第23章 后院的修炼

The aroma of dinner drifted from the kitchen. Takuma had just stepped through the front door when he caught the scent of his mother's signature miso soup.

"You're back?" his mother poked her head out of the kitchen. "Go wash your hands, we're eating right away."

"Where's Dad?"

"Backyard." She gestured toward the yard with her chin and lowered her voice. "He's hiding out there smoking again. Keep an eye on him for me; I caught him hiding three cartons last time and confiscated them all."

Takuma nodded, suppressing a laugh. Over the years, his father's skill at hiding cigarettes to evade his mother's sharp eyes had nearly surpassed his level as a ninja.

Mori Kazuki sat under a tree with a half-burned cigarette in his hand. Hearing footsteps, he reflexively hid the cigarette behind his back, only relaxing when he saw it was Takuma.

"Oh, it's you, kid." He retrieved the cigarette, took a deep drag, and looked satisfied. "You scared me."

"How was training today?" Mori Kazuki asked casually.

"Not bad. Tenten helped me design a batch of custom kunai, a simplified version for chakra conduction." Takuma rolled his shoulders. "Then Guy-sensei happened to pass by and gave me some pointers on taijutsu."

"Happened to?" Mori Kazuki raised an eyebrow. "How many times did he beat you into the dirt?"

"...Three."

"Only three? That guy Guy must have held back."

Takuma fell silent for a moment, looking at his father with a subtle expression.

"Dad, do you know Guy-sensei?"

"I do." Mori Kazuki's tone was flat. "He bought books from me when he was a kid. Passionate Youth Training Manual, an inspirational novel about taijutsu cultivation."

Takuma imagined a young Guy clutching an inspirational book with tears in his eyes, and surprisingly, it felt completely natural.

"Then you also know how he trains?"

"I do." Mori Kazuki's mouth twitched. "He put every training method mentioned in that book into practice, and then increased the volume. I thought back then that the kid would either become a legend or train himself into a hospital. As it turns out, he managed to do both."

Takuma recalled his own thought about whether he could practice the Eight Inner Gates. He had silently given up after watching one day of Guy's routine training. That wasn't cultivation; that was suicide.

"A wise choice." Mori Kazuki offered a rare compliment. "Something like the Eight Inner Gates can't be mastered without Guy's kind of conviction. Even though you can heal yourself, your heart couldn't withstand that kind of pain."

"Physical wounds can heal, but the mental torment accumulates." Mori Kazuki looked at the persimmon tree in the yard, his voice dropping. "Every gate opened in the Eight Inner Gates is like tearing apart one's own soul. Guy can endure it because he has a pure heart of youth... though I don't really understand what that is, either."

"What I taught you before was just the basics of the basics. Tonight, you'll learn the real stuff. The Senju Clan is known for Water Release and Earth Release; most of the experts in the clan were proficient in these two types of chakra. The First Hokage fused them to create Wood Release, the pinnacle of bloodline limits."

"What level is your Water Release at?" Takuma couldn't help but ask.

"At a level that barely allows me to teach you. There were still a few jonin in your grandfather's generation, but they all died in the war. By my generation, the Senju bloodline has thinned to the point where only chakra reserves and physical constitution remain."

He reached out and pressed his hand onto Takuma's shoulder. A gentle flow of chakra entered his body, as if probing something.

"But you are different."

Mori Kazuki withdrew his hand, a complex look flashing in his eyes. "Your chakra reserves at this age are far beyond the normal range, and they're still growing. Your recovery ability is even stronger than the pure-blooded Senju recorded in the clan genealogy."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words.

"It's very strange. Logically, the bloodline should only get thinner; there shouldn't be this level of atavism in your generation. It's as if some external force has activated your Senju bloodline."

"I don't know either." Takuma tried to keep his tone natural—he couldn't exactly say his body was laced with healing factors. "Maybe I'm just lucky."

"Lucky." Mori Kazuki repeated the word, then suddenly laughed.

"But talent is talent; skills must be practiced by yourself. No matter how strong your recovery is, there will be a time when you run dry. Real combat isn't about who can take more hits."

"Alright, enough of that." Mori Kazuki patted the scroll. "Let's start training. First, learn the hand seals for Water Style: Water Wall. There are six seals in total. Follow me."

Takuma focused his mind and began to weave the seals, following his father's demonstration.

A curtain of water rose before him, about a meter high and less than two meters wide, the flow as thin as gauze.

