Tobirama Senju's eyes were wide with utter astonishment.
There were very few things left in this world that could genuinely surprise him, but the teenager standing before him had just completely shattered his understanding of reality.
The Taijutsu form the boy had just executed clearly didn't belong to any known martial arts discipline Tobirama had ever seen or heard of!
It was an entirely new school of combat!
How old is he? How could a child possibly invent a brand-new style of Taijutsu? Tobirama muttered to himself, the way he looked at Chu Yang undergoing a profound shift.
This kid's potential is absolutely monstrous! However, appreciation was one thing; Tobirama was absolutely not going to let this praise go to the boy's head. Masking his shock, he walked over to Chu Yang and said with a perfectly flat, unimpressed tone, "Your Taijutsu is passable. You'll need to continue strengthening it in the future."
Chu Yang let out a long breath of relief. Passable is fine. At least he hadn't been cursed out by the notoriously strict Second Hokage. Smiling brightly, he asked, "Does this mean I can start learning Ninjutsu from you now?"
Tobirama gave a slight nod. "Before we dive into that, I need to completely review the Ninjutsu you've previously learned. A towering skyscraper must be built from the ground up; a solid foundation is absolute."
Without wasting a second, Tobirama began re-teaching Chu Yang from the absolute ground floor, starting with the Three Basic Jutsu: the Clone, Transformation, and Substitution techniques. He even mixed in some advanced theory regarding the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Possessing three times the innate talent and cognitive processing speed of a normal genius, Chu Yang absorbed the review material at a terrifying pace. He frequently drew inferences from a single example, allowing him to grasp the core concepts instantly. This rapid comprehension finally forced a satisfied smile onto Tobirama's usually stoic face.
What kind of student does a teacher love the most? The kind who only needs a single hint to fully understand the entire lesson, requiring minimal effort to teach.
And Chu Yang wasn't just a theoretical genius; his practical application was equally jaw-dropping. As long as he mentally "understood" how a jutsu worked, his body could immediately "execute" it.
The deeper Tobirama went into the curriculum, the faster he realized Chu Yang was learning. In the blink of an eye, the boy had completely mastered the foundational review Tobirama had set out for the day.
Even when Tobirama intentionally threw in advanced "private theories" and highly complex "bonus material" to test the boy's limits, Chu Yang digested it without a single hitch.
It seems his monstrous talent isn't limited to just Wood Release... Tobirama's palms began to sweat. He felt a potent mix of nervous tension and overwhelming excitement.
He suddenly felt an intense, burning urge to teach this boy every single jutsu he had ever created! He desperately wanted to see exactly how far this kid could go!
But as quickly as the excitement flared, Tobirama forcefully crushed the impulse. Chu Yang was still just a child. Exposing him to a massive arsenal of lethal ninjutsu before his core character and mental fortitude had fully matured would be disastrous for his development.
As a dedicated researcher of ninjutsu, Tobirama knew all too well the terrifying consequences of a shinobi who cared only for jutsu and power.
With that thought, Tobirama deliberately slowed down the pace of his teaching. Yet, even so, by the end of their first day, Chu Yang had siphoned an incredible amount of knowledge from him.
Tobirama felt both deeply gratified and a lingering sense of dread.
As the sky gradually darkened, Chu Yang—who had successfully shamelessly mooched a dinner—was shooed away by Tobirama. The white-haired Senju immediately sought out his older brother to report on the boy's progress.
Hashirama set down the intelligence reports he had just received, his expression turning solemn. According to Tobirama, Chu Yang was a super-genius the likes of which the Senju Clan hadn't seen in centuries.
Hashirama originally thought he had placed enough importance on Chu Yang's talent. Now, he realized he had drastically underestimated the boy.
"How did we not notice him before?" Hashirama asked, a bitter smile on his face.
"He's an orphan," Tobirama reasoned. "He was only ever taught the most basic, fundamental skills, so he never stood out. And without resources or backing, he never had access to advanced ninjutsu to prove himself."
