Naruto: Legend of the Skylark

Tobirama was known as the "Shinobi World's Fastest." From Hibari's current speed, unless Tobirama wanted to get close to him, catching him on his own would be harder than scaling the heavens.

Therefore, everything that transpired before was Hibari's calculated plan, a search for the perfect moment to 'trick' Tobirama into coming close.

And don't call him despicable. Until this test was over, wasn't Tobirama his 'enemy'? Against an enemy, there's no such thing as despicable; only the victor's word holds weight.

Moreover, if he didn't resort to such slightly underhanded tactics, how could he possibly seize even a sliver of victory against a master of Tobirama's caliber?

From the very beginning, Hibari knew that to earn Tobirama's recognition, it would be impossible without showcasing some serious results.

The A-rank Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Chains was indeed impressive, but it was just that—impressive. At the end of the day, wasn't it someone else's jutsu?

And who was Tobirama? He was someone who always loved to devise ninjutsu no one else had conceived, with a vast collection of innovative ninjutsu, all of which he created himself.

Therefore, to earn Tobirama's high regard, in Hibari's opinion, it wasn't strictly necessary to be exceptionally strong, for example, to fight Tobirama for three days and three nights at his current age.

That sounded quite impossible.

Setting aside raw power, his combat experience alone wouldn't be enough to sustain such a fight!

So, where was the other hidden 'scoring point' in this test? Undoubtedly, it lay in 'innovation.' If he could unveil a brand-new ninjutsu, it would certainly be enough to earn Tobirama's admiration.

There was no need to think too hard. At this point in time, no one had witnessed the powerful, hand-seal-less ninjutsu known as Rasengan. And this ninjutsu was what Hibari planned to 'score points' with.

If Hibari had enough time to calmly ponder, perhaps he truly could have researched and developed a new ninjutsu.

But on one hand, time waited for no one; Hibari wanted to quickly learn those innovative pieces of knowledge from Tobirama.

On the other hand, the Rasengan ninjutsu was indeed very much to Hibari's liking. And don't be fooled by the seemingly peaceful world right now; this very morning, Hashirama had returned with Tobirama from the Five Kage Summit, but in reality, the world still harbored many hidden dangers.

The next Great Ninja War... wasn't it not that far off?

Who could accurately predict what would happen on the battlefield? To avoid an untimely death in battle, Hibari naturally had to find every possible way to increase his strength.

Therefore, mastering a powerful, hand-seal-less ninjutsu like the Rasengan even a minute earlier was a gain, wasn't it?

Ultimately, it was about improving strength and preserving his life. He couldn't, out of respect for the Fourth Hokage's achievements, keep this technique to himself until the Fourth Hokage developed it before using it.

Wouldn't that make him a fool? He wasn't even sure if he would survive the war to reach that era, was he?

It was precisely for all these reasons that Hibari, this shameless fellow, directly began to ponder the Rasengan.

Thanks to his innate talent, he quickly mastered this ninjutsu. In other words, he 'stole' the title of 'Rasengan Developer' from the Fourth Hokage. Thinking about it, he did feel a bit sorry for the Fourth Hokage; he could only find an opportunity to repay him well in the future.

Just as the words were spoken, Tobirama's heart suddenly jolted in surprise when he saw a powerful, rotating mass of chakra energy forming in Hibari's other hand. Why, you ask?

As Tobirama Senju, the self-proclaimed 'Kinjutsu Inventor,' he possessed an incredibly strong foundation in ninjutsu. While he was most formidable in Water Release ninjutsu, that didn't mean he knew few other ninjutsu; in fact, he knew quite a lot!

Even for ninjutsu he didn't know, having traveled across the lands for so many years and fought his way through countless wars, he should have witnessed everything there was to see.

Yet, the ninjutsu this boy Hibari suddenly revealed was something he had never witnessed before. How could he not be surprised?

What surprised him even more was that the power of this ninjutsu seemed far from low, and it was also an incredibly convenient 'hand-seal-less ninjutsu'!

"A Tailed Beast Bomb?!" Hashirama, holding Tsunade, also exclaimed in surprise the moment he witnessed the scene.

But while Hashirama had the leisure to be surprised by what this strange thing resembled, Tobirama was currently the 'victim.' He had no time to worry about whether this thing looked like a Tailed Beast Bomb.

At this moment, Tobirama's one hand was restrained by Hibari, and he was standing right beside Hibari, extremely close. It seemed as if he was about to take the full force of this 'Rasengan.'

But just as the Rasengan was about to strike Tobirama's abdomen, Tobirama's other hand suddenly brought his index and middle fingers together. He hooked upward through the air, then quickly said, "Flying Raijin: Guiding Thunder..."

The next second, the Rasengan, which should have slammed into Tobirama's stomach, was suddenly absorbed as if it had struck an alternate dimension.

