The next day again began with the brutal morning workout. At 10 am, Renjiro asked, "So what have you guys decided to learn?" Mieko, wanting to talk first, quickly said, "Sensei, I've decided to learn Fire Release : Four jutsu, Flame Sphere jutsu, Fireproof jutsu, Earth Military Movement jutsu and Hiding like a Mole jutsu."
Renjiro nodded and asked, "Why?" Mieko said, "I already know Fire Release : Three jutsu, so Fire Release : Four is the next step. It'll also be a very strong option in close combat. Earth Military Movement jutsu and Hiding like a mole jutsu are to evade an enemy attack and once I'm underground, it'll be a strong defense too. And if I have jumped and can't reach the ground, then I'll use Flame Sphere jutsu to defend. And Fireproof jutsu would help me become immune to Fire Release jutsus."
On hearing her reason, Fujin thought, 'Hehe, she memorized the whole thing! Still Hiding like a Mole jutsu. I should learn that one. I hope that jutsu has some way to breathe underground. Though I did develop a few ways to ensure cracks in the surface to allow some flow of air underground, it is not very reliable.'
Renjiro too noticed the memorized answer and sighed internally, 'They still assisted her in the decision. Though this plan should be good enough.' He then said, "That should be good enough. However, you will train to be able to perform Fire Release : Four jutsu without any hand signs." Mieko was confused, "Without any hand signs? How and why?" Renjiro replied, "Do you think that your enemies will wait for you to perform your hand signs when you are in a close combat? As to how, don't worry. I'll teach you." Mieko was very intrigued by it and nodded excitedly.
He then looked over to Fujin. Fujin said, "I've decided to learn Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu, Wind Gale Wolf jutsu Wind Dragon jutsu, Faithful Wind Blade jutsu and Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu." This surprised Renjiro a bit. He thought, 'That's surprising. He wants to learn 5 rank C wind release jutsu? I did have plans to suggest a couple of jutsus in case he chose only 1 or 2. I suppose this will be good too. I'll just teach those to him sometime later.' Though Renjiro hid it soon, Fujin did notice him getting surprised. He sighed internally, 'I would have preferred to train in them in secret, but he barely allows me any free time to do that. So if I only mentioned one or two, then there's a chance that I might be stuck with only those for some time.'
Renjiro then nodded and asked, "Why?" Fujin replied, "Spinning Shield of Wind jutsu will help me defend from frontal assaults and even counterattack. Gale Wolf and Wind Dragon jutsu will allow me to attack from a distance and control the battlefield. And I could attack from both land and the sky with them. Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu is an escape jutsu. As for Faithful Wind Blade, I think that it'll complement Samurai Saber Techniques well, so I plan to start with it."
Renjiro thought, 'Very good, considering that he didn't have anyone to guide him. 2 jutsus very long range, 1 defensive, 1 close range and 1 escape jutsus and he already has 2 usable mid-range jutsus.' He then commented, "Good thinking. But, later on, you'll also have to learn your second element. Wind is good for offense, but not very good for defense. Also, don't learn Faithful Wind Blade jutsu right now. While it will complement Samurai Saber Techniques, but that's only after you've mastered it. Right now it'll become an obstacle instead. Start with Wind Dragon jutsu."
Fujin nodded and asked, "Why should Wind Dragon jutsu be learnt first? Wouldn't it be easier to learn Wind Gale Wolf jutsu first and then learn Wind Dragon jutsu?" Renjiro was impressed with the question. He answered, "I have some plans for your Wind Dragon jutsu. So don't worry about it. As for the learning order, once you learn Wind Dragon jutsu, it'll be much easier to learn Wind Gale Wolf jutsu." Fujin nodded while thinking, 'Yeah, but that doesn't make learning Wind Dragon jutsu any easier!'
Renjiro then looked at Hoka. Hoka said, "I've decided to learn Body Flicker jutsu, Stone Shuriken jutsu, Rock Thorn Bed jutsu, Rock Thorn launch jutsu and Water shuriken jutsu." Both Fujin and Mieko noticed the sorrowful tone of Hoka. Renjiro thought, 'I know you don't like Ninjutsu, but is there a need to look at me like I owe you a million Ryo?' He ignored that and thought about the jutsus, 'Just like us, the Hyugas focus on earth and water elements too. The Gentle Fist style has both the sturdiness of Earth and the flexibility of Water. So even if they don't have those affinities, they are still trained in those elements. Luckily for him, he does have the Earth affinity. Still, he chose only one rank C jutsu. All others are rank D. I guess I need to take it slow with this kid.'
