At dusk, after parting ways with Kakashi and wandering around the village for a while, Uzumaki Kuming returned to his residence alone. He lived by himself in a small courtyard far from the village center. Kushina had always stayed at the Senju Clan's old estate for convenient access to the hospital, so Kuming was the only one living in the spacious house.
Back home, Kuming looked around the quiet courtyard, then walked inside and went to his study to put away the scrolls he had been carrying. He also set up Fuinjutsu as a security measure for the study. During his years at Mount Myoboku, he hadn't just studied Senjutsu.
His Fuinjutsu skills had improved considerably, too. As his body grew, the Uzumaki bloodline began to show its true strength, and his Taijutsu improved by leaps and bounds, breaking through one limit after another. By now, Uzumaki Kuming had reached a certain level in both ninjutsu and physical combat.
Once Kuming had put away all the scrolls and reset the Fuinjutsu, he heard someone call from outside.
"Teacher Kuming! Are you there?"
Hearing the voice outside the courtyard, Uzumaki Kuming looked puzzled. His residence was a secret; only a handful of people knew about it. Even though Kuming had grown much stronger, the Third Hokage still hadn't relaxed his security detail. The number of Anbu stationed nearby had been increased to fifteen—five full squads.
Ordinary people couldn't even get near the courtyard, let alone make it to the gate.
"Could that be Kakashi? What's he doing here at this hour?"
Uzumaki Kuming listened closely to identify the voice and extended his senses. Once he realized it was Kakashi, he wondered what urgent business the boy might have. Kuming immediately left the study and headed for the gate.
"I'm coming, I'm