The Book of Seals is called the Book of Seals not only because it records all the forbidden jutsu since Konoha was established, but also because the jutsu in the Book of Seals are sealed. Only the Hokage and a few high-ranking Konoha officials know the specific hand seals required to unseal it.
If you don't know these seals, even if you obtain the Book of Seals, it's useless. For those unfamiliar with the sealing style, the Book of Seals is undoubtedly a wordless book.
The Book of Seals was handed over to Chao Yanqian, and the Third Hokage said: "The Book of Seals does not contain detailed training instructions for the [Flying Thunder God Technique]. It mostly includes theoretical analysis of space-time ninjutsu. As for how to train in it, that depends on your ingenuity."
"En!" Chao Yanqian nodded, then focused his attention on the Book of Seals. After about half an hour, Chao Yanqian returned the Book of Seals to the Third Hokage. "I've memorized it!"
The Third Hokage took the Book of Seals, performed several hand seals, and reactivated the seal. The original content of the [Flying Thunder God Technique] vanished, leaving only the five characters "Flying Thunder God Technique" and some sealing patterns.
"Minato has mastered this jutsu. If you're interested, you can seek his guidance," the Third Hokage suggested.
"Understood! Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Chao Yanqian replied.
"Go on then," said the Third Hokage.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Chao Yanqian rushed home without delay, buying some ingredients on the way. Everything appeared casual on the surface.
Chao Yanqian didn't know how the Third Hokage would judge him at this moment, but if he were in the Third Hokage's shoes, he would certainly harbor suspicions.
Powerful jutsu are always desirable after all, every ninja aspires to strength.
But the [Flying Thunder God Technique] is different. It is a space-time ninjutsu. Once mastered, it allows teleportation to preset coordinates. In other words, even when facing an enemy far stronger than oneself, one can still escape with this technique.
So does Chao Yanqian have ulterior motives for wanting to learn it?
In the Hokage's Office
Just as Chao Yanqian guessed, the Third Hokage was deep in thought.
Judging by Chao Yanqian's conduct over the years, nothing seemed out of place. But his mature mindset, despite his usual respectful and cautious demeanor, left the Third Hokage uncertain.
A clean background and being Tsunade's disciple those were Chao Yanqian's advantages. Thus, the Third Hokage didn't want to overthink it. Maybe Chao Yanqian genuinely yearned for the power of the [Flying Thunder God Technique].
After all, even Tsunade and Nara Shikaku trusted Chao Yanqian, and the Third Hokage hadn't observed any disloyalty toward Konoha.
If Chao Yanqian truly deceived everyone, then the Third Hokage could only accept it.
Nevertheless, the Third Hokage was still willing to train Chao Yanqian until he showed signs of betraying Konoha.
After all, Chao Yanqian was a promising successor to Tsunade. And in Konoha, there was no one else more suited to her role.
At Chao Yanqian's home
After returning home, Chao Yanqian immediately began recording everything he remembered about the [Flying Thunder God Technique] using a writing system from his previous life.
Though he had always known that the [Flying Thunder God Technique] was difficult, he hadn't expected it to be quite this overwhelming.
The Book of Seals didn't contain specific training steps just a brief description and theoretical spatial analysis. As the Third Hokage said, mastering it would depend entirely on Chao Yanqian's own insight.
Although Chao Yanqian was not a natural genius like Minato Namikaze or Kakashi Hatake, years of diligent study and a year of learning forbidden jutsu under Orochimaru, combined with Tsunade's rigorous teaching, had given him enough confidence to tackle most forbidden jutsu.
Still, after seeing the [Flying Thunder God Technique], Chao Yanqian felt daunted.
Despite the difficulty, it didn't dampen Chao Yanqian's desire to learn it. Since he chose this path, he was determined to follow it.
Having studied under Orochimaru for over a year, Chao Yanqian had already seen many forbidden techniques and developed a solid understanding. Tsunade had also invested greatly in training him. Though the journey had been exhausting, the rewards had been substantial.
More importantly, Minato Namikaze, the pioneer of this technique, was still around. If Minato was willing to teach him, Chao Yanqian was confident in his chances of success.
Minato treated Chao Yanqian kindly. Chao Yanqian speculated it might be because he was Tsunade's disciple, and Minato's teacher Jiraiya also loved Tsunade. Perhaps Minato hoped to create opportunities for his teacher.
Given these connections, Minato might be willing to guide him. After all, Minato had tried to teach the technique to his ANBU guards, but only a few had managed to barely use it.
The main reason Chao Yanqian was so focused on learning the [Flying Thunder God Technique] was for survival.
Although he was vigilant, he didn't possess Minato's extraordinary reaction speed, making practical application of the technique difficult.
Still, that didn't change his ambition. One day, if he mastered [Sage Mode], the heightened perception it provided might allow him to truly use the [Flying Thunder God Technique] in battle.
Chao Yanqian took out a notebook and wrote down all his analysis on the [Flying Thunder God Technique].
It wasn't so much about learning the technique as it was about re-deriving it through spatial-ninjutsu theory based on Tobirama Senju's analysis a
task more difficult than creating an S-rank jutsu.
Chao Yanqian studied at home until late into the night. Eventually, his mind clouded with fatigue, and he had no choice but to lie down and rest.
After obtaining the [Flying Thunder God Technique], the thing he now looked forward to most was being sent to the front lines at Iwagakure.
But he wasn't too worried. First of all, he was a medical ninja. Secondly, the Third Hokage intended for him to consult with Minato Namikaze. So being deployed to the Iwa battlefield was only a matter of time.
"The plan is going well." Lying quietly in his warm bed, Chao Yanqian finally felt a moment of relief.
From the very beginning, Chao Yanqian had been walking a razor's edge. Now, after obtaining the [Flying Thunder God Technique], his heart was a little more at ease.
From this point on, it would all depend on Chao Yanqian's own efforts. Whether he could master the jutsu would determine his fate.