Chapter 11: Phoenix Flower, Flower Claw Red, and Dragon Fire Jutsu! The Great Elder's Decision
"Don't be nervous. Sit."
Uchiha Setsuna spoke calmly, pulling a shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and tossing it to Uchiha Takanotsume.
Takanotsume caught it smoothly, inspecting it. Nothing stood out.
If anything, the Great Elder's shuriken was high-end, sturdier than the kunai he used for blocking.
"Great Elder, what's this about?" Takanotsume asked, puzzled.
"Your shuriken technique—who taught you?" Setsuna asked, his eyes half-closed.
Takanotsume's heart skipped a beat. He'd only used basic moves against Seiichiro, not even touching the wire-threaded techniques, yet Setsuna had picked up on something off about his shuriken skills.
The problem was, he didn't know how to answer.
After all, he'd stolen this skill from Setsuna himself. He couldn't exactly say, "I've admired you forever, watched you throw for a year, and had a minor epiphany," could he? That was nonsense.
Within the clan, Takanotsume barely had access to high-ups like Shisui, let alone learned such advanced shuriken techniques.
After a long pause, he opted for honesty: "Great Elder, I'm just a genin. Besides the clan's basic training, I've had no other way to learn ninjutsu. I just practiced these cheap tricks…"
"Oh?" A glint flashed under Setsuna's half-lidded eyes.
So, this kid was a buried talent?
No wonder that proud brat Shisui was so chummy with him.
"Is that so?" Setsuna mused, nodding. He pulled another shuriken from his pouch.
Holding it in one hand, he formed a single Tiger seal with the other.
Something incredible happened.
The shuriken in Setsuna's hand was enveloped in flames, floating mid-air, spinning rapidly.
"Phoenix Flower and Phoenix Flower Claw Red are from the same lineage. The seals don't change much."
"The technique's simple: coat the tool in chakra, form the Tiger seal to alter its nature, then throw."
Setsuna explained flatly.
Takanotsume froze, his expression turning odd.
Was the Great Elder… mentoring him?
Phoenix Flower Claw Red was an advanced version of Phoenix Flower, a B-rank jutsu. Unlike Phoenix Flower's fireballs, it wrapped spinning shuriken in flames, boosting both sharpness and the fire's power with the wind from the spin.
"You try," Setsuna ordered, dissipating his chakra.
He didn't catch the scalding shuriken, letting it clatter to the ground.
Takanotsume, wide-eyed, felt a pang of disappointment.
He'd half-expected Setsuna to show off some iron hand toughness.
Guess even a master like Setsuna was still human.
Following orders, Takanotsume set the shuriken in front of him, focusing. He formed the Tiger seal with both hands.
He channeled altered chakra to lift the shuriken.
A faint flicker of flame sparked around it. It twitched twice, then plop—it fell still.
Takanotsume gave an awkward smile.
Setsuna, watching, narrowed his eyes, nodding subtly. "That's it. That's the basic form change of Fire Release. Remember it."
"From there, you can branch into various Fire Release techniques, like—"
He flicked another shuriken, embedding it in a nearby tree.
This time, it was tied with wire.
Setsuna casually formed four seals—Takanotsume recognized them as Dragon Fire Jutsu.
Snake - Dragon - Rabbit - Tiger!
A line of fire raced along the wire.
"This is Dragon Fire Jutsu. Practice with it, master it, then move to Phoenix Flower Claw Red. When you reach that level, come find me," Setsuna commanded coolly, tossing out another wire-tied shuriken.
This time, he formed just one Tiger seal.
Flames roared along the wire.
He'd simplified Dragon Fire Jutsu to a single seal.
Takanotsume gaped. So, Uchiha could pull off stuff like this too.
One seal for Fire Release? Only Hashirama's clap-and-summon-anything topped that.
"Master this, and you'll grasp Fire Release's nature changes. After that—"
Setsuna frowned, glancing at Takanotsume's eyes. He shook his head, saying coldly: "Never mind. Survive first, then we'll talk."
In two short minutes, this Warring States-era elder had taught Takanotsume the basics of Fire Release's form and nature changes.
And he taught without hesitation.
A normal ninja would've struggled to follow Setsuna's teaching style.
But Takanotsume, with Setsuna's mastered Wire-Threaded Shuriken Technique and Seiichiro's proficient Phoenix Flower, cross-referenced the knowledge in his head.
Looking at it from a high-level perspective—
Phoenix Flower, Flower Claw Red, even Dragon Fire—they were just specialized applications. With his mastered physical control, Takanotsume mentally rehearsed it once.
And then, to his chagrin, he realized—
He got it.
[You've learned Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu (Beginner, C).]
[You've learned Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Claw Red (Beginner, B).]
Two notifications flashed before his eyes. Takanotsume stared, dumbfounded.
He shot a resentful look at Setsuna.
Stop teaching! Stop it!
My brain's itching—it's growing!
At this rate, he'd level up before even hitting the battlefield.
Was that reasonable?!
Just then, Seiichiro returned from setting traps, his face grim.
"Great Elder, a team of Hot Springs ninja is scouting nearby. I suggest we pull back for now—"
But when he saw Setsuna teaching Takanotsume ninjutsu, he froze. His eyes reddened.
He knew it!
No wonder Setsuna picked this kid for the mission.
This slick-haired punk was a hawk faction protégé!
And he'd fooled Young Master Shisui, making him think he was dovish-approved!
Outrageous!
"What'd you say?" Setsuna frowned, prompting him to repeat.
Seiichiro swallowed his resentment and reported: "There's a team of Hot Springs ninja patrolling ahead, like they're looking for something."
He added a suggestion: "The ninja code says to avoid unnecessary trouble outside the mission."
"And, Great Elder, with the Land of Hot Springs' chaos, we should steer clear of direct contact."
Takanotsume frowned slightly. He'd heard this last night from Obito.
It was advice Minato passed to his students: the Land of Hot Springs was a mess, so avoid certain groups on the road.
Minimize contact with non-mission ninja.
One group to watch? Local ninja in chaotic zones.
At this point, Hot Springs ninja might not even serve their village anymore.
Takanotsume, of course, wasn't scared.
He'd love to tangle with some weird ninja.
But unlike his earlier pitch to cross the border at night, he had no good excuse now to push the team into danger.
Yet—
Hearing this, Setsuna's half-closed eyes snapped open, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning slowly.
He kicked out the campfire, drew his long blade, and ordered coldly: "Prepare for combat."
"Seiichiro, lead the way. We'll take out that Hot Springs ninja team first."
"Then, we march fast—cross the Land of Hot Springs border tonight!"