Scouting for a Teacher! (Two-in-one)

Night, stars twinkled in the sky.

When Uzumaki Kuming finished his day of training and returned home, it was already 8:00 PM. As he pushed open the living room door, the voice of Uzumaki Mito reached his ears.

"Where have you been all afternoon?"

"What happened to your hand?"

Hearing Mito's voice, Kuming froze at the doorway for a moment. He hadn't expected Mito to be awake at this hour. Ever since Uzumaki Mito learned of the Uzumaki Clan's annihilation, her health had plummeted, and she spent at least 20 out of every 24 hours asleep. By all accounts, she should have been in her room resting by now.

"I'm sorry, Grandma Mito. I was training in the back mountains this afternoon."

"As for my hand, it's from practicing a new technique."

Seeing Mito's stern expression, Kuming felt a bit embarrassed. At this moment, he felt like a child returning home late from school, caught off guard by a parent's interrogation. His right hand was still covered in numerous wounds; although the bleeding had stopped, the hand still looked quite severe.

Furthermore, Kuming's face was etched with exhaustion. He had used the Multi Shadow Clone Technique to accelerate his training and gain experience, so his fatigue didn't look like someone who had just finished a simple session, but rather like someone who had just survived a fierce, life-or-death battle.

"The back mountains? Tell me the truth!"

"I didn't sense your chakra in the back mountains!"

Mito's brows furrowed, and her previously closed eyes opened a slit, looking at Kuming with severity.

"Grandma Mito, it's the truth. I set up a barrier while I was training, which is why my chakra didn't leak out."

Seeing that Mito seemed genuinely angry, Kuming hurriedly explained. It was indeed his fault; this was the first time he had returned home at such an hour, so it was no wonder Mito was worried.

"Come here." Uzumaki Mito's expression softened slightly, and she beckoned to Kuming. Seeing her gesture, Uzumaki Kuming walked over.

Reaching her side, Uzumaki Kuming's right hand was taken into Mito's grasp. Warm chakra emanated from her hand, and the wounds on Kuming's right hand began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Kuming, there won't be a next time." Mito said while treating his wounds.

Uzumaki Kuming knew what she meant and nodded gently, though his gaze remained curiously fixed on the medical ninjutsu she was using. This technique would be of immense help to his future training.

"Kuming, you must understand that even within Konoha, your situation is not absolutely safe. You were attacked at the Ninja Academy, let alone in the sparsely populated back mountains. If you need to train, isn't the home dojo enough for you?"

Uzumaki Mito spoke earnestly. Seeing that the wounds on Kuming's hand had completely healed, she stopped the technique and looked at him with a solemn expression.

"I know. Ever since you told me about the Jinchuriki, I've understood my situation. And I haven't encountered any attacks since that incident at the Academy, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

"Besides, I wasn't without precautions while training; didn't I set up a barrier?"

"Grandma Mito, please don't worry, take care of your health."

Kuming withdrew his gaze. Seeing Mito's solemn expression, a warmth welled up in his heart. This feeling—it was undoubtedly the feeling of family.

"Hmm, caution is never a mistake. The reason you haven't been attacked in the last two years is likely because Konoha is currently at war, and those who wish to harm you are probably too busy to look your way."

"You just completed the Yin Seal today; what technique were you practicing this afternoon?"

Mito seemed to have let the matter go and began to show interest in the ninjutsu Kuming was practicing. Kuming trusted Uzumaki Mito from the bottom of his heart, so he didn't hide anything and directly channeled chakra into his hand.

He unleashed his Chidori, which couldn't even be considered a semi-finished product. Kuming's right hand began to be covered by powerful lightning-attribute chakra, but unlike Kakashi's Chidori, Kuming didn't use any hand seals, nor did it emit the sound of chirping birds. Rather than a Chidori, it looked more like the Third Raikage's Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite.

"A technique that coats the hand in high-density, high-intensity chakra. Is this the Third Raikage Ai's Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite?"

"Are you planning to replicate that technique?"

Uzumaki Mito was, after all, someone who had lived through the war years, and her knowledge of ninjutsu was quite extensive. The moment she saw Kuming's technique, the first thing she thought of was the Third Raikage's Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite. After Tobirama Senju was ambushed and killed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku in the Land of Lightning, Mito had personally gone to the Land of Lightning to investigate the matter.

She had originally thought the Land of Lightning had played a trick to murder Tobirama, but upon investigation, she discovered it was a misunderstanding, as the Second Raikage of the Land of Lightning had also been assassinated around the same time.

