Hagoromo's first meeting with Kushina more or less ended there.
Becoming Kushina's student actually carried a hidden implication.
If Kushina had become his team leader, it meant Hagoromo would most likely not be sent to the front lines. That was his own judgment.
He had also realized something else—he was Kushina's only student.
There weren't enough people to form the standard four-person combat squad. Clearly, this wasn't the kind of arrangement meant for frontline deployment.
After all, Kushina Uzumaki was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
If a Jinchūriki could perfectly control their Tailed Beast, they could become an incredibly powerful weapon.
But Konoha's leadership would never send the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to the battlefield.
The reasons were simple.
First, although Kushina belonged to the Uzumaki clan, the Nine-Tails was very different from the other Tailed Beasts. She still couldn't control it perfectly.
Second—and more importantly—
Konoha simply could not afford to lose the Nine-Tails.
If a Jinchūriki appeared on the battlefield, the enemy would definitely try to kill them at any cost.
An enemy Jinchūriki was the kind of target that everyone instinctively knew had to be eliminated immediately.
Just as Hagoromo had predicted, while other teams were quickly reorganized and sent to the front lines, Kushina remained inside the village without the slightest intention of leaving.
Hagoromo didn't even need to perform low-level missions.
Instead, he only had three things to do.
First—learn Ninjutsu from Kushina.Second—watch Kushina conduct all sorts of strange research.Third—form a two-person team with Kushina and run around Konoha stirring up trouble.
In fact, on the very next day after Hagoromo officially became Kushina's student, she didn't even wait for him to ask.
Kushina had already impatiently started preparing to teach him new techniques.
Because she wanted Hagoromo to defeat Kakashi as soon as possible.
If her student could defeat Minato's student, then wouldn't that mean she had defeated Minato too?
From this perspective, Konoha had essentially given Hagoromo to Kushina as a toy to keep her busy.
And unknowingly, Kushina also treated Hagoromo like one.
Hagoromo was indeed playing the role perfectly.
The only thing he didn't realize was that he had already become the thing keeping Kushina calm and occupied.
"So… what technique should I teach you first?" Kushina muttered to herself.
Four Symbols Sealing…
Of course, that answer only existed inside Hagoromo's imagination.
There was no way he could say it out loud.
Leaving aside the fact that the Four Symbols Sealing was an S-rank forbidden sealing technique, there was another problem.
If Kushina asked how Hagoromo even knew the name of such a technique, he would have no way to answer.
How could a fresh graduate from the Ninja Academy know the name of a secret forbidden technique of the Uzumaki clan?
Exactly.
He couldn't explain it.
So he couldn't say it.
Kushina did know the Four Symbols Sealing.
But there was obviously no way she would casually teach such a forbidden technique to someone else.
Besides, she didn't believe Hagoromo could learn such a high-level sealing technique yet.
What she intended to teach him was Ninjutsu.
As for sealing techniques…
For now, she had no intention of teaching him those.
Sealing techniques were far more difficult to learn than ordinary Ninjutsu.
Because of their complexity, they required a deep understanding of the technique's structure.
Generally speaking, learning an A-rank sealing technique was just as difficult as—if not harder than—learning an S-rank Ninjutsu.
As for an S-rank technique like the Four Symbols Sealing…
Someone without talent might spend their entire life without ever mastering it.
"Ah! I've got it."
Kushina's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Let's start with something extremely practical—the Shadow Clone Technique."
Shadow Clone was a B-rank Ninjutsu.
Based on Kushina's evaluation of Hagoromo's current Chakra reserves and control, learning it shouldn't be a problem.
After all—
He had already created an A-rank technique himself.
"Alright, Shadow Clone Technique it is. First I'll show you the hand seal…"
Without even asking Hagoromo's opinion, Kushina immediately began teaching.
Of course, Hagoromo had no reason to refuse such a highly practical technique.
The Shadow Clone Technique required only one hand seal—the Tiger seal, one of the basic twelve hand seals.
Every Ninja Academy graduate already knew this.
Even so, Kushina still demonstrated the seal and explained how Chakra should flow during the process.
She even demonstrated it herself.
In an instant, two identical red-haired Kushinas appeared in front of Hagoromo.
Hagoromo nodded to show he understood.
Then he immediately began trying it himself.
For someone with Hagoromo's brain, the difficulty of this technique wasn't particularly high.
He didn't rush into forming the seal.
Instead, following Kushina's explanation, he first guided his Chakra through the required pathways until he was completely familiar with the circulation pattern.
Only then did he form the hand seal.
Kushina nodded approvingly.
She could tell exactly what Hagoromo was doing.
Instead of blindly practicing, he was first mastering the Chakra flow.
That showed her student was quite mature in his approach.
When Hagoromo formed the seal, his Chakra moved exactly as Kushina had described.
Then—
The B-rank technique succeeded on the first attempt.
Another identical Hagoromo appeared in front of him.
He immediately felt the Chakra inside his body drop to about half its normal level.
That was the one downside of clone techniques.
They divided the user's Chakra evenly between the clones.
Hagoromo immediately dispelled the Shadow Clone.
The unused Chakra flowed straight back into his body.
"Shadow Clone Technique—success."
"Let's start learning the next technique, Teacher Kushina."
"The next technique already?" Kushina looked surprised. "You just learned Shadow Clone. Don't you want to practice it first?"
She wasn't surprised that Hagoromo learned the technique quickly.
What surprised her was that he wanted to move on immediately.
Although she wanted to compete with Minato through their students, Hagoromo's attitude seemed a bit too impatient.
"Practice?" Hagoromo replied calmly.
"I don't need it, Teacher Kushina. The moment I learned the technique, my proficiency was already maxed out."
To prove he wasn't lying, Hagoromo formed the seal again.
Another Shadow Clone appeared beside him.
Kushina: "..."
This was the power of talent.
When it came to brainpower and learning ability, Hagoromo wasn't afraid of anyone.
Not even those absurdly overpowered protagonists you see in power-fantasy novels.
Kushina felt like something about this situation was slightly off.
But Hagoromo had clearly mastered the B-rank technique.
So while feeling both proud and somewhat speechless, she began teaching him another Ninjutsu.
Although she had once claimed she would compete with Minato, by now she had already given up on that rivalry.
Or rather—
She had admitted defeat.
First, Minato Namikaze was simply too outstanding.
Second, she was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, which was a major obstacle to becoming Hokage.
But now, after witnessing Hagoromo's learning ability, she was finally confident about one thing.
Her student defeating Minato's student—
was totally a possibility!