The shouts from outside the dojo made the smile vanish from Tsunade's face. Even Mito looked rather displeased. Her little grandson really was too much trouble.
Before long, the dojo's gate opened, revealing a boy of eleven or twelve. He had black hair that looked faintly brown in the sunlight, and a Forehead Protector bearing Konoha's symbol. He wasn't very tall, either—only about 155 centimeters. Even compared to other kids his age, he was on the short side.
"Nawaki! You're supposed to be training at home. Where have you been?"
Tsunade's expression was less than pleasant. After hearing her younger brother shout about wanting to go to war, she was already in a bad mood. And after seeing Jiuming's talent and maturity, she was even more dissatisfied with her brother.
"Oh! I was practicing with Big Brother Kotaro."
"I heard you were back in the village, Sis, so I came straight home."
Nawaki looked almost exactly like Naruto Uzumaki had as a child, and he had the same carefree personality. He didn't notice Tsunade's expression at all and continued speaking with an innocent look on his face:
"Sis, the battlefield in the Land of Rain must be really exciting. The next time you head to the front lines, take me with you!"
As Nawaki spoke about the battlefield, excitement crept into his expression.
"Big Brother Nawaki, why do you want to go to war?"
Before Tsunade could lose her temper, Jiuming spoke up from the side. He and his sister had been in Konoha for seven years now, living in Mito's home for just as long. Both Tsunade and Nawaki considered the siblings part of the family, so it wasn't strange for Jiuming to ask.
"Oh! Jiuming, you're not in the study?"
Nawaki greeted him with a smile. He was a little surprised to see Jiuming outside the study. As far as he could remember, Jiuming was a homebody who had loved reading in the study since he was little. Even after starting school, he'd still spend all his free time there.
But Nawaki didn't dwell on such a small thing. He answered:
"Why do I want to go to war? Obviously, because I want to become Hokage! How can I become Hokage without any battle achievements?"
Nawaki answered without giving it a second thought. It was clear that becoming Hokage had long been etched into his heart. Just like Naruto, he told everyone he met that he wanted to become Hokage. It had become his catchphrase.
"Become Hokage?"
"Big Brother Nawaki, then why do you want to become Hokage?"
Jiuming continued, a curious look on his face.
"I want to be like my grandfather and become a great Hokage. I want to restore the Senju Clan's glory."
"That's my dream!"
"But you're just a kid. You probably don't understand what a dream is."
A hint of nostalgia came over Nawaki's face. He seemed to be trying to picture himself becoming Hokage, just like Hashirama Senju.
"So you think you need battle achievements to become Hokage, Big Brother Nawaki?"
"You want to go to the battlefield and earn merit?"
Jiuming's expression turned playful. Tsunade and Mito remained silent, curious to see what Jiuming was getting at.
"Of course. What's wrong with that?" Nawaki saw Jiuming's strange expression and couldn't figure out what he'd said wrong.
"Nothing's wrong with that. I just don't know what kind of achievements someone with your abilities could earn on the battlefield."
"Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama were great shinobi who brought the Warring States Period to an end. Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was also instrumental in ending the First Shinobi World War."
"Do you think you can do the same, Big Brother Nawaki? With your current abilities, can you bring this war to an end?"
"You should focus on the things that are appropriate to your position. You're not even a Chunin yet. Shouldn't you be taking C-rank missions and working hard to improve your skills?"
"Shouldn't more experienced shinobi be the ones going to the battlefield?"
Jiuming kept his innocent expression, but he didn't pull any punches when he criticized Nawaki. He couldn't understand why a kid Nawaki's age would want to go to war. Wasn't there a limit to how eagerly someone could volunteer to die? Who would be in such a hurry to sign up as cannon fodder?
Jiuming would do anything to avoid going to war, yet this hotheaded fool was asking to be sent there. He couldn't understand the way Nawaki's mind worked.
"Jiuming's right. You're all arms and legs. What good would you do at the front?"
"If you really want to become Hokage, focus on improving your skills. Once you become a Chunin, they'll naturally assign you more difficult missions."
"Then all you'll have to do is perform well."
"For now, stay in the village."
Tsunade chimed in at the right moment. At first, she'd been glad that her younger brother was working hard toward his goal of becoming Hokage. She'd genuinely supported him on that path.
But after going to war herself, she'd learned just how cruel it was. Compared to a major war, the missions she'd carried out before had been a breeze. Missions to protect clients were far safer than the near-certain death that awaited on the battlefield.