During that infiltration, Mito had briefly clashed with the current Third Raikage, and she had a deep memory of his ninjutsu.

"Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite? Is that the technique known as the strongest spear in the ninja world?"

"I've never seen it, I don't know about that."

"I just wanted to try utilizing the properties of lightning-attribute chakra, so I did some experimenting."

Uzumaki Kuming scratched his head and feigned ignorance. Mito didn't doubt him; after all, she had watched Kuming grow up, and he had never left the village. The only time he had was for the Ninja Academy entrance exam, so he couldn't possibly have had the opportunity to witness the Third Raikage's ninjutsu.

"Your idea is quite good, but there are already pioneers on this path."

"The Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite is an S-rank ninjutsu even in the Land of Lightning, and its difficulty is far beyond that of ordinary techniques. Among all the ninjas in the hidden villages, only the Third Raikage Ai has mastered it."

"This technique is extremely difficult to even learn; to replicate it would be no less difficult than creating a new S-rank ninjutsu from scratch."

"Your time should not be wasted on this."

Uzumaki Mito carefully examined the chakra swirling around Kuming's hand, then shook her head gently and continued:

"You have shown exceptional talent for ninjutsu since you were young. Whether it is chakra control or nature transformation, your level is far beyond what I imagined."

"To be honest, before you, I never thought anyone could learn the Yin Seal at your age."

"But even so, I do not approve of you trying to replicate the One-Finger Nukite right now."

"For your current stage, there are many things you can learn and master."

"I suggest you put this technique aside for now."

Kuming had been quite excited to show Uzumaki Mito his latest masterpiece, hoping she would provide some advice based on her vast experience, but he hadn't expected her to urge him to give it up. This dampened his enthusiasm quite a bit.

Although he wasn't very happy about it, after Kuming thought about it carefully, he realized that what Mito said actually made a lot of sense. At his current stage, he needed to rapidly improve his immediate combat effectiveness and find ways to utilize his massive chakra in battle; therefore, learning the techniques of his predecessors would greatly increase his efficiency.

Developing a new jutsu is an incredibly time-consuming endeavor. Not only does it fail to provide an immediate boost to combat effectiveness until completion, but there is no guarantee the technique will even be successfully realized. While Uzumaki Kuming considered himself a genius, genius alone is not enough for jutsu development; one also needs a bit of luck.

Even if a new technique is completed, if it turns out to be impractical, it would be a massive waste of time. Kuming was not currently at a bottleneck where his strength could only be improved through new jutsu. Rather, he had set his sights too high from the start, wanting to develop a new technique before he had even mastered a single Lightning Release jutsu.

"But Grandma, my only chakra nature is Lightning, and there is currently no one who can teach me Lightning Release."

"The teachers at the Ninja Academy are impossible to ask for anything beyond the basic Three Body Techniques."

"I have already completed the Yin Seal, and now I want to learn more Lightning Release to improve my strength."

"Aside from developing my own, I can't think of any other way."

Uzumaki Kuming wore a troubled expression, though he already had a clear goal in mind. He knew that completing a new jutsu could not be achieved overnight, and the best approach at this stage was to find a teacher who could instruct him in Lightning Release. However, he didn't know any Lightning Release experts in Konoha.

This was the moment to rely on his beloved Grandma Mito to help him scout out an excellent teacher.

"Hmm."

"I did overlook that issue. Your study of sealing techniques has indeed reached a certain height; further improvement requires constant study, research, and accumulation."

"But in terms of jutsu, you do need a teacher to guide you. I am not proficient in Lightning Release, so I truly cannot teach you in that regard."

Hearing Uzumaki Kuming's words, Mito lowered her head in thought.

"Most of the Lightning Release experts in Konoha have been dispatched to the borders. I do recall that there is a child in the Hatake clan who is skilled in Lightning Release, a boy named Sakumo. In times of peace, I could have asked him to teach you, but he is very busy right now, and I wouldn't want to trouble him."

Kuming felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead at Mito's words. Hatake Sakumo was over thirty years old, yet in Mito's mouth, he was still just a "child." Then again, in front of Mito, not just Sakumo, but even Hiruzen Sarutobi was likely considered a child.

"I have thought of someone; he should be able to spare some time to teach you."

"Get some rest early today. After you finish school tomorrow, I will have him come to the house."

