Qiushui said, "You're a student. A student's duty is to study. As long as you get good grades, both your teachers and your classmates will naturally pay attention to you—and in a positive way, not like before, when their attention was negative. So don't worry about everyone getting a bad impression of you."
Naruto's face stiffened, then fell. He scratched his head and said sheepishly, "I want to, Qiushui-sensei, but I ranked last in theory and last in practicals. I've been studying the Three Basic Techniques for four years, and I still can't perform them properly."
Qiushui knew where Naruto's problems stemmed from.
First, the Nine-Tails Chakra sealed inside Naruto disrupted the flow of his own chakra, making it difficult for him to perform jutsu that required precise chakra control.
Second, he wasn't very bright. On top of that, he spent much of his time pulling pranks or thinking about how to make friends with other people, wasting a great deal of time he could have spent studying.
And with no one teaching him, no one looking after him, and no one willing to get close to him, it was no wonder he hadn't learned anything.
Qiushui patted Naruto on the shoulder. "I get along fairly well with Iruka-sensei. When he handed things over to me, he asked me to keep an eye on you. But your current situation isn't good for either Iruka-sensei, who taught you before, or your own future. If you can stop skipping class and playing pranks on your teachers, I'll consider setting aside some time to help improve your grades."
Naruto's eyes widened. He had never expected this teacher, whom he'd only just met, not only to refrain from disliking him but to be willing to spend time teaching him.
He remembered the prank he'd pulled on Qiushui-sensei before class and, for the first time, felt that what he'd done was truly awful.
Naruto pinched the inside of his thigh, afraid he was dreaming. The sharp pain brought tears to the corners of his eyes. Once he realized it wasn't a dream, he immediately said, "No problem!"
Qiushui said, "Go back to the classroom. I'm looking forward to seeing how you do from now on."
Naruto said earnestly, "Don't worry, Qiushui-sensei. I won't let you down."
Watching Naruto leave, Qiushui used his quality appraisal skill on him.
[Name: Naruto Uzumaki] [Chakra: 120000 (???)] [Quality: SSS] [Hidden Skill: Talk-no-Jutsu (When used on an enemy, there is a 50% chance of turning them into an ally)] [Assessment: Six Paths bloodline, extremely high combat intelligence, suited to training in Taijutsu and Wind Release Ninjutsu. Strongly recommended for bonding]
Talk-no-Jutsu?
Qiushui nearly lost his composure when he saw those three words.
The system really did have a terrible sense of naming.
But then he thought about the long list of people Naruto had later talked into changing sides: Nagato, Obito, and Sasuke.
A fifty percent chance of turning an enemy into an ally didn't seem so hard to understand after all.
Just then, a notification appeared in front of Qiushui.
[Detected that Naruto Uzumaki acknowledges the player. Bind him and add him to the priority training list?]
Qiushui didn't give it a second thought or hesitate in the slightest. This was a top-quality talent the system had strongly recommended binding. Hesitating even for a second would be disrespectful to the system and irresponsible toward himself.
[SSS-grade high-quality talent Naruto Uzumaki bound successfully. Current cultivation relationship level: One (five levels in total)] [Binding reward received—Otsutsuki bloodline (5%)]
Qiushui first felt an immense, gentle energy suddenly surge into every part of his body. It wasn't ordinary chakra, but something more fundamental and primal. It seeped into every meridian, blood vessel, and bone. He could clearly feel his body being transformed. The hidden injuries that had accumulated deep inside him over the years of fighting, and that even Medical Ninjutsu couldn't heal, rapidly disappeared.
On his way back to the office, Qiushui opened his personal status panel to see whether his assessment had changed.
[Name: Kitagawa Akimizu] [Age: 18] [Chakra: 53600] [Chakra Nature: Fire (Advanced)] [Assessment: With your physique transformed and your mastery of advanced Fire Chakra Nature Transformation, your strength has reached Jonin level. What limits your strength is your relatively basic jutsu repertoire and your single chakra nature. If you can make up for these two shortcomings, you will become one of the best among the Jonin]
Qiushui had never expected that just five percent of the Otsutsuki bloodline would increase his chakra capacity by a full fifty thousand points. He was truly stunned. But when he remembered that this was a world where bloodlines determined everything, it seemed reasonable.
Didn't the history of the ninja begin when Kaguya Otsutsuki ate the God Tree Fruit?
She was the first person in the world to possess chakra. Her two sons, Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Hamura Otsutsuki, inherited that power and spread it, leading to the ninja who came after them.
Qiushui had been a little worried that he might run short on chakra while teaching, but it seemed he had nothing to worry about in the near future. Even if he taught for twelve hours straight, he would only use up twelve thousand chakra.
"A top-tier bloodline really lets you do whatever you want. You can easily achieve what many people can't accomplish in a lifetime of training."
Qiushui muttered to himself, his gaze settling on the word Jonin in the final line of the assessment. His mood grew even brighter.
He had thought he might reach Elite Chunin at best, but he'd unexpectedly crossed the threshold into Jonin.
In the late game, anyone below Kage Level was only fit to be cannon fodder. But at this point in time, Jonin were acknowledged as the top combat force in all the major villages, usually making up a mere three to five percent of their ninja. As long as he didn't leave the village, he'd be more than capable of protecting himself if anything unexpected happened in Konoha.
"I wonder what tier my strength falls into." Qiushui silently began to ponder.
There were tiers among the Jonin as well.
The first tier undoubtedly included Kakashi the Copy Ninja and Might Guy, the hot-blooded youth. Officially, both were Elite Jonin, but in reality, one was firmly at Kage Level and could trade blows with even the strongest opponents, while the other was only as strong as an ordinary Jonin under normal conditions but saw his power soar when he burned with youthful passion, stepping through the gates of the Six Paths level with a single kick.
The second tier included Yamashiro Aoba, Yamato, Maruboshi Kosuke, and Shiraumo Hayama. Though they didn't appear often and barely stood out, whenever they fought, they were steady and reliable—genuine Elite Jonin.
The third tier brought Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, and Mitaraishi Anko to mind. All three made a strong impression when they first appeared, but each turned out to be more disappointing than the last.
Before you continue