Uzumaki Mito's Teachings

Shin did not have much of a conversation with Orochimaru and Jiraiya; after a brief introduction, they departed, though Tsunade remained behind.

However, just before leaving, Orochimaru cast another glance toward Shin.

Although Shin did not sense any malice in Orochimaru's gaze, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

"How did you get into a conflict with that Uchiha Ryota?" Tsunade asked.

Nawaki explained the specific reasons to Tsunade, causing her to knit her brows.

"The Uchiha Clan really is full of trouble."

Uchiha Mikoto felt a bit awkward. Although she knew Tsunade wasn't targeting her specifically, she still felt embarrassed, as she was, after all, a member of the Uchiha Clan.

"Little girl, I wasn't talking about you," Tsunade said to Uchiha Mikoto upon seeing the awkwardness on her face.

Tsunade actually had quite a favorable impression of this Uchiha Mikoto, who was different from the other members of her clan.

"Right, I have something to tell you all. I'm leaving the village shortly for a mission—an escort mission. It's quite time-consuming and will take about half a month."

Tsunade addressed Shin and the others.

"Oh, I see."

A smile appeared on Nawaki's face involuntarily.

Tsunade's expression froze, and she fixed a dangerous glare on Nawaki: "Nawaki, you seem very happy?"

"No, I'm not happy at all." Nawaki shook his head like a rattle.

"I'll deal with you later; I'm leaving now."

Tsunade glared at Nawaki once more, waved at Shin and the others, and turned to leave.

Seeing that Tsunade had walked far away, Nawaki finally let out a sigh of relief, looking quite pleased.

"Nawaki, you seem very afraid of your sister?" Shin asked, looking at him.

Nawaki scratched his head and said: "I am a bit afraid. You don't know, my sister is extremely strict when she trains me."

"Let's go. Didn't you say you'd show us around Konoha? Since we still have some time, let's wander around the neighborhood."

Shin said to Nawaki, then turned his gaze toward Uchiha Mikoto.

"Mikoto, would you like to join us?"

"Ah, is that okay?" Uchiha Mikoto looked at Shin, feeling somewhat flattered.

"Of course it is." Shin smiled slightly at Uchiha Mikoto, and the four of them began to stroll through Konoha.

Shin and Kushina were not familiar with Konoha, so Nawaki took on the role of a guide, helping to introduce the village to them.

Because there wasn't much time left before afternoon classes, Shin and the others only wandered around the vicinity of the Ninja Academy.

It served as a way to familiarize themselves with the terrain near the Ninja Academy, after which they returned to prepare for class.

After returning to his seat, Shin looked at Uchiha Mikoto and asked: "Mikoto, today's events shouldn't have any impact on you, right?"

Since they were now familiar with each other, Shin dropped the "classmate" suffix and addressed her directly as Mikoto.

Uchiha Mikoto shook her head at Shin.

"It's fine. I'm just a transparent person in the Uchiha Clan; no one will come to trouble me over this. Actually, I should apologize for what happened earlier," Uchiha Mikoto said apologetically to Shin and Kushina.

"Mikoto, we are friends now, so please don't say things like 'sorry'," Kushina said to Uchiha Mikoto.

Perhaps Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto were destined to be best friends; Kushina, who had initially held hostility toward Uchiha Mikoto, had become very close to her in less than a day.

In the afternoon, the lessons were purely theoretical. Kushina had no interest in such theory and felt sleepy just listening to it.

Shin was the same as Kushina. If the information were useful, he wouldn't mind listening carefully, but what was being taught now was either already known to him or completely useless.

The Ninja Academy let out quite early, finishing shortly after four in the afternoon.

After school, he accepted Nawaki's invitation to wander around Konoha, which gave him a better understanding of the village.

Upon returning, Shin did not practice taijutsu or swordsmanship. Having just arrived in Konoha, he didn't want to attract too much attention, so he only refined his chakra.

He didn't know if the Third Hokage had dispatched Anbu to monitor them, but regardless, Shin felt it was better to be cautious.

Practicing taijutsu or swordsmanship might expose part of his strength, and he couldn't even practice ninjutsu, so he stuck to chakra refinement for the time being.

"Should I copy the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan Kekkei Genkai?"

Shin thought about his Advanced Copy Card. He currently had four copy cards left: three Common Copy Cards and one Advanced Copy Card.

The Advanced Copy Card can copy S-rank ninjutsu, Kage-level physiques, chakra, and even Kekkei Genkai.

Among the three great dōjutsu, the Byakugan may seem useless, but its reconnaissance ability is truly formidable, and it can even evolve into the Tenseigan.

The Tenseigan is a dōjutsu on the same level as the Rinnegan, and its offensive capabilities are even more powerful than those of the Rinnegan.

After some consideration, Shin gave up on the idea. While the Byakugan's reconnaissance is excellent for detecting if anyone is monitoring him, it turns the user's eyes completely white.

If he went out with a pair of white eyes, Shin reckoned he would be captured on the spot; at the very least, the Hyuga Clan would not let him off.

If I possessed the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, I wouldn't have to worry so much; it's even more useful than the Byakugan, Shin thought to himself.

Shin then shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it further. He had no idea how to use the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, nor did he know if it was a special ability unique to Karin Uzumaki.

After all, as far as Shin knew, Karin Uzumaki was the only one capable of using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed. Shin and Kushina spent their days going to the Ninja Academy, returning home, and refining their chakra.

One day, Shin and Kushina arrived at the residence of Uzumaki Mito. They weren't the only ones; Uzumaki Kai and Uzumaki Akiko had also come.

"The reason I have summoned you here is that I wish to teach you the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan."

Just as Shin was wondering why Uzumaki Mito had called them over, she had already revealed the reason for their summons.

A look of joy appeared on Shin's face. This was a great opportunity; with Uzumaki Mito's guidance, his progress in sealing techniques would undoubtedly be rapid.

Uzumaki Kai and Uzumaki Akiko were also overjoyed.

"I will begin by explaining the simplest sealing formulas."

Uzumaki Mito spoke earnestly. These individuals were the last remnants of the Uzumaki Clan and the hope for its revitalization.

As the former princess of the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Mito naturally wished to see the clan rise again.

Therefore, Uzumaki Mito held nothing back, teaching them everything she possibly could.

However, how much they could learn would depend on their own talent.

In the days that followed, they would attend the Ninja Academy during the day, and after school and dinner, they would come to receive instruction from Uzumaki Mito.

Under Uzumaki Mito's guidance, Shin, who already possessed immense talent, made rapid progress in sealing techniques.

Kushina also learned a great deal; after all, her talent was not lacking either. Among those present, aside from Shin, Kushina had the greatest aptitude.

However, Shin had cautioned Kushina that even if she learned certain things, she should pretend not to understand them and avoid standing out too much.