Hiruzen Sarutobi casually waved a hand toward the surrounding shadows.
Several hidden ANBU immediately understood the signal.
Without making a sound, they vanished.
Only after confirming the area was secure did Hiruzen turn back toward Tanya.
A gentle smile rested on his face.
“Bloodline Limits are abilities inherited through bloodlines.”
His tone was patient, like a teacher guiding a promising student.
“Unfortunately, if your ability truly is a unique Bloodline Limit, Konoha won’t be able to provide much direct guidance.”
He paused briefly.
“However, the village can provide assistance in basic ninjutsu, chakra control, and elemental manipulation.”
As he spoke, the two arrived at a secluded lakeside training area.
The surroundings were quiet.
The lake reflected the morning sky.
Hiruzen slowly stopped walking.
His expression became more serious.
“Watch carefully, Tanya.”
“I’ll demonstrate a C-rank Fire Release technique.”
He raised his hands.
“This is Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.”
The hand seals formed rapidly.
Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger.
The moment the final seal completed—
Hiruzen inhaled deeply.
Then exhaled.
A massive sphere of blazing fire erupted from his mouth.
The fireball roared across the lake.
Heat distorted the surrounding air.
The surface of the water exploded into steam as the flames struck.
A thick white mist immediately spread outward.
Even for a standard Fire Release technique, the version demonstrated by the Third Hokage was vastly more powerful than what ordinary shinobi could produce.
At that exact moment—
Tanya’s eyes turned gold.
The Nine-Five Jewel activated automatically.
The world seemed to slow.
Every movement.
Every hand seal.
Every fluctuation of chakra.
Every transition between elemental transformation and release.
Everything appeared before her as though converted into a mathematical formula.
The process rapidly reconstructed itself inside her mind.
The calculations completed almost instantly.
By the time the steam began rising from the lake, she already understood the technique.
Completely.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen finished the demonstration.
He turned around with a smile.
“Fire Release requires converting chakra into—”
Before he could finish—
A second Great Fireball shot past him.
BOOM!
The enormous sphere of fire crashed into the lake.
Another explosion of steam erupted skyward.
The entire lakeside disappeared behind a curtain of white mist.
Hiruzen froze.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
He turned around.
Tanya stood exactly where she had been.
Calm.
Composed.
As though nothing unusual had happened.
For several seconds, silence dominated the training ground.
Finally, Hiruzen spoke.
His voice sounded strangely uncertain.
“Tanya…”
“Yes, Hokage-sama?”
“You learned it already?”
Tanya nodded.
“Yes.”
“I’ve learned it.”
The answer was so natural that it almost felt insulting.
For Tanya, however, there was no reason to hide.
The moment Hiruzen had mistaken her chakra compression technique for a Bloodline Limit, concealment had become largely pointless.
Strength ruled this world.
If she wanted resources, influence, and freedom, she would eventually have to display her value.
More importantly—
She refused to remain a passive participant in Existence X’s plans.
If conflict was inevitable, then she would seize control herself.
Rather than becoming a piece on the board, she would become the player.
Hiruzen stared at her. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Then laughed.
Not because he found it amusing.
But because he genuinely didn’t know how else to react.
“Good!”
“Good!”
“Good!”
The Third Hokage laughed three times.
The surprise slowly transformed into delight.
His competitive spirit was beginning to awaken.
“That was merely a basic Fire Release technique.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Let’s try something more difficult.”
He raised his hands again.
“This next one is a B-rank ninjutsu.”
“Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.”
The hand seals began moving once more.
Their speed increased significantly.
Ram.
Horse.
Snake.
Dragon.
Rat.
Ox.
Tiger.
The sequence completed.
A moment later, three streams of fire burst forward.
Unlike the Great Fireball, these flames twisted and curved through the air like living creatures.
Three dragon-shaped torrents of fire swept across the lake.
The water below boiled violently.
Heat waves spread outward.
