Seeing the massive Water Dragon Jutsu charging towards him, Hibari knew that attempting to counter with another ninjutsu via hand signs would be too slow. Dodging was his only option.
However, as a man of the Senju clan, Hibari had his pride. He also understood that if he didn't present something new and impressive to his grandfather in this test, learning those "strange and wondrous" ninjutsu from him would likely remain impossible.
'After this dodge, I have to bring out something real...' Hibari thought to himself.
The next second, just before the water dragon truly fell, Hibari calmly used the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from his spot.
Immediately after, his figure reappeared far away, where the water had just erupted.
Seeing Hibari deftly evade the water dragon's attack, Tobirama ceased his assault. He stood in place, arms crossed, and spoke with a hint of arrogance, "It seems that's all there is to it. For your current age, it's quite good, but merely good. If you don't show me anything satisfactory next, you little brat, you'd better go back and train for a while longer!"
Hibari took a couple of breaths, then looked at Tobirama with a serious gaze. He then spoke deeply, "Ojiisan, our Senju clan naturally possesses exceptionally abundant chakra, and as you and Hashirama-jiisan know, my chakra reserves far exceed those of my kin..."
Tobirama's brow slightly furrowed upon hearing Hibari's words. Hibari was right. For some unknown reason, since the boy's birth, he and his elder brother Hashirama had noticed Hibari's anomaly. The Senju clan's chakra was indeed naturally vast, but this boy's reserves clearly exceeded the usual amount, perhaps even double that of his clan members.
However, there had been examples like this before, such as his elder brother, Hashirama. Although they were full siblings, Hashirama's chakra reserves utterly dwarfed his own. Thus, Tobirama hadn't delved much into Hibari's anomalies; after all, having more chakra was generally a good thing.
However, unlike his elder brother Hashirama, Hibari did have a clear weakness... but now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"Are you trying to boast? Even if you have superior chakra reserves, that's no reason to be arrogant, Hibari..." Tobirama quietly said. He hadn't quite grasped Hibari's intention in saying these words.
"I'm not so easily pleased by such a small matter, Ojiisan. I just wanted to tell you that precisely because my chakra reserves are sufficiently large, I can, at this age, use some jutsu that demand a significant amount of chakra!" Hibari said to Tobirama in a low voice.
At the same time, his hands began to move again: Tiger, Hare, Snake, Horse, Ram, Bird, Tiger, Rat....
Watching Hibari continuously form complex hand signs, both Tobirama and Hashirama in the distance looked surprised.
"Those signs... that's Mito's jutsu..." Hashirama, watching from afar, muttered with a hint of shock on his face.
"Mito-baasama??" Tsunade, though, repeated in confusion.
Meanwhile, Tobirama naturally recognized what Hibari was doing.
"That's an A-rank sealing jutsu..." Tobirama also whispered, looking at Hibari in surprise.
"That's right, Ojiisan. Since you already knew I could break the seal you put on the warehouse door, you should have known by now that I've dabbled a bit in sealing jutsu, shouldn't you? So don't be so surprised..." Hibari said, looking at Tobirama's surprised face with a smug expression.
Tobirama looked at Hibari's continually forming hand signs, feeling a mix of emotions.
Hibari made it sound simple, but judging by his prolonged hand signs, it was clear that this jutsu was incredibly complex. To be precise, sealing jutsu are inherently more intricate than other types of ninjutsu, and few people typically master them. Moreover, Hibari was using an A-rank sealing jutsu, which far surpassed the difficulty of other A-rank ninjutsu.
As for interrupting him, Tobirama could have interrupted Hibari's hand signs at any moment, stopping the jutsu from manifesting. However, at this point, Tobirama had grown interested. He genuinely wanted to see if this boy, Hibari, could truly unleash this jutsu.
"Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Chains!!!" After completing the final hand sign, Hibari pronounced the name of the jutsu in a deep voice.
The next second, several tangible chains, condensed from chakra, burst forth from behind Hibari. After coiling in the air a few times, they lunged towards Tobirama's position, as if to bind him.
Hashirama, holding Tsunade in the distance, also watched this scene and quietly murmured with great emotion, "That boy Hibari is truly remarkable. Has he even learned the Uzumaki clan's unique sealing jutsu? Mito, really, is she teaching everything to this little guy?"
Indeed, the A-rank Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Chains is actually a unique sealing jutsu of the Uzumaki clan. It can only be used by relying on the Uzumaki clan's powerful vitality and vast chakra reserves. When used by Mito, it can even suppress Tailed Beasts.
