At BBQ Q.
Toki quickly met the others.
Although Uzumaki Mito was old, she still had long, dark red hair, which was said to be a symbol of the Uzumaki Clan's vigorous vitality.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had a black beard and short, spiky black hair, making him look quite energetic.
There was no need to say more about Orochimaru; he was no different from when he was returning to Konoha, silent and only focused on the grilled meat in front of him.
Perhaps because it was a happy day, Tsunade opened two more bottles of sake, and even Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi did not refuse. It wasn't until after three rounds of drinks that the adults' conversation finally shifted to the children.
Tsunade's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she placed her right hand on Toki's shoulder, pulling him into her embrace.
"Toki, let Kushina take you to school tomorrow. She knows where the new student class is and will show you the way."
Toki was held captive by the warmth and softness on his cheek, not daring to move, and could only say, "Then I'll trouble you, big sister."
"No problem," Kushina said with a casual wave of her hand.
Just then, Orochimaru took a sip of sake and said, "I remember this year's new students have been enrolled for a while. The school teachers won't adjust the teaching schedule just for Toki. Tsunade, you'll have to tutor him."
Tsunade pondered, drained the sake in her cup, and then looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi across from her.
"Teacher, what's the current progress at school?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his chopsticks, thought seriously for a moment, and said, "Chakra refinement, shuriken throwing, basic taijutsu training… these are the things you need to tutor Toki on. As for other theoretical knowledge, Toki can read books himself or ask the school teachers."
"Shuriken are sharp weapons, so I'll teach him personally. As for taijutsu training…" Tsunade murmured, her gaze sweeping around before finally landing on Kushina.
Kushina sighed helplessly, "Alright, I get it. Big sister Tsunade, you should be serious once in a while too."
"Good, it's settled then!"
Tsunade clapped her hands cheerfully and said to Toki, "As for Chakra refinement, it's very simple. I'll teach you now, and you just need to practice more in your free time."
Chakra is a mixture of physical energy and spiritual energy.
This definition has been passed down from ancient times, but based on the actual experiences of Ninja, Chakra is, to a certain extent, physical stamina.
When Ninja refine Chakra, it is the process of converting physical stamina into Chakra. Therefore, the more vigorous a person's vitality, the greater their Chakra reserves. The Uzumaki Clan is one of the best in this regard.
Chakra has five basic attributes, but Chakra refined from physical stamina does not possess any attribute. However, due to inherent human differences, the converted Chakra will exhibit different attributes depending on the person, which can be tested using Chakra paper.
"Is there anything else you don't understand?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes!" Toki nodded, then asked, "Why can't Chakra be refined and stored in advance? If it could, wouldn't it be like having a backup hidden energy source during battle?"
Tsunade leaned forward slightly, raised her hand, and pointed to the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead: "This is called the Yin Seal. It can store excess Chakra, and then release the seal when needed. However, the conditions for learning the Yin Seal are quite strict. You can try it later. Do you have any other questions?"
"No," Toki shook his head.
"Then try to refine Chakra."
With that, Tsunade picked up a piece of grilled meat with her chopsticks, fed it into her mouth, and continued chatting with the others.
She seemed completely unconcerned about whether Toki would succeed, but she already knew the answer. In her previous life, it took Toki three days to successfully refine Chakra. Even if there were some slight changes, it wouldn't be much different.
Yes, her previous life.
This was the deepest secret buried in Tsunade's heart. In her previous life, Toki suddenly defected without reason, disappearing in the Land of Rain. When Tsunade used the Slug's connection to find Toki, she only found a corpse. After that, she started drinking heavily until one day she woke up from a drunken stupor and found herself reborn on the day of the decisive battle with Hanzō.
Uzumaki Toki exhaled, closed his eyes, and, following the instructions he had just received, controlled the energy produced by the cells in his body…
"So… So fast!"
Kushina, who had been watching, exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.
"What's so fast?"
Tsunade hadn't reacted yet and asked with raised eyebrows.
Kushina pointed at Toki and whispered, "Toki has already refined Chakra."
"How is that possible!"
Tsunade was stunned for a moment and quickly released her senses. Although faint, she indeed sensed Chakra from within Toki.
At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes gleamed as he intently watched Uzumaki Toki, who was refining Chakra.
From the moment he closed his eyes until he refined Chakra, it only took a few seconds. Even Kakashi Hatake, who was hailed as a genius, took a full day to refine Chakra for the first time.
Undoubtedly, Uzumaki Toki's talent was even more outstanding than Kakashi Hatake's.
"How is this possible!"
Tsunade murmured again, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought Tsunade was surprised by Toki's outstanding talent. Seeing her move, he quickly reached out and grabbed her.
"Tsunade, don't get too excited. Toki's excellent talent is a good thing!"
Not a single mistake, not a single omission, not a single error in the content!
Orochimaru, on the side, withdrew his gaze and sipped his sake in small mouthfuls; it was none of his business.
However, Uzumaki Mito had some other thoughts.
Toki's talent was even better than Kushina's. If the Nine-Tailed was given to him, he should be able to control the Nine-Tailed's power. However, the other high-ranking officials of Konoha would not allow it. The trustworthiness of the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki… no, loyalty was more important.
Compared to Kushina, Toki, who had just arrived in Konoha, would find it difficult to gain that trust.
As soon as Uzumaki Toki opened his eyes, Tsunade immediately placed her hand on his shoulder and began examining him with Medical Ninjutsu.
"What's wrong?"
He thought something was wrong and forced himself to stay still, trying his best to cooperate with Tsunade's examination.
"Tsunade is worried about you. After all, no Ninja has ever been able to do it as fast as you," Hiruzen Sarutobi explained.
Toki's mouth twitched slightly: "I used to always hear adults say that it's impolite for a man to be too fast."
Hiruzen Sarutobi froze, standing still, his throat seemingly blocked, unable to utter a sound.
"Hahaha…"
Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh, easing Hiruzen Sarutobi's embarrassment.
"Sorry, Hokage-sama, I misspoke just now," Toki quickly explained.
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head: "It's alright. A proper sense of humor helps to stay relaxed during tense moments."
Tsunade finished her examination and shook her head slightly: "Everything is normal."
She trusted her Medical Ninjutsu. Was there a problem with her memory of her previous life? Or… had something changed?
"Toki, is this really your first time refining Chakra?" Tsunade asked again, unwilling to give up.
Toki blinked: "Yes, the first time."
Why was his talent supposed to be excellent, yet Tsunade seemed a bit unhappy?
"Congratulations, Toki."
Hiruzen Sarutobi flashed a bright smile. The more outstanding the talent of Konoha's new generation, the brighter Konoha's future would be.
"You're starting school tomorrow. It's also very important to get along well with your classmates, such as Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma… these are all excellent children, and you can try to make friends with them."
Compared to earlier, Hiruzen Sarutobi was clearly much more enthusiastic.
Toki nodded obediently: "I understand, Hokage-sama!"