The surrounding air shimmered.
The scale alone was vastly beyond the previous technique.
After completing the jutsu, Hiruzen looked back toward Tanya.
This time he noticed something different.
She was frowning.
A smile appeared on his face.
Finally.
A technique she couldn’t instantly master.
His tone softened.
“Tanya.”
“The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet is much more complicated than the Great Fireball.”
“It requires precise chakra shaping and significantly greater control.”
“Don’t rush yourself.”
“Even many experienced shinobi need years to properly master—”
“No, Hokage-sama.”
Hiruzen blinked.
Tanya interrupted politely.
“I’ve already learned it.”
Silence.
Again.
Before Hiruzen could respond, Tanya raised her hands.
Her fingers moved through the hand seals.
The speed wasn’t as polished as Hiruzen’s.
Yet every seal was perfectly accurate.
Then—
She inhaled.
And released the technique.
Three streams of fire erupted.
They struck three different areas of the lake.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Water exploded skyward.
The resulting power was virtually identical to Hiruzen’s own demonstration.
The only difference—
Tanya’s version lacked the elaborate dragon shape.
To her, shaping flames into dragons was an unnecessary expenditure of chakra.
As long as the destructive power remained intact, the appearance was irrelevant.
Watching the explosions, Hiruzen’s jaw almost dropped.
The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet had not merely been copied.
It had been optimized.
The fundamental power remained.
The unnecessary chakra expenditure had been removed.
It was the sort of modification experienced jonin occasionally performed after years of practice.
Tanya had done it after seeing the technique once.
The Third Hokage suddenly felt a powerful urge to question reality.
His eyes remained fixed on the lake.
Eventually, he managed to recover.
At least partially.
No.
He refused to lose.
He was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The Professor.
The man renowned throughout the ninja world for mastering countless techniques.
There was no way he could be completely outclassed by a three-year-old child.
Taking a deep breath, he made a decision.
If ordinary techniques weren’t enough—
Then he would use something special.
“Tanya.”
His voice became serious.
“You truly possess astonishing talent.”
A faint smile appeared.
“In that case…”
“I’ll show you one of my personal techniques.”
The smile widened slightly.
“This is the Five Release: Great Combo Technique.”
Unlike before, Hiruzen’s expression became completely focused.
This technique was fundamentally different.
It required mastery of all five elemental transformations.
It required Shadow Clones.
It required precise coordination.
Even a slight mistake could cause elemental interference and collapse the entire sequence.
This was not a technique ordinary shinobi could replicate.
Certainly not after seeing it once.
At least…
That was what Hiruzen hoped.
His hands moved.
Shadow Clone Technique.
Four clones appeared instantly.
Then the five Hiruzen simultaneously began forming seals.
Five different chakra natures surged.
Fire.
Wind.
Lightning.
Earth.
Water.
The lake erupted.
Multiple elemental attacks struck simultaneously.
The resulting explosion shook the surrounding area.
Water surged skyward.
Steam filled the air.
Wind scattered the mist.
The entire lakeside resembled a battlefield.
For several moments, the spectacle continued.
Then silence returned.
Hiruzen admired the scene.
Satisfied, he slowly turned around.
This time, he expected to see genuine astonishment.
Instead—
He saw Tanya standing there completely drenched.
Water dripped from her hair.
Her clothes clung to her body.
Tiny droplets rolled down her cheeks.
The shockwave from the lake had apparently splashed her from head to toe.
The Third Hokage immediately coughed awkwardly.
Twice.
“Ahem.”
“Ahem.”
The clones disappeared.
Hiruzen quickly walked over.
“Hahaha.”
His smile became somewhat forced.
“It seems I used a bit too much power.”
Then, unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, he leaned forward slightly.
His eyes practically sparkled.
“So?”
“Did you learn it?”
Tanya raised a hand.
She wiped the water from her face.
Then—
She slowly shook her head.
And nodded.