—But the real question was, how had Jiraiya actually learned it?
Both the Third Hokage and Orochimaru found themselves wondering the same thing.
Xu Ming, however, paid no mind to their thoughts. Instead, he kept his attention on Jiraiya and asked, "How do you feel?"
"It feels pretty smooth. The chakra flowed naturally through the hand seals," Jiraiya replied, stopping his movements. A flicker of joy flashed in his eyes.
"Good. Keep going," Xu Ming instructed. "This time, perform the full technique and refine all of your chakra."
"Got it." Jiraiya's expression grew even more confident as he began forming the seals for the fifth time.
Meanwhile…
Orochimaru and the Third Hokage stood to the side, completely bewildered.
"Wait, hold on a second!" The Third Hokage finally snapped out of his daze, panic evident on his face. "That's it? No further practice? No explanations of potential risks? You're just letting him proceed straight to the actual execution?"
Jiraiya hesitated momentarily, unsure of what to do.
Xu Ming, equally puzzled, turned to his teacher. "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah, teacher, isn't this going well?" Jiraiya added, scratching his head.
"No… what do you mean 'going well'?" The Third Hokage looked at them as if they had lost their minds. "You're saying he learned a technique after just a few attempts? Normally, when someone learns a new jutsu, they carefully experiment with form changes, chakra nature transformations, and—" He stopped mid-sentence, his expression darkening.
Orochimaru, too, found it absurd.
Learning ninjutsu was never this easy.
Yet, when he looked at Xu Ming's calm demeanor, he hesitated. Over time, he had realized that with Xu Ming, the impossible sometimes became possible.
"Teacher, have more faith in Senior Brother Jiraiya," Xu Ming said with a shrug.
"Yes, teacher! Trust me!" Jiraiya thumped his chest confidently. "I really feel like I've mastered this technique!"
The veins on the Third Hokage's forehead twitched.
In all his years, he had never seen anyone learn a technique just by practicing hand seals a few times.
Hand seals were only a small part of ninjutsu. They were merely a tool to assist with chakra control and transformation. If learning jutsu were as simple as watching someone perform seals, then the entire concept of secret techniques would be pointless—everyone would just copy jutsu during battles.
He took a deep breath and turned to Orochimaru. "Tell me, have these two lost their minds?"
Orochimaru, who was usually skeptical, thought for a moment before answering, "Teacher, while I wouldn't trust Jiraiya's judgment, I do trust Xu Ming's."
"That… makes sense," the Third Hokage admitted reluctantly. After a brief pause, he looked back at Xu Ming and said, "Even though this seems completely absurd, if you think it's possible, then let Jiraiya try it."
"Hah! Teacher, you really should have more faith in me," Jiraiya grumbled. But no one paid attention to him.
Xu Ming simply smiled at the Third Hokage. "Trust me, teacher. Brother Jiraiya is actually a genius."
Then he turned to Jiraiya. "Alright, keep going."
"Tch, no one listens to me," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, but his hands continued forming the seals.
Chou-Xu-Chen-Zi…
As he completed the sixth seal, the chakra fluctuations around him became more intense.
A strong Yang Release aura radiated from his body.
"What next?" Jiraiya asked eagerly, his eyes shining with anticipation.
Orochimaru and the Third Hokage also turned their gazes to Xu Ming, waiting for the next step.
"Alright, brother, you've now activated a technique called Body Modification Jutsu. The jutsu's effect is already in place," Xu Ming explained. "Now, all you need to do is focus on the body part you want to change. Your body will then transform accordingly."
That's it?
The Third Hokage and Orochimaru both blinked in disbelief.
"You mean… that's all there is to it?"
"Exactly," Xu Ming confirmed.
Jiraiya, trusting his words completely, closed his eyes and focused.
A moment passed.
He opened his eyes again, looking troubled.
"No, I can't decide what to change. Orochimaru's snake-like body modifications feel disgusting," Jiraiya said with a shudder.
"Disgusting…" Orochimaru twitched.
"That's true," the Third Hokage muttered under his breath, nodding subconsciously.
Orochimaru flinched as if he had been struck by lightning.
Xu Ming chuckled. "Brother, why not try your hair? Extending it and using it as a weapon sounds pretty cool, don't you think?"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "Oh! That actually sounds awesome!"
He closed his eyes again, concentrating.
BOOM…
Yang Release chakra surged through his body like a rushing torrent, channeling into his scalp.
The Third Hokage and Orochimaru held their breath, their hands clenched into fists.
If this technique failed, Jiraiya could end up seriously injuring himself.
"Haha! Watch this—Lion's Mane Technique!"
Jiraiya's eyes snapped open as he tossed his head back with a loud laugh.
SWISH!
As he swung his head, his hair suddenly grew—extending several meters and stiffening into long, needle-like strands. Each hair strand stood upright, gleaming like a thousand sharpened blades.
DING! DING! DING!
His hair slammed into the ground, producing a metallic clanging sound against the stone tiles.
Both Orochimaru and the Third Hokage stared in shock.
It… worked?!
"He created a brand-new derivative jutsu from a body transformation technique?!" Orochimaru was utterly stunned. His pupils trembled as he muttered, "This… this level of intuitive learning… I needed years of research to accomplish something like this! But Jiraiya—he just… figured it out in minutes?!"
"I can't believe it…" The Third Hokage was in a daze, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. "I spent an entire day teaching him, and he couldn't grasp anything. But now, in just a few minutes… he actually mastered it?"
Both men fell into deep self-reflection.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was grinning from ear to ear.
"Xu Ming! Xu Ming! Look!" he shouted excitedly. "I did it! I extended my hair and turned it into a weapon—isn't this the coolest thing ever?!"
He beamed at Xu Ming, his excitement radiating off him like the sun.
Xu Ming simply smiled back.
"See? I told you. Jiraiya is a genius."