Now, hearing Nawaki insist on going to war, Tsunade realized that he didn't understand what being Hokage meant. It seemed her brother had gone down the wrong path.
"But Kotaro and I already agreed to see who could earn more merit on the battlefield!"
When Tsunade objected, Nawaki immediately protested.
"Kotaro? So he's dragging someone else along to get themselves killed. What a guy."
Jiuming recognized the familiar name. Sarutobi Kotaro was the Third Hokage's eldest son, and he was already a Chunin. The pressure at the front had been building lately, so Hiruzen had assigned Sarutobi Kotaro to transport supplies to the battlefield.
Strictly speaking, Sarutobi Kotaro was already on the battlefield. Jiuming hadn't realized that he was the reason Nawaki had started clamoring to go, too.
The backbone of Konoha's frontline forces was currently made up of Chunin. Jonin were few and far between, and they usually served as commanders or squad leaders. Most of the shinobi in direct combat were Chunin. As a result, after such a long war, they were suffering the highest casualties.
Jonin were individually stronger and far fewer in number, so they weren't dying at the same rate as Chunin. So far, Konoha had mostly sent veterans over twenty to the main front. Younger Chunin under twenty and Genin in their teens generally served in support roles, usually transporting supplies within the country.
Their work was comparatively safe.
Unless there was no other choice, Konoha wouldn't send a boy like Nawaki, who was young and came from a prominent clan, to the battlefield. The only exception would be if someone in the Senju Clan took Nawaki there themselves to give him combat experience.
"No buts. I said you're not going, and that's final!"
When Nawaki tried to argue again, Tsunade punched him on the top of the head. The blow hurt so much that he grimaced and couldn't speak.
"Ow!" Nawaki clutched his head and cried out. But he knew better than to keep talking about going to war in front of Tsunade. Still, his expression made it clear he hadn't given up on the idea.
"All right, you two, that's enough. Let's go eat."
Mito watched Nawaki take his beating and smiled. She reached out and gently rubbed his head. The pain faded under her soothing touch. Nawaki stuck his tongue out at Tsunade, then dashed out of the dojo.
Tsunade raised her brows, ready to lose her temper, but Nawaki had already vanished.
"That boy! I'm going to teach him a lesson!" she said angrily.
"Now, now. It's normal for a child his age to admire the previous generation. I've already spoken to Monkey. Nawaki won't be sent to the battlefield anytime soon."
Mito seemed very confident about Nawaki's situation. But seeing how optimistic she was made Jiuming wary. Nawaki hadn't died on the main battlefield. He'd been sent there near the end of the war.
Rather than going to war, he'd been sent out for training. And thanks to Tsunade, he'd been attached to Orochimaru's unit. But during a cleanup operation, Nawaki had fallen into a trap the enemy had laid in advance and died before Orochimaru could save him.
If Nawaki had stayed safely by Orochimaru's side on the battlefield, nothing would have happened to him. He could have easily gained some experience and added a few good marks to his record. But Nawaki's carelessness, along with Tsunade's and Orochimaru's, had led to his untimely death. Maybe it was just fate.
"I wish Nawaki were as sensible as Jiuming." Reassured by Mito, Tsunade glanced back at Jiuming and sighed.
"Tsunade, everyone has a different personality. I actually wish I could be as lively as Big Brother Nawaki."
Uzumaki Jiuming watched Nawaki's retreating figure and spoke softly.
With Nawaki leaving without even eating, the whole family's mood soured. Lunch ended in a heavy silence. Afterward, Tsunade hurried out of the house, and Kushina seemed to have received some news and left as well.
Mito seemed tired after the meal, so Jiuming helped her back to her room to rest. The whole family had planned to enjoy a happy meal together, but in the end, the house was left quiet and empty.
Jiuming had just completed the Yin Seal, but he wasn't about to start his next round of training yet. Mainly, he hadn't decided what to focus on.
After lunch, Jiuming felt a little bored. Once he'd helped Mito back to her room, he left the house and wandered aimlessly through Konoha.
As he walked through the village, looking at the busy shops on either side of the road, Jiuming began to seriously consider what he should train next.
First, he could be sure he'd keep training in Taijutsu. He couldn't let his current training intensity drop, because Taijutsu was built up drop by drop, one bead of sweat at a time. Besides, he was still young and growing, and his Chakra reserves hadn't yet reached their full potential.
