Is He Really Only Seven Years Old?

Kyohiko Yoshimine.

This name had been crossing Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind frequently of late, leading to an increase in his attention toward the boy.

A fine youth.

He possessed talent, original ideas, and a remarkably mature way of thinking.

If guided properly, perhaps he could become a pillar of Konoha's future, much like Minato.

However.

Tsunade had come by this morning...

"Has something happened?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi reached for his pipe, but forced himself to stop and put it back down.

Tsunade said, "Great-Aunt Toka risked life and limb for my father back in the day, and in the end, she gained nothing. I should look after her only descendant."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had no response to that!

In fact.

He felt as if a crowd of people were pointing fingers at him, claiming he hadn't done enough.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a moment before saying, "I can still provide him with some Water Release and genjutsu techniques."

"No need!"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and immediately refused.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback.

"You don't want them?"

"He's only seven years old; what would he need with so many high-level ninjutsu? Kyohiko is very clever. Once his foundation is solid, he will naturally learn many techniques on his own. There is no need to teach him deliberately."

"Oh, right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a sense of daze.

The boy was only seven!

The child's conduct and style were so mature that he always subconsciously forgot how young he really was.

"Remember to send him over to my place."

Tsunade waved her hand as she spoke and pulled the door shut behind her.

Leaving the office, Tsunade let out an involuntary sigh.

Kyohiko didn't need specific ninjutsu at all; what he needed was fundamental theory and knowledge.

"Kyohiko, you don't need to practice powerful ninjutsu for the time being. Don't waste your energy on the Rasengan for now."

"Teacher, I really need it!"

Kyohiko hurriedly grabbed Jiraiya's hand, forgetting all about politeness.

This was the Rasengan, after all!

Jiraiya rolled his eyes.

"You brat, you even dared to attempt Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred on your own. I wouldn't dare teach you that technique right now, and don't you go trying to figure it out in secret. Focus on building your foundation properly. Once you've fully mastered that technique, the Rasengan will be nothing more than a triviality to you."

"Alright."

Kyohiko felt helpless.

It seemed there was truly no room for negotiation.

However.

It didn't matter!

If he wouldn't teach him, he would practice it himself.

That was what he had originally thought, but the next second, Jiraiya leaned in close and whispered, "Tsunade went to the Third Hokage and retrieved the notebooks left behind by the Second Hokage."

"!!!"

Hiss!

Kyohiko instantly threw the Rasengan to the back of his mind.

He could learn to spin a ball of chakra anytime.

But.

The Second Hokage's notes were not something one could get just anytime.

He forcibly suppressed his excitement.

"Is that true?"

"The fact that you were able to use the Strength of a Hundred to a basic degree on your first try without sustaining heavy injuries shows that you basically meet the requirements; it's just that your physical strength is still lacking."

Jiraiya explained.

Then, he took a bag out from his robes.

"This is what I bought for you on your behalf; I'll slowly deduct the cost from your mission rewards later."

Jiraiya said indifferently.

Kyohiko looked closely.

It was something like weighted leg wraps, but designed for the hands to specifically train muscle and strength in the arms.

"How much is this?"

"One hundred and fifty thousand."

Jiraiya replied.

He said helplessly, "All my savings were lent to Tsunade to pay off her debts. In the short term, I'm just as penniless as you lot."

"Just how much does Lady Tsunade owe?"

Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Jiraiya held up one finger.

"One million?"

Kakashi asked.

Jiraiya glanced at him, his tone tinged with a hint of sorrow.

"Ten million!"

It hadn't been that much originally.

The gambling debts at the Blue Flower Pavilion were actually only around three or four million, but the Matsuyama Clan owned more than just that one establishment, and Tsunade had frequented their other gambling dens as well.

Furthermore, the other gambling houses were well-informed, and many who learned of the situation came knocking to collect.

Consequently, after some investigation, the total debt reached ten million.

What a tragic story!

Everyone fell into a silence.

