Harvests, Which Matters More (Combined Chapter)

The next day.

"Knock knock knock"

After knocking three times, Taiichi stopped and stood in front of the door.

"Coming!" A sound came from inside the door, and it was Kushina's voice.

Last time, Minato went Minato shopping Kushina cooked, but this time Kushina simply First Gate. Could it be that Senior Disciple Brother Minato has already won over Kushina so early?

"Don't you ever take your keys with you when you go out?" a complaining voice rang out, and the door opened.

Before Kushina could even see who it was, the words that made her blush came. "Hello, sister-in-law, I'm here to see Senior Disciple Brother Minato!" Regardless of what she was thinking, Taiichi immediately offered her the nice words.

"It's Taiichi. Minato just went out and will be back shortly. I'm just keeping an eye on the house for him." Kushina blushed deeply.

"Yes, yes, I know everything, sister-in-law. You two are just friends." Taiichi rambled on, insisting on calling her sister-in-law, even though Kushina hadn't refused.

"Oh, I'm not going to talk to you anymore, come in!" With that, Kushina stepped aside and led Taiichi into the house.

See? He said no, but he was secretly overjoyed.

Taiichi entered the house and found it neatly tidied. He himself was a clean and tidy person, but he didn't expect Minato's house to be even more so. He didn't know whether Minato tidied it himself or Kushina did it.

"Sit down, Taiichi." Kushina, who had just entered, greeted Taiichi, who was still standing, and then went to pour him a glass of water and handed it to Taiichi.

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Taiichi quickly accepted it with both hands.

"Did you come to see Minato for something?" Kushina sat down herself and casually asked Taiichi what his purpose was.

"Hmm!" Taiichi put down his water glass, his expression becoming excited. "Didn't we discuss the One-Handed Seal last time? I figured it out during this mission."

"Oh, I figured it out." Kushina hadn't quite processed it yet.

"No, you've already figured it out yourself!" After a short while Kushina finally realized what Taiichi was talking about.

"Yes, I came here to share my experiences with Senior Disciple Brother Minato and see if I can be of any help to Senior Disciple Brother Minato," Taiichi said happily.

Kushina was a little stunned, and it took her a while to come back to her senses. The way she looked at Taiichi had changed. She and Minato had been studying for a long time without any results, but they never expected that they would succeed so easily by recognizing this junior brother.

She suddenly understood what the way others looked at her meant when she was learning Sealing Jutsu. It was the way they looked at her as if she were a monster; they were from a completely different world.

Seeing Kushina's dazed expression, Taiichi couldn't help but ask, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing. I just didn't expect you to learn it so quickly, Taiichi. You're amazing!" Kushina praised sincerely after regaining her senses.

"Actually, it was a bit of a coincidence. I wouldn't have been able to do it so quickly if I did it again." Taiichi was a little embarrassed at this point, after all, he learned it directly by adding points, not entirely through his own ability.

Just then, the sound of a key First Gate the lock came from the doorway.

Hearing the noise, Kushina happily got up and walked towards the door to welcome Minato.

The door opened, Kushina, who had been waiting nearby, took the bag from Minato's hand and said, "Minato, look who's here!"

"Who is it?" Minato asked, looking into the room. Seeing Taiichi standing up, his face immediately lit up with joy. "Oh, it's Taiichi! You're back from your mission! Did it go well?"

"Senior Disciple Brother Minato." Seeing Minato greet him so warmly, Taiichi was also pleased. "The mission had a bit of a twist, but thankfully, I managed to figure out the One-Handed Seal."

Hearing Taiichi's words, Minato was visibly stunned, finding it unbelievable. This was indeed too fast. "Really? You're too fast!"

"Maybe it's Senior Disciple Brother Minato you and Jiraiya laid a good foundation for me, Minato-sensei!" Taiichi joked.

"Haha, Taiichi, you're really good with words." Minato and Kushina entered the room and sat down opposite Taiichi.

"Taiichi came here to share his experience with us," Kushina explained to Minato from the side.

"Oh!" Minato was somewhat moved upon hearing this. He had initially taught Taiichi entirely out of respect for Jiraiya, although he had indeed come to like this junior brother later on.

