At night, stars twinkled across the sky.
When Uzumaki Kuming returned home after a full day of training, it was already eight o'clock. As soon as he opened the living room door, Uzumaki Mito's voice reached his ears.
"Where have you been all afternoon?"
"What happened to your hand?"
Hearing Mito's voice, Kuming froze in the doorway. He hadn't expected Mito to still be awake at this hour. Ever since she'd learned that the Uzumaki Clan had been wiped out, her health had declined rapidly. She spent at least twenty hours a day asleep. Normally, she would have gone back to her room by now.
"Sorry, Grandma Mito. I was training in the hills this afternoon."
"My hand got hurt while I was practicing a new technique."
Seeing Mito's stern expression, Kuming felt a little embarrassed. He was like a child coming home late after school, at a loss for what to say under a parent's questioning gaze. His right hand was still covered in wounds. The bleeding had stopped, but it still looked terrible.
Kuming's face was also covered in exhaustion. He'd used the Multi Shadow Clone Technique to help him train and gain experience that afternoon, so he looked far more worn out than someone who'd just finished training. He looked more like someone who'd just been through a fierce battle.
"The hills? Tell me the truth!"
"I couldn't sense your Chakra anywhere in the hills!"
Mito's brows drew together. She opened her previously closed eyes a sliver and looked at Kuming sternly.
"Grandma Mito, it's true. I put up a barrier while I was training, so my Chakra didn't leak out."
Seeing that Mito seemed genuinely angry, Kuming hurried to explain. But it was his fault, after all. This was the first time he'd come home this late, so it was no wonder she was worried.
"Come here." Mito's expression softened a little as she beckoned him over. Kuming walked up to her.
As soon as he reached Mito's side, she took his right hand in hers. Warm Chakra flowed from her hand, and the wounds on Kuming's right hand began healing at a visible speed.
"Kuming, don't let this happen again," Mito said as she healed his wounds.
Kuming understood what she meant and nodded lightly, but his gaze remained fixed on the healing technique she was using. This technique would be a huge help to his training in the future.
"Kuming, you need to understand that even in Konoha, you aren't completely safe. You were attacked at the Ninja Academy, so imagine how dangerous the sparsely populated hills could be. If you want to train, isn't the training hall at home enough?"
Mito spoke earnestly. Once the wounds on Kuming's hand had completely healed, she stopped using the technique and looked at him seriously.
"I know. Ever since you told me about Jinchuriki, I've understood my situation. Besides, I haven't been attacked again since the incident at the Ninja Academy. It should be fine."
"And I wasn't training without taking precautions. I put up a barrier, didn't I?"
"Grandma Mito, don't worry. Please take care of your health."
Kuming looked away from Mito's solemn expression, a warm feeling welling up inside him. This was what it felt like to have family.
"Mm. Better safe than sorry. I think you haven't been attacked these past two years because Konoha is at war. Anyone who wants to harm you is probably too busy looking after themselves right now."
"You only just completed the Yin Seal today. What technique were you practicing this afternoon?"
It seemed Mito had let the matter go. She started asking about the technique Kuming had been practicing. Kuming trusted her completely, so he didn't hide anything. He focused Chakra into his hand and showed her his technique.
He performed his Chidori—not even a half-finished version yet. His right hand was covered in powerful Lightning Release Chakra, but unlike Kakashi's Chidori, Kuming hadn't used any Hand Seals, and his technique made no chirping sound. Rather than a Chidori, it looked more like the Third Raikage's Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite.
"A technique that concentrates high-density, high-intensity Chakra on the hand. Is this the Third Raikage A's Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite?"
"Are you trying to imitate that technique?"
Mito had lived through the Warring States era, and her knowledge of Ninjutsu was extensive. The moment she saw Kuming's technique, she thought of the Third Raikage's Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite. After Tobirama Senju had been killed in an ambush by Kinkaku and Ginkaku in the Land of Lightning, Mito had gone there to investigate.
At first, she'd thought the Land of Lightning had schemed to kill Tobirama. But when she investigated, she discovered that she'd been mistaken: the Second Raikage of the Land of Lightning had also been assassinated around that time.
While she was there undercover, Mito had briefly crossed hands with the man who was now the Third Raikage. His techniques had left a deep impression on her.
"Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite? Is that the technique known as the Shinobi World's Strongest Spear?"
