Talent Falls Short, Love Makes Up For It

Kurenai Yuhi asked in confusion, "Teacher, can we choose for ourselves?"

Mikoto Uchiha replied, "Of course."

Asuma Sarutobi said without hesitation, "Go on missions."

As he spoke, he cast a glance at Nebula Kotetsu. He felt he hadn't performed well during Mikoto Uchiha's assessment earlier today and had failed to save face, which left him quite unhappy. If they took on missions, he would have more opportunities to show Mikoto-sensei and Kurenai Yuhi that the Nebula Kotetsu before them was nothing but a hollow shell.

Kurenai Yuhi thought for a moment and took a clever approach, "I'll follow Mikoto-sensei's advice."

Nebula Kotetsu said, "Training." Upon hearing this, Asuma Sarutobi shot him an annoyed look, seemingly very dissatisfied with his answer.

Nebula Kotetsu ignored him completely.

He didn't even need to think twice to know that training under Mikoto Uchiha was far more valuable than so-called missions. Catching cats and walking dogs couldn't compare to the guidance of an Uchiha jonin.

"Very well," Mikoto Uchiha said. "In that case, meet at the entrance of the Uchiha compound tomorrow at nine in the morning. We will start with training."

"A week later, once the rush of genin scrambling for missions has settled down, I will accept missions for you all."

"Understood, Mikoto-sensei."

After bidding farewell to Mikoto Uchiha, the group went their separate ways home.

Since there were no missions, Nebula Kotetsu rarely stayed home that afternoon, settling in comfortably.

The afternoon sun was perfect, and he sat in a chair in his small courtyard, holding the Fire Release scroll Mikoto Uchiha had given him, studying it quietly.

In addition to that, several open scrolls were scattered around him—these were the hereditary scrolls of the Kotetsu family, one of which was the C-rank Fireball Technique, the only fire-style ninjutsu passed down in his family.

Comparing the two, he could feel the difference between the two types of Fire Release.

Both were C-rank Fire Release, and their names were very similar; one was the Fireball Technique, and the other was the Great Fireball Technique. They differed by only a single character, "Great." Yet, that one character reflected the quality and distinction of Uchiha fire-style ninjutsu.

Nebula Kotetsu compared them carefully and discovered that the two C-rank Fire Release techniques had obvious differences in chakra circulation routes, chakra consumption, and the power of the jutsu once formed.

Although in his memories, the Fireball Technique was known as the "benevolent fireball" because it had never recorded a single kill, in reality, the Great Fireball Technique was a rare jutsu that possessed decent power and was perfectly suited for genin who lacked large chakra reserves.

After realizing this, Nebula Kotetsu quickly made his decision—he had to learn it.

The Kotetsu family's hereditary ninjutsu focused primarily on Water Release, but his own chakra affinity leaned more toward fire.

The Great Fireball Technique was a jutsu perfectly suited for him at this stage.

Thus, he put away the other scrolls and began to carefully study the chakra circulation and hand seals for the Great Fireball Technique.

Dozens of minutes later, he rose from his chair and shifted his hands into the seal sequence.

"Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger."

As the seals were formed, the chakra within his body began to mobilize and circulate.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

He whispered the name in his heart, feeling the chakra gathering in his mouth, and placed his hands in front of his chest, exhaling with force.

"Hoo~"

He blew a puff of air.

Other than that, there was no change whatsoever.

"..."

It was somewhat embarrassing. Fortunately, he was the only one at home, and no one knew.

"Maybe I wasn't prepared enough."

"Again!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

This time, he felt something.

He had blown too hard and suffered from a lack of oxygen to the brain, leaving him feeling a bit dizzy.

Shaking his head, Nebula Kotetsu refused to accept defeat and picked up the scroll to study it again.

After a while, he felt he had memorized the content correctly, so he mobilized his chakra and formed the seals once more.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

This time, he shouted it out loud.

He felt that perhaps adding a chant would make the effect better. After all, there were plenty of people who shouted when performing ninjutsu.

Unfortunately, he still failed.

In the small courtyard, Nebula Kotetsu stood frozen.

He felt he had been dealt another blow.

It was just a C-rank Fire Release; how could he fail?

He already possessed a powerful 0.31 units of chakra, so why couldn't he learn a single C-rank ninjutsu?

Was his talent really that poor!?

It took a long while for Nebula Kotetsu's mood to settle.

Refusing to believe it, he dug out every piece of ninjutsu documentation in the house and began to study.

"I refuse to believe this."

"I can't even learn a single C-rank Fire Release!"

As the sun was about to set, Kotetsu Hagane returned from school.

The moment he stepped through the door, he caught the aroma of chicken soup.

He sniffed the air—mm, very rich.

Walking into the house, he saw Nebula Kotetsu coming out wearing an apron.

"Did the sun rise in the west today?"

"You actually cooked."

Nebula Kotetsu: "Cut the crap. Taste it and tell me how it is."

As he spoke, he handed over a spoon and half a bowl of chicken soup.

Kotetsu Hagane took it, scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and drank it.

"Mmm~"

"Not bad, not bad. The saltiness is just right."

"What's up today? In a good mood? That's why you cooked yourself?"

"Nope." Nebula Kotetsu shook his head.

In fact, he was in a bad mood. Because an entire afternoon had passed, and his progress on the Great Fireball Technique was still stuck at the blowing-air stage.

So, he had recognized reality.

Work hard at cultivation?

Not even a dog would do that.

I'd better work hard at dating instead.

"As long as it tastes good." Nebula Kotetsu untied his apron and walked into the kitchen. A moment later, he walked out carrying a thermos.

Kotetsu Hagane was stunned at the sight.

"Wait?"

"You didn't make this for me?"

"Obviously." Nebula Kotetsu walked out the door without looking back: "I made this for my beloved girlfriend."

Kotetsu Hagane: "..."

As expected, he was still the same person; he shouldn't have held any illusions about this older brother.

Just as he was feeling dejected, Nebula Kotetsu's voice drifted in from the yard.

"There's more in the pot, go serve yourself."

Kotetsu Hagane, who had been secretly sad, froze for a moment, then ran toward the kitchen with a chuckle.

After talking with Rin Nohara and deciding to interact as friends, Rin Nohara moved their meeting time earlier.

It was set for before dark.

As for whether it would be dark by the time their "study session" ended, that was not necessarily certain.

It was still the small bamboo hut behind the mountain.

When Nebula Kotetsu arrived, Rin Nohara had already arrived early.

"Nebula, you're here."

"Oh, what are you holding?"

Nebula Kotetsu: "I stewed some chicken soup at home."

"Hagane couldn't finish it all by himself, so I brought some for you. Try it."

As he spoke, he opened the thermos and held it out in front of Rin Nohara.

Rin Nohara initially wanted to refuse, as it was too much trouble. However, the fragrance of the chicken soup hit her nose, and she couldn't help but swallow her saliva a few times.

"Go ahead and drink." Nebula Kotetsu smiled.

Rin Nohara hesitated for a moment, but didn't refuse. She picked up the spoon and began to drink in small sips.

"Nebula, it's a bit much. I might not be able to finish it all," Rin Nohara said.

"It's fine." Nebula Kotetsu looked at Rin Nohara gently: "If you can't finish it, I'll drink it."

"...Oh..."