"Splash—"
Senju Kyogawa had lost count of how many times he'd fallen into the water.
Seeing Senju Kyogawa fall in again, Izuna stood on the bank and couldn't help rubbing his forehead with a sigh.
Some people just couldn't be taught...
It wasn't that he didn't want to teach Senju Kyogawa properly. He'd even neglected much of his own daily training to do so.
He'd already told Senju Kyogawa the trick to Water Walking, but Kyogawa still couldn't keep his footing—not steadily, anyway, though he'd improved a lot since the beginning.
After Senju Kyogawa and Izuna had agreed to help each other that day, Kyogawa quickly taught Izuna how to catch fish, and even showed him several ways to cook them.
Izuna had lived up to Kyogawa's expectations as his teacher. He learned everything quickly and soon knew n different ways to cook fish.
Then Izuna began teaching Senju Kyogawa.
The result...
It was already the third day of teaching Senju Kyogawa Water Walking, and he still hadn't learned to finely control his chakra.
Senju Kyogawa swam to the bank, spat out the water in his mouth, then shook his head to fling the water from his hair. He planted his hands on the ground, hauled himself ashore, and lay flat on his back.
"Whew..."
"I'm exhausted... Why is Water Walking so hard?"
Senju Kyogawa panted and complained.
Izuna couldn't understand why Kyogawa was having such a hard time learning Water Walking, either. He sighed inwardly. It had taken him only two days to master it completely.
All Izuna could do was try to convince himself that perhaps Senju Kyogawa had put all his talent into Medical Ninjutsu.
Senju Kyogawa didn't use fire to dry his clothes. There was no need, after all; he'd probably fall into the water again soon and get them wet.
Senju Kyogawa had started doubting himself. Was he really this useless?
Izuna stood nearby, frowning as he carefully considered what might be going wrong.
Fine chakra control required the use of mental energy, so he needed to calm down. He couldn't get nervous or become fixated on the outcome.
To keep a steady amount of chakra flowing to the soles of his feet, he had to relax and focus his mind on the surface of the water.
"Hey, Kyogawa, are you sure you're staying relaxed when you try to walk on water?" Izuna couldn't help asking, just to make sure.
"Ah... Yeah. I'm only thinking about Water Walking," Jingchuan replied.
Senju Kyogawa truly didn't know what to do anymore. Why couldn't he keep supplying chakra to the soles of his feet?
Seeing how dejected Senju Kyogawa looked, Izuna couldn't bear it and tried to comfort him:
"Don't worry. You can already make it to the middle of the river. That's a lot better than when you started. Maybe a little more practice is all you need..."
Senju Kyogawa knew Izuna was trying to cheer him up. He sighed and said, "I hope so..."
Senju Kyogawa truly thought Izuna was a very patient teacher.
If he were teaching someone else Water Walking, he'd have to stand outside in the blazing sun every day in temperatures around forty degrees, while his student spent three days failing to learn. With his short temper, Senju Kyogawa might have lost it and started yelling.
Senju Kyogawa had been training all afternoon. The sun had already dipped toward the horizon, tinting the clouds a lovely dusky yellow and pink. It wasn't as hot as it had been at noon, and with his clothes soaked through, he could feel the chill whenever the wind blew.
Senju Kyogawa shivered and glanced at the sky. It was getting late.
He stood up, his eyes curving as he smiled at Izuna.
"Izuna, it's almost dinnertime. You should head back. I didn't mean to keep you here all afternoon again. Sorry for the trouble... I'm just too stupid~ Let me practice by myself for the rest of the time..."
Izuna glanced at the sky and saw that it was indeed getting late. If he didn't go back soon, Madara might question him. After spending the past few days together, he'd come to think of Kyogawa as a friend. If his father and brother found out, it might cause trouble for Kyogawa.
After thinking it over, Izuna said goodbye to Senju Kyogawa.
Before leaving, he stopped and turned back to Kyogawa.
"I have a mission tomorrow, so... don't wait for me."
Senju Kyogawa was slightly stunned. If Izuna was going on a mission, they probably wouldn't see each other for several days.
In the end, he still smiled and wished Izuna well:
"Take care. May fortune favor you in battle..."
Izuna smiled back, then left.
After Izuna had gone, Senju Kyogawa caught a few more fish from the river, then used "fire" to dry his clothes before returning to the Senju Clan Territory.
As expected, when he got home, no one was there.
But based on past experience, Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama should be back that evening.
Thinking this, Senju Kyogawa found some grain and vegetable leaves to feed the chickens and rabbits. He'd caught the wild chickens and rabbits a few days earlier.
While feeding the chickens, Senju Kyogawa noticed that one of the hens had laid several eggs.
He reached for them but got pecked a few times.
"Ow—this chicken's pecks really hurt..." Senju Kyogawa chided with a laugh.
[Master, you're trying to take her babies and eat them. Of course she doesn't want to let you have them.] Ugly Monster teased Senju Kyogawa from within the flames.
[The eggs aren't fertilized, so they can't hatch... Why is she so protective of them...] Senju Kyogawa muttered as he caught a few plump grubs and fed them to the hen. After eating the grubs, she finally let him take a few eggs.
Senju Kyogawa happily carried the eggs off to make soup.
He'd made quite a spread for dinner: vegetables, soup, fish, and mixed rice with mushrooms.
Having been a true Chinese person in his previous life, Senju Kyogawa was still used to eating all kinds of cooked dishes, so he rarely made snacks like rice balls unless he didn't have enough time or ingredients.
Just as Senju Kyogawa had expected, Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama returned that evening. They arrived not long after he'd finished cooking.
As soon as Senju Hashirama stepped inside, he caught the wonderful smell of food filling the house. The aroma wafted over and tickled his nose, making his mouth water.
Senju Hashirama was practically drooling from the delicious smell.
"Little Kyogawa, what did you make for dinner? It smells so good..."
Senju Kyogawa ran out to greet the two who'd just returned from their mission. They looked travel-worn, with a trace of exhaustion on their faces.
"Mixed rice with mushrooms, which Hashirama likes, fish, which Tobirama likes, and egg soup..." Senju Kyogawa counted them off on his fingers.
Senju Hashirama happily picked Senju Kyogawa up and spun him around, laughing.
"Great! You made the mixed rice with mushrooms I like! You're the best, Little Kyogawa~"
"Come on, Big Brother, put me down. I'm not a kid anymore..." Senju Kyogawa blushed when he saw Hashirama treating him like a child.
Senju Tobirama came over and rescued Kyogawa from Senju Hashirama's arms.
Senju Tobirama ruffled Kyogawa's hair and smiled warmly.
"You've worked hard, little brother..."
Then Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama went to their rooms to change, leaving Senju Kyogawa standing there with a silly grin on his face.
[Master, you look so silly when you smile~] Ugly Monster teased with a laugh.
[Do I?] Senju Kyogawa tried to cover it up with, [Tobirama's just so gentle...]
After Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had changed, Senju Butsuma returned, and they all had dinner together.
After dinner, Senju Kyogawa told Senju Tobirama about the problems he'd been having with Water Walking.
So the next day, Senju Tobirama asked Senju Kyogawa to demonstrate it in front of him.
With a "splash," Senju Kyogawa had taken only a few steps before falling into the water.
Senju Tobirama watched closely. He thought it over for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"I've found the problem."
Before you continue