The Third Hokage's Scheme

After watching Yinsen's performance and listening to Aoba Yamashiro's report, Yinsen had no idea what the Third Hokage might think. He only knew that he had caught the Third Hokage's attention. The old man had been spying on him the entire time.

That was a good thing for Yinsen, because he could afford to cut loose a little.

Of course, it might also bring some trouble his way. But trouble was the very thing Yinsen feared least. He even found his current life far too peaceful.

"I wonder if the Third Hokage will show some appreciation after seeing such an outstanding civilian genius?"

Yinsen did not know whether the Third Hokage had any reaction. In any case, after completing his usual work assignment the next day, Aoba Yamashiro once again took Yinsen to an empty Training Ground and began guiding him in his Earth Release Ninjutsu training.

Over the following days, he carried out missions with the team during the day, then studied ninjutsu under Aoba Yamashiro after the missions were over.

Yinsen's learning speed was not so absurd that he could master a new technique the instant he got his hands on it and scare his teacher half to death. Still, the speed at which he understood new ninjutsu left Aoba Yamashiro amazed.

If Yinsen did not lack an exaggerated amount of Chakra, and if understanding something were not different from actually mastering it, Aoba Yamashiro might have started wondering whether he was simply unfit to be a ninja.

After Yinsen completed his basic Earth Release training, Aoba Yamashiro taught him a total of three Earth Release Ninjutsu over the following days.

They were Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, Earth Release: Earth Spikes, and Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld.

Strictly speaking, none of those three techniques counted as beginner-level