But that wasn't the main reason. Taiichi, Taiichi thought of them as soon as he made a progress, which made Minato feel that Taiichi was indeed someone he could get to know better. At this moment, the enthusiasm on Minato's face became even stronger.

After another round of pleasantries, Taiichi took the initiative to suggest that everyone discuss their latest understanding of One-Handed Seal.

Minato and Kushina naturally understood that Taiichi was only saying that to save face for them. While they were pleased, they also admired Taiichi's excellent interpersonal skills.

The three then went to the courtyard, where Taiichi demonstrated his One-Handed Seal.

First are the twelve basic hand mudras. Compared to Hand Seals with both hands, Taiichi's One-Handed Seal are quite simple. First, the thumb and middle finger are interlocked, which is the basic movement. The remaining index, ring, and little fingers are used to coordinate different degrees of bending and stretching to distinguish the twelve mudras.

Taiichi demonstrated the single-hand seals that correspond to the two-hand seals, and then used One-Handed Seal to perform Water Style: Water Formation Wall and Fire Style: Flame Bullet as demonstrations.

During this time, he shared all his insights and experiences with Minato and Kushina without reservation.

After a long explanation and demonstration, Taiichi was quite hoarse from talking, but he also gained a lot.

[Hand Seals Instruction, Skill: One-Handed Seal Experience +100]

He smiled with satisfaction; all his efforts had been worthwhile.

Looking at Minato and Kushina, the two were deep in thought, but before long, Kushina was the first to come to her senses, shaking her head helplessly, clearly having gained little insight.

On the other hand, Minato's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and his hand unconsciously stretched out, his fingers slightly curled, making different movements.

Taiichi and Kushina didn't disturb him. They could clearly see that Minato had gained something, and judging from the situation, he might even be able to directly comprehend his own unique one-handed hand seal.

A moment later, Minato suddenly moved one hand and completed three movements in an instant. After a puff of white smoke, another Minato appeared next to him.

Kushina, drawn by the commotion, looked at the two Minato on the field and exclaimed in surprise, "Minato, you did it?"

Taiichi looked at Minato with admiration. He himself had succeeded by adding points, while Minato had truly relied on his own hard work.

"Bang!" Minato canceled the Clone Technique.

"It's still a little short. I've only figured out the single-handed knot method for three seals so far. I'll have to keep experimenting with the rest, but with this foundation, I'll be able to succeed soon."

Minato was also very happy. Today he had finally achieved a breakthrough from zero, and success was not far away. Once he could completely master the One-Handed Seal, it would undoubtedly be a huge boost to his fighting style.

Thinking to himself, he looked at Taiichi and said, "I'm really grateful for my junior brother's explanation; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to grasp the essentials so quickly."

"Haha, it's only because you have a deep foundation, Senior Disciple Brother. Otherwise, no matter how much I say, it's useless!" Taiichi said politely.

"Junior brother, you're really good with words." Minato smiled and pointed inside the house. "Come on, let's go inside and talk."

With that, Minato led the way, and everyone returned to the house. This time, everyone's enthusiasm was clearly even higher, after all, Minato's breakthrough was truly a joyous occasion.

"If Jiraiya- sensei finds out about what happened today, he'll definitely regret going on a mission so early," Kushina said from the side.

"Yes, Jiraiya- sensei always remembers to perform One-Handed Seal. If he misses today, he doesn't know how long he'll have to wait," Minato added.

"Haha, what's the big deal? Let's write down our experiences from today's exchange and give it to Jiraiya -Jiraiya gets back. I'm sure he'll benefit from it too." Taiichi gave his final answer without a care in the world.

Minato and Kushina were clearly asking if they could share their experience with Jiraiya, since it was Taiichi's original creation and could only be taught with Taiichi's permission. However, neither of them expected Taiichi so generous.

In Taiichi's heart, Jiraiya, Minato, Kushina were far more important than a One-Handed Seal technique.

Seeing Taiichi's selflessness, Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance. Seeing Kushina nod slightly, Minato said to Taiichi, "Taiichi, we owe you a debt of gratitude today. Here's a new insight from Kushina and me; take it, it should be useful to you."

