Chapter 60: What to Learn
Kaito thought carefully for a moment and arrived at three possible conclusions.
Either Tobirama had deployed a Sharingan-wielding spy to copy the Second Kazekage's techniques, or Tobirama used Impure World Reincarnation to extract those jutsu directly from the deceased Kazekage.
Alternatively, after Sunagakure's disastrous defeat in the Second Shinobi World War, they were forced to surrender these techniques as war reparations, having suffered catastrophic losses in that conflict.
Based on his understanding of Tobirama's ruthless pragmatism, Kaito believed it was highly probable that Tobirama employed both of the first two methods, while Hiruzen would later exploit the Second War's outcome to legitimize Konoha's possession of these techniques.
Of course, Kaito couldn't confirm any of this definitively. However, the potential of these Wind Release techniques was undeniably impressive.
Regardless, the First Shinobi World War had been extraordinarily brutal.
By the time that war concluded, every major village had been forced to elect their Third Kage.
Only Tobirama and the Second Raikage initially survived, but they were both killed during peace negotiations by the Gold and Silver Brothers' rebellion.
Perhaps this devastating loss of leadership explained why subsequent wars proved less catastrophically destructive.
No Kage died during the Second Shinobi World War, and the Third Raikage was the only Kage to perish in the Third Shinobi World War.
Kaito felt that the villages had indeed learned some degree of restraint after the First War's devastation.
This also made Kaito wonder if the First Shinobi World War's horrors explained why Hiruzen emphasized peace so obsessively, and why Onoki chose to remain cautiously neutral and earn the label 'fence-sitter' instead of being more aggressively proactive.
After confirming the genuine potential of these techniques, Kaito decided to thoroughly read one complete scroll to understand the proper learning methodology.
After careful analysis, he decided to begin with Wind Release: Verdant Mountain Gale. This should complement his samurai swordsmanship training under Renjiro perfectly.
However, regarding this choice, Kaito needed to confirm it with Renjiro first before committing.
While Kaito was researching information about the Kazekage, Mieko and Hodaka had already departed the Library.
When Hodaka returned home, his father immediately asked,
"What techniques are you planning to learn?"
Hodaka, wearing a serious expression, stated,
"Father, I plan to learn Body Flicker Technique."
Then he stopped speaking. His father waited expectantly for his son to elaborate on his training plans, but Hodaka remained silent. He asked again with growing impatience,
"And then what else?"
Hodaka looked genuinely confused and asked,
"Then what?"
His father asked with obvious frustration,
"Besides Body Flicker Technique, what other jutsu are you planning to learn?"
Hodaka once again adopted an extremely serious expression and declared,
"I will focus on learning more advanced taijutsu techniques."
This statement finally shattered his father's calm composure, and Hodaka received a heavy disciplinary strike. His father then physically dragged him to the clan's private library to forcibly select additional ninjutsu for his training.
A remarkably similar scene also unfolded at Mieko's home.
Her parents were genuinely pleased with her decision to learn Fire Release: Flame Finger.
However, regarding her other choices, her mother counseled her,
"Those two Fire Release techniques don't actually provide much defensive capability. Fire Release: Flame Sphere can at most block a single attack, and Fire Release: Flame Shield only grants immunity to other Fire Release techniques. Fire Release jutsu aren't particularly strong defensively in general. Why don't you learn Earth Release or Water Release techniques for proper protection instead?"
Mieko considered her parents' advice carefully and agreed with their logic. She said,
"Alright, that makes sense. But I still want to learn Fire Release: Flame Sphere and Fire Release: Flame Shield as well."
Her parents, recognizing their daughter's considerable talent, agreed to this compromise.
Subsequently, they escorted her to the Uchiha clan's private library to select additional complementary techniques.
The next morning, the brutal training regimen resumed once again.
At 10 AM, Renjiro gathered them and asked directly,
"Have you decided what techniques you want to learn?"