"This is called a Water Wall?" Takuma looked at the "water veil" he had summoned, his mouth twitching.

"All beginners are like this." Mori Kazuki poked the water curtain with his finger, which passed through easily. "Your current Water Wall can't block a kunai, but it's fine for blocking leaves and dust."

"...Then what's the point?"

"You can water the flowers."

Takuma repeated the hand seals for Water Style: Water Wall over and over. The quality of the water curtain gradually evolved from "gauze" to "thin cloth" and then to "curtain." Although it was still far from a "water wall" capable of real combat, the speed of his progress already had Mori Kazuki secretly surprised.

"Alright, switch to Earth Release." His father stopped him from wasting more chakra. "Water Release requires high precision in hand seals, while Earth Release focuses on the stability of chakra. Try Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall. There are only three seals, but you need to pause for half a second at each step to let the chakra sink."

Takuma wove the seals as instructed. The feeling of Earth Release was indeed different; the chakra didn't flow, but instead sank into the ground like a stone before bursting out. A low wall rose from the ground, about half a meter high, though its thickness was impressive.

"This looks more like it." Mori Kazuki knocked on the earthen wall. "Better than your first Water Wall."

"Because Earth Release fits my chakra nature better?"

"No, because you already found the trick to chakra control while practicing Water Release earlier." His father sat down on the veranda and took out that cigarette again, finally lighting it and taking a blissful drag. "Although the Senju Clan is known for Water Release, everyone has their own inclination. You seem more adapted to the rhythm of Earth Release. Steady, heavy, unhurried. This also matches your combat style... you're used to bracing yourself before counterattacking, and Earth Release happens to be a defensive ninjutsu."

"Dad, you just said the Senju Clan is known for Water and Earth Release. What about Wood Release?"

"Wood Release is a bloodline limit, not just simple water plus earth." He spoke slowly. "It requires the water and earth chakra natures to reach an extremely high level of purity before they can naturally fuse, and it also requires an indescribable talent. The reason the First Hokage was a unique existence is because he possessed this talent. We descendants have the water and earth attributes, but we can never mold that wood."

"I'm telling you this not so you'll pursue Wood Release. On the contrary, I hope you completely abandon that thought. Throughout history, those who tried to forcibly fuse Wood Release either went mad or were consumed. That is not something you can obtain through effort alone."

Takuma nodded. He knew in his heart that he was still too far from that level. For now, he just needed to lay a solid foundation in Water and Earth Release.

Takuma began weaving the seals again. Once, twice, three times. The height of the earthen wall gradually increased, from half a meter to seventy centimeters, then to a meter. The consumption of chakra made beads of sweat seep from his forehead, but his healing factor was also accelerating his physical recovery, allowing him to persist longer than an ordinary person.

Mori Kazuki watched silently from the side, offering no verbal guidance. The essence of cultivation was for the body to remember the sensation, not for the brain to remember the theory. Every one of Takuma's failures involved micro-adjusting his chakra output rhythm; this ability to self-correct was his true talent.

When the Earth Flow Wall finally broke the 1.2-meter mark, Takuma braced his hands on his knees and gasped for air.

"...Is that enough?"

"Enough to meet the minimum standard for saving your own life." Mori Kazuki nodded with satisfaction. "That's it for today. Come to this yard every night starting tomorrow, and I'll continue to teach you advanced applications of Water and Earth Release."

Mori Kazuki tucked the scroll into his robe. "Go rest, we'll eat in a bit."

Takuma nodded and turned toward the house.

As he closed his eyes, a system notification suddenly rang in his mind.

[Event detected: "Father and Son's Late-Night Training"]

[Witness Judgment: The legacy of the Senju Clan continues in secret in the backyard of Morimiya Bookstore.]

[Obtained: Lottery Chance ×1]

Takuma silently initiated the draw.

[Lottery Result: Buzz Lightyear's Wings (Toy Version)]

[Item Description: A white and green glider with a 1.2-meter wingspan. Can carry one person for short-distance gliding, lasting about 30 seconds.]

[Note: This is not flying, it is falling with style.]

Takuma looked at the chuunibyou-styled glider and fell silent for a moment.

Although it wasn't a powerful ability, it was at least more practical than the never-expiring milk. Escaping from heights, crossing terrain, or launching a surprise attack—30 seconds of gliding could come in handy at a critical moment. Provided he didn't get shot down by a kunai mid-air.