Of course, Hibari cannot yet achieve this level. Mito can even release Adamantine Chains without hand signs, achieving a level that can be called 'peak mastery' in various sealing jutsu.
However, while this sealing jutsu is called "unique to the Uzumaki clan," the main reason is that it requires immense vitality and vast chakra to sustain it. The Uzumaki clan, being distant relatives of the Senju clan, share very similar characteristics in such matters.
Therefore, as a member of the Senju clan, and one whose chakra reserves far surpassed his peers, Hibari had shamelessly pestered and sweet-talked his way into learning this jutsu from his Hashirama-ojii's wife, Mito Uzumaki.
"To be able to genuinely release this A-rank sealing jutsu at such a young age truly exceeds my expectations. But Hibari, ninjutsu, in different hands, unleashes different power. Compared to your Mito-oba, your Adamantine Chains are still nothing. The hand sign time is also too long. In a real combat situation against an enemy, you would have died countless times..." Tobirama lectured Hibari in his ample free time, even as he dodged the relentless chakra chains pursuing him.
"Wrong, Ojiisan!" Hibari retorted, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched Tobirama being chased by his chains. "Precisely because I'm facing you, I dared to take so much time to form the hand signs and unleash this sealing jutsu! Because I had already predicted that you would wait for me to fully release it. This isn't because you held back on me; it's my own judgment. Don't misunderstand!"
What Hibari said wasn't wrong. In battle, predicting an opponent's actions by grasping their psychology is a legitimate tactic. While it might be a bit of a stretch to apply it here, he hadn't asked Tobirama to wait for him before he began forming hand signs, had he? To put it this way, it could certainly be argued.
"Hmph, it's just a petty trick," Tobirama admonished while dodging. "With your current chakra reserves and your proficiency with this jutsu, you won't catch me. Release it quickly, or this jutsu will drain your life force!"
Indeed, the Adamantine Chains sealing jutsu was called "unique to the Uzumaki clan" precisely because, unlike ordinary sealing jutsu that cease when chakra runs out, this jutsu would continue to draw on life force to sustain itself, making it incredibly dangerous. Most people who learned it wouldn't dare to use it.
However, after Tobirama finished speaking, Hibari seemed to have no intention of listening. He continued to release all the chakra within his body, attempting to ensnare Tobirama with the chakra chains.
As time passed, seeing Hibari's refusal to give up, Tobirama seemed to grow a little anxious. After all, this was just a test. Hibari's talent was excellent. If he acted foolishly here and forcibly burned through his life force, it would be a loss for the Senju clan.
It wasn't worth taking things to such an extreme for something so minor, was it?
"You brat!!!" Tobirama cursed, clearly annoyed.
The next second, Tobirama's figure, which had been pursued by the chains, vanished instantly from the air.
Hibari's pupils, which had been intently tracking him, contracted slightly...
"S-rank space-time ninjutsu..." Hibari's eyes flashed with excitement as he murmured to himself.
"Flying Raijin!" Tobirama's figure had now appeared beside Hibari's arm, completing Hibari's muttered words.
With a soft 'click,' Tobirama grabbed Hibari's black layered armor on his arm and said, "You should be very clear what happens when I catch you, Hibari..."
"Sure enough, from those two encounters, you placed the Flying Raijin formula on my arm, didn't you, Ojiisan?" Hibari asked in return, showing no surprise after Tobirama grabbed his arm.
"Well, it was an instinctual reaction..." Tobirama didn't deny it, admitting it frankly.
"Ojiisan, what if I told you that all of this was within my calculations... from the moment you would worry about my overuse of Adamantine Chains?" Hibari tilted his head slightly, looking at Tobirama with a smile on his lips.
Tobirama paused, but quickly replied, "No matter what, I've got one of your arms restrained. Even if you have a trump card, to form hand signs..."
"Not all ninjutsu require hand signs, do they, Ojiisan? It's not that you've restrained one of my arms; it's that I've restrained one of your arms!" Hibari cut him off directly before Tobirama could finish speaking.
At the same time, the arm that Tobirama had grasped reversed its grip, similarly grabbing Tobirama's arm. Both had restrained each other.
The next second, Hibari's Adamantine Chains instantly deactivated. Simultaneously, in his now free other hand, a swirling mass of chakra energy began to gather...
The Senju fledgling, though small, also knows how to peck!