Just a Passerby

At this moment, Kumonaka Torikaze was at home practicing Cloud Release ninjutsu, completely unaware that because of him, a poor old Uchiha man was coughing up blood.

He was currently at a critical stage; if he could push past it, his Cloud Release would be mastered, but if he failed, it would take much longer.

Pale blue energy swirled around Torikaze's body. His eyes were tightly shut, his expression stern, and large beads of sweat rolled down his temples.

Following the methods recorded in the scroll, he struggled to fuse the three chakra natures of water, fire, and wind into one. This was by no means an easy task!

Equal amounts of water and fire chakra were evenly matched, but once wind chakra was added, the fire would be fueled and the water suppressed, making a perfect fusion impossible.

Although the scroll provided a ratio, once he started the actual operation, Torikaze discovered that following the ancestors' proportions was completely impossible.

With a muffled bang, Torikaze's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

"Failed again."

The backlash from a failed chakra fusion, while not severe, caused the flow of chakra within his body to become chaotic. To continue practicing, he had to reorganize his chakra.

But this was already a daily routine for Torikaze. He had lost count of how many times he had failed over the past month, but even though he hadn't succeeded this time, he had finally found the right ratio!

"This time, it will definitely work."

After he finished stabilizing his chakra, he attempted the fusion again, silently chanting in his heart: 44% water, 31% fire, 25% wind.

This was the ratio he had arrived at after a month of constant experimentation.

Sure enough, by following this ratio, the three types of chakra checked and balanced each other. None could devour the others, and in the end, they obediently fused into one.

"Hoo." A thick cloud of mist exhaled from Torikaze's mouth. It was clear that compared to the Mist Concealment Technique, this Cloud Release was significantly denser, with lower visibility and a much colder temperature.

"Finally, it's a success!" Heaven knows how much he had suffered these past few days!

At first, he had followed the ratio left by his ancestors, but he could never succeed, which is why he eventually had to find his own proportions.

However, what puzzled him was why his father hadn't told him about this. Could it be to test him?

He couldn't fathom his father's thoughts.

But if Kumonaka Yama were still alive, he would likely have said, "Son, Dad forgot!"

Regardless, the Cloud Release was finally mastered, and he had gained another layer of security!

"I wonder which is stronger, Dust Release or Cloud Release?"

As for that question, he would likely only know once he reached the battlefield. He looked out the window and realized it was getting late.

He hurriedly took off his clothes to take a shower. He had sweated quite a bit from practicing for so long, and he had to go to his master's house soon; he couldn't show up smelling bad and leave a poor impression.

After finishing, Kumonaka Torikaze changed into a new set of clothes, as it was his first time visiting his master's home and he needed to be formal.

He was now wearing the attire that the Kumonaka Clan wore for formal occasions. The Cloud Crane Hidden Pattern embroidered in gold thread on his black robe looked incredibly noble. Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt like he had the air of a wandering hero.

Outside, the sky was gradually darkening: "It's about time."

He tied up his long white hair and left the house.

Walking down the street, the street vendors were starting to pack up their stalls to head home. Only a few restaurants remained open, and business inside seemed quite good.

These scenes made Kumonaka Torikaze feel very relaxed, as if he were back at his grandfather's house in the countryside when he was a child—a quiet, cozy, and very leisurely life.

Across several streets, he could hear mothers with loud voices calling their children home for dinner. Everything was wonderful.

At this moment, he finally understood the ideals of Senju Hashirama, understood why he had spared no effort to build this village, and why he would protect it until the very end of his life.

After walking for about twenty minutes, he arrived at the Senju Clan compound. From the outside, it looked quite ordinary and lacked the artistic atmosphere of the Kumonaka Clan—every time Torikaze went home, he felt like he was entering some immortal cultivation sect.

The Senju Clan compound was more like a large mansion, full of the hustle and bustle of daily life.

He didn't know where his master's house was, so he had to grab a random passerby to ask.

"Excuse me, sir, where is the Hokage's house?"

The passerby was stunned, with only one thought in his mind: Why is this kid so rich? If I'm not mistaken, is that pattern on his clothes embroidered with gold? Do people even have that kind of craftsmanship these days?

"Who are you? What business do you have with the clan leader?" the passerby asked.

"Ah, the Hokage sent for me. I'm his disciple."

The passerby looked like he was about to explode upon hearing this, and he didn't dare look at Kumonaka Torikaze's gold-threaded clothes again!

Are kids these days not only rich, but also such big braggarts?

But before he could speak, someone emerged from the compound.

"Kid, you finally arrived. Big Brother has been waiting for you for a long time!"

Senju Tobirama stood at the gate of the compound with a stern expression; it seemed he was in a bad mood.

"Apologies, Tobirama-sama. I just finished training and lost track of time."

Seeing the child's polite attitude, Tobirama naturally didn't make things difficult for him and led him into the compound.

The passerby was left alone outside the gate, completely bewildered: So that kid really is the clan leader's disciple?

Within five minutes, half of Konoha knew about this! The heads of various clans were also inquiring everywhere to find out who had such good fortune, hoping to win him over.

Inside the Senju compound, everyone looked at the child brought in by Tobirama with envious eyes.

"Come inside. I'm getting a bit hungry."

Kumonaka Torikaze acknowledged the call and followed Tobirama into the house.

Upon entering, he saw a red-haired woman with her hair styled into two buns, and before she could even react, Kumonaka Torikaze immediately said, "Hello, Mistress."

As soon as Mito of the Uzumaki Clan heard this, a smile appeared on her face: "What a sweet-talking child. Come on, change your shoes and eat; your master has been waiting for you for a long time."

Torikaze wore an apologetic expression: "I am sorry, Mistress, for keeping you both waiting."

Mito only smiled at his words and said nothing.

Only then did Kumonaka Torikaze let out a sigh of relief. Good grief! Do you know who this is? She is the princess of the Uzumaki Clan! Which woman in the Uzumaki Clan doesn't have a fiery temper?

If he hadn't said something nice to smooth things over, he would definitely have had a hard time in the future!

Torikaze and Tobirama followed Mito into the room, where a table full of food had indeed been prepared, and Hashirama was waiting by the table, drooling.

Seeing Torikaze arrive, he feigned anger and said, "Torikaze, why are you so late? Could it be that you have some complaints about me as your master?"

Torikaze grumbled inwardly, Master, your acting skills are truly not very good. But on the surface, he still pretended to be innocent: "Master, it is because your disciple was practicing the family's secret technique today, which is why I arrived a bit late."