Taking a Disciple

"I know. I didn't force myself to train," Lin Chuan said. Panting had left his mouth dry, and he swallowed before continuing, "I've already learned Water Clone, Water Shock Wave, and Water Formation Wall. Water Dragon Bullet was the fourth ninjutsu I learned. Only after gaining experience with a B-rank ninjutsu did I start learning Water Dragon Bullet..."

"You've... already learned four Water Release ninjutsu?" Maruboshi Kosuke was momentarily speechless. He had thought Lin Chuan had jumped straight into learning Water Dragon Bullet, but it turned out he had prior experience with other ninjutsu.

Suddenly, he recalled chatting with Lin Chuan's father while taking on missions. Lin Chuan's father had often mentioned that his son had learned ninjutsu.

At the time, he had paid it no mind, assuming it was merely a father showing off his child. He had even compared the boy's progress to those clan children, but Lin Chuan's family was not one of those great clans.

After personally seeing Lin Chuan use Water Dragon Bullet, he had no choice but to believe it. At last, he understood what kind of child Lin Chuan's father had called a genius. Perhaps he was no worse than the prodigies raised by the clans.

"It really is a little too much. With my chakra reserves, I'll lose the ability to fight after using that ninjutsu. Looks like I can't use it in battle," Lin Chuan muttered as he slowly rose to his feet. Spotting the tea beneath the eaves, he planned to head back for a cup of cold tea.

After pouring himself some cold tea and waiting for Maruboshi Kosuke to approach, he drank while lowering his head and mumbling softly, "It would be great if I had a teacher. Figuring out ninjutsu alone is too slow..."

"What? This kid doesn't even have a teacher? He taught himself?" Hearing Lin Chuan's quiet muttering, Maruboshi Kosuke was shocked once more. This was no longer something as simple as talent.

Without anyone to guide him, he had actually learned four Water Release ninjutsu, including Water Dragon Bullet, which required forty-four hand seals. Kosuke remembered that even Lin Chuan's father had failed to learn that technique, retiring after an injury and giving up on Water Dragon Bullet.

Back then, seeing how hard Lin Chuan's father struggled to learn Water Dragon Bullet, he had even asked Kosuke for tips. Kosuke had considered teaching him the Simplified Water Dragon Bullet, but missions later became urgent, so he could only plan to teach him after returning to the village. Then he heard that the man had retired due to injury, and the matter was left unfinished.

"Old Grandpa, who are you?" Seeing Maruboshi Kosuke approach, Lin Chuan set down his teacup and asked about his identity again.

"I'm Maruboshi Kosuke. You should have heard your father mention me," Maruboshi Kosuke said with a smile, looking at Lin Chuan as though he were admiring a flawless jade. He suddenly thought of his younger self. The younger generation was Konoha's future.

"Maruboshi Kosuke? You're Grandpa Kosuke?" Upon hearing his name, Lin Chuan's expression turned extremely excited, his eyes sparkling with stars. He eagerly asked, "Grandpa Kosuke, my father said you're an amazing ninja. Can you teach me ninjutsu?"

Children did not need to beat around the bush. Children spoke without restraint. When they saw a powerful ninja elder, they only had to cling to him and ask to learn.

"Cough, cough." Faced with Lin Chuan's worshipful gaze, Maruboshi Kosuke instinctively looked away and raised a hand to his mouth, coughing dryly as he put on an air of reserve.

In truth, he was secretly delighted. He loved this sort of thing. He had not expected the child to look down on him just because he was a Genin. It seemed Lin Chuan's father had raised him well, and his family had good values. Children ought to treat their elders like this.

"Well, this... this..." Maruboshi Kosuke hesitated. His ninjutsu had been passed down from the Second Hokage and the Third Hokage. Would it really be appropriate to hand them over to a child so casually?

"Grandpa Kosuke, please teach me, Grandpa Kosuke," Lin Chuan said. Seeing Maruboshi Kosuke hesitate, he immediately thought, There's a chance. He promptly employed a child's usual tactic: acting cute. This move worked every time on older people who treasured talent. Such was the inheritance of Konoha's precious guardians.

At precisely such a crucial moment, neither Lin Chuan's mother nor father came to interrupt them. They had discussed it beforehand. Only if Lin Chuan failed to win over Maruboshi Kosuke would they carry out Plan B and have the old couple work together.

"Alright, alright, Grandpa will teach you." Maruboshi Kosuke finally surrendered completely beneath repeated calls of "Grandpa." Nearly seventy years old and alone, being called Grandpa by a child dealt a ten-thousand-point critical hit.

"Yay! If Grandpa Kosuke teaches me ninjutsu, then he's my master," Lin Chuan declared without hesitation. Whether Maruboshi Kosuke acknowledged him as a disciple or not, Lin Chuan had already decided that Kosuke would be his teacher.

"Hahaha, alright, alright, I'll teach you ninjutsu." Maruboshi Kosuke showed no displeasure at being called Master; he did not even seem inclined to refuse. Who could resist such a little genius?

He had inherited the Second Hokage's teachings, and he was already old. If he had not truly been unable to find a suitable disciple, he would not have wanted to take the Second Hokage's ninjutsu into the grave with him.

Now that he had encountered a genius here, one who was also an old friend's child, so polite to him and calling him Grandpa, he simply adored this eldest grandson.

"Grandpa Kosuke, Grandpa Kosuke, hurry and teach me ninjutsu!" Lin Chuan hurriedly pulled Maruboshi Kosuke to the edge of the pond and asked excitedly, "Grandpa Kosuke, what ninjutsu do you know? What are you going to teach me?"

"Little Chuan, I heard you say that you've already learned Water Formation Wall and Water Dragon Bullet. Then I'll teach you those two techniques," Maruboshi Kosuke said with a beaming smile, wanting to see how Lin Chuan would react.

"Huh? Water Formation Wall and Water Dragon Bullet? I've already learned both of those techniques." Lin Chuan displayed the disappointment a child ought to have, his excited expression instantly falling. This was a child's normal reaction.

"Hahaha!" Seeing this, Maruboshi Kosuke could not help laughing. Sure enough, he was still just a child.

He stopped teasing Lin Chuan and immediately explained, "Little Chuan, the ninjutsu Grandpa is going to teach you is anything but ordinary. Your Water Dragon Bullet requires forty-four hand seals. Grandpa's Water Dragon Bullet only requires six!"

"What? A six-seal Water Dragon Bullet? How is that possible?" Lin Chuan displayed surprise again. It was hard to believe such superb acting could come from a child.

"Watch carefully. Grandpa will demonstrate it for you right now." Facing the pond, Maruboshi Kosuke slowly formed six hand seals: Rat—Ox—Tiger—Snake—Horse—Rooster. Once he finished, he shouted sharply, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet..."

Rumble—

A dragon's roar rang out as another great tree was snapped apart. It was even fiercer and more powerful than Lin Chuan's Water Dragon Bullet, utterly unstoppable.

"This? That's incredible! I want to learn that!" Lin Chuan's eyes sparkled with stars again. This time, it was not an act. He truly wanted to learn the Simplified Water Dragon Bullet. Otherwise, a forty-four-seal Water Dragon Bullet was not even worth using...