Keeping up a good training regimen would help him build a stronger body in the future and increase his Chakra capacity. So he couldn't give up Taijutsu training.
He hadn't let up on Fuinjutsu in the past two years, either. He'd learned quite a few B-rank techniques and a whole bunch of C-rank ones. He'd even mastered several A-rank techniques, and the Yin Seal could be considered an S-rank technique. So he planned to take a break from studying Fuinjutsu for now.
My top priority is increasing my combat ability. Even kids Kotaro's age are being sent to the battlefield. The most brutal part of the Second Shinobi World War must be coming soon.
At this rate, people my age might be sent to the battlefield, too. I need to learn a few high-damage jutsu. I can handle defense with Fuinjutsu, but where am I supposed to learn offensive jutsu?
The techniques in the Scroll of Sealing aren't something I can learn in a day or two.
As he pondered, Jiuming passed a dango shop and saw a white-haired man in his thirties leaving with a pregnant woman. Calling him middle-aged wouldn't be quite right; he was only about thirty, still quite a ways off from middle age.
Is that Hatake Sakumo?
Seeing Hatake Sakumo sparked an idea in Jiuming's mind. He thought of a technique that would be suitable for him at this stage.
Is that pregnant woman Hatake Sakumo's wife? Then the baby in her belly must be Kakashi~
Jiuming noticed the woman with Hatake Sakumo and wondered who she was. But he didn't go over to greet them. He didn't know Hatake Sakumo that well, and it wouldn't be right to interrupt them while they were taking a day off.
But seeing Hatake Sakumo reminded Jiuming of a jutsu that would suit him at this stage: Chidori, the unsealed jutsu Kakashi invented. Jiuming didn't know exactly how to learn it, but he had a few basic ideas about it.
With that thought, Jiuming quickly left, planning to find an empty Training Ground and test his idea. He couldn't experiment with a jutsu as explosive as Chidori in the dojo at home. He didn't want to destroy it.
"Hmm?" Hatake Sakumo seemed to sense someone watching him. He looked up and saw Uzumaki Jiuming turning away.
"Uzumaki Jiuming? That super-genius." Hatake Sakumo wondered why the boy had been watching him.
"What is it, dear?" The woman beside Hatake Sakumo noticed his unusual reaction and asked.
"Nothing. I saw someone I know."
"I'll keep walking with you."
Hatake Sakumo smiled warmly and gently placed a hand on the pregnant woman's belly as he explained.
"Okay!" The woman smiled sweetly, and they continued their stroll.
After leaving the street, Jiuming quickly made his way to an unused Training Ground. Because of the war, many shinobi had been sent to the front, and most of the Training Grounds in the village were empty.
After looking around and confirming no one else was there, Jiuming quickly set up a barrier around the Training Ground. It could block sound and Chakra fluctuations from passing in or out, and it also had some sensory functions. He'd know the moment anyone entered.
That way, no one would be likely to spy on him while he trained here.
After finding a suitable place to train, Jiuming was at a loss for how to begin.
"Chidori should be similar to Rasengan, right? Rasengan is an unsealed jutsu that compresses and gathers Chakra into a sphere. Its damage comes mainly from the enormous force generated by its rotation, so it focuses on changing Chakra's form."
"Chidori should be based on changing the nature of Chakra. It relies on the speed and piercing power of Lightning Release Chakra to create devastating force."
"In essence, it seems similar to the Third Raikage's Hell Stab, One-Finger Nukite. That might be even more powerful, though."
With that in mind, Uzumaki Jiuming tried to gather Chakra in his palm. Even though it was his first attempt, his Lightning Release Chakra gathered there easily. Sparks of lightning danced around his hand, dazzling him slightly.
"Why can't you use Chidori without the Sharingan? I've never seen the Third Raikage use the Sharingan when he uses One-Finger Nukite~ His One-Finger Nukite should be even faster, right?"
Jiuming had a few questions. Then he formed the hand posture the Third Raikage used for One-Finger Nukite and thrust his hand toward a boulder nearby. He didn't use Strength of a Hundred; he just jabbed as hard as he could.
""
The rock didn't budge.
"Hiss~~~~~"
The sharp pain in his fingertip made Jiuming double over like a shrimp. Clutching his right hand with his left, he sucked in a sharp breath, then writhed on the ground with a contorted expression.
"Fuck!" The pain was too intense for Jiuming to control himself, and the curse slipped out.
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