No matter how precocious the people of this world were, there was still a limit.
Kei had lived two lives, so naturally, he could not be judged by ordinary standards. Takahiro was different, however. He was a genuine four-year-old child. Even if he was already quite bright, his age was still a fact. To say he had any deep cunning would have been an exaggeration. Thus, when he heard Kei's words...
An unmistakably blank look appeared on the little boy's face.
It was a long while before he seemed to come back to his senses.
He looked up at Kei with admiration and said, "That's Big Brother Kei for you!"
Then, just a few seconds later, his face scrunched up as he continued, "Yeah, Mom won't let me enroll next year. She says I have to wait until I'm six. But I could already extract chakra at New Year's. I'm still not as good as you, Big Brother Kei, but I think I could enroll next year when I'm five! But Mom just won't agree. She even gave me a really harsh scolding and said I didn't know my own limits. Hey, Big Brother Kei, was I really wrong? Can't I enroll at five, just like you?"
Takahiro's young face was filled with distress and frustration.
The younger children were, the more easily they looked up to role models close at hand. In Takahiro's eyes, Kei was undoubtedly the best person for him to learn from and chase after.
This was neither conceit nor arrogance.
Rather, it was a standard Takahiro subconsciously set for himself!
Especially today, seeing the Big Brother Kei he admired most graduate early had only strengthened his resolve. Yet his mother's fierce opposition was a hurdle Takahiro could not overcome.
He couldn't very well register at the Ninja Academy behind his mom's back, could he?
That was completely unrealistic, too.
Besides, he truly did not understand why his mother refused to let him register. She always said it was too early, but weren't there plenty of people who enrolled at five?
Wasn't Big Brother Kei a clear example?
His mother hadn't seemed all that opposed back then, either, had she?
That was why he desperately wanted an answer from Big Brother Kei, one that would dispel his confusion and uncertainty.
"Then, Takahiro, can you first tell me why you're so determined to enroll next year?"
Kei looked at Takahiro with an equally serious expression and asked softly.
"I want to be like you, Big Brother Kei, and become a ninja who can stand on his own as soon as possible, so Mom will be proud!"
He hardly needed to hesitate at all.
The moment Kei finished speaking, Takahiro blurted out his answer. His utterly resolute tone, in particular, made Kei freeze for a moment.
Then...
The look in Kei's eyes softened further. He gently rubbed Takahiro's little head and said warmly, "It looks like our Takahiro really has grown up. Have you told your mom any of this?"
"No. Whenever Mom hears that I want to enroll, she gets angry and scolds me."
Takahiro hung his little head and spoke with a thoroughly dejected expression.
"Then you need to have a proper talk with your mom all the more. Takahiro, you have to prove yourself to her. Only then will she believe you, right?"
Kei spoke each word with great seriousness.
"Will that be enough to make Mom acknowledge me?"
Takahiro blinked and asked, tilting his head.
"Of course that alone won't be enough. If you want someone else's approval, words alone aren't enough. Your actions have to match your words. That means you have to do what you say you'll do and use real action as the strongest proof!"
Kei gently shook his head as he spoke.
"Real action?"
Confusion immediately appeared on Takahiro's little face again.
"Yes, real action. You have to prove to your mom that you have the qualifications and ability to enter the Ninja Academy next year. Use both your words and your actions to persuade her. If you do that, I believe Aunt Kiko will acknowledge you, too!"
Kei spoke with a light chuckle.
"Yeah, I understand. Then what exactly should I do, Big Brother Kei?"
Takahiro nodded gently, seeming to grasp something, then asked another question.
"How you persuade your mom with words will depend on your own efforts. As for real action, what could be more direct and convincing than mastering our clan's Kekkei Genkai? As long as you can properly use our clan's Kekkei Genkai-Ice Release-before enrollment next year, I believe Aunt Kiko will acknowledge you, too!"
Kei smiled faintly and extended his right hand. With a thought, an ice crystal materialized on the tip of his index finger. As a chilling cold spread through the air, Takahiro's eyes lit up from where he stood nearby.
Then, after taking a deep breath, Takahiro nodded firmly and said, "Yes, Big Brother Kei! Don't worry. I'll definitely master our clan's Kekkei Genkai before next year!"
Being born into the Yuki Clan did not guarantee that someone could master Ice Release. Just as not every member of the Uchiha Clan could awaken the Sharingan, it placed very high demands on an individual's talent and bloodline!
The same held true for their Yuki Clan's Kekkei Genkai.
Ice Release was a jutsu that could only be formed through the perfect combination of water-nature chakra and wind-nature chakra!
Some clan members could successfully extract chakra and become ninja, but if their affinity for these two chakra natures was lacking, or if they could not fuse them perfectly, they naturally could not use Ice Release!
There had been no shortage of such examples throughout the Yuki Clan's history!
Of course, Kei knew very well what Aunt Kiko was worried about. But he also felt that Aunt Kiko should understand that children born into their Yuki Clan were bound to face the fate that came with it. Moreover, it was already Year 41 of Konoha, and the Third Shinobi World War was just around the corner. The difference between enrolling next year and the year after could be significant or insignificant!
But the key still lay in whether Takahiro could successfully master the power of ice!
This was both a requirement Kei set for Takahiro and a hope he held for him!
"Yes, I believe you can do it, too!"
Kei smiled and patted Takahiro on the shoulder as he spoke.
"Yeah! Thank you so much for today, Big Brother Kei. I'll be taking my leave, then!"
With an excited look, Takahiro gave Kei a slight bow, then immediately turned and left. His steps as he headed home were firmer than before.
Watching the little fellow's retreating figure...
Kei let the smile fade from his lips and could not help letting out a soft sigh. He gazed up at the night sky, a trace of wistfulness surfacing deep in his eyes.
This really is an utterly awful world.
Then...
Kei, too, set off and headed back toward his home.