The Second Hokage was renowned for his mastery of Water Release, yet his documented research on it was surprisingly sparse.
In contrast, there was an abundance of materials on his other miscellaneous studies.
'Is this what it means to be a research genius?'
He sighed softly to himself, then settled onto the table, carefully using his paw to turn the cover page.
After reading the first page, Raj was even more impressed.
The first entry detailed optimizations for the Water Dragon Bullet, explaining how to simplify hand seals, enhance its power, and other techniques.
The document covered every aspect of these improvements.
Next was the simplified hand seal sequence for the Water Formation Wall.
Throughout the entire document, not a single ninjutsu was below B-rank in difficulty.
'No wonder he's the Second Hokage, the Water Release master.'
'Research geniuses are truly untouchable!'
After carefully reviewing the entire document and memorizing its contents, Raj specifically opened the System Panel to check the prices.
To his delight, the Water Dragon Bullet and Water Formation Wall had already dropped to 2,000 Points each.
They had previously cost 4,000 Points each, meaning each technique had been discounted by 2,000 Points.
And these were just the lowest-ranked ninjutsu.
The more advanced A-rank techniques like Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, Water Severing Wave, Heavenly Cry, and Water Encampment Wall had even steeper discounts.
'One word: awesome!'
While it was impossible to acquire all these Water Release ninjutsu, having discounts was far better than none.
The data presented here was also much more reasonable than the absurdly overpriced Lightning Release techniques.
After finishing the book, Raj's gaze swept toward the box.
'So many...'
'This reminds me of the agony of cramming for exams back in my student days,' he grumbled inwardly.
Carefully opening the box, Tsunade retrieved all eight volumes.
Raj found the first volume and began reading, only to discover it was a research notebook.
The knowledge points were scattered and disorganized, the kind only research-obsessed experts would enjoy.
After reading just one volume, Raj already felt drowsy.
The good news was that the price of Sage Mode had dropped further.
'Well, might as well grit my teeth and keep reading,' Raj thought, enduring the pain.
By the end, the effort paid off handsomely.
The price of Sage Mode had plummeted by four thousand points, now costing only nine thousand - finally dropping below ten thousand.
'What's a few points compared to this? Exchange it!'
'But not right now.'
Tsunade was nearby, and even if Raj exchanged it, there wouldn't be time to digest and utilize the technique.
It was better to wait until later when there was more time, and then try out Sage Mode properly.
He had an idea.
'If I can generate Sage Art Chakra in Sage Mode, would I still need to spend a thousand Points on Deluxe Cat Food?'
Of course, this was just a hypothesis.
Whether it would work in practice remained to be seen.
"Alright, we're done here. Let's go," Tsunade said as she packed up her things.
The library's collection was much smaller than it used to be.
When she was a child, the Second Hokage had just begun researching Forbidden Techniques, and his notes were far more extensive, with stacks of derivation notes for each technique.
After being ushered out, Tsunade began questioning the Third Hokage about their earlier conversation.
After grasping the situation, she fell into deep thought.
It seemed the Third Hokage had already made certain decisions and taken action.
This was somewhat unexpected.
She had initially predicted that he would do nothing, only intervening as a mediator when Tsunade finally made a scene - a pattern he had followed in recent years.
Yet this time, he had acted with such decisive resolve.
After pondering for a moment, she began to understand his reasoning.
He was planning to retire and wanted to leave the village in good order, clean and ready for the next generation.
But who would that next generation be?
It certainly wouldn't be her.
In Tsunade's view, the most likely candidates were Orochimaru or Jiraiya.
However, she wondered what leverage Danzo might hold over Orochimaru.
Tsunade pondered for a moment, then sighed softly.
'There's no point dwelling on this. Thinking about it won't change anything.'
'Orochimaru, being as intelligent as he is, would never act without considering the consequences.'
'He must have weighed the pros and cons and concluded that his actions would benefit him. In that case, what use would external dissuasion be?'
Raj parted ways with Tsunade shortly after.
Having been away from home for so long, it was time to return and reassure the Nohara family of his well-being.
He also planned to use the opportunity to exchange for Sage Mode and attempt to absorb Natural Energy.
The Nohara family was just as he remembered.
Masato Nohara still woke up early for work, returning home in the afternoon to relax and read.
His life was far more comfortable than when he was a ninja.
When Raj arrived, Masato had just settled down with his book.
At first, Masato couldn't believe his eyes.
Then...
"Raj, is Rin back too?"
"Meow~ No, I've been promoted to Jonin. The village wants me to lead a team, so I came back first."
"What?"
Masato's voice suddenly rose sharply, startling Tsume, who was cooking inside.
She peeked out and her face lit up at the sight of Raj.
But then her attention was drawn to her husband's words.
"Jonin? You?"
"Just got promoted to Special Jonin over a month ago, and now this... sigh, I really didn't want to rank up so fast. And now I have to be a Team Leader Jonin? So tiring, meow!"
Masato Nohara wanted to punch something.
He had never managed to reach Special Jonin in his entire life, ending up as a mere errand-running Chunin, far from the mid-tier.
Yet his own cat had skyrocketed from a tiny kitten to a Jonin Cat in just a few months.
And now, it was going to be a Team Leader Jonin.
What the hell?!
This is absurd!
Why would Lord Third make such a decision?
Raj had been brave and strong in his missions, and his reputation was gradually spreading.
But truth be told, few in the village truly knew how powerful he was, including his own master's father.
Masato Nohara was, after all, just an ordinary Chunin.
His connections didn't reach the Jonin circles, so he had no way of knowing these developments.
A Jonin would likely understand that Raj's promotion was well-deserved.
Still, it was understandable to feel annoyed.
Being colleagues with a cat was one thing, but being the same rank as a cat was entirely different.
Masato Nohara's situation was even worse: the thought of being lower-ranked than his own cat shattered the last vestiges of his "clan head" pride into smithereens.