After their mental exchange, Danzo was very satisfied with Kizaru's answer.
A rare, gentle smile appeared on his face. Danzo raised his right hand and took a scroll from the inner pocket of his clothes.
"This is a little of what I've learned about Wind Release Ninjutsu. It also records two relatively simple Wind Release techniques. Take it home and practice them well."
As he spoke, Danzo placed the scroll on the tea table and pushed it toward Kizaru.
"What techniques?" Kizaru asked curiously.
"B-rank techniques: Wind Style: Vacuum Wave and Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
Kizaru nodded, picked up the scroll, and put it away.
"The school will hold its first test in a month. I hope you—"
"Don't worry. First place is definitely mine!" Kizaru said with complete confidence.
Although Kizaru had interrupted him, Danzo wasn't angry. Instead, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Go on home! I won't keep you for dinner."
Kizaru stretched luxuriously and stood up. "Then I'll be off, Clan Head!"
Before he had even finished speaking, Kizaru had already turned around and headed for the door.
"You brat, learn some manners!" Danzo chided him with a smile.
"Maybe when I have time!" With his back to Danzo, Kizaru kept one hand in his pocket and raised the other, giving a perfunctory wave.
Sitting in his chair, Danzo watched Kizaru's figure gradually disappear from view. The smile slowly faded from his face, and he returned to his usual air and bearing as the Darkness of the Shinobi, settling back into work.
It had been more than ten years since the First Shinobi World War ended. The various forces in the Shinobi World had long since recovered, and had even grown stronger than before.
Those people were restless, eager to challenge Konoha's position and tear chunks of flesh from Konoha and the Land of Fire to strengthen themselves.
War was coming. Danzo could already smell it.
That was also why Danzo wanted Kizaru to graduate early, three years from now.
With Kizaru's talent and strength, along with Danzo's help, he was sure to gain plenty from the war, whether in merit, status, or fame!
In the days that followed, Kizaru continued his dull, ordinary routine. He slacked off in class during the day, practiced Ninjutsu with Danzo after school, and trained his Devil Fruit powers in the evenings.
Unlike the Sarutobi Clan, which specialized in Fire Release Ninjutsu, the Shimura Clan specialized in Wind Release Ninjutsu.
So even though Kizaru had Wind, Fire, and Lightning affinities, for now, Danzo only taught him Wind Release Ninjutsu.
Perhaps because he had crossed over, Kizaru's soul—or, in other words, his Spiritual Energy—was as powerful as his physical body. That was why his Chakra rivaled that of a Tailed Beast.
His powerful spiritual strength also gave Kizaru excellent sensory abilities and Chakra control.
Kizaru mastered the two Wind Release techniques Danzo taught him in just one day.
That progress made Danzo happy, but also a little frustrated.
His student was so talented that, as a teacher, he'd completely lost the pleasure of teaching.
At that moment, Danzo suddenly understood why his friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi, always came to him to complain about feeling no sense of accomplishment while teaching Orochimaru.
Danzo had assumed his friend came to complain every day simply to show off.
Now it seemed he had wronged his friend.
After Kizaru mastered Wind Style: Vacuum Wave and Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere, Danzo went on to teach him Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves, Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere, Wind Style: Shuriken, and Wind Style: Kunai.
In less than a month, Kizaru had learned every Wind Release technique Danzo had spent most of his life honing.
For the first time, Danzo felt pressured by his role as a teacher.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
At the Shimura Clan's training ground, Danzo stood off to the side while Kizaru stood in the middle of the field, performing the technique on the wooden posts ahead.
Kizaru spat more than a dozen sharp blasts of air from his mouth, like Kamaitachi. These transparent wind blades moved incredibly fast and had tremendous cutting power, instantly reducing the wooden posts and rocks in front of him to countless tiny fragments!
In Kizaru's hands, Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves—a mere B-rank technique—showed astonishing power.
Danzo nodded, deeply pleased by the sight.
It had taken him more than twenty years of practice to push the destructive power of the B-rank Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves beyond its usual limits. Kizaru had done the same in less than a month. He had lived up to Danzo's expectations.
"Very good! You've graduated from my Wind Release Ninjutsu lessons!" Danzo said as he walked into the training ground and over to Kizaru.
"By the way, Clan Head, when are you going to teach me the S-rank Wind Release techniques you promised?" Kizaru asked, looking at Danzo.
Danzo smiled meaningfully before replying, "Haven't I already taught them to you?"
"When?" Kizaru asked.
"I improved Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves and Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere. Not only did I make them harder to learn, but in your hands, they've shown destructive power beyond that of ordinary techniques!"
"But they're still B-rank techniques!" Kizaru argued.
"No. All they need is a new name!" Danzo smiled like a cunning old fox. "Shimura Kizaru improved Wind Style: Vacuum Wave and Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere, creating the A-rank techniques Super Wind Style: Vacuum Wave and Super Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere; he improved Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves and Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere, creating the S-rank techniques Super Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves and Super Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
"You can do that?" Kizaru said helplessly.
"The difficulty of learning the techniques meets the requirements, and their destructive power has increased dramatically. Why can't they be upgraded? Besides, I've already optimized these techniques. They're nothing like their original forms!" Danzo continued.
"You're the one who improved them," Kizaru said.
"Such a trifling reputation is of no use to me! It's better to help you rise even higher. Remember, everything I have will belong to you in the future," Danzo said earnestly.
"Tch! Whatever you say!" It was already getting dark. Kizaru turned and left, both hands in his pockets. "Time to go home and eat."
"I have business with Root. Go on ahead," Danzo said, staying where he was instead of following.
"Then I'll see you later, my dear uncle!" Kizaru waved as usual, one hand in his pocket and the other raised.
"You brat, mind your manners when you're out!"
"Maybe when I have time!"
Kizaru gave the same reply and sauntered off into the distance.
"Kizaru, your exam is tomorrow, right?" Danzo asked, though he already knew the answer.
"I think so! It doesn't matter. I'm definitely coming in first, no matter when the exam is!" Kizaru said confidently.
"Don't disappoint me, Kizaru!"
The setting sun's last rays fell across Danzo's face. Watching Kizaru's figure gradually recede into the distance, Danzo spoke calmly.