Hashirama looked deeply at his younger brother. "Do you believe he is the future of the Senju Clan?"
Tobirama shook his head firmly. "It's too early to tell. A dead genius has absolutely zero value. Only a genius who survives to adulthood can truly be called a genius."
Hashirama suddenly felt a massive headache coming on. It was as if he had just been handed a priceless, world-altering artifact that was simultaneously made of incredibly fragile glass. He muttered, "Should we forge him in the fires of war... or keep him safe behind the lines?"
"Forge him, obviously!"
A ruthless glint flashed through Tobirama's eyes. "If he shatters during the forging process, then it simply proves he was only ever capable of reaching that level! A fragile tool is not worthy of shouldering the entire future of the Senju Clan!"
"You make a good point, but..." Hashirama scratched his head awkwardly. "If something actually happens to him, are you sure your heart won't bleed for the loss?"
Bleed? Of course it would bleed! Tobirama had never seen a child with such terrifying aptitude. If he lost an inheritor like this, he would probably wake up crying in the middle of the night!
But he still shook his head resolutely. An uncut gem cannot become a masterpiece without the chisel. If Chu Yang remained sheltered under the clan's absolute protection and never stepped foot onto the brutal battlefield, how could he ever be expected to lead them in the future?
"Then keep him strictly by your side, and expose him to controlled hardships," Hashirama stressed repeatedly, terrified his pragmatic brother would push the boy too far. "Remember, I said controlled!"
The two brothers continued their fierce debate over Chu Yang's cultivation late into the night.
Meanwhile, having returned to his own empty home, Chu Yang immediately began researching Haki.
He personally theorized that Haki and Wood Release had exceptional compatibility. Simply coating his wooden constructs in Armament Haki would instantly elevate the destructive power of his Wood Release to an entirely new tier.
The current problem was... Chu Yang's Haki reserves were pitifully low.
It was incredibly difficult for him to coat his entire body, let alone cover massive, sprawling Wood Release jutsu like Deep Forest Emergence.
How can I rapidly increase my Haki capacity?
With Ninjutsu, as long as you continuously studied hand seals and practiced chakra flow, your power would tangibly increase. But Haki?
Haki didn't have any of those flashy mechanics. At its core, Haki was simply the physical manifestation of one's willpower and spiritual energy.
Any normal person, once they awakened to the existence of Haki, could technically use it. The only difference was their proficiency and the sheer size of their spirit.
Trying to train Haki using Ninjutsu methods would yield zero results. They were two fundamentally different power systems walking completely different paths.
If he had to draw a parallel, Haki was actually much more closely related to Genjutsu—the art of illusion. Both were rooted entirely in the spiritual and mental domains.
At this thought, a brand-new, crazy idea sparked in Chu Yang's mind.
"If I use Genjutsu to aggressively stimulate my spiritual domain, could I achieve the effect of tempering and expanding my Haki?"
Chu Yang couldn't wait to test this hypothesis. Early the very next morning, he ran around the compound, enthusiastically asking everyone who the clan's greatest Genjutsu masters were.
"Genjutsu? The Senju Clan as a whole isn't really good at that. It's those bastards from the Uchiha Clan who love researching that stuff."
"Yeah, plenty of our clansmen have fallen victim to Uchiha illusions on the battlefield."
"If you're really that curious about it, go check out the dungeons. There are quite a few Uchiha prisoners of war locked up down there."
Hearing this, Chu Yang was absolutely thrilled. Without a second thought, he sprinted straight toward the Senju Clan's underground prison.
A short while later, Tobirama caught wind of the news. His face scrunched up in utter bewilderment.
Instead of diligently practicing his Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, why the hell is this little brat suddenly researching Genjutsu?!
Does he think that just because he's a genius, he can do whatever he wants?!
"Even if he wants to learn about it, why is he running into the dungeons?!" Tobirama shot up from his desk and rushed out the door.
The Uchiha prisoners locked in those cells were highly dangerous, elite assets. The worthless ones had already been killed on the battlefield!