fire Temple's ultimate forbidden technique, but it was one of their most trusted barrier seals.
Every abbot across generations had poured years of meditation and effort into mastering it.
And now this boy—
Understood it completely in two days?
Where did that leave the temple's ancestors?
Deilu originally wanted to scold him, but the moment he opened his mouth, another question slipped out instead:
"Asuma said you wished to study our Fire Temple's Sage Talent?"
"If the temple has conditions, I'm willing to receive only the knowledge behind it," Souma replied calmly. "And…"
It was clear Asuma's relayed message had picked up some distortion along the way.
Souma quickly explained, lest a misunderstanding form:
"And I'm not treating this exchange as payment. If I develop any new techniques in the future, I'll share them with your temple as well."
"Asuma mentioned that… did you intend to use that as compensation, or as a separate exchange?" Deilu asked.
"No. Improving the barrier helps me too. Naturally, they're separate matters."
Souma shook his head.
The Third Hokage tapped the table lightly, smoothing the conversation.
"Master Deilu, Souma has created many techniques. Several are extremely valuable. If your temple has any needs, we can arrange an equivalent exchange."
"And if that still isn't enough, Konoha will support it fully—as long as you're willing."
The Third spoke with surprising generosity.
The knowledge behind the Sage Talent was invaluable.
If Konoha could obtain it, no matter the price, it would be worth it.
Deilu finally said, "Let us set aside other matters. After several discussions, we decided to offer only the knowledge of the Sage Talent."
"That alone is enough."
Souma nodded, unable to hide the excitement in his chest.
Knowledge wasn't the technique itself—but once you understood the principles, you held the ticket to developing your own Sage Talent someday.
"And secondly," Deilu continued, expression stern, "even if you develop your own version, you may not pass it on freely."
Souma nodded again.
He understood.
The fact that the temple was willing to share any part of the Sage Talent had already exceeded his expectations.
"Since you agree, then I have no need for compensation. After all—"
"Master Deilu," Souma cut in gently, "why don't you take a look at a few of my techniques first? They should be useful for your warrior monks."
He did not want the man refusing everything like a magnanimous donor.
Over their short time together, Souma found Deilu respectable—
and he genuinely did not want to see the man die someday at the hands of Hidan and Kakuzu.
Even if Souma's techniques couldn't defeat those immortals, an extra measure of strength was still worthwhile.
Besides—
Deilu didn't need them, but the other monks did. Not everyone in the Fire Temple could awaken the Sage Talent.
Deilu hesitated, then nodded.
"Then I shall accept."
The Third Hokage brought over the Book of Creation.
"Chakra Needles and Chakra Threads won't suit your monks," Souma said. "But Overlimit State and the Soft Fist variations will. They fit taijutsu-style monks far better."
"As for the Absorption Barrier—that one will need more time."
The Third nodded in agreement.
Deilu lifted the first page.
Overlimit State.
At first, he didn't think much of it.
But halfway through the explanation, he froze—
shock rippling across his face.
A technique like this—
Created by a twelve-year-old?
His gaze repeatedly drifted back to Souma, each time more complicated than the last.
He had severely underestimated the boy.
"You're not worried," Deilu asked softly, "that the knowledge of Sage Talent might not be as valuable as these techniques?"
"No. A new system of knowledge is always more valuable than a handful of jutsu."
Souma answered without hesitation.
Deilu fell silent.
Simple?
He calls these simple?
He couldn't help a wry smile.
If Souma weren't this honest—this gifted—Deilu would never have fought the temple elders to allow this exchange in the first place.
The Overlimit State was easy to understand in principle.
So once he finished it, he nodded for Souma to turn the page.
Soft Fist · Burst.
Inject condensed chakra into the body, then detonate it internally…
High difficulty, but not impossible.
If used near vital organs, the resulting damage would be catastrophic.
"If monks can't handle the full technique, they can still use condensed chakra to strike weak points," Souma explained. "There's also a more advanced variation."
Soft Fist · Spiral.
Deilu's breath caught.
He hadn't expected an even stronger evolution—far more complex than Burst.
This wasn't Hyūga style at all.
Its potential—
Limitless.
Souma…
had essentially founded a new school of taijutsu.
Deilu swallowed, overwhelmed.
"These two techniques are extremely important to the Fire Temple."
"As long as they're useful," Souma said with a gentle smile, "a fair exchange allows for future cooperation."
"Then… may I ask, what is this Absorption Barrier you mentioned earlier?"
"Oh, that? It's a barrier technique I extracted from Earth-Prison Hall's Wuli."
Souma explained it briefly.
Then he highlighted the concept of a Chakra Reservoir, which nearly made Deilu leap to his feet with excitement.
Unfortunately—
"Due to limitations in ninja tool technology, it's still in development."
"When you complete it, please give our Fire Temple a copy!"
Deilu didn't even notice how respectful he'd become.
Deep inside, however—
A troubling thought lingered:
Is the knowledge of Sage Talent… enough to trade for all this?
It felt more like—
The Fire Temple was profiting.
The Third Hokage watched silently, smiling with pride at Konoha's promising future.
Eventually he excused himself, leaving Souma and Deilu alone.
After a moment, Deilu finally collected himself.
"Let me explain the origins of the Sage Talent. It began as a protective art used by monks during demon suppression. Later, many of the arts became unusable…"
He rambled for several minutes.
Souma listened quietly, absorbing every detail.
So that was it.
It likely originated in the pre-shinobi era.
Back then, monks probably used natural energy—much like the toad sages of Mount Myōboku.
Then came the God Tree, draining the world's natural energy—
And the ancient arts vanished.
In essence, the Sage Talent and Sage Mode shared the same root—
but the monks' method was far slower and less refined.
"So your method of training is meditation?" Souma asked.
"For now," Deilu nodded. "We have no formal system. Only one or two monks in each generation ever awaken it."
Souma understood.
Meditation was simply the means to sense and adapt to natural energy.
But—
There was one question he needed to ask.
Souma thought for a moment, then said:
"When you meditate… have you ever felt a certain special kind of power?"
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