"All right, that's enough training for today. Same time tomorrow!"
At the training ground, Tenzo looked at Mo Chen, who was panting heavily, and spoke in an even tone.
But if you listened carefully, you could just make out a slight tremor in his voice.
He was a monster!
Tenzo had never seen anything like it in his life. He'd never even heard of it.
His eyes went a little unfocused, his mind reeling with shock.
In just one day, Mo Chen had gone from an ordinary Ninja Academy graduate who knew only the Three Basic Jutsu to a rapidly growing shinobi.
He had already mastered the nature transformations of Earth Release and Water Release, and learned every Earth Release and Water Release technique Tenzo knew that was below B-rank.
And that was with Tenzo deliberately holding him back.
Mo Chen had spent only one morning actually learning ninjutsu.
After a lavish lunch and a chance to digest, Tenzo had started sparring with him. He'd only meant to help Mo Chen put that morning's lessons into practice.
But once they started fighting, Tenzo finally understood what it meant to be a true genius—a monster!
Mo Chen had no awkward beginner phase. He could perform everything he'd learned with ease, without the slightest hint of fumbling.
Of course, that didn't mean the entire afternoon had been wasted.
Mo Chen had never fought for real before, so he needed time to get used to and understand what tactics to use in different situations.
And when it came to Taijutsu, he was only just getting started.
At first, Tenzo could suppress his strength to about Mo Chen's level and spar with him.
But as time went on, Tenzo had to bring out more and more of his strength.
By the end, he still looked calm and relaxed, but he was actually fighting at full power just to stay a step ahead of Mo Chen.
In other words, with Earth Release and Water Release alone, along with the Taijutsu skills and combat experience he'd gained that day, Mo Chen was already at the level of an elite Chunin.
Add one or two trump cards, and he could easily be called a Special Jōnin.
That kind of progress was unheard of—perhaps the fastest in the history of the Shinobi World.
Tenzo didn't let on. He gave Mo Chen a few brief words of encouragement, then quickly sent him on his way.
He needed to find somewhere quiet and be alone for a while.
But before he could, an Anbu member showed up and told him the Third Hokage wanted to see him.
There was no need to guess. The Third Hokage wanted to hear how Mo Chen's training was going.
Sure enough, the moment Tenzo arrived at the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage wasted no time asking, "How did Mo Chen do today?"
His tone was casual, as if he were only asking in passing.
Tenzo paused briefly before answering carefully. "Mo Chen has the best talent I've ever seen. He's already able to control the nature transformations of Water Release and Earth Release with ease."
"He used Shadow Clones to speed up his training, but even without that method, it wouldn't take him more than a few days to reach his current level."
For some reason, whenever Tenzo remembered Mo Chen calling him "Teacher Tenzo," he felt an urge to protect the boy.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the Third Hokage. He just worried that if he told the whole truth, the Third Hokage would expect too much from Mo Chen and put him under too much pressure.
Then Mo Chen might push himself to the point of collapse just to live up to those expectations.
If Tenzo played down Mo Chen's progress, the boy could afford to take a few days off.
Even so, the Third Hokage was so shocked that he rose to his feet.
"He's already mastered two nature transformations?" The pipe slipped from the Third Hokage's mouth and nearly burned his trousers.
He murmured, "As expected of the Second..."
He quickly realized he'd almost let something slip, and changed the subject. "In that case, start teaching him how to fuse Wood Release tomorrow!"
Tenzo froze, then said urgently, "Isn't that too soon? Third Lord, I'm not questioning your decision. It's just that Mo Chen only graduated from the Ninja Academy recently, and today was his first day of real shinobi training."
"I understand your concerns." The Third Hokage waved a hand, put his pipe back in his mouth, and sat down again. His expression grew sorrowful as he sighed. "But we don't have time to wait."
"Naruto also passed Kakashi's test today. Starting tomorrow, he'll be going on missions. You understand what that means, don't you?"
"Uzumaki... Naruto?" Tenzo fell silent.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a taboo subject for everyone in Konoha.
The Third Hokage's expression reminded Tenzo of the catastrophe from twelve years ago.
If the Nine-Tails went on a rampage again, even he would have a hard time stopping it. That only made Mo Chen's importance all the greater.
Still, he hadn't expected Kakashi to let them pass the test.
"Mo Chen's abilities are the best weapon we have against the Nine-Tails. We have to help him grow as quickly as possible. It's vital to all of Konoha."
The Third Hokage sighed. "I hope you understand that everything I'm doing is for the village. I have no selfish motives."
"I understand, Third Lord. I'll start teaching Mo Chen how to fuse Wood Release tomorrow," Tenzo replied gravely.
He had actually planned to train Mo Chen for a while longer, so he could take his Water Release and Earth Release nature transformations to a higher level.
He wasn't expecting him to learn S-rank forbidden techniques. But at the very least, Mo Chen should learn a few more A-rank techniques and reach the level of a Jonin before they moved on. That would be much safer.
But the Third Hokage had given his orders, and Tenzo had no say in the matter.
All he could do now was hope that Mo Chen's incredible talent could carry him through such a leap in training.
Elsewhere, after a full day of training, Mo Chen didn't feel tired at all. If anything, he was in high spirits.
Getting stronger at a speed he could see with his own eyes felt like cheating in a video game or putting a motor in your girlfriend. He was loving every second of it.
If he could, he'd train twenty-four hours a day and power straight to the limit.
But as someone who'd crossed over into this world, he knew the importance of balancing work and rest, so he forced himself to curb the urge.
As he passed a street corner, someone suddenly bumped into him.
His body reacted instinctively, shoving forward. A moment later, a scream rang out, and four or five people tumbled over one another.
Mo Chen was startled too, even though he'd pulled his strength back at the last second.
With the strength he had now, the people across from him could've been killed or seriously injured.
But when he took a closer look and recognized them, he couldn't help grinning.
Weren't these the guys who'd helped him awaken his Sharingan yesterday? What a coincidence!
Mo Chen strolled up to Little Fatty and the others, who were still dazed from the collision. His shadow fell over them.
"You lot have some nerve, bumping into me!"
Mo Chen folded his arms and sneered. "That collision nearly killed me. So, how are you going to make it up to me?"
Little Fatty had already been hurt yesterday when Mo Chen shoved him, and the injuries had only gotten worse.
Then he'd crashed into his companions. His whole body hurt, and he felt like he'd broken several bones.
Hearing Mo Chen's words, his anger flared at once.
Those were the kinds of things he usually said to other people. How dare someone turn the tables on him? It was outrageous!
"Bastard... Ow! It hurts like hell! Let me see which idiot's got the nerve to talk to me like that... You—"
With help from his companions, Little Fatty finally managed to sit up. He looked up and saw Mo Chen smiling at him like a devil. His face instantly turned deathly pale.
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