Hiruzen Sarutobi studied Tejima Shinichi's unruffled face and sighed inwardly.
He could naturally see the undisguised aloofness and coldness beneath the boy's respectful exterior.
Clearly, Tejima Shinichi had long foreseen that today's matter would be settled so lightly —perhaps he had never even held out hope.
Such world-weary composure in a youth left Hiruzen Sarutobi with mixed feelings.
He knew that if he failed to give a substantive account now, this supremely talented sapling's trust in the Village —and in him as Hokage —would plummet.
"Shinichi," Hiruzen said, his voice tinged with a sigh, breaking the silence, "today's events must have startled you."
Tejima Shinichi inclined his head slightly, his tone flat and emotionless: "Serving the Village is my duty."
A proper answer, yet one that carried the chill of businesslike indifference.
At that moment, Yamato, standing to the side, could not help but speak up urgently: "Lord Hokage! Elder Danzo—"
"Yamato." Hiruzen raised a hand, cutting him off. "I have my considerations."
Yamato's lips moved, but in the end he swallowed his words, his clenched fists betraying his inner turmoil.
He cast a worried glance at his student, afraid that this 'injustice' would chill Tejima Shinichi's heart.
Hiruzen took in both of their reactions, his gaze returning to Tejima Shinichi.
Noting the boy's calm expression, he felt a pang of guilt.
"The Village has indeed wronged you today," Hiruzen said soothingly, then shifted tack. "Yamato mentioned your mastery of Water and Earth Release is outstanding, and it reminded me of an old friend."
Tejima Shinichi looked up, unsure where Hiruzen was going.
"He was my teacher, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama," Hiruzen continued after a pause. "He spent his life perfecting Ninjutsu and created countless secret techniques."
"When the Village lets a loyal Ninja suffer, it owes compensation."
"For the wrong done to you today, the Village must make amends. Given your talent and potential, I have decided to grant you special permission to learn a Water Release Jutsu from the sealed scroll."
At those words, Tejima Shinichi's eyes instantly brightened.
A Water Release Ninjutsu from the sealed scroll… that was no small matter.
While sealed scroll Water Jutsu might not be as coveted as space-time techniques like the Flying Thunder God, anything personally catalogued by the Second Hokage could hardly be ordinary!
High-level techniques like Water Release: Water Blade were not officially ranked S-class, but their battlefield potency was nothing to scoff at.
After all, they were the distilled essence of the Second's lifelong Water Release mastery.
Beside him, Yamato exclaimed, "Lord Hokage, you're actually allowing Shinichi to study a Jutsu from the sealed scroll?"
Hiruzen gave a slight nod, seeing the renewed spark in Tejima Shinichi's eyes, and felt some of his own gloom lift.
'It's the compensation Shinichi deserves.'
And it was the right compensation.
The boy's heart had not turned completely cold after all.
"Judging by your reaction, you understand the weight of the sealed scroll," Hiruzen said in the tone of an elder instructing a junior. "The Jutsu within are no trifles —choose carefully, train diligently, and use them with restraint."
With that, he raised a hand and made a simple gesture in the air.
A cat-masked Anbu operative materialized silently in the center of the office, kneeling on one knee: "Lord Hokage."
"Escort him to the sealed scroll vault and carry out the order."
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu operative rose, gesturing to Tejima Shinichi: "Please follow me."
Tejima Shinichi bowed formally to Hiruzen. "Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
He then turned and followed the Anbu Ninja… who led him to a massive doorway.
After the guards verified credentials, the doors opened, revealing the sealed chamber.
"You have one hour," the Anbu guide said flatly. "You may only examine the Water Release techniques Lord Hokage has authorized. Do not browse anything else; we will be watching."
Tejima Shinichi nodded and stepped inside.
In the center of the room, the sealed scroll lay open on a stone pedestal.
He approached, his gaze sweeping across the text.
Flying Thunder God Technique, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, Dead Demon Consuming Seal… forbidden names from legend flashed past, each representing the pinnacle of power and peril, making his pulse quicken.
His eyes continued downward.
When he reached a certain page, his breath caught.
(Wood Release Ninjutsu)
Those four characters seized his entire attention in an instant.
A fierce longing nearly overwhelmed his reason, urging him to claim it then and there.
But in the end, Tejima Shinichi merely drew a deep breath and forced his gaze away.
'Not yet,' he warned himself. 'At the very least… I have to wait until that woman becomes Hokage.'
He wasted no more time, flipping back to the Water Release section. His gaze skimmed past Water Severing Wave, Instant Water, Heavenly Weeping… and finally locked onto "Water Release: Water Blade."
He needed a decisive, fight-ending technique to plug the gap in his current arsenal —a trump card that could tip any battle in an instant.
True, he possessed Water, Earth, and Wind natures, and had even begun experimenting with Rasengan's nature transformation in hopes of recreating Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
But that was still a distant and uncertain prospect.
Even if he succeeded, his current physique would never let him throw it safely the way future Naruto could; it would be a double-edged sword that harmed friend and foe alike.
Before developing a safer, more mature ace, he urgently needed an existing, overwhelmingly powerful, and fully controllable ultimate move.
And the S-class Water Release technique Tobirama had left behind —Hard Water Whirlblade —was exactly that choice.
Compressing vast Water Release Chakra into a spiraling lance that pierces all, it possesses unmatched single-target lethality.
It was the single most crucial piece missing from his tactical puzzle.
'This is the one: Water Release: Water Blade.'
The supervising Anbu stepped forward, deftly copying the training portion of Water Release: Water Blade into a smaller scroll and handing it to him.
Tejima Shinichi accepted the scroll; it felt slightly heavy in his grasp.
Yet as he turned to leave, a trace of regret still surfaced in his heart.
'A pity it's only Water Release… after all…'