"Hydrification Technique?" Yohei looked puzzled. "I've seen it in the clan library. It's a powerful secret technique that turns the body into liquid to evade physical attacks."
"Is it really that powerful? Doesn't that make you invincible?" Saori asked, clearly unfamiliar with it.
"It is powerful, but I heard it's heavily countered by Lightning Release!" Yohei said enviously. "Imagine turning into water and merging with a river, then striking the enemy by surprise! How cool would that be?"
"Even the strongest Jutsu is useless if it doesn't hit," Taiichi warned.
"By the way, Taiichi, why do you ask? Even within the Hozuki clan, few can learn it. How would anyone outside know its secrets?" Yohei poured cold water on the idea.
"I feel like it's another way to improve defense, but researching it is even harder!" Taiichi mumbled, staring into his juice.
Smack. Smack.
Yohei and Saori facepalmed simultaneously. They exchanged a look, surprised by their synchronization and exasperated by Taiichi's obsession.
"Taiichi, we're here to play! Why are you thinking about Ninjutsu again?" Yohei complained.
"My bad! Let's keep eating!" Taiichi apologized profusely, his smile widening.
Why? Because in that moment, he found his direction. Physical training was a long-term goal. For Ninjutsu, instead of obsessing over Earth Style which he wasn't proficient in, he should focus on his specialized Fire Style.
If someone in history developed the Hydrification Technique, why couldn't he develop a "Fire-ification Technique"?
Wouldn't that be more convenient than wearing armor? Developing it would refine his Fire Style, and once completed, it would serve as both a defensive trump card and a massive boost to his offense.
This became Taiichi's medium-term goal. "Fire-ification" sounded difficult.
For a short-term defensive boost, Taiichi decided to focus on Sealing Jutsu.
Specifically, the String Light Formation. He decided to master making the tags himself. Carrying ten or so tags would be enough for most enemies he encountered.
With a plan in place, Taiichi relaxed completely, chatting freely with Yohei and Saori.
Seeing Taiichi back to normal, his friends were relieved. His earlier state had scared them.
This kid... either nothing happens, or when it does, it's a huge problem! As expected of me to solve it! Yohei thought smugly, imagining a mini-him laughing maniacally like a true Uchiha.
The three spent the day playing happily. Instead of feeling like wasted time, they felt refreshed and ready for training.
Back home, Taiichi immediately dove into Kushina's Sealing Jutsu notes. The next day, he went straight to Kushina for guidance.
His targeted study yielded significant results.
> [Sealing Jutsu Lv4 (36/600)]
In just a few days, his skill leveled up twice. However, Kushina confirmed that while his progress was great, he was still far from being able to create the seal tags she gave him.
Taiichi learned that the tags weren't simple String Light Formations. As a basic seal, String Light could trap a Genin or distract a Chunin at best.
Kushina's tags were powerful because they contained Multiple String Light Formations—several arrays nested together.
Theoretically, the power was limitless. With enough chakra and skill, you could nest infinite arrays to seal anything.
Of course, that was just theory. Most people would just learn a stronger seal instead.
Facing Kushina's reality check, Taiichi wasn't discouraged. She estimated he could make the tags himself at Lv6. Until then... he shamelessly begged his Big Sister Kushina.
Using his age and sweet-talking skills ("Big Sister this, Big Sister that"), he charmed Kushina into making ten more tags for him, exhausting her in the process.
Minato looked at Taiichi with hidden resentment and jealousy for days. Even he didn't get this kind of treatment!
Taiichi knew to be grateful. He cooked a feast for them, rendering Minato and Kushina unable to move from fullness.
Unexpectedly, afterward, Minato's resentment grew, and even Kushina started complaining.
Why? Because after tasting such delicious food, going back to normal meals was torture. From luxury to frugality is hard.
Holding ten "Enhanced Multiple String Light Formation Tags," Taiichi hummed happily. Two for Yohei, two for Saori, two for Captain Yamaguchi, and four for me. Perfect.
He planned to distribute them before the next mission. He wondered if Yohei and Yamaguchi knew how to use them.