Mieko spoke first, quickly announcing,
"Sensei, I've decided to learn Fire Release: Flame Finger, Fire Release: Flame Sphere, Fire Release: Flame Shield, Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage, and Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique."
Renjiro nodded approvingly and asked,
"Explain your reasoning."
Mieko said confidently,
"I've already mastered Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, so the logical progression is Fire Release: Flame Finger. This technique also provides a powerful option during close-quarters combat."
"Subterranean Voyage and Hiding Like a Mole allow me to evade enemy attacks by going underground. Once I'm beneath the surface, this becomes an extremely strong defensive method. If I'm airborne and can't land safely in time, I can use Fire Release: Flame Sphere for protection, and Fire Release: Flame Shield helps me resist other Fire Release attacks."
Kaito listened to her explanation and thought with amusement,
"Heh, she completely memorized someone else's answer! But regarding Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, I should learn that as well. I hope that jutsu allows breathing while underground. Although I've developed several methods to ensure air circulation through surface cracks while submerged, those methods aren't particularly reliable."
Renjiro also immediately recognized the rehearsed answer and sighed internally.
"Her clan elders are still making decisions for her. But this training plan should still prove effective overall."
He responded,
"This curriculum should be sufficient. However, your specific training goal will be to cast Fire Release: Flame Finger without requiring any hand seals whatsoever."
Mieko looked confused and asked,
"Without any hand seals at all? How is that even possible? Why would I need to do it that way?"
Renjiro explained patiently,
"Do you honestly think your opponent will politely wait for you to complete hand seals during close-quarters combat? As for the methodology, don't worry—I'll teach you the proper technique."
Mieko became genuinely excited by this prospect and nodded enthusiastically.
Renjiro then turned to Kaito expectantly. Kaito stated clearly,
"I've decided to learn Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken, Wind Release: Beast Wave Palm, Wind Release: Dragon, Wind Release: Verdant Mountain Gale, and Wind Release: Body Flicker."
This selection surprised Renjiro somewhat. He thought to himself,
"This is rather unexpected. He wants to learn five different C-rank Wind Release techniques simultaneously? I originally planned to suggest several other jutsu if he only selected one or two techniques. But this ambitious approach is also acceptable—I'll teach him those additional techniques later in his training."
Although Renjiro quickly masked his surprise, Kaito still detected it. He sighed internally, thinking,
"I originally hoped to secretly cultivate these techniques independently, but he barely gives me any unsupervised free time. So if I only mentioned one or two jutsu, I might remain perpetually stuck with only the training curriculum he assigns."
Renjiro nodded and asked,
"Explain your reasoning."
Kaito said analytically,
"Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken helps me defend against frontal attacks and can even reflect projectiles back at opponents. Wind Release: Beast Wave Palm and Wind Release: Dragon allow me to attack from extreme distance and control battlefield positioning. I can launch attacks from both ground level and aerial positions. Wind Release: Body Flicker serves as an advanced evasion technique. As for Wind Release: Verdant Mountain Gale, I believe it complements samurai swordsmanship extremely well, so I planned to begin with that one."
Renjiro thought with approval,
"Very impressive reasoning. Considering no one is directly guiding his selections, it's remarkable that he conceived this balanced approach. Two ultra-long-range techniques, one defensive technique, one close-combat enhancement, one evasion technique. He already possesses two effective mid-range jutsu from his Academy training."
He then said aloud,
"Good strategic thinking. However, you'll also need to learn a second elemental nature later in your development. Wind Release excels at offense but proves inadequate for defense. Also, don't learn Wind Release: Verdant Mountain Gale just yet. Although it can eventually complement samurai swordsmanship beautifully, that's only after you've achieved complete mastery of the sword style itself. Right now, it would actually obstruct your fundamental training. Begin with Wind Release: Dragon first instead."
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/DarkFoxx (30+ advanced chapters)