"System, you—&%@#@#@#..." Nebula Kotetsu voiced his opinion.
He was furious.
System, you played me!
What kind of mission was this?
And an hour of fingertip massage, too.
Do you know how long an hour is?
Sixty minutes! A whole sixty minutes!
In sixty minutes, Shizuka at the Konoha Hot Spring Inn could earn 2,980 ryo!
He closed the system panel, deciding that what he couldn't see wouldn't bother him.
As for the mission the system had given him, he naturally had no intention of accepting it.
It went against his principles.
He admitted he was a scumbag, but he had principles of his own.
Namely, he didn't actively ruin other people's relationships.
His targets were all of age and unmarried. It didn't matter if they had boyfriends, or even several boyfriends.
Though everyone knew him as a womanizer, he gave his partners a lot in return for what he took. They each got what they wanted; he wasn't taking advantage of them for nothing.
But this situation was different.
Mikoto Uchiha and Fugaku Uchiha were happily married, deeply devoted to each other, and would one day raise Itachi Uchiha, who would grow up to be an exceptionally kind person.
He wouldn't interfere and change any of that.
So, as for the mission the system had assigned him, he chose not to do it. He also refused to think about whatever new rewards might appear later.
After closing the panel, Nebula Kotetsu steadied his unsettled emotions. A little while later, Asuma Sarutobi finished answering questions, and it was Kurenai Yuhi's turn.
Judging by Asuma Sarutobi's serious expression as he murmured to himself, he seemed to have learned something.
Nebula Kotetsu stopped thinking about other things and briefly reviewed in his mind what had gone wrong when he tried to perform the Great Fireball. Then he waited for Mikoto Uchiha to explain.
Ten minutes later, it was his turn.
"Teacher Mikoto."
"I went home and practiced the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
"But I tried it many times and couldn't get it to work even once."
Mikoto Uchiha said, "Show me."
Nebula Kotetsu demonstrated by forming Hand Seals and blowing.
When he was done, Nebula Kotetsu looked at Mikoto Uchiha and saw her turn away. A few seconds later, she turned back.
"Teacher Mikoto. Are you laughing?"
"No."
"Then why did you turn away?"
"Something dark just floated past."
"..."
"Teacher Mikoto, what am I doing wrong?"
Returning to the matter at hand, Mikoto Uchiha's expression grew serious again.
She said calmly, "I didn't get a good look just now. Try it again."
Nebula Kotetsu had no choice but to form the Hand Seals again.
Chakra gathered in his chest.
He blew!
"Pfft!"
Nebula Kotetsu: "..."
"Ahem." Mikoto Uchiha coughed to cover her embarrassment. This time, she had seen what the problem was.
"Nebula."
"If I'm not mistaken, you have enough chakra to perform this technique. The problem is with your Hand Seals."
"Your chakra isn't keeping pace with the rhythm of the Hand Seals."
Nebula Kotetsu asked, "Then what should I do?"
Mikoto Uchiha held up two fingers. "There are two ways."
"First, practice controlling your chakra."
"Ninjutsu is a refined and elegant art. Different techniques require different rhythms of chakra control. For example, the Mystical Palm Technique requires precise control, while a release-type technique like the Great Fireball requires you to direct a large amount of chakra at the right moment."
"You need to understand that the way you use chakra isn't fixed."
Nebula Kotetsu nodded.
A question suddenly occurred to him: How did the Thousand-Hand Buddha direct its chakra?
But the Thousand-Hand Buddha was still a long way beyond him, so for now, he'd better focus on learning the Great Fireball Technique.
"Teacher Mikoto, what's the second way?"
"The second way is to make your Hand Seals more precise."
Nebula Kotetsu asked, "More precise? What do you mean?"
Mikoto Uchiha explained, "Hand Seals help you control your chakra more effectively."
"To seize an opening and save time, all ninja try to spend as little time as possible forming Hand Seals."
"There are two ways to do that: practice finger dexterity to form Hand Seals faster, or simplify a technique's sequence of seals."
"Generations of Uchiha ninja have studied and streamlined the Great Fireball Technique until it can be performed with just six seals: Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger."
"That's also the number of seals most suitable for Uchiha Genin."
Nebula Kotetsu frowned.
Was she indirectly saying that his talent wasn't as good as that of an Uchiha Genin?
What an evil Uchiha teacher!
"But the Great Fireball Technique doesn't come only in a six-seal version."
"There's also a nine-seal version."
"The nine-seal Great Fireball is much easier to perform than the six-seal version, and it lets you control your chakra more precisely."
"For ninja who don't need to perform their techniques quickly, and for beginners, the nine-seal Great Fireball is actually more suitable."
"Since you're having trouble with the six-seal version, I'll teach you the nine-seal one. Come on, follow me."
Her fair, slender hands slowly formed the seals in front of her: "Ram, Boar, Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Rooster, Boar, Horse, Tiger." Nebula Kotetsu watched and memorized each one carefully. Once he had them down, Mikoto Uchiha went over a few more details, then asked him to try again.
"This time, you won't have anything to laugh at!" Nebula Kotetsu vowed silently.
Then he faced an open space and formed the seals one by one.
As he completed each of the nine seals, his chakra surged in waves through his body.
The moment he finished the last seal, he felt a surging mass of chakra gathered in his chest, ready to burst out.
"Whoosh!"
He blew out with all his might.
A wave of heat washed over him!
Bright flames lit up his face.
Staring at the enormous fireball, which stood taller than half his height, Nebula Kotetsu's eyes shone with excitement.
He'd done it!
He'd mastered the Great Fireball Technique!
It was only a C-rank ninjutsu, but creating such a huge fireball himself still filled him with excitement.
His chakra was still plentiful. Seizing on the inspiration from his successful attempt, Nebula Kotetsu immediately formed the seals again.
He released the accumulated chakra once more, and flames burst forth again.
"Thank you, Teacher Mikoto." Nebula Kotetsu meant it from the bottom of his heart.
She was his team's jōnin instructor, and technically, she had no obligation to teach him ninjutsu. It didn't matter what her reasons were, or whether he was a pawn in the Uchiha's efforts to make contact with the Sarutobi Clan.
She had given him a C-rank ninjutsu and taught him how to use it. He would remember this favor.
"Practice hard," Mikoto Uchiha said. "Until you grow stronger, C-rank ninjutsu will be an important way for you to attack."
"Master it, and it'll be a great help when you face an enemy."
Nebula Kotetsu nodded.
Asuma Sarutobi noticed how happy he looked and immediately curled his lip.
Tch!
It was only a C-rank Fire Release technique.
What was there to be happy about?
He couldn't be bothered to spend time mastering techniques of that level. He'd be better off using that time to practice with his twin blades.
After a while, when his close-combat skills had improved and his chakra had grown along with his body, he'd learn B-rank ninjutsu.
Then his long- and close-range abilities would improve together, and his path to becoming stronger would truly begin.
As for Nebula Kotetsu?
He wasn't even sure if Nebula had a B-rank ninjutsu.
Just a C-rank Great Fireball.
He refused to believe Nebula could do anything special with it!
Before you continue