Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 48 The Technique of Concealing Mist

Aokiji was slightly surprised: "You're going to teach me?"

Is there a problem?

"It's nothing," Aokiji said casually, his hands clasped behind his head. "I guess since Elder Itachi taught me personally, it must be a very powerful ninjutsu."

Elder Itachi said calmly, "I will only teach you once. Watch carefully."

Aokiji put away his playful attitude and became fully focused.

Uchiha Akane looked at Elder Itachi with great interest, also quite curious about what kind of ninjutsu he would teach Aokiji.

Fugaku stared intently, thinking that he should remember when Elder Itachi performed the hand seals so that he could take this opportunity to learn another ninjutsu.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Elder Itachi began to form hand seals. In order to make the steps of forming the hand seals clear, he did not form them quickly, and the ninjutsu was not particularly complicated.

Aokiji remembered it after just one glance.

With his thumbs extended upwards and overlapping, and his left thumb on top, this was Elder Itachi's final hand seal posture.

There are roughly 12 hand seals for ninjas, and this one is the "Mi" seal.

Depending on the type of ninjutsu, the ending of the hand seals often varies. For example, fire jutsu usually ends with the 'Tiger' radical.

Generally, excellent ninjas have very developed visual nerves. Before an opponent uses a ninjutsu, they can roughly identify the type of ninjutsu by the finishing move of this hand seal and then respond accordingly.

Before Elder Itachi could use his ninjutsu, Aokiji knew from the finishing hand seals that Elder Itachi's next ninjutsu was most likely not a fire jutsu.

What's going on? It's not Fire Release?

Just as Aokiji was surprised by this, the surroundings were shrouded in thick fog, as if even the light was being swallowed up, and nothing could be seen. He thought he was being attacked by some enemy.

Young Fugaku had never seen anything like this before and was immediately flustered: "What's going on?"

"Don't be nervous, this is Water Release: Mist Concealment Technique."

Uchiha Akari offered a reminder, then closed his eyes, his thoughts racing.

The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan has the ability to replicate, so it's not surprising that someone as old as Elder Itachi would use Kirigakure's signature ninjutsu.

However, he didn't quite understand why the other party had specifically taken out this ninjutsu to teach Aokiji, intending to combine it with his own.

When he opened his eyes again, the surrounding fog had gradually dissipated, and his vision had become clear again, indicating that the fog concealment technique had been lifted.

Elder Itachi calmly said, "This is Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique. After use, it can generate a large amount of dense fog around the area, confusing the enemy's vision. The density of the fog is determined by chakra."

"In addition, the user can also attack the opponent while hiding in the mist. It is not difficult to learn, but it is a very practical ninjutsu."

Aokiji nodded slightly. He understood, but he didn't understand the other party's intention in teaching him this ninjutsu.

The Uchiha clan is a ninja clan that specializes in fire-style ninjutsu, so logically, it shouldn't be fire-style ninjutsu.

Elder Itachi anticipated Aokiji's confused expression and calmly explained, "The Uchiha clan is born with powerful eye abilities, so it can be said that most of their strength depends on their eyes."

"And our eyes naturally became the main target of our opponents. Techniques like the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to confuse our vision, or more directly, the Dark Technique to make our eyes unable to see anything, are all good ways to target the Sharingan."

Hearing this, Aokiji had a rough idea of ​​what Elder Itachi was thinking.

That fart from the old immortal was truly extraordinary.

He didn't interrupt directly, but continued to listen, because interrupting others to show off is impolite.

"To deal with such emergencies, you need to have some understanding of this type of ninjutsu beforehand, so that you don't end up in a panic and die without even knowing how."

"With your water-style chakra, learning the Hidden Mist Technique at this stage is undoubtedly a very good choice. Admittedly, you don't have the Sharingan, but this approach applies to any ninja."

Aokiji strongly agreed with Elder Itachi's point of view.

Compared to ninjutsu that focuses solely on offensive capabilities, functional ninjutsu like this is more practical.

Especially in the later stages, anything less than an S-rank ninjutsu would just be a scrape.

Elder Itachi glanced at Aokiji without saying anything, his meaning clear: he wanted to inspect the goods.

Aokiji understood immediately and followed the hand seals he had just been taught to perform the Mist Concealment Technique. He was a little nervous, wondering how effective his first attempt would be.

