Konoha, Senju Clan Grounds.
Most of the Senju clan had relocated to the Land of Fire, and the remaining few had branched out, integrating into various families across Konoha.
In the clan grounds, besides Tsunade and Nawaki, only a handful of elderly Senju remained, stubbornly holding their ground, leaving the environment filled with a quaint, desolate atmosphere.
“Sis, I’m back!” Nawaki returned home, energetically clutching two books.
“Oh, you’re back.” Tsunade clearly didn’t want to be bothered, lost in the memories of last night, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily.
With a disgruntled pout, Nawaki crept up to her ear and shouted, “Hey!
I’m back—!” Thwack!
A sharp knuckle sandwich landed on his head.
Nawaki crouched down, clutching his head with watery eyes.
“You brat, how were classes?
I found you the best teacher in Konoha,” Tsunade asked, lounging lazily in her chair.
“I actually wanted to call him brother-in-law…” Seeing Tsunade’s threatening glare, he quickly answered seriously, “Fanma-sensei is a good guy.
He gave me two books and told me to study them carefully.
He even said he’s preparing an S-rank forbidden jutsu for me, and if I understand these two books, he’ll teach it to me!” Tsunade looked confused.
An Academy graduate learning an S-rank forbidden jutsu?
What’s the meaning of this?
She looked at the books in Nawaki’s hands, and a giant question mark seemed to hover over her head.
The Past and Present of Explosive Tags…
How to Use Explosive Tags Effectively…
And that mind-boggling author’s name: “The Wandering Hanzō”…
Could it really be that Salamander Hanzō?
And what was the point of explosive tags—was he trying to turn Nawaki into a master craftsman ninja?
Well, that doesn’t sound too bad, Tsunade thought whimsically.
Konoha Park.
Minato and Kushina sat under the shade of a tree, juice in hand, each with a book, studying together.
One look at Minato’s focused expression showed he was completely absorbed.
S-rank ninjutsu—the Flying Raijin.
He, Namikaze Minato, 13 years old, could read it.
Kushina was also engrossed in Fanma’s Essence of Taijutsu, her little face tight with seriousness as she nodded, marking and annotating the book.
It was the perfect model of top students studying together!
If Nawaki saw this, he would be mortified—he’d never admit he was about to be strung up by Tsunade for not reading his books.
Minato sighed softly and scratched his head; he had been studying the seal for a long time but still couldn’t grasp it.
Kushina leaned over, looked at the large marks Minato had circled, and had a flash of realization.
“That looks familiar, doesn’t it?” Her eyes brightened.
She patted Minato and said, “Grandma Mito taught me this seal!
This is a Dual-Instrument Seal, usually used for stabilizing space; this one is a Flame Seal, used for blocking chakra…” “If you cover this mark with a Five-Element Seal, it can…” For Kushina, who had been taught by Mito Uzumaki, these seals were like old friends.
She explained the prerequisite ninjutsu needed for the Flying Raijin to Minato in detail.
To enter the door of the Flying Raijin, one had to understand the various minor sealing arts that composed the seal, possess spatial perception, and have massive chakra reserves.
The threshold for the Flying Raijin was absolutely on par with the Mangekyo or Sage Mode; it was a technique for the true prodigy.
Lineage and talent were the absolute requirements for the strong in this ninja world.
Under Kushina’s explanation, Minato’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.
He was touching the threshold that had seemed insurmountable.
Uchiha Estate, Courtyard No.
2.
Fanma sat at his desk, writing lesson plans.
He would fulfill his duties as a teacher to these three.
Even though they were gifted, he was a “fierce dragon crossing the river,” and history was already shifting.
Genius was never lacking in the ninja world; what was lacking were geniuses who survived.
Fanma was satisfied with Minato’s tactical acumen—cautious yet bold; such a ninja would always find his way.
As for Nawaki and Kushina, they were hot-tempered, and as ninja, they still had an air of naivety that needed to be hammered out.
They had to understand their own weight, and most importantly, the fragile nature of a ninja.
In the original timeline, Nawaki was blown up by an explosive tag.
The reality was that most Genin died exactly like that—recklessly entering the battlefield, thinking they had mastered a few jutsu, only to be killed by simple explosive traps, thrown tools, or even animal traps.
Fanma’s ears twitched, catching familiar footsteps.
Tsunade walked in, greeted him with a lingering kiss, and picked up the lesson plans he had written.
Fanma looked at Tsunade, weighing her strength.
She had huge room for growth.
Her mastery of sealing arts was already impeccable; she possessed the blood of both Senju and Uzumaki, inherited the Yin Seal, and would eventually create the phenomenal Strength of a Hundred Seal: Creation Rebirth.
She had access to the Shikkotsu Forest, mastered medical ninjutsu, and possessed exquisite chakra control.
In terms of potential, she was a candidate for the Super-Kage level—Sage Mode combined with the Yin Seal and the Eight Inner Gates would make her Strength of a Hundred punch unstoppable.
Yet, in the original story, she succumbed to the loss of family and love, sinking into a “Kage-level battery.” Fanma narrowed his eyes.
I didn’t expect she was this strong!
He felt a sudden sense of crisis.
What if I, a taijutsu master, end up unable to take a single punch from my own girlfriend later?
That would be interesting.
“Ahem.” Fanma gestured to Tsunade, who was still reading.
“I’m making Nawaki study explosive tags so he understands how fragile he is right now.
War is heartless; I have to make him realize his shortcomings so he can stop treating this like a game.
To be a great ninja, I believe being able to fight is secondary—what’s important is being able to take a hit and knowing how to run.” Tsunade arched a beautiful brow, implying: Are you talking about yourself?
Fanma nodded unabashedly.
Then, with pride, he explained his “Error Tolerance Theory.” It boiled down to: Ninjas are glass cannons; either thicken your health bar or run fast enough.
Fanma was a master of this school—he was durable, fast, and immune to crowd control, making him the most difficult type of ninja to handle.
The essence of this style was: If you make a mistake, you die; if I make a mistake, I’ll pay attention next time.
Tsunade listened with wide eyes, frowning in thought.
“Aside from you, that sounds a lot like Orochimaru.” Fanma’s eyes brightened.
The current Orochimaru is still quite optimistic.
If he could discipline Nawaki and send him to Orochimaru for a bit of help—learning a snake-style substitution jutsu or some soft-body modification—that would ensure he was truly sturdy.
To keep his little brother-in-law safe, Fanma was racking his brains and putting in the work.
Earn Them Together!