Kyohiko calculated secretly in his heart—

That was worth about one-third of Chiriku.

And this was only a portion of Tsunade's gambling debts, accumulated over just a year or so. If she were given a few more years...

Heaven knows how much the debt would pile up to.

It was fortunate that no one in the ninja world dared to offer Tsunade high-interest loans; otherwise, with compound interest, she would likely never be able to pay it back.

Of course.

If it truly reached that point, the ones in danger might not be Tsunade, but those gambling houses.

Kyohiko muttered to himself.

"We've accepted the commission from the Matsuyama Clan, so it's best we don't leave the village until they arrive. Since we're here, we might as well train properly. Let's start today with a D-rank mission."

Jiraiya said, taking out the mission scroll.

Same as usual.

Carrying water!

Kyohiko put on the hand weights.

Now, with weights on both his hands and feet, it was difficult to be as agile as before, and even carrying water became strenuous.

It wasn't just him.

Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi were the same.

They all wore different levels of weights, and even performing D-rank missions required them to draw upon chakra just to maintain the strength to carry water and move forward.

This was a form of tempering.

Through perseverance, if they could push through it, their physical bodies would grow stronger much faster.

By the afternoon, the three of them were exhausted, but they only removed some of the weights to continue running and training in a lighter state.

Two days passed in a row.

On the morning of the third day, just as Kyohiko got out of bed, his window was knocked on with a "thud, thud, thud."

"Who is it?"

He asked indistinctly while holding a toothbrush, walking over to open the window.

Kyohiko was slightly stunned, then quickly brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth.

"Lady Tsunade..."

"Get dressed quickly, and come downstairs once you're ready."

Tsunade finished speaking, her figure leaping away and vanishing from the spot.

A moment later, Kyohiko went downstairs to find Tsunade already waiting in the courtyard.

Before her, a number of books were piled up.

"Are these all for me?"

Kyohiko was stunned.

Tsunade nodded. "I didn't take any complete ninjutsu scrolls. These are all my grand-uncle's research notes on Water Release, genjutsu, and other arts, along with a great deal of foundational material. You can look through them to absorb the principles and knowledge within."

Kyohiko was practically petrified.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were truly treating him like a top-tier genius.

However.

He knew his own situation best; he was no supreme genius, merely someone standing on the shoulders of giants.

Fortunately, these books were exactly what he needed most.

He flipped through a few of them, finding them increasingly invaluable.

Some were diaries, others were records of derivation processes and insights. For instance, the relationship between Water Wave and Water Severing Wave was written out, with the thought process mirroring Kyohiko's own quite closely.

Compression, condensation.

Utilizing highly condensed Water Release chakra to form a high-pressure water blade capable of severing anything.

"Lady Tsunade, thank you!"

Kyohiko expressed his gratitude solemnly.

Unless one was like Naruto, born with parents who laid the foundation and possessing an incredibly powerful, unique constitution, the basics were the cornerstone of everything.

If the foundation wasn't solid, any technique would be in vain.

Tsunade smiled. "As long as you don't think I'm being stingy."

"How could I?"

Kyohiko shook his head.

He sighed, then felt a sense of confusion.

"The principles and methods in these books are things commoners can never access. Why not disseminate them more widely?"

"Actually, they are."

Tsunade said, "During the era of the Second Hokage, the framework for the Ninja Academy was established, and he guided the Third Hokage to incorporate much of this foundational knowledge into it. The textbooks you see are the result of generations of compilation."

"The knowledge in the academy... it's good, but it lacks a process for advancement. When we graduate from the Ninja Academy, we are actually still far from being true genin, which is why we need jonin instructors. But I don't think the academy should just be like that."

Kyohiko said.

Tsunade was stunned for a moment, then asked, "How do you think it should be?"

"Graded, categorized, and tailored to individual talents once a certain stage is reached. For example, my classmate Might Guy—his talent for ninjutsu is terrible, but his taijutsu is incredibly strong. If someone like that just stays in the Ninja Academy, isn't it a waste of time?"