Board Thread:Theories and Speculation/@comment-35685868-20180605140514/@comment-734582-20180613210733

Soloking itachi15 wrote: But hiruzen in his old age would not be able to use it to maximum potential like the second or fourth hokage. Even Minato, in his prime, was exposed to considerable danger in its use. Tobirama similarly used it as a rather special-case jutsu and didn't spam it near as much as Minato did. Given that the Hokage's guards couldn't even use it by themselves, it's clearly a high level jutsu that's not that particularly useful by itself. Even a trick like Minato placing kunai at home opens you up to considerable risk.

So while it's probable that he can use it, i find it hard to believe he could use it very effectively. Same reason Kakashi never used Rasengan in combat - he had better tools.

FlatZone wrote: Plot. Poor excuse. Everything is plot. Every series has a finite amount of time. Would you trade, say, Naruto learning Rasenshuriken for Hiruzen doing an FTG?

Nashikeine wrote: The Professor alias would have been more specific to his ability to understand and break down all forms of jutsu and how they work, an ability he showcased in the war. There's a vast gulf of skill between "i can perform this jutsu" and "i can use it to fight kage-level opponents and beyond" Someone like Orochimaru wouldn't be fazed the slightest if Hiruzen needed to prepare a kunai slowly, then threw it, then teleported to it. Minato dedicated 3 years to developing a quick-fire ninjutsu that he could use with FTG. That's the kind of dedication it needs to be used on a kage-level.