"I've never seen it. I don't know anything about it."
"I just wanted to make use of Lightning Release Chakra's properties, so I tried a few things."
Kuming scratched his head and put on an innocent act. Mito didn't doubt him. She'd watched him grow up, and he'd never been far from the village. The only time he'd left was for the Ninja Academy entrance exam. There was no way he'd have had a chance to see the Third Raikage's techniques.
"Your idea is a good one, but someone has already pioneered this path."
"Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite is an S-rank technique even in the Land of Lightning. It's far more difficult than ordinary Ninjutsu. Of all the shinobi in the hidden village, only Third Raikage A has mastered it."
"Learning it is already extremely difficult. Recreating it would be no less difficult than inventing a new S-rank technique."
"You shouldn't waste your time on this.♡💗 🏆💎"
Mito examined the Chakra swirling around Kuming's hand, then shook her head gently and continued:
"You showed exceptional talent for Ninjutsu from a young age. Your Chakra control and your ability to change its nature are both far beyond what I could have imagined."
"To be honest, before you, I never thought anyone your age could learn the Yin Seal."
"But even so, I don't approve of you trying to recreate One-Finger Nukite right now."
"At this stage, there are so many things you could learn and master."
"I suggest you set this technique aside for now."
Kuming had been eager to show Uzumaki Mito his latest creation, hoping her extensive experience with Ninjutsu would let her offer some advice. He hadn't expected her to tell him to give it up. His enthusiasm dimmed at once.
He wasn't very happy about it, but after thinking it over, he realized Mito was right. At this stage, he needed to improve his fighting strength as quickly as possible. He needed to find a way to use his vast reserves of Chakra in battle, so learning techniques developed by those who'd come before him would be much more efficient.
Developing a new technique was incredibly time-consuming. Before he finished it, his fighting strength wouldn't improve, and there was no guarantee he'd even complete it. Kuming considered himself a genius, but talent alone wasn't enough to develop Ninjutsu. He'd need a little luck, too.
Even if he finished the technique, what if it turned out to be impractical? That would mean wasting a lot of time for nothing. Kuming hadn't reached a bottleneck where developing a new technique was his only way to grow stronger. He'd simply set his sights too high from the start: he hadn't even learned a single Lightning Release technique, yet he was already thinking of developing one himself.
"But, Grandma, my only Chakra nature is Lightning Release, and there's no one who can teach me Lightning Release Ninjutsu right now."
"The teachers at school would never teach me anything beyond the Three Body Technique."
"I've already completed the Yin Seal, and now I want to learn more Lightning Release Ninjutsu to improve my strength."
"I can't think of any other way besides developing techniques on my own."
Kuming looked troubled, but he already had a clear goal in mind. He knew he couldn't finish a new technique overnight. The best thing to do at this stage was find a teacher who could teach him Lightning Release. But he didn't know any experts in Lightning Release in Konoha.
That was when he needed his beloved Grandma Mito to step in and help him find an excellent Ninjutsu teacher~
"Mm."
"I hadn't considered that. You've already reached a certain level in your study of Fuinjutsu. The only way to improve further is to keep learning and researching, building up your knowledge over time."
"But you do need a teacher to guide you in Ninjutsu. I'm not good at Lightning Release, so I can't teach you that."
After hearing Kuming out, Mito lowered her head and thought it over.
"Most of Konoha's Lightning Release experts have been sent to the borders. I remember there's a child in the Hatake Clan who's good at Lightning Release Ninjutsu. I think his name is Sakumo. If we were at peace, I could ask him to teach you, but he's busy right now. It wouldn't be right to trouble him."
Kuming's forehead creased at Mito's words. Hatake Sakumo was in his thirties, yet Mito still called him a child. But that was understandable. To Mito, even Sakumo—and probably Hiruzen Sarutobi, too—was still a child.
"I've thought of someone. He should be able to spare some time to teach you Ninjutsu."
"Get some rest early tonight. After school tomorrow, I'll have him come to the house."
Mito considered it for a moment, then smiled and patted Kuming on the head. Kuming had no idea what kind of teacher Mito had found for him, but judging by how happy she looked, he was sure the person was powerful.
