Killing Is a Craft Too

"Could there be a fourth?"

Katsuki grumbled.

"A fourth..."

Well, there really was a fourth.

"Fourth, only C-rank ninjutsu and certain non-offensive B-rank ninjutsu can forgo hand seals. Offensive B-rank ninjutsu and A-rank ninjutsu cannot be cast without hand seals. At least, after my many attempts, relying solely on feeling to control such an enormous amount of chakra is truly too difficult. It is extremely unstable in actual combat and has too little practical value."

Sakumo carefully taught Katsuki everything he understood about "forgoing hand seals."

"Of course, you are still far from being able to forgo hand seals." At the end, Sakumo dealt Katsuki another crushing blow.

Katsuki wanted nothing more than to raise his head and sigh at the heavens. What the hell, was this guy messing with him? He had been so excited, thinking Sakumo was going to teach him the secrets of forgoing hand seals, only to give him that one line. It was simply ridiculous. After talking for so long, had it all been nonsense?

"Do you think I have been talking nonsense this whole time?" Sakumo's sharpness made Katsuki's heart skip a beat.

"No!"

Sakumo did not dwell on whether that was true. He merely sighed and continued, "I have said all this because I want to tell you that ninjas must follow the rules, but when learning ninjutsu, you cannot be rigid. Do not let common sense limit your thinking. A higher-ranked ninjutsu is not necessarily stronger. The ninjutsu that can kill an enemy is the most valuable."

This time, Katsuki pondered for a moment before nodding very seriously, showing that he would remember those words.

"Also, you can work toward forgoing hand seals in the future. No matter how fast your hand seals are, there is always a limit. Being able to cast without hand seals will undoubtedly let you seize the initiative in battle, and in many situations, taking the initiative means certain victory."

"Your chakra natures are Earth and Lightning, so I will first teach you Earth Release..."

"Sensei, may I ask something? Can I learn the Shadow Clone Technique first?"

The formal lessons had finally begun...

"Earth Release: Rock Rods."

A C-rank ninjutsu was perfectly suited for introductory training. After only an hour, fifty or sixty stone rods of varying heights stood across the training ground. Six Katsukis stood in different corners, continuously forming hand seals and making attempt after attempt to cast the same ninjutsu.

Those stone rods, all different in height and thickness, were the results of his training.

When Sakumo heard Katsuki's idea of using shadow clones for training, he had been stunned. This ninjutsu, developed by the Second Hokage, had always been used for combat and gathering intelligence. Until now, no one had ever thought of using it for training.

He had immediately praised Katsuki's groundbreaking way of thinking and was deeply gratified that his earlier lecture had not been wasted. Naturally, a certain transmigrator could only laugh awkwardly and hurriedly change the subject. He could hardly say that he had learned this trick from the son Sakumo had not even had yet!

However, after studying it for a while, Sakumo keenly noticed the limitations and dangers of this method. Its limitation was that it was only suitable for people with large chakra reserves, and it could only be used to train ninjutsu or study theoretical knowledge. It could not stack the effects of Taijutsu training. When a shadow clone vanished, only that portion of its memories returned to the original body.

The danger was that if the accumulated exhaustion exceeded the limits of the human body, it could very well cause the caster to die suddenly.

Learning the Shadow Clone Technique went smoothly. Did the Uzumaki Clan possess some innate talent for this kind of ninjutsu? Katsuki did not know. What he wanted to know was whether he could learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. That was the ninjutsu that could truly bring out the Uzumaki Clan's advantage of having enormous chakra reserves.

The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and the Shadow Clone Technique were not exactly the same; they had a superior-subordinate relationship. The Shadow Clone Technique could only create a dozen or so shadow clones at most, nowhere near the scale of hundreds or thousands. As for deriving the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique from the Shadow Clone Technique, that was far too difficult.

Going from the top down was easy, but going from the bottom up was incredibly difficult. After all, if the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique could be derived so easily, the Second Hokage would not have needed to classify it as a Forbidden Jutsu and record it in the Scroll of Seals.

Sakumo's answer left Katsuki rather depressed. He said that he would not teach him the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique before he turned twelve, and he warned Katsuki not to be overly greedy. It would be best to first use the Shadow Clone Technique to test his limits and find what he could endure, lest he push himself into a breakdown.

The ninja world had never lacked examples of geniuses who researched ninjutsu only to drive themselves mad or kill themselves in the end.

After learning the Shadow Clone Technique, Katsuki began making use of the Uzumaki Clan's bug-like advantage. Though he was still just shy of eight years old, the Uzumaki Clan bloodline combined with the power of the Human-Human Fruit gave him even more chakra than Kushina, who was a year older than him.

Moreover, the formidable vitality and recovery ability granted to him by the Human-Human Fruit gave him enough confidence to endure the exhaustion brought by training with shadow clones.

After practicing a single Earth Release: Rock Rods for an hour, Katsuki had already grasped a few tricks. He could control the stone rods' size, length, and even thickness. Although he could only manage a broad, approximate range and could not yet fine-tune it down to centimeters, this achievement was enough to make Sakumo's eye twitch.

Fortunately, for the time being, he did not need to further train his heart's ability to withstand shock, because 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 not allowed to learn any of them. Learn the ninjutsu recorded on the scroll I gave you one by one, in order. Understood?" Sakumo handed Katsuki a scroll that still carried the scent of fresh ink. Clearly, it had only recently been written.

"I understand."

Katsuki nodded earnestly. He now admired Sakumo's judgment and seasoned experience beyond measure. Every time Sakumo guided him, he could point out his oversights and mistakes, and he answered every question Katsuki had with utmost seriousness. Even when Katsuki later felt that some of his questions had been stupid, Sakumo had never shown the slightest impatience.

"When you return this time, we likely will not see each other for a year or more. Let me give you one more sentence. Remember it." Sakumo looked at Katsuki. His young disciple stood straight as a ramrod, like the stone pillars beside him.

"Slaughter is the best training. Those who cannot adapt to killing can never become strong. Even after returning to the village, you must never let your instincts grow dull. Killing is a craft too. Leave it untouched for too long, and your hands will become rusty."

Katsuki was no fool and immediately understood. "So those recent missions...?"

"That is right. I arranged all of them for you. And your performance has been very good. I am very satisfied. Remember, we must cherish our comrades, but as for enemies, only dead enemies are lovable enemies." Sakumo nodded. His brows lifted, and a nearly tangible killing intent suddenly erupted from him. In that instant, Katsuki seemed to see the God of Death.

Fortunately, that pressure came quickly and vanished just as quickly. Katsuki let out a long breath, then sucked in air sharply. He had been so frightened that he had forgotten to breathe!