Noticing that Seven Nights' mood was a bit off, Watergate put away his smile and cautiously approached.
“Seven Nights, are you alright?”
Could it be that he was unhappy because he lost to me?
It's true, Seven Nights has always been the top student! ~
Watergate was about to say something comforting and encouraging, like “Don't be discouraged, it was just a lucky tactic on my part. It won't work next time,” and so on.
But he saw Seven Nights rubbing his chin, looking serious and said:
“I was thinking, why do you look so much like Yano when you transform into her?”
“Your expressions, demeanor, your little running gait, even the way you speak…”
“Could it be – ”
Seven Nights pointed at Watergate, suddenly realizing.
“You've been secretly watching her?!”
Watergate was dumbfounded.
How did it come to this?
However, it seemed like Seven Nights was fine now.
“No no no…” Watergate hurriedly waved his hands, “She's not my type.”
Seven Nights laughed, “Just kidding!”
“But, you're really good at the Transformation Jutsu.”
This "good" wasn't just about the physical resemblance, but because it was combined with the few words Watergate spoke, which had lowered Seven Nights' guard to its lowest point at the time.
Watergate didn't get proud, but instead humbly said, “I know you're much stronger than me, Seven Nights. When we sparred before, you must have held back a lot of your techniques…”
“Like your speed just now, you darted so far away…!”
“You've never activated your Byakugan either…”
When Watergate learned Transformation Jutsu from Watanabe Shinichi, he had asked about whether it could be seen through.
From this, he learned about some of the abilities of the Hyuga clan's kekkei genkai – the Byakugan.
“Watergate, I'll teach you a jutsu!”
Seven Nights suddenly said.
…………
This was a way of thanking Watergate.
Thanking him for letting him know that he should never underestimate any ninja, even if they're a child!
And to never underestimate any jutsu, even those that seem to have no attacking power, like an E-rank jutsu! ~
Even a lion hunting a rabbit needs to give it its all.
Otherwise, you'll end up like he did, capsized in the gutter.
This kind of experience, no matter how much others lectured, was not as impactful as experiencing it oneself.
Seven Nights had already mastered the Three Basic Jutsus long ago, but he rarely used them and didn't think much of them.
Clone Jutsu was replaced by the more advanced Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Transformation Jutsu only temporarily changes form, the essence doesn't change.
Substitution Jutsu is used to dodge enemy attacks, but it requires a substitution log. The time it takes to perform the jutsu, he could just use a Body Flicker to teleport away.
Hearing Seven Nights' words, Watergate first showed a look of surprise, then he started considering it for the other's sake.
“Is that alright, Seven Nights?”
“Will you get punished for teaching me jutsu without authorization?”
“Maybe it's best not to! ~”
At the Ninja Academy, Watergate understood that to learn jutsu, either you learn from a close teacher or, after becoming a ninja, you earn enough merit points to exchange for jutsu from the Hokage.
Seven Nights smiled, waved his hand and said, “It's fine.”
“It's not some secret technique, just a D-rank supplementary jutsu, but it's perfect for you.”
Speaking of the most impressive feat of Minato Namikaze in the original storyline, what was it?
Of course it was instantly killing 50 Iwa-nin.
He relied on the unpredictable Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and of course, his unparalleled dynamic vision and reaction speed.
Seven Nights himself had nowhere to learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
So, he decided to teach Watergate – Body Flicker Jutsu.
Seven Nights demonstrated for Watergate first.
“Watch closely.”
Recalling the contents of Body Flicker Jutsu, Seven Nights formed an “In” hand seal.
“Whoosh! ~”
Accompanied by a faint sound of air rushing, after a flicker, Seven Nights' figure appeared five meters away.
“Amazing…!”
Watergate's mouth slightly opened, his breathing became rapid, and his eyes lit up.
Seven Nights slightly shook his neck, after getting used to the smooth and silky feeling of Body Flicker, the experience of Body Flicker Jutsu wasn't as good, that stiff feeling…
“Watergate, you know Transformation Jutsu, so you should know all twelve hand seals, right?”
“Yes, yes, Master Shinichi taught me.” Watergate nodded repeatedly.
“Good.” Seven Nights explained.
“This is called Body Flicker Jutsu, it's a high-speed movement technique that uses chakra.”
“Although it's just a D-rank jutsu, it allows you to move like the wind, disappearing and reappearing in an instant. It's so fast that the naked eye can't catch it.”
“The distance, speed, and height of the movement will vary depending on the user's amount of chakra.”
“And when you become proficient, many powerful ninjas will modify it to form their own unique Body Flicker Jutsu.”
Watergate nodded thoughtfully.
With his keen observation, he naturally noticed that this Body Flicker Jutsu was different from Seven Nights' instant high-speed movement just now.
Had Seven Nights already modified it, forming his own Body Flicker secret technique?
As expected of Seven Nights! ~
I've decided, I'll modify the Body Flicker Jutsu in the future too.
That way I can keep up with Seven Nights.
Confidence is a positive driving force.
The best thing about Watergate's personality is that he won't lose confidence due to a little setback.
He won't feel jealousy or aversion, he'll just silently work hard, striving to catch up.
He believed,
Bloodline is very powerful, it's true, but talent can fight it.
…………