As he spoke, Minato took out a Storage Scroll from his Ninja Tool Pouch, unsealed a large scroll about a foot long, and handed it to Taiichi.

Taiichi glanced at it in confusion, then froze, seeing the words "Comprehensive Explanation of Sealing Jutsu Fundamentals" written on it.

"Senior Disciple Brother Minato, this is too precious, I can't accept it." Taiichi quickly waved his hand in refusal.

"Take it!" Minato's face hardened as he forcefully stuffed the scroll into Taiichi's arms, making Kushina was standing nearby, smile broadly.

"Taiichi, please accept it!" Kushina urged, "If you want to learn the Sealing Jutsu in this scroll, you can exchange them directly from the village by spending contribution points. The only good thing about it is that it contains my and Minato's annotations and insights, so you don't need to worry too much about it."

"Alright, thank you, Senior Disciple Brother and sister-in-law." Listening to Kushina's explanation, how could he not know that Kushina was deliberately downplaying her and Minato's value?

The Sealing Jutsu in this scroll are indeed commonplace, but the annotations by the two authors are the essence and the truly valuable part. Otherwise, if everyone could exchange for Sealing Jutsu, why are there still so few Sealing Jutsu masters in Konoha?

Minato and Kushina were also very happy to see Taiichi accept the scroll. It was a very pleasant thing to have one's feelings accepted and understood by another.

The three of them talked for a while longer, until noon when Taiichi finally took his leave.

Watching Taiichi's departing figure, Minato sighed, "If my junior brother can grow up smoothly, he will definitely become a great ninja in the future."

Taiichi was walking towards the Weapon Shop after leaving the Minato family. He was there to pick up the Short Sword he had ordered a couple of days ago, but he was delayed by a mission.

On the way, Taiichi was also thinking about what he had gained that day.

Taiichi originally just wanted to come and return a favor, and also to get closer to everyone.

To everyone's surprise, Senior Disciple Brother Minato was so generous, giving Taiichi another lavish gift, which made Taiichi feel like he had gotten a good deal again.

But then he thought that it was his Senior Disciple Brother Minato, Minato, so he didn't care anymore. Why not take advantage of his Senior Disciple Brother?

Upon arriving at the store, the staff inside immediately recognized Taiichi; he was the ninja who had seen through the boss's tricks back then.

"Is the customer here to pick up a knife?" The clerk greeted him warmly; this was a big customer.

"You have a good memory; you still remember me after all this time." Taiichi replied with a smile, and casually took out the receipt for the sword from his Ninja Tool Pouch and handed it over.

"Oh, customer, you're one of our most valued customers, you'll definitely remember that." The clerk took the receipt, checked it, and then said, "Please wait a moment, customer, I'll get your knife right away."

With that, he turned and went into the inner room.

Not long after, the shop assistant brought a delicate box to Taiichi. He gently placed the box on the counter, opened the lid, and carefully took out the Short Sword inside. "Customer, please check if this knife is satisfactory!"

Taiichi took the Short Sword, his fingertips lightly tracing the cool blade, the edge gleaming with a chilling light. He flicked it lightly, the blade emitting a clear, resonant hum that lingered long after. Gripping the hilt, he found it to be the perfect size, fitting Taiichi's hand perfectly, and swinging it without the slightest hesitation.

Then, Taiichi began to infuse Chakra into the sword, and immediately an unprecedented sense of freedom washed over him. The Chakra flowed freely through the blade, clearly indicating that a considerable amount of Chakra Metal had been used during its forging.

Taiichi nodded in satisfaction, then sheathed the Short Sword with a backhand motion. The perfect fit made him smile slightly. This sword suited him even better than he had expected; it truly was tailor-made for him.

"Very good, I'm very satisfied." Taiichi gave full affirmation, and without hesitation, he paid the balance with the clerk, slung his Short Sword over his shoulder, and prepared to leave.

Just as I turned around, I saw three people walk into the store: Kakashi, Obito, Rin Nohara.

