Feng Zheng sighed inwardly.
"It seems there really are no other options this year."
He put on a thoughtful expression and said, "I'll give it a try this year. I actually wanted to try last year too, but it was such short notice that I got a bit scared and didn't know what to do."
Then he showed a look of slight longing mixed with sadness, lowered his head, and said in a sorrowful voice, "But I heard that Uchiha Rai, Senju Teru, and Shimura Shin can all perform Rank C Ninjutsu, so I guess it was a good thing I didn't participate in the exams. If I had gone, I would have certainly made a fool of myself."
Feng Zheng maintained this expression, hoping that Genshu would sympathize with him and give him some Rank C Wind Release Ninjutsu.
Seeing Feng Zheng's expression, Genshu felt some sympathy for him. He thought to himself, "It's really hard for an orphan without family support to become a Ninja. Without the resources provided by a clan, they are at a huge disadvantage. I myself experienced many difficulties because I came from a commoner family."
He sighed and decided, "Alright, I should cheer him up and give him a Rank C Ninjutsu. The Great Breakthrough Technique is a very basic Ninjutsu for Wind Release Ninjutsu. I believe Hokage-sama would agree. But first, I need to check his progress."
He tried to encourage Feng Zheng, then asked, "We checked your elemental affinity over a year ago. How much have you progressed now?"
Feng Zheng said, "Teacher, I can already cut leaves in half. I learned Gale Technique from the Library. I can also do Breakthrough Technique, but I'm still improving it."
Genshu was a bit surprised by this answer and thought, "I didn't expect him to get this far and even cultivate Ninjutsu on his own. He is indeed very diligent. And Rank E and Rank D Ninjutsu aren't difficult to perform. However, since he has learned these two, the Great Breakthrough Technique should be easier for him to learn."
Then he said, "That's great. Can you demonstrate it?"
Feng Zheng nodded, and the two walked towards the Training Grounds.
Feng Zheng first correctly performed the Gale Technique.
Although it could be performed without Hand Seals, he still made all the Hand Seals while demonstrating it to Genshu. Genshu nodded and said, "Very good. Show me the Breakthrough Technique, try it on that tree."
He pointed to a nearby tree.
Feng Zheng made the Hand Seals again, only a bit slower. He also controlled the power of the Ninjutsu. It only knocked off some leaves and a few small branches.
After performing the Ninjutsu, he thought, "Alright, that should be enough. If I went all out and turned this tree into a bare one with many deep wounds, someone would definitely become very interested in me."
Genshu was impressed by Feng Zheng's performance and thought, "Very good. Although the power is a bit lacking, considering he's only nine years old and no one taught him, it's good enough. But his Ninjutsu talent is clearly not as good as those three."
Genshu considered again if he could help Feng Zheng further, but he couldn't think of more ways. He finally concluded, "Oh, well. Even if he doesn't become a Ninjutsu master, he's still a Sensor Ninja. Moreover, his Taijutsu is solid. And although his Ninjutsu isn't great, Wind Release can make Fire Release stronger. So, with his sensory abilities and Wind Release Ninjutsu, he can still provide a lot of useful things for his squad."
"So, becoming a Special Jonin within ten years shouldn't be a problem for him. If he develops well, he might even become a Jonin."
After summarizing his thoughts, he said, "Feng Zheng, well done, you've learned these two Ninjutsu very well. But you should work on increasing their power."
Feng Zheng nodded and said, "Yes, Teacher."
Genshu continued, "Don't worry about Rank C Ninjutsu, I'll see if I can get one for you."
Feng Zheng quickly thanked him.
The next day, after getting Hiruzen's permission, Genshu handed the Great Breakthrough Technique scroll to Feng Zheng. He said, "This Ninjutsu is the next stage of the Breakthrough Technique. Practice it diligently; it will help you graduate."
Feng Zheng thanked him again.
---
From the next day on, Feng Zheng left a Shadow Clone at home and resumed his Sealing Technique practice.
In the past two months, because he was undergoing Ninjutsu training, he hadn't left a Shadow Clone to practice Sealing Technique. He still had some basic Sealing Jutsu to learn.
Feng Zheng estimated it would take another 2-3 months to complete these Sealing Jutsu lessons. Then he could move on to the next scroll.
One challenge he currently faced was whether he should leave one or two Shadow Clones at home?
Since he started cultivating Shadow Clone, his Chakra had grown more than threefold.
According to the scroll, a Shadow Clone was only considered a true Shadow Clone if it could consume two-thirds of its Chakra before being dispelled.
According to this logic, Feng Zheng could only create one true Shadow Clone.
However, practicing Sealing Technique for seven hours didn't require that much Chakra. So, if he wanted to, he could leave two Shadow Clones.
After analyzing, he decided, "For now, I'll only leave one Shadow Clone. I'll see how the first week of school goes, then make a decision."
After the next day, Genshu gave the Great Breakthrough Technique scroll to Feng Zheng. Feng Zheng began to learn it that very day.
This Ninjutsu was very similar to the Breakthrough Technique. It was just much more powerful.
He learned it that day. But there was still a lot of room for improvement. The power needed to be greatly increased, and the Hand Seals had to be reduced to zero. He recalled, "I remember Orochimaru messed up the forest with this Ninjutsu during the Chunin Exams. So I still have a lot to do to increase its power. But for now, I've at least learned this Ninjutsu. I'll keep the scroll for three weeks, then return it to Genshu."
Later that week, Genshu checked everyone's Chakra affinity.
As expected, most people had Fire Release Chakra. The rest were divided into Earth and Water Release. No one had Lightning Release Chakra, and Feng Zheng was known to be the only one with Wind Release.
Genshu also explained to the class the five Ninjutsu they would be learning this year.
The Lightning Release Ninjutsu merely formed a string of lightning that could startle anyone it touched. But it lacked power and was generally harmless.
The Water Release Ninjutsu involved spouting a small stream of water.
The Fire Release Ninjutsu surprised the entire class. Although it was a simple Ninjutsu that emitted a heat ray with a single finger, it was the most basic Ninjutsu in a set of six. Each of these six Ninjutsu complemented the others, and the last one was a very powerful Rank A Ninjutsu.
This information made Feng Zheng very interested in the technique.