"Jiuming, Fuinjutsu is really just a different way of using chakra. If ninjutsu uses Hand Seals to guide the release of chakra, then Fuinjutsu uses formulas to guide its release."
"The foundation of the Uzumaki Clan is this method of using chakra, which differs from that of most other ninja clans. It's a secret art passed down from generation to generation."
In a hidden room in the study, little Uzumaki Jiuming sat in front of a huge desk. Though it was called a desk, it was really more like a low table. People in Konoha were used to sitting on the floor, so the table was quite low.
Uzumaki Mito sat beside Jiuming, pointing at a scroll with no title as she explained Fuinjutsu to him.
"Fuinjutsu formulas are constructed with chakra, so the user needs to have excellent chakra control. If you can master some Fuinjutsu, controlling the chakra inside your body will be easy."
As she spoke, Mito rested one hand on Jiuming's head and ruffled his hair.
Four-year-old Jiuming had inherited his parents' genes. He looked seven-tenths like Kushina Uzumaki, with the same baby face, delicate features, and the appearance of a little porcelain doll. Mito adored him. Everyone liked cute children, and Mito, who was already a grandmother, liked them all the more.
Jiuming listened closely to Mito's explanation, understanding what she meant. In the original story, both the Fourth Hokage, who developed the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, and Kushina, who mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains, had achieved top-tier chakra control.
Their son, Naruto Uzumaki, had inherited this strength, too. Early on, the Nine-Tails made his chakra control seem terrible. He couldn't even perform the Clone Technique, one of the Three Body Techniques. But later, he mastered forbidden techniques like the Multi Shadow Clone Technique and other ninjutsu such as the Rasengan, which showed just how frightening his talent really was.
Naruto's outstanding control was also apparent after his Tailed Beast Transformation. The fact that he didn't lose control despite his enormous chakra said a lot.
A ninja's talent could be divided into four categories. The first was Kekkei Genkai: having one and not having one put people at completely different starting points. ♦ The second was chakra reserves. There was a huge difference between having a lot of chakra and having little. Just imagine—if Kakashi didn't have that weakness, would he still be the one who always tied? Perhaps "Hatake, Ten Wins, Zero Losses" would have become his nickname.
The third was chakra control. Exceptional chakra control could lead to a qualitative improvement in strength. Why had Sakura Haruno, with no prominent family, ordinary effort, and average chakra reserves, become one of the new Sannin? Her apprenticeship was one reason, but another was her exceptional chakra-control talent, which surpassed that of most people, including Shizune.
Shizune hadn't inherited Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Technique, while Sakura Haruno had. That was proof enough.
The last category was battle sense. People grew differently through combat, and talented people could adapt to the battlefield at a young age. Sasuke was much better at this than Naruto.
It was worth mentioning Taijutsu talent. In Konoha's current climate, it couldn't be used as a measure of a ninja's potential. People like Lee and Guy had extremely poor chakra control and couldn't use ninjutsu, so at first, they weren't considered to have what it took to be ninjas.
Come to think of it, as Kushina Uzumaki's younger brother, I probably shouldn't be too bad at chakra control.
Jiuming had spent the past few years unable to figure out how to use the lightning hidden in his chakra. Today, with Uzumaki Mito guiding him, he had tried gathering chakra for the first time, only to immediately lose control of it. In other words, he hadn't received any ninja training yet. He was only just getting started.
Though Jiuming hadn't undergone any ninja training, the range of his Mind's Eye had kept expanding over the years. Even without using chakra, he had excellent sensory abilities, and even someone as powerful as Uzumaki Mito couldn't detect him probing her.
"Let's start with the simplest training, Jiuming."
"First, try to move your chakra."
Mito looked at Jiuming and casually put up a barrier to protect all the scrolls.
"Okay, Grandma Mito."
"BOOM~~~~"
Spring turned to autumn, flowers bloomed and withered, and before they knew it, another year had passed.
Today was Kushina Uzumaki's twelfth birthday. Tomorrow, she would take the Ninja Academy graduation exam.
"Jiuming, here's a piece of candy. Take it home and eat it." On the street not far from Uzumaki Mito's residence, Jiuming walked home with a small gift box in his hand. Behind him, Tsunade strolled along with her hands clasped behind her head, looking bored as she responded to the residents who greeted her.
After all, Tsunade was the First's granddaughter and the Third Hokage's student. She was quite famous in the village.
A shopkeeper saw Jiuming and Tsunade walking together and kindly held out a piece of candy to entice the little boy.
"Big Sister Tsunade, I want that candy..." Jiuming looked delighted and pointed at it innocently.
"Don't pretend. You hate sweets."
"If you don't like it, why accept it?"
