"What is this? Scorch Release? Isn't this just Fire Release? The fireball is even much smaller than the Great Fireball Jutsu, only the color changed."
Minato's mouth twitched slightly as he whispered, afraid of disheartening Dan. After all, awakening a 'color-changing Fire Release' must have been upsetting for Dan.
Naori also felt a bit of regret; it was a shame Dan hadn't acquired a powerful ninjutsu. In reality, however, it was only because the icicle limited the demonstration of Scorch Release, making it seem no different from Fire Release. But they weren't even in the same league.
"Minato, sometimes you shouldn't judge things solely by what you see. Your Dan's awakened Kekkei Genkai is very strong, much stronger than Yahiko's jutsu."
"Huh?" Minato was somewhat surprised. All he saw was Dan release a fireball that melted an icicle, its power even inferior to low-level Fire Release ninjutsu. Could there be some special effect?
Under everyone's puzzled gazes, Torifu stood up, walked over to Dan, and patted his shoulder. "Not bad, you're really lucky to have gained such a powerful Kekkei Genkai."
Dan was beaming at this moment, clearly very pleased: "I still have to thank you, Big Brother, otherwise I wouldn't have had this chance in my life."
"They all think your jutsu is just a color-changing Fire Release. Quickly, show them its true power."
Torifu took a watermelon from his ring and placed it on the ground, then returned to his chair and sat down.
Naori, beside him, looked at him curiously: "What are you doing? Testing ninjutsu?"
"You'll know soon. Dan's Kekkei Genkai isn't as simple as a color-changing Fire Release."
Hearing Torifu say this, Naori grew somewhat curious, preparing to watch Dan's upcoming demonstration.
Under everyone's gaze, Dan repeated his previous action. An orange, slightly whitish fireball shot from his hand. It hit the watermelon, but like with the icicle, there was no explosion or combustion. The fireball entered directly into the watermelon's interior, and then a large amount of water vapor appeared.
Once it had completely dissipated, the previously emerald and plump watermelon had become incredibly shriveled. Its skin was withered and yellow, and its volume had shrunk to a third of its original size. This result surprised everyone, and at the same time, they understood the ability of this Scorch Release!
It wasn't burning, nor was it exploding, but rather evaporating all the moisture within the target! No wonder the icicle hadn't exploded at first, but instead produced a large amount of water vapor. It was the effect of the jutsu!
Then wasn't this a deadly technique? It was simply too suitable for Dan! After all, he was the ANBU Captain, responsible for handling covert matters. Minato also realized he had truly misjudged. Just as Big Brother said, one shouldn't judge everything by its surface. At the same time, he sincerely congratulated Dan: "Congratulations, Dan, on acquiring such an excellent Kekkei Genkai."
Dan chuckled: "Perhaps it's because the New Year is approaching; my luck has improved quite a bit."
Since his Kekkei Genkai had awakened and was very strong, everyone felt relieved. After finishing the watermelon, they all chose to return to their rooms. After all, who could endure such cold weather? With warm rooms to enjoy, who would want to freeze outside? Torifu, of course, was an exception.
Soon, only Torifu and Dan remained in the courtyard, sitting side-by-side and chatting. Dan's mood today couldn't have been better. With such a powerful Kekkei Genkai, his own safety would be secured in the future.
He was just thinking about how to tell Tsunade about this when he saw Torifu hand him a wooden box. "Here, this is for you and Tsunade. Consider it a small gift, for no particular reason. It's a personal present from me, your older brother."
Dan initially wanted to refuse, but intimidated by Torifu's gaze, he simply accepted it. After opening the box, his mind went blank for a moment. Inside the box was nothing else but four chakra herbs personally selected by Torifu. Things Dan had never dared to dream of before now appeared before him in pairs. His brain had difficulty processing such a massive amount of information at once.
"Big Brother, I can't..."
Another look from Torifu made Dan swallow the rest of his words.
"There's nothing you can't do. Just quietly accept them. The two gray ones are for you to eat; they'll increase your mental energy. The two yellow ones are for Tsunade; they'll be beneficial to her."
"Alright... alright."
Dan chose to accept the gift box, saying nothing more; everything would be shown through his future actions. Without realizing it, tiny snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Torifu was somewhat surprised; the snow certainly knew how to pick its moment. He had been chatting with Dan all afternoon, paying no attention to the clouds in the sky. And they had indeed gathered to brew up this light snowfall. However, since it had managed to fall, it indicated divine will, and Torifu had no intention of dispelling it.
Speaking of which, in all the years Torifu had been Hokage, this was the first time rain or snow weather had "survived" his presence and successfully fallen. It was enough for them to brag about for ages, if they had intellect.
"Big Brother, it's snowing. It'll probably get colder outside. How about I head home now, and you go inside to warm up too?"
Torifu waved his hand: "Alright, you head back. Remember not to eat all these herbs at once; spread them out over a month, otherwise the medicinal effects won't be fully absorbed."
Dan nodded: "Got it, I understand."
After speaking, he tucked the wooden box into his embrace, clutching it tightly, afraid the herbs might freeze. After all, in his eyes, these items were extremely precious, and Big Brother giving him four at once clearly showed how much he valued him. After his strength improved, he would definitely have to work even harder.
"Oh right, Big Brother seems to be preparing to manufacture bicycles. I need to make sure Kon is well-prepared; he can't mess this up." But it wouldn't be too late to discuss that tonight. Right now, he was eager to go back and share his joy with Tsunade.
The moment he entered his home, a wave of warmth washed over him. The warmth from the indoor fireplace and air conditioning instantly dispelled the chill of the snowfall. Tsunade was sitting on the sofa, watching the latest TV program.
Upon seeing Dan return, she immediately stood up and walked over. "Is it snowing outside? How? Did Torifu mean for this to happen?" Seeing the melted snow water stains on Dan's shoulder, Tsunade asked, puzzled.
"Big Brother was chatting with me all afternoon. He probably forgot or didn't notice."
Tsunade thought that was possible and didn't dwell on it further. She then asked Dan what he and Torifu had talked about all afternoon, something that had made Torifu, who hated rainy or snowy weather, forget to clear away the accumulated clouds.