Killing Is Also a Craft

"There isn't a fourth one, is there?"

Katsuki muttered.

"A fourth one..."

Alright, there was indeed a fourth one.

"For the fourth, only C-rank ninjutsu and some non-offensive B-rank ninjutsu can omit hand seals. Offensive B-rank ninjutsu and A-rank ninjutsu cannot omit hand seals. At least, through my repeated attempts, it's too difficult to control an excessively large amount of chakra purely by feel. It's very unstable in actual combat and has too low practical utility."

Sakumo explained his understanding of 'omitting hand seals' in detail to Katsuki.

"Of course, you're still a long way from omitting hand seals," Sakumo added, delivering a blow to Katsuki's hopes.

Katsuki now wished he could let out a long sigh. What a joke! He had been excited, thinking Sakumo was going to impart his experience with 'omitting hand seals,' only to receive this single sentence. It was like seeing a ghost. Hadn't he just been talking for ages, only to say something useless?

"Do you think I've been talking nonsense?" Sakumo's perceptiveness made Katsuki's heart skip a beat.

"No!"

Sakumo didn't dwell on the truth of the statement. He simply sighed and continued, "I've said all this to tell you that ninjas must follow rules, but learning ninjutsu shouldn't be rigid. Don't limit your thinking with common sense. Ninjutsu that is ranked higher isn't necessarily more powerful. The ninjutsu that can defeat an enemy is the most valuable."

This time, Katsuki pondered for a moment and nodded seriously, indicating he had remembered the words.

"Also, you can strive towards omitting hand seals in the future. No matter how fast hand seals are, there's a limit. Not needing to perform hand seals will undoubtedly allow you to gain the initiative in combat, and the initiative often means victory."

"Your chakra natures are Earth and Lightning. I'll teach you Earth Release first..."

"Teacher, may I ask if I can learn the Shadow Clone Technique first?"

The formal lesson finally began...

"Earth Release: Rock Rods."

As a C-rank ninjutsu, it was perfectly suited for introductory training. In just one hour, fifty to sixty rock rods of varying heights stood tall on the training ground. Six Katsukis stood in different corners, constantly performing hand seals, attempting and releasing the same ninjutsu over and over again.

These rock rods, differing in height, thickness, and shape, were the result of his training.

Regarding the idea of using Shadow Clones for training, Sakumo was astonished when Katsuki mentioned it. This ninjutsu, developed by the Second Hokage, had always been used for combat and intelligence gathering. Until now, no one had ever thought of using it for training.

He immediately praised Katsuki's groundbreaking thinking, feeling relieved that his previous efforts hadn't been in vain. Of course, the transmigrator just chuckled dryly and quickly changed the subject. He couldn't exactly say he learned this trick from Sakumo's yet-to-be-born son!

However, after studying it, Sakumo keenly perceived the limitations and dangers of this method. The limitation was that this training method was only suitable for those with a large amount of chakra and could only be used for ninjutsu or theoretical knowledge training. It couldn't be used to supplement taijutsu training, as only the memories were returned to the original body after the shadow clones disappeared.

The danger lay in the cumulative fatigue potentially exceeding the human body's limit, which could lead to instant death.

Learning the Shadow Clone Technique went smoothly. Perhaps the Uzumaki Clan was naturally suited for similar ninjutsu? Katsuki didn't know. What he wanted to know was whether he could learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, as it was the ninjutsu that could truly leverage the Uzumaki Clan's large chakra reserves.

The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique wasn't entirely the same as the Shadow Clone Technique; it was a hierarchical relationship. The Shadow Clone Technique could create at most a dozen shadow clones at once, nowhere near the scale of hundreds or thousands. As for deducing the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique from the Shadow Clone Technique, it was far too difficult.

Going from the top down was easy, but going from the bottom up was extremely difficult. After all, if it were that simple to deduce the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, the Second Hokage wouldn't have classified it as a Forbidden Jutsu and recorded it in the Scroll of Seals.

Sakumo's answer was quite frustrating for Katsuki. He said he wouldn't teach him the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique until he was twelve years old and warned Katsuki not to be too greedy, advising him to first try with the Shadow Clone Technique and find his limit to avoid overexerting himself.

The Ninja World had never lacked geniuses who studied ninjutsu, only to go mad or die in the process.

Having learned the Shadow Clone Technique, Katsuki began to utilize this "bug" that the Uzumaki Clan possessed. Although he was still a little less than eight years old, with the Uzumaki bloodline and the power of the Human-Human Fruit, his chakra reserves were even greater than Kushina's, who was a year older than him.

Moreover, the strong vitality and recovery abilities granted by the Human-Human Fruit gave him the confidence to withstand the fatigue from training with shadow clones.

After practicing the Earth Release: Rock Rods for an hour, Katsuki grasped a bit of the knack, able to control the size, length, and even thickness of the rock rods. Although it was only a general range and not yet precise to the centimeter, this achievement already made Sakumo's eye twitch.

Fortunately, he didn't need to further train his heart's endurance for the time being, as Katsuki and the others were returning to the village.

"Take this scroll. I know your Uzumaki Clan has plenty of ninjutsu scrolls, but you are absolutely forbidden from learning any of them. Learn the ninjutsu recorded in the scroll I've given you, one by one, in order. Do you understand?" Sakumo handed Katsuki a scroll that still carried the scent of ink, clearly written recently.

"I understand."

Katsuki nodded earnestly. He now admired Sakumo's vision and sharp experience immensely. Every time he guided him, he could point out his oversights and mistakes, and he would answer any of his questions earnestly. Even if some questions seemed foolish to him afterward, Sakumo never showed the slightest sign of impatience.

"We won't be able to meet for at least half a year or so after you return to the village. I'll give you one more piece of advice. Remember it." Sakumo looked at Katsuki, who stood ramrod straight, like the stone posts beside him.

"Slaughter is the best training. Those who cannot adapt to slaughter cannot become strong. Even after returning to the village, never let your senses go dull. Killing is also a craft; if you leave it too long, your hands will get rusty."

Katsuki wasn't stupid and immediately understood, "Then these recent missions...?"

"That's right. I could arrange them for you, and your performance has been excellent. I am very satisfied. Remember, we must protect our comrades, but as for enemies, only dead enemies are the cutest enemies." Sakumo nodded, raising an eyebrow. A killing intent, as if it had substance, suddenly surged out. In that instant, Katsuki felt as if he saw death itself.

Fortunately, the aura appeared and disappeared quickly. Katsuki exhaled a long breath, then took a deep, sharp inhale, having been so startled he'd forgotten to breathe!