After calming himself down, the Third Hokage took a satisfied puff of smoke. "You've given me quite the surprise, little Soseki!"
Soseki shook his head and said modestly, "I only provided the inspiration and the concept. Brother Minato handled all the rest."
The Third Hokage smiled. Of course, he understood the difference between the two.
"By the way, what were you planning to exchange for?"
"Eight Gates!"
"Eight Gates..." The Third Hokage's hand paused as it searched through the drawer. "Why did you suddenly want to exchange for a taijutsu?"
Soseki calmly offered the explanation he had prepared beforehand. "Teacher Tsunade told me about the importance of taijutsu a long time ago, but I never paid much attention to it..."
The Third Hokage's expression turned somewhat strange. The Anbu records stated that Soseki's taijutsu was ferocious and savage, perhaps even surpassing that of genin who specialized in taijutsu.
And that was while he had not paid much attention to it?
"But he's a genius. I can understand that." The Third Hokage nodded slightly.
Just like himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi—he had learned Fire Release, then casually mastered the other six natures as well.
"But on the night the Cloud Village attacked, my taijutsu was too weak. Not only did I cause Sister Kushina to lose control, I also put Asuma in danger. That was when I truly realized my past mistake."
"If I want to save people, I must first ensure my own safety. And if I want to ensure my own safety, I cannot have any weaknesses!"
The Third Hokage's mouth twitched slightly. Wasn't that a bit of an overcorrection?
Having no weaknesses meant developing in every direction.
And the result of developing in every direction was either omnipotence or mediocrity.
"But he's a genius. I can understand that." The Third