Mito pondered for a moment, then smiled and patted Kuming on the head. Kuming didn't know who Uzumaki Mito had scouted for him, but seeing her happy expression, it was surely a powerhouse.

"Grandma, let me help you back to your room to rest." Seeing Mito prepare to stand, Kuming hurried forward to support her, his gratitude beyond words. This was why the strength of clan-based ninjas was generally superior to civilian ninjas: clan bloodline talent was one factor, but the connections accumulated by a clan were something a civilian ninja could never match.

If this were anyone else, let alone having a specialized teacher come to their home to instruct them, even if you went to beg someone to teach you, they might still want to test the child's aptitude to see if they were worth the time.

"Good. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Tell the kitchen to prepare something."

"Don't worry about the Lightning Release teacher; I will arrange it for you. I guarantee I will find you a suitable one."

Mito returned to her room with Kuming's support. After seeing her settled, Kuming went to the kitchen to have the cook prepare some food. After finishing dinner in the dining room, he returned to his room, studied sealing techniques for a while, and made some notes on his afternoon training before heading to bed.

Kuming had not completely given up on developing a new jutsu; he had simply lowered its priority. To become a powerhouse, having a hand-signless jutsu was crucial. He could not give up on the Chidori. Originally, using Chidori required hand signs, but Kuming intended to combine the Chidori with the One-Finger Nukite to create a new, signless technique.

However, that project would be quite an undertaking.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, after parting with his family, Kuming went to the academy alone. Before leaving, he snuck into Tsunade's room, stole some cosmetics, and covered the mark on his forehead. The children at the Ninja Academy were a hidden pool of talent, and those from major clans were incredibly knowledgeable.

He did not want to leak the fact that he had already mastered the Yin Seal; doing so would surely attract unwanted attention. Attracting the eyes of his own people in Konoha was one thing, but he feared that spies from other villages might learn of it and send assassins to kill him.

In the current ninja world, geniuses faced many dangers. Infighting between different factions within the same village and enemy villages sending assassins to nip geniuses in the bud were common occurrences.

Although makeup might not hide it perfectly, taking precautions was always for the best.

Arriving at school, Kuming greeted some familiar classmates and took his seat. Although he had become familiar with his classmates over the past two years, his relationships with them were not deep. In their eyes, Kuming was always a quiet, eccentric person.

The main reason was that Kuming simply couldn't relate to these little brats. The things they found interesting were, in his eyes, incredibly dull. Therefore, he spent his time at school doing his own things—refining chakra, pondering sealing techniques, or listening to the teacher's lectures.

As a result, time at the academy passed quite quickly for Kuming, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for school to end.

Uzumaki Kuming was currently a third-year student, and the children in his class were all eight years old. The lower grades at the academy had very few class hours, and school usually let out around 3:00 PM. This gave the students a great deal of freedom and was also a way of accommodating the children of the clans.

After school, the children of the ninja clans had additional training to do at home, so the time after school was when they widened the gap between themselves and the civilian children.

Curious about who Mito had found to be his teacher, Kuming bolted out of the classroom the moment the final bell rang, leaving the academy teacher's shouts in his dust.

"That kid Kuming, he really leaves fast after school." The teacher on the podium shook his head at Kuming's retreating figure. He had wanted to discuss something with him, but it seemed that would have to wait until tomorrow.

Once outside the school gates, Kuming stopped suppressing his speed, leaped onto the rooftops, and raced toward home.

In the living room of the Senju estate, Uzumaki Mito sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of tea and chatting with a middle-aged man sitting to her side.

"Monkey, the child should be back any moment. Drink your tea and wait a little longer." Uzumaki Mito kept her eyes closed, appearing to be resting, yet her movements while drinking tea remained unaffected.

"Lady Mito, you are too kind."

"If Uzumaki Kuming's situation is truly as you described, then even in these times, it is quite necessary to spare some time to instruct this child."

The middle-aged man sitting to Mito's side had a goatee on his chin, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes revealed his age. His thin frame was draped in a white haori, and beside him sat a white conical hat with the kanji for "Fire" written on it.

"Look, he's here." Mito narrowed her eyes into slits and smiled. No sooner had she spoken than a shout echoed into the living room, and a second later, the front door was thrown open.

"Grandma Mito! I'm home!"

"Uh..."

"Lord Hokage?"

Kuming had pulled open the living room door in high spirits, only to freeze upon seeing the middle-aged man sitting in the guest seat. The teacher Uzumaki Mito had found for him was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!