Fortunately, it was managed to be used with some difficulty. A light mist enveloped the area. Although it was far inferior to the previous mist concealment technique, it had taken shape. With more practice, it could soon be put into actual combat.

Of course, this does not mean that Aokiji's Hidden Mist Technique in actual combat can reach the level of Elder Itachi.

Even with wind-style techniques, a master's mist concealment technique is difficult to disperse, while a novice's mist concealment technique is easily dispersed.

For example, Kakashi's Hidden Mist Technique was copied from Zabuza's Hidden Mist Technique, but he clearly didn't copy it well enough.

When fighting Uchiha Itachi, the aftershocks of the explosion from Itachi's Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique were easily dispersed by the wind.

When it came to fighting against the reanimated Zabuza, Kakashi, with a group of ninjas, employed a rather complicated method to counter Zabuza's Hidden Mist Technique.

Elder Itachi nodded in satisfaction.

Fugaku, seeing this, was somewhat unwilling to admit defeat. He tried to imitate Fugaku's technique, using the Hidden Mist Technique, and then... nothing happened.

"Why? I can't use the Hidden Mist Technique like Aokiji. Forget about the mist, I couldn't even see a shadow."

Uchiha Akane explained, "Of course! Learning ninjutsu isn't as simple as you think. You don't think that you can just learn a hand seal and use it, do you?"

Fugaku recalled the last time: "But when I first learned Fire Release, I was able to breathe fire on my very first try."

Uchiha Akara shook his head: "That's different. You learned Fire Release so quickly because you have innate Fire Release chakra and a talent for it. But you don't have that talent for Water Release, so it's naturally much harder for you. In contrast, Aokiji, who has innate Water Release chakra, learns much more easily in this area. That's why most people only learn the jutsu corresponding to their innate chakra nature."

Fugaku was a little annoyed: "So, does that mean I'll never be a match for Aokiji?"

Water Release is effective against Fire Release.

Furthermore, the dense fog generated by Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique can also counter the Sharingan.

He was completely outmaneuvered by Aokiji.

Looking at Fugaku's sullen profile, Uchiha Akara guessed what he was thinking: "You don't need to underestimate yourself. Although Aokiji has the talent for Water Release, don't you have the talent for Lightning Release? Lightning Release is not only incredibly powerful, but it also has the effect of activating the body and enhancing taijutsu. Aokiji definitely didn't learn Lightning Release as easily as you did."

Hearing this, Fugaku felt much better and cheered up again.

Uchiha Akane glanced at Aokiji.

He actually had a few things he didn't say earlier. Fugaku was able to master Fire Release so quickly not only because he was born with Fire Release chakra, but also because he was a member of the Uchiha clan.

Given that both are born with fire-attribute chakra, the Uchiha clan members have a greater affinity for fire than ordinary people, which is why he was able to learn fire release so quickly.

Furthermore, Aokiji's talent in Water Release is incomparable to Fugaku's talent in Lightning Release.

Aokiji is a ninja with the bloodline limit of Ice Release. Even though his Water Release chakra is secondary, his talent in Water Release is still much higher than that of ordinary Water Release ninjas.

Under normal circumstances, even someone born with water-attribute chakra wouldn't master the Hidden Mist Technique as quickly as Aokiji. Aokiji was able to master it after just one viewing, demonstrating that his talent for water-style techniques far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Aokiji overheard their conversation and was quite envious of Fugaku's innate lightning-attribute chakra.

Each of the five major esoteric techniques has its own advantages, but the Lightning Release technique, with its comprehensive mechanism, is unparalleled. In addition to its immense power, it can also enhance the sharpness of weapons and improve bodily functions. Even when facing aliens like the Otsutsuki in the later stages of the game, it still has a place to be used.

After acquiring the Hidden Mist Technique, Aokiji subconsciously asked, "So, will my next training focus on specifically training my ability to see enemies?"

Elder Itachi said calmly, "This is just a side reason."

Aokiji looked puzzled, then chuckled, "Does that mean I'm going to specialize in Water Release techniques from now on?"

Elder Itachi nodded.

Uh… Aokiji was stunned for a moment, and seeing the other party’s serious expression, it seemed that he was not joking.

At this moment, not only did Aokiji not understand Elder Itachi's actions, but Uchiha Akane, who was standing to the side, also couldn't understand what he was thinking.

(End of this chapter)