Immediately after, before Hibari could make any corresponding move, chakra energy fluctuations began to emanate from Tobirama's restrained arm...

Hibari wasn't the only one who enjoyed using the Senju clan's Monster Strength...

With a muffled 'thud!', Hibari was slammed heavily onto the ground by Tobirama, kicking up a cloud of dust...

"You little brat! You dare throw any random thing at your Ojiisan? Do you really think I'm immortal?" Tobirama flexed the arm he used to slam Hibari into the ground, then looked at the pathetic-looking Hibari and spoke with annoyance.

Although he hadn't directly touched the full power of the Rasengan, judging by its dense chakra, anyone who took a hit from it wouldn't fare well, including himself.

Hibari, slammed to the ground, grimaced slightly. After easing the pain, he said, "Ojiisan, with my precise chakra control, in my calculations, I would have released that chakra when it was still a third of a centimeter away from hitting you. At most, it would have just blown you off balance..."

Tobirama glanced at Hibari, then spoke with great distrust, "Precise control? I don't believe a word of it! You damn brat..."

After speaking, Tobirama paused. Then, just as Hibari had said, despite his usual cold, stone-faced demeanor, his curiosity was actually countless times stronger than Hibari's, otherwise, he wouldn't have developed so many Forbidden Jutsu.

Tobirama hesitated slightly, then asked with great curiosity, "Hibari, that jutsu you just used..."

"Let's not talk about that yet, Ojiisan. How was this test? Was it acceptable?" Hibari completely disregarded Tobirama's authority, directly interrupting him to ask.

Meanwhile, Hashirama, seeing that the test seemed to be concluding, walked over, carrying a curious Tsunade.

"Hahahaha, Hibari, you little brat, you're getting stronger and stronger! I've never seen that jutsu before. Did you create it yourself?" Hashirama, holding Tsunade with one arm, clapped Hibari on the shoulder as he got up from the ground, laughing heartily.

Although a bit embarrassed, Hibari couldn't find anyone else who used the Rasengan at this point, so he shamelessly accepted the credit for its creation.

Hibari nodded without hesitation and said, "I already guessed that one day Ojiisan would test me, so I prepared a lot for it. That jutsu just now was my trump card to settle the match... though, it seems it's still missing something."

"Hahaha, indeed! The rhythm of this battle hasn't been chaotic at all from the beginning. Was it all within your calculations? I suppose to complement your hand-seal-less ninjutsu, you specifically learned 'Adamantine Chains' from your Mito-oba, didn't you? You truly predicted Tobirama's movements..." Hashirama said, stroking Hibari's head, immensely pleased.

"Hmph, just a petty trick!" Tobirama scoffed, but his satisfied gaze showed that he indeed held Hibari in higher regard after this.

Thinking about it carefully, this brat Hibari had indeed predicted his behavioral patterns throughout the fight. Otherwise, why would he learn the dangerous Adamantine Chains and nothing else?

And it wasn't just based on familial affection that Hibari predicted his grandfather's movements. Regardless of the basis, he predicted what needed to be predicted, didn't he? This was Hibari's true skill! Tobirama wasn't so petty as to deny that.

"Alright, tell us about that jutsu you just used. What exactly is it?" Hashirama smiled, taking the lead in asking.

Seeing his older brother ask, Hibari didn't press Tobirama for 'scores' anymore.

"I just wanted to catch Ojiisan off guard, you know? What kind of ninjutsu is the most unexpected? Isn't it a hand-seal-less ninjutsu? While I can now perform some C-rank ninjutsu without hand signs, their power is somewhat lacking, and they're not flashy enough. So, I tinkered around and came up with this thing. I call it 'Rasengan'... the principle behind it..." Hibari didn't hold back or hide anything. They were family; why would he need to be secretive about such matters?

After a long-winded explanation, Tobirama and Hashirama, being masters among masters, naturally understood very quickly. Before long, they had a thorough grasp of the Rasengan.

"Speaking of which, it really does feel a lot like a Tailed Beast Bomb... your Rasengan..." Hashirama said, extending his free hand.

Then, to Hibari's astonishment, he very naturally used the Rasengan, and a massive ball of rotating chakra energy formed in his hand...

This wasn't all. As soon as Hashirama finished speaking, Tobirama also raised an arm and quietly added, "That's right, it's very similar to a Tailed Beast Bomb... Why didn't I ever think to use the Tailed Beast Bomb as a template to develop such a simple yet practical ninjutsu?"

As his voice faded, a perfectly formed Rasengan also appeared in his hand, almost blinding Hibari.

"Are they really both monsters?! Even if the principle of Rasengan is simple, you shouldn't be able to just use it after I explain it, right?" Hibari muttered, scratching his head helplessly.