Renjiro asked once again, "Why?" Hoka replied the answer that his father had made him memorize, "Body Flicker is to increase my speed. My Gentle Fist style is restricted by range. So I can use Body Flicker to force the enemy into close combat. And if an enemy stays barely outside my range, then I can engage him with Stone Shuriken jutsu. If the fight is on water, then I can engage him with Water Shuriken jutsu. Rock Thorn Bed jutsu is to stop the enemies from running away and Rock Thorn Launch jutsu is in case the enemy jumps to avoid the rock thorns." Renjiro nodded and thought, 'The usual Hyuga tactic of using Rock Thorn Bed jutsu for the reverse purpose. Though I'll have to make him learn more rank C Earth and Water Release jutsus.'
Renjiro then looked at all 3 of his students and said, "I'll now explain to you why I made you go through this exercise. But first, tell me, which rank jutsu would you guys like to use?"
Mieko replied immediately, "I'd like to learn and use Rank S jutsu." She then looked at Renjiro with hopeful eyes. Renjiro chuckled internally and looked at the other 2 kids. Fujin was in thought, and Hoka appeared tense. Hoka, while sweating, said, "Ra.. Rank D ju… jutsus are enough for me!" Mieko glared at Hoka for saying that. Renjiro then looked at Fujin and asked, "Fujin?" Fujin looked at his sensei and said, "I'd like to use rank A or S jutsus too. But I'm not sure of how much chakra they would need. If just using 1 rank S jutsu completely drains my chakra, then it's kinda pointless, isn't it?"
Renjiro smiled on hearing that answer, 'Perfect. This kid's analytical ability is very good.' Renjiro said, "You are right. This exercise is for you guys to find the jutsus most suited for you. No matter what rank ninja you become in the future, the jutsus you'll use the most are rank C jutsus. The reason is that the jutsus that are rank B and above drain a lot of chakra and affect your ability to fight for long." He waited a few moments for the genins to understand. He continued, "So, in the future, how good of a ninja you become will depend on how good you are at using the rank C jutsus you have." He then looked at Mieko and said, "It isn't about the number of rank C jutsus you know, but about how good you are at using them."
He then looked at Fujin and said, "Fujin, use your Great Breakthrough jutsu on those trees." Fujin nodded, made the hand signs, and released his Great Breakthrough jutsu. The jutsu created a lot of winds, causing the branches to shake wildly and a lot of leaves and twigs to fall down. The winds left deep cuts in most trees. After a minute, the winds died down. Fujin thought, 'Alright, that's about 25% of my full power with this jutsu.'
Renjiro said, "Good, now watch this." Renjiro then made 1 hand sign, and then used Great Breakthrough jutsu himself. The power behind his jutsu was easily over ten times of what Fujin had done. The winds went through a few trees. 3 trees were uprooted. And even though the jutsu wasn't directed at them, Fujin, Hoka and Mieko all felt those winds and had to hold on to the ground. Hoka and Mieko were very shocked by what they saw. Whereas Fujin had only one thought, 'Isn't this illegal deforestation? Someone call the cops and the media! Old man, Hashirama is no longer alive to just create more trees out of thin air.'
Mieko asked enthusiastically, "But how? Why is your jutsu so much stronger than Fujin's?" Renjiro replied, "Because I have mastered this jutsu to a greater degree than Fujin." Fujin rebuked internally, 'Incorrect old man, you still had to use 1 hand sign. You just charged the jutsu with way more chakra than I did or can. Though I guess you were more efficient in chakra use.' Renjiro continued, "And this wasn't my full power. Nor have I completely mastered this jutsu. Had it been lord Hokage, then he could have leveled this whole forest with just this jutsu." Mieko, Fujin and Hoka were very surprised and excited at that information. Or at least the other 2 were. Fujin sighed internally thinking, 'Hiruzen is a lot scarier here than in Naruto. I really wonder if Orochimaru will really be able to kill him or not.'
Satisfied with his students' reactions, Renjiro said, "So this is why, you need to focus on learning and mastering the proper rank C jutsus. In the future, these jutsus are what you'll be using the most. Of course, it doesn't mean that you should not learn higher rank jutsus. The additional power they provide is very useful. However, if you don't have a good set of Rank C jutsus mastered, then you won't ever be able to become truly strong." Mieko and Fujin nodded, but Hoka still looked a bit reluctant. Renjiro looked at Hoka and said, "Hoka, no matter how good you become at Taijutsu. You'll never become a strong ninja without mastering a few good Rank C jutsus."
Hoka looked down and softly murmured, "Even without Ninjutsu I can still become a very strong ninja." Renjiro sighed and said, "Alright, we will have one spar between Fujin and you right now." Mieko pouted as she wasn't involved in the spar. Renjiro made Hoka and Fujin take their positions. While they were heading towards their position, Renjiro secretly whispered to Fujin.