"Ah, it's Taiichi." Obito spotted Taiichi first and immediately greeted Kakashi and Rin beside him with delight.

"What a coincidence, Obito, and Kakashi and Rin too." Taiichi also stepped forward to greet them, "I ran into you guys when I was buying swords last time, and I've run into you again this time when I was picking them up. What a coincidence!"

"Yeah, yeah." Obito nodded in agreement; it was indeed quite a coincidence.

"What are you doing here?" Taiichi asked.

"We ran into Kakashi on the way here. He was buying Ninja Tool, so we came together. We even arranged to have lunch together. Taiichi?" Rin chimed in from the side.

Kakashi and Obito also looked over with questioning eyes, clearly indicating that they shared the same idea.

Taiichi looked at the three of them, thought for a moment and realized he didn't have anything else to do, so he readily agreed, "Sure, it's been a long time since we've all gotten together. Have you decided where to eat? How about I treat everyone to barbecue?"

"Great!" Obito was the first to agree.

Rin and Kakashi agreed.

After the three of them accompanied Kakashi to buy Ninja Tool, they went to Barbecue Restaurant.

"Hey, give me a Large Barbecue Set Meal first!" Taiichi called out to the shopkeeper.

"By the way, Kakashi, I heard you're already Chunin," Taiichi asked Kakashi.

"What!" Before Kakashi could answer, Obito jumped up, drawing surprised glances from the surrounding diners.

Rin grabbed Obito next to her and pressed him into his seat.

"No, Kakashi, you've only been out of school for a short time, and you're already Chunin." Obito a low voice.

Kakashi couldn't help but roll his eyes upon hearing this, staring at Obito for a while before saying, "Actually, I've already advanced for about half a year."

Upon Obito froze on the spot, his mind filled with the phrase "promotion in almost half a year."

Kakashi, seeing that he had provoked Obito, stopped teasing him and continued, "When I graduated, I joined a mature team and started taking on missions right away, unlike Taiichi and the other graduates' team, who could only do D-Rank Mission at first."

"Besides, I perform missions more frequently, so my mission records, performance, and overall capabilities are all up to par. Passing the assessment will naturally lead to my promotion."

Kakashi spoke of it so casually, but how many people could know the hardships he endured?

Sitting opposite her, Lin seemed to understand the difficulty and unconsciously asked with concern, "It must be very hard!"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi fell silent. Everyone could tell from the situation that there must be a story behind it.

They all fell silent, quietly eating their grilled meat.

A long time.

"This is my third squad already," Kakashi murmured.

"Ah!" Rin and Obito exclaimed in surprise.

Taiichi was taken aback upon hearing this, but continued eating his grilled meat.

"The first squad's Captain was killed in action during a mission, and the squad was disbanded and reorganized."

"Two members were killed in the second squad mission, and the squad was disbanded and reorganized." Kakashi's voice was filled with sorrow.

"They earned it all by risking their lives!" Taiichi interjected at this moment.

Perhaps feeling that the otherwise pleasant atmosphere of the meal had been ruined, Kakashi smiled with narrowed eyes and said to Taiichi, "Enough about me, Taiichi, how are you doing? Tell everyone about it."

"Yeah, yeah, tell us about it, so we can learn something too," Lin chimed in from the side.

"Then let me tell you about my most recent mission." With that, Taiichi picked out the most exciting and thrilling parts of the mission and shared them with everyone.

Everyone listened with great interest, Obito frequently offered his opinions, saying what he would do if he were in Obito's shoes. When Taiichi talked about how he was willing to stay behind to cover the retreat so that the intelligence could be delivered smoothly, Obito began his speech again.

"Taiichi did the right thing. In times like these, the mission should take priority. A ninja's primary goal is to complete the mission. What kind of ninja would you be if you couldn't complete the mission?"

"What if it were Rin? If Rin were the one left to cover the retreat, or to take it to an even more extreme point, if Rin's life and the success or failure of the mission conflicted, Obito, would you prioritize the mission or your comrades?" Taiichi suddenly asked Obito.

Obito was stunned. Not only Obito was stunned, but Rin and Kakashi were also stunned.