"Grandma, let me help you back to your room." Seeing Mito prepare to stand, Kuming hurried over to support her. He was so grateful to her that he couldn't put it into words. Why were clan shinobi generally stronger than shinobi from ordinary families? Bloodline talent was one reason, but another was that the connections clans had built up were beyond the reach of ordinary shinobi.
If the same thing happened to someone else, not only would they be unable to get a dedicated teacher to come to their home, but even if they went to the teacher themselves, the teacher might first test the child's talent to see whether they were worth the time.
"Good. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Ask the kitchen to make you something."
"Don't worry about finding a Lightning Release teacher. I'll arrange it for you. I'll make sure to find someone suitable."
With Kuming supporting her, Mito returned to her room. After helping her settle in, Kuming went to the kitchen and asked the cook to prepare him some food. Once he'd finished dinner in the dining room, he returned to his room, studied Fuinjutsu for a while, and wrote down some notes on what he'd learned during the afternoon's training. Then he went to bed.
Kuming hadn't completely given up on developing a new technique. He'd simply pushed it down the priority list. It was important for a strong shinobi to have an unsealed technique at their disposal, and Kuming would never give up on the Chidori. The original Chidori required Hand Seals, but he planned to combine it with One-Finger Nukite and create a new technique that required none.
It would be a considerable undertaking, though.
The night passed uneventfully.
In the morning, after saying goodbye to his family, Kuming headed to school alone. Before leaving, he'd snuck into Tsunade's room and stolen a cosmetic to cover the mark on his forehead. The children at the Ninja Academy were no ordinary kids. Many came from major clans and knew a great deal.
He didn't want anyone to find out that he'd already learned the Yin Seal. If word got out, it would attract plenty of attention. Attention from his fellow villagers was one thing, but he was afraid spies from other villages might hear about it and send assassins after him.
In the current Shinobi World, geniuses faced many dangers. Rival factions within the same village schemed against one another, while enemy villages sent assassins to eliminate talented young shinobi. Such things were common.
Makeup might not hide it perfectly, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
When he arrived at school, Kuming greeted a few classmates he knew and took his seat. Over the past two years, he'd gotten to know the others in his class, but he wasn't particularly close to any of them. In his classmates' eyes, Kuming had always been quiet and odd.
The main problem was that Kuming simply couldn't relate to these little kids. The things they found interesting were unbearably dull to him, so he spent most of his time at school doing his own thing. He either refined Chakra, thought about Fuinjutsu, or listened to the teacher's lessons.
As a result, the time Kuming spent at the Ninja Academy passed quickly. Before long, it was time to go home~
Uzumaki Kuming was now in his third year. His classmates were all eight years old. Students in the lower grades had very few classes, and school usually let them out around three in the afternoon. That gave them plenty of free time and, in a way, helped the children of the clans.
After school, children from shinobi clans still had extra training to do at home. So for them, the hours after school were when they began to pull ahead of children from ordinary families.
Curious about the person Mito had found to teach him, Kuming dashed out of the classroom as soon as the dismissal bell rang. The teacher's shout couldn't catch up with him.
"That boy Kuming sure is quick to leave after school." The teacher watched him go and shook his head. He'd had a few things to discuss with Kuming, but it looked like they'd have to wait until tomorrow.
Once Kuming was outside the school gates, he stopped holding back. He leaped onto the rooftops and sped home.
In the living room of the Senju Clan home, Uzumaki Mito sat in the main seat, holding a cup of tea as she chatted with a middle-aged man seated beside her.
"Monkey, the child should be back soon. Have some tea and wait a little," Mito said with her eyes closed, as if resting. Yet she drank her tea without the slightest difficulty.
"Lady Mito, you're too kind."
"If Uzumaki Kuming is really as you described, then even at a time like this, it's absolutely worth finding some time to teach him."
The middle-aged man seated beside Uzumaki Mito had a small goatee, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes showed his age. His slender frame was wrapped in a white haori. Beside him lay a white hat marked with the kanji for "Fire."
"Look, here he comes." Mito narrowed her eyes to a sliver and smiled. As soon as she finished speaking, a shout came from the living room. The next moment, the door swung open.
"Grandma Mito! I'm back!"
"Uh..."
"Lord Hokage?"
Kuming excitedly pulled open the living room door, then froze when he saw the middle-aged man sitting beside Uzumaki Mito. The teacher Mito had found for him was none other than the current Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
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