Though Tsunade said this, she still took the candy from the woman, thanked her, then came back and handed it to Jiuming.
"She meant well. Wouldn't it be rude to refuse?"
"Besides, if I don't eat it, I can give it to you, Big Sister~"
Jiuming took the candy from Tsunade, bowed to the woman from a distance, then continued on his way home. Tsunade watched him, momentarily stunned.
"This kid's pretty polite." It was the first time Tsunade had taken Jiuming out with her. She usually didn't have time to look after children.
This time, she'd suddenly realized that the child in her family was rather polite. She couldn't remember anyone at home teaching him manners. Kushina had been spoiled to the point of being a little out of control, but this boy hadn't turned out like his big sister...
Before this, Jiuming had barely ever left the house. It took a lot of coaxing for the nanny to get him outside for some fresh air. At home, he spent his time eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom, or else he was in Mito's study or the training hall. Normally, Jiuming didn't seem like the sort to care about manners, but at five years old, he didn't have much of a child's nature. Tsunade couldn't understand why he was so polite when they went out.
"Big Sister~ I brought you a present." As soon as they got home, Jiuming ran to the yard outside the training hall. Kushina Uzumaki was throwing Kunai in the yard, but when she saw Jiuming hurrying over with something in his hand, she immediately stopped. Tsunade followed far behind. Watching the siblings talk in the yard, she smiled knowingly and went off to find Mito.
In the yard, Jiuming proudly handed Kushina the little gift box.
"Big Sister, open it and see." Jiuming narrowed his eyes at Kushina, looking a little expectant.
"Mm." Kushina was happy to receive a present. She quickly opened it and found a Kunai inside. But this Kunai was unusual: it had a complex formula on it. The formula's markings were close in color to the Kunai, but they were still visible if you looked carefully.
"What's this?" Kushina had thought the present might be a little toy or something, but her younger brother had given her a Kunai—and it looked like no ordinary one.
"An Explosive Kunai."
"I added a formula to it. You only need to feed it a little chakra to activate it. Then, as soon as the tip touches something, it'll explode. It's pretty powerful, so be careful with it, Big Sister."
"I made this Kunai especially for you. If not for Big Sister Tsunade, I couldn't have gotten a Kunai that could hold chakra."
Kushina knew that Mito had started teaching Jiuming Fuinjutsu specifically a year ago, but she couldn't imagine that he could make something like this at such a young age. This had to be an advanced application of Fuinjutsu. Not everyone could make a weapon designed to explode on impact.
After all, making Explosive Tags had always been a secret held by the various ninja villages, and sales of this kind of military equipment were strictly controlled. If you weren't a ninja, you had nowhere to buy them.
"How powerful is it?" Kushina curiously picked up the Kunai and examined it. The formula on it was rather complex, reminding her of something that had happened before. Her expression changed.
"Look, see that three-story house? One shot and it's gone." Jiuming casually pointed to a three-story house in front of the yard. He hadn't tested it himself, but Mito had tried it for him a while ago and told him the result~
"I'm going back to the study. Be careful with it, Big Sister." Jiuming ignored Kushina, who was still frozen in place, and went back to the study on his own.
In the study, Jiuming sat cross-legged in front of the desk, carefully reading a scroll in his hands. Beside him was a delicate little pastry and a cup of green tea. The entire chamber was brightly lit, casting his shadow across the bookshelves.
"I've memorized the Four Symbols Seal formula, but there are still many parts I can't work out when I try to use it. I've probably reached the limit of what I can figure out by myself. I need a teacher."
Ever since Mito had allowed him into the study, Jiuming had spent most of his time there. He was naturally quiet and clearly different from other children. They liked to play; he didn't.
Compared with playing around, Jiuming, who knew how dangerous this world was, longed for power. From the moment he entered this world, he'd known how little a life was worth. So he tried to seize every chance to become stronger, and keeping to himself became his daily routine.
The Fuinjutsu before him was one way to grow stronger. Back when Mito had taught Jiuming to read using the Scroll of Sealing, he'd memorized many of the ninjutsu recorded in it. He didn't know what some of the stranger techniques did, but there were two he'd had his eye on for a long time.
One was the legendary Flying Thunder God Technique, and the other was the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. The medium for both techniques was Fuinjutsu! That was exactly why Jiuming had no resistance to learning Fuinjutsu. He wasn't stupid—why waste the prime of his life learning Fuinjutsu instead of training his body or developing the Rasengan like all those young people who'd been reincarnated into this world~
Fuinjutsu was useful, so he learned it. Under Mito's guidance, Jiuming's Taijutsu was pretty good, too. By now, he was walking on two legs, so to speak. He hadn't neglected either techniques or physical training.
Before you continue