Unlike explosive tags, these seals were hard to make and maintain. No wonder they weren't standard issue.
Just as he was planning, news arrived.
Flap, flap, flap.
A frantic flapping sound came from the window, followed by a duck-like squawk. "Taiichi! Taiichi! Open the window! Jiji is going to fall!"
Taiichi looked over. The fat bird was flapping desperately, its short legs scratching for purchase on the narrow sill, failing to stabilize its bulk.
Stupid bird. Taiichi shook his head and opened the window.
Jiji tumbled onto the table and started preening.
"Jiji, you're hopeless. You promised to diet, but you're getting fatter."
The bird froze guiltily. "Well... Jiji hunted a lot recently... ate a bit too much... so..."
Taiichi grabbed the bird by its wings and weighed it. It used to be 2kg; now it was pushing 4kg.
"Tell me, where did you mooch food? Captain Yamaguchi warned me not to feed you. Are you trying to get me in trouble?"
"Jiji! Let go! Jiji went to Saori's house!"
As expected. Only Saori would succumb to this bird's pestering.
Taiichi released him. "You don't have a wife yet, right? Fat birds can't find mates or have chicks. As a medical ninja, I know this."
Jiji looked horrified. It turned its head stiffly toward Taiichi. "J-Jiji... is... is there still hope?"
"Depends on you. Start dieting now!"
"O-Okay..." Jiji wilted but agreed for the sake of his future happiness.
"Alright, enough about you. Why are you here? Is there a message?"
"Ah! Jiji forgot! It's Taiichi's fault!" Jiji squawked. "Masasuke says he has a solo mission tomorrow. You guys arrange your own time for a while."
"What? The Captain ditched us?" Taiichi was surprised, then happy. More training time! But wait... solo training was less efficient. He needed combat practice.
"It's a Hokage-assigned mission. Can't be helped. He'll be back soon," Jiji explained. "I have to tell Saori and Yohei. Bye!"
Watching the bird struggle to take off, a drop of sweat rolled down Taiichi's head. He felt guilty for starting the bird's gluttony.
"Don't eat snacks at Saori's! And tell them to meet at Training Ground 3 tomorrow!"
"Jiji! Understood! No more snacks! Jiji!"
Taiichi returned to his Sealing Jutsu scroll. When tired, he switched to Fire Style or Taijutsu. He kept himself busy, finding joy in the rising EXP numbers.
The next day, Taiichi arrived early at Training Ground 3.
But Yohei and Saori were even earlier.
"What's wrong? You guys look down."
"Taiichi, with the Captain gone, what do we do? Can we still take missions?" Yohei asked the most pressing question.
"I asked around. We can," Taiichi said. Yohei beamed. "But... as Genin without a Jonin leader, we're limited to C-Rank missions at most, with restrictions."
"Taiichi! Don't pause like that!" Yohei slumped again.
Seeing Yohei's antics and Saori's disappointment, Taiichi laughed helplessly. "You guys really want to do missions, huh?"
"Let's go to the Mission Hall and see if there's anything suitable." Taiichi relented. He wanted to train, but his teammates wanted adventure. He'd go along to grind Class EXP.
"Yeah!" x2
Yohei led the way excitedly.
The Mission Hall was packed. Long lines snaked from every counter. It was a testament to Konoha's strength.
"This will take forever," Yohei groaned. "The village is getting busier."
"Let's line up before it gets worse," Taiichi urged.
Just as they joined a line...
"Taiichi Matsushita, Yohei Uchiha, Saori Furukawa?"
A Mission Hall clerk called out to them.
They turned. The Chunin looked ordinary except for a scar near his eye. Yohei immediately started chatting him up, fishing for intel.
He found out the increased activity was due to border friction between the Land of Lightning and Land of Earth, driving more missions to Konoha.
The Chunin, dazed by Yohei's social skills, quickly stopped him and handed over a scroll.
"This is a designated mission. Requested specifically for your squad."
The three were surprised. It was their first designated mission without their captain.
"Are we famous already?"