Although borrowing the Sharingan to pick his nose had worked, the Earth Release and Water Release chakra in Mo Chen's hands were merely shaped like the real thing. There was no way he could use them to perform a jutsu.
He quickly realized that and dispersed the chakra.
Mo Chen scratched his head and said to Yamato, "I was just copying your movements, Teacher Yamato, but it doesn't seem to be working. There's no power behind it at all."
"No!" Yamato said, utterly shocked. "You've already formed the beginnings of nature transformation, and you're using two different chakra natures at the same time. You're even more talented than I imagined... No, you're a prodigy beyond belief."
"Your chakra natures aren't strong enough yet to support the use of ninjutsu, but now that you've got the basics, a little more practice should be all it takes to master them."
Meanwhile, Mo Chen seemed to have skipped the first step every beginner needed to learn: chakra control.
The fact that he could form a different chakra nature in each hand was more than enough to prove that he had excellent control over his chakra.
"Oh, I see!" Mo Chen pretended to think for a moment, then said, "Teacher Yamato, why don't you teach me a solid clone technique? I heard there's one called the Shadow Clone Technique, and the clones' experience accumulates in the original body."
"If I learn that, I can train in Earth Release and Water Release at the same time, right? It'll save time and make my training more efficient."
Wood Style Clones would certainly be more effective, but unfortunately, Mo Chen hadn't mastered true Wood Release yet.
"Well..." Yamato hesitated, instinctively about to refuse.
No one had ever used Shadow Clones for training before, but it was easy to see how dangerous it could be.
Even making one or two Shadow Clones train alongside you was too much for an ordinary person to handle. It was no less dangerous than a chakra-depleted shinobi using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
But Yamato quickly remembered that Mo Chen had awakened the complete version of Wood Release.
He stepped forward to examine Mo Chen's constitution and found, just as expected, that the chakra within him was as vast as an ocean.
Wood Release represented vitality, and abundant vitality also fueled the growth of chakra.
No, chakra didn't do it justice. This was a whole sea of chakra!
Of course, at Mo Chen's current level, he could probably make effective use of only a tenth or two of it—perhaps even less.
But regardless, as long as he could withstand the mental shock when the Shadow Clones dispersed, Mo Chen could certainly use this method to train.
"I can teach you the Shadow Clone Technique, but remember, using Shadow Clones to train is risky. It's not just a matter of dividing your chakra evenly. Your stamina and mental energy will be drained as well."
Yamato gave him a grave look and warned, "I'm not worried about your chakra, but if you exhaust your stamina and mental energy, you could suffer sudden cardiac arrest."
"So first, we need to find your limits. Start by making one Shadow Clone and training together for an hour. If you can handle it, we'll gradually increase the number of clones."
Mo Chen had brought it up himself, so Yamato knew he wouldn't be satisfied with just one Shadow Clone. That made it all the more important to warn him beforehand.
Mo Chen thought Yamato was being a little too cautious, but he didn't object and nodded in agreement.
The Shadow Clone Technique didn't require much skill to perform. Once you understood the principles of the Clone Technique, you could use it with ease as long as you had enough chakra.
Besides, the influence of fabricating his future had left Mo Chen feeling like his talent was terrifyingly strong.
This simple, straightforward ninjutsu didn't even require the Sharingan.
After hearing Yamato explain it once, Mo Chen used it successfully before Yamato could even demonstrate.
Yamato marveled at Mo Chen's incredible talent again, then created a clone of his own and gave Mo Chen one-on-one instruction.
One clone trained in Earth Release, while the other trained in Water Release.
Just as Yamato had said, the beginnings of nature transformation were already there, and Mo Chen found it easy to get started.
After that, it was simply a matter of practice. Every time he performed a jutsu, he improved at a visible rate.
After three or five tries, he could perform D-rank ninjutsu.
After about ten minutes, he was capable of C-rank ninjutsu.
Half an hour later, he had reached the level needed to combine the two natures into Wood Release.
But Yamato didn't teach him Wood Release right away. In Yamato's words, Mo Chen was progressing too quickly. His steps were steady and his foundations solid, but he lacked experience.
So he had Mo Chen master some common Earth Release and Water Release jutsu first.
But the truth was, Mo Chen's progress was so astonishingly fast that it had frightened Yamato.
If he taught Mo Chen Wood Release now, he worried Mo Chen might surpass him completely in raw strength by the end of the day.
Yamato wasn't afraid of a student surpassing his teacher. He was worried Mo Chen was moving too fast and would overreach himself.
No strong shinobi became powerful overnight. They had to improve step by step through battle.
Genin—experienced Genin—Chunin—elite Chunin—Special Jōnin—Jonin.
Each stage of strength came with its own journey and growing pains.
If someone jumped straight from Genin to Jonin, they would miss the scenery along the way and might develop the sort of flaw captured by the saying, "Why not eat meat?"
That was why many people born strong, or those who gained power through some means, showed fatal weaknesses at critical moments. Their enemies exploited those flaws and defeated them.
Since Mo Chen had called him teacher, Yamato had a responsibility to him.
That meant taking responsibility not only for his strength, but also, and above all, for his state of mind.
Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage stared at the documents in his hands, his face filled with disbelief.
His hands trembled as he held the papers, his mouth hung open, and his pipe had fallen to the ground without him noticing.
After a day of investigation, he had pieced together Mo Chen's family tree.
Yet no matter how he looked at this file, it seemed impossible that it could be real.
Mo Chen's father belonged to the Senju Clan. He had hidden his surname and assimilated into the village—a fact they had already suspected.
But his father had another identity: he was the grandson of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju!
And Mo Chen's mother was Fugaku Uchiha's cousin!
She had fallen in love with Mo Chen's father in secret, but the Uchiha clan would not accept their relationship.
So, during an outside mission, she faked her death and assumed a new identity, living in obscurity.
Mo Chen's grandfather—the son of Tobirama Senju—had been hidden by Tobirama himself. Even Tobirama's students hadn't known about him.
The records from that period were vague. They could only confirm that Mo Chen's grandfather really was Tobirama Senju's son. The rest of the details were unknown, and they still hadn't found out who he had married.
Tobirama Senju hadn't been particularly interested in women, but after Hashirama died, his sister-in-law had become like a mother to him. Under pressure from his formidable sister-in-law, Mito Uzumaki, he had married one of her cousins.
So, Mo Chen wasn't just a direct descendant of the Second Hokage, with Senju blood in his veins. He also had Uzumaki and Uchiha blood.
To sum it up, Mo Chen could be considered a grandson of the Third Hokage, and Tsunade's first cousin once removed.
He and Sasuke were cousins, and he was distantly related to Naruto as well.
With ancestry like that, his buffs were stacked to the max!
[Happy New Year!!]
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