Victor didn't hate Sakura Haruno.
Though he didn't particularly like her either.
That's exactly why he'd been willing to introduce her to Tsunade as a teacher, letting her follow the same path she would've taken in the original story.
Sure, her habit of fawning over Sasuke whenever she got the chance was irritating, especially contrasted with how dismissive she could be of him when she had nothing better to do. But he had to give her credit where it was due. At least she was consistent in her feelings toward one person.
But now? Watching her react to his new appearance made all that supposed devotion seem laughably fragile.
"Hey, hey, hey! Come on and teach us some powerful ninjutsu already!"
Naruto rubbed his hands together excitedly, barely able to contain himself.
Sasuke didn't say anything, but his eager eyes said it all.
"No problem. I'll teach you first, Naruto."
Victor patted the blonde boy's head with a smile.
"Watch carefully."
He opened his palm, and a blue energy sphere materialized above it.
Seeing this, Naruto's face immediately fell.
"Brother Victor, I already know the Rasengan!"
He'd learned that technique the last time he'd followed Pervy Sage to find Grandma Tsunade.
"I get that the Rasengan's powerful and all, but couldn't you teach me something I don't know?"
"Why the rush? Just shut up and watch."
Victor shot Naruto a look.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a sharp, high-pitched screech cut through the air.
Then four wind blades appeared around the ordinary Rasengan, spinning rapidly around the core.
The three genin's eyes widened.
This ninjutsu didn't look simple at all!
"This technique is called Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. It's an advanced version of the Rasengan. Pretty awesome, right?"
That's right, Victor was planning to teach Naruto the Rasenshuriken he was supposed to develop years from now!
Without another word, Victor threw the spiraling technique forward.
The Rasenshuriken traced a beautiful arc through the air before landing in the forest three hundred meters away.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion ripped through the training ground.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the impact site.
Naruto and the others were nearly blown off their feet by the blast.
Fortunately, Victor acted quickly, using his spiritual power to form an invisible barrier around them that prevented any injuries.
When the dust finally settled, the sight before them left all three genin speechless.
A massive crater over a hundred meters in diameter had been carved into the ground where the forest used to be!
"That's... that's insane," Sakura breathed out, swallowing hard. "This technique has to be at least S-rank!"
S-rank?
Naruto's eyes lit up like stars. He immediately dropped to his knees.
"Brother Victor, no, Master Victor! I want to learn this! Please teach me!"
"Come here."
Victor crooked his finger at Naruto.
The blonde boy scrambled to his feet and rushed over, practically vibrating with excitement.
Victor raised his hand and sent a stream of light directly into Naruto's forehead.
Suddenly, Naruto felt a flood of knowledge pour into his mind. For a moment, he stood there in a daze, completely absorbed in the new information.
Sasuke couldn't help but feel concerned when he saw this. He was about to step forward when Victor spoke.
"I've transmitted the training method and key points for Wind Release: Rasenshuriken directly into your mind. You can practice it on your own now."
What?
Directly transmit a technique's cultivation method into someone's mind?
There was actually a method like that?
Sasuke's curiosity about Victor's abilities grew even stronger. At the same time, he found himself looking forward to whatever Victor would teach him.
"Now it's your turn."
Hearing this, Sasuke straightened his posture. "I'm ready!"
Victor grinned. "The ninjutsu I'm teaching you is called Lightning Release: Kirin!"
Crackle!
Suddenly, massive amounts of lightning gathered around Victor, forcing the three genin to quickly retreat several steps.
Under their stunned gazes, the chaotic lightning formed into a lifelike Kirin as tall as a six or seven-story building!
"Roar!"
A thunderous cry echoed across the sky, as if announcing the mythical beast's birth to the world.
This Lightning Release: Kirin was somewhat different from the version Sasuke would eventually develop in the original story.
Sasuke's self-developed technique required using Fire Release to rapidly heat the surrounding air, creating an upward flow that formed rain clouds. Then he'd use Chidori to guide natural lightning from those clouds down, transforming it into a Kirin that struck his enemies with devastating force.
Victor's version, however, didn't require such complicated preparation.
All you had to do was transform your chakra directly into the Kirin form.
Of course, the chakra consumption was much greater than the original version.
But the power had increased exponentially!
"Go."
Victor pointed toward the forest.
The Kirin leaped high into the sky, then dove down and struck exactly where Victor had indicated.
BOOM!
Another explosion shook the training ground.
The flashing lightning was so bright that Naruto and the others couldn't keep their eyes open.
When everything returned to normal, another massive crater had appeared before them, this one even larger than the first.
The three genin were completely dumbfounded.
Another S-rank technique!
This guy handed out S-rank ninjutsu like they were free candy!
"Want to learn it?" Victor asked with a knowing smile.
Sasuke nodded without hesitation. "I want to!"
If he could learn this technique, killing that man would finally be within reach!
Victor's smile widened. "If you want to learn it, that's fine. Just kneel down like Naruto did and call me big brother."
Without even a moment's hesitation, Sasuke dropped to his knees.
"Big brother, please teach me this Kirin technique!"
It was just kneeling down and calling someone "big brother", it cost him nothing.
If it meant he could kill that man, he'd be willing to call Victor "father," let alone big brother!
Besides, having a big brother like this was actually pretty great!
He could learn S-rank ninjutsu whenever he wanted!
Way better than Kakashi, who was so stingy. He'd followed that man for so long, and all Kakashi had taught him was tree-climbing and Chidori.
"Alright, I'll transmit it to you."
Victor sent another stream of light flying into the center of Sasuke's forehead.
Instantly, Sasuke mastered the Kirin's training method.
"Thank you!"
The fact that the currently arrogant Sasuke actually said "thank you" was enough to show just how much he appreciated this technique!
"You're welcome. Just practice hard. I hope you both can become stronger as soon as possible."
Naruto puffed out his chest confidently. "Don't worry, big brother! I won't let you down! I promise I'll learn this technique within a week!"
Before Victor could respond, Sasuke looked at Naruto like he was looking at an idiot.
"Moron. With your talent, you think you can learn it in a week?"
"What! Who're you calling a moron?"
Naruto glared at Sasuke.
The dark-haired boy glared right back without giving an inch.
"I'm talking about you!"
"Sasuke! I want a duel with you!"
Sasuke sneered. "Duel? Fine by me. Let's just continue where we left off before!"
"That's exactly what I meant!"
The two rivals immediately started fighting again, completely ignoring Sakura who stood nearby with an envious expression.
And so, the bonds between male friends proved to be true love.
While Sakura Haruno? Just an accident along the way.