"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Within the Senju Clan's territory, Tatsuma formed seals and created four Shadow Clones. He looked at his Shadow Clones and said, "You go practice Chakra Nature Transformation, you focus on Ninjutsu, you study Sealing Jutsu, and you delve into Medical Ninjutsu."
The four Shadow Clones nodded and departed. Not far away, Minato also employed the same technique to "cheat," while Nawaki looked on with envy.
It had been nearly half a year since Tatsuma and Minato began their training at the Senju Clan. Jiraiya had returned for a brief period during that time, but after providing brief guidance, he quickly left.
After Tatsuma and Minato assigned tasks to their Shadow Clones, Nawaki approached them and asked, "Do you think I should apply for early graduation?"
Upon hearing this, Tatsuma and Minato were momentarily surprised. Minato furrowed his brow without answering, while Tatsuma inquired, "Why do you want to graduate early?"
"I'm already ten years old, turning eleven right after the New Year. Plus, I have a feeling that I might become the class leader this semester. Wouldn't it be reasonable for me to graduate early?
Both of you graduated after just two and a half years of study, while I've been studying for four and a half years. Or do you think I haven't reached the level to graduate yet?"
As Nawaki spoke, a hint of disappointment appeared on his face. As the grandson of the First Hokage and Tsunade's brother, he carried an invisible burden.
He hadn't dared to propose early graduation before because he knew his skills weren't sufficient. However, after training with Tatsuma and Minato for some time, he felt a significant improvement in his abilities, enough to justify early graduation.
Being two years older than Tatsuma and Minato, he started school at the age of six. After four and a half years of schooling, there weren't many classmates left in his class. If he didn't graduate early, he would be left behind.
Tatsuma seemed to understand Nawaki's thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, Tatsuma said to Nawaki, "Nawaki, judging by your skills, passing the graduation assessment shouldn't be a problem. It's just a matter of strength, and I support you in graduating early."
"But if you want to graduate just because you feel you've been in school long enough, I don't support it because you don't know why you want to become a ninja."
"Why become a ninja? My grandfather is a Hokage, my great-uncle was a Hokage, my parents are Konoha ninjas, and even my sister is a Konoha ninja. Shouldn't I become a ninja too?"
Nawaki almost recited his entire family history, but Tatsuma shook his head and said, "It's not about your family being ninjas; just because your family members are ninjas doesn't mean you have to be one. If you want to become a ninja, you must have your own reasons."
"Then why did you and Minato graduate early to become ninjas?"
Nawaki asked in confusion. Tatsuma pursed his lips; he couldn't exactly say that the school sensei had hinted several times for them to graduate. Moreover, they happened to encounter the Whirlpool Country incident, which led to Kushina's emotional imbalance, and they had to step up to the challenge.
After taking a deep breath, Tatsuma spoke, "Nawaki, how many ninjutsu techniques have you studied? Not counting those you've mastered, just the ones you've learned."
Upon hearing this, Nawaki also recalled for a moment but soon shook his head, saying, "I can't remember exactly, but there should be around fifty to sixty, if not a hundred."
Tatsuma shrugged and said, "As for Minato and me, if we hadn't graduated early, even at your age, we would have only known five ninjutsu—the five taught by the school. The village only sees us as worthy of training if we graduate early. That's when they assign powerful ninjas to guide us, and the Jonin mentors start to take us more seriously.
Unlike you, we wanted to grow, and the only way was to graduate early to capture the village's attention."
Hearing Tatsuma's words, Nawaki opened his mouth in astonishment. He never realized that ninjutsus were so precious. With a bunch of them at home, he took them for granted, never considering the possibility of not having ninjutsu to learn.
After expressing some rather heavy thoughts, Tatsuma raised his hand and patted Nawaki's shoulder. Even though Nawaki was taller, at that moment, the latter felt a sense of being taught, willingly lowering his own stature.
Tatsuma smiled and said, "Nawaki, like me and Minato, you are willing to put in more effort to become a powerful ninja, but the difference is, you haven't found your own goal yet.
I know a ninja, someone Minato and I have trained with a few times. He's just a Genin, but I admire him a lot. He persists in his ninja way, holds onto his beliefs, and aims to prove that one can be a ninja even without ninjutsu. He puts in efforts many times more than others day in and day out.
I think you can consult with him on how to find your own goal and determine your purpose. His name is Might Duy. If you want to find him, just wait downstairs at the Hokage Tower. He runs by there several times every day."
Nawaki fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I will go find him and discover my goal. After that, I will decide to if I want to graduate from the Academy!"
"I believe with your talent, you will surely find your ninja way. But before that, let's begin today's practical training!"
"Hmm? Ah!"
"Donk~"
"I wasn't ready just now, let's go again!"
In the distance, as Kushina stretched her body, she remarked to the rarely early-rising Mito, "Granny Mito, look at Tatsuma, so hypocritical. Only Nawaki could be fooled by him. After a few compliments, he went up there all dazed and ended up getting beaten."
Upon hearing Kushina's words, Mito shook her head and said, "Kushina, you're mistaken. That little devil Tatsuma, he treats people sincerely. His compliments always come from the heart. He's very good at recognizing others' strengths and is fond of acknowledging those strengths. Whether it's Minato, Nawaki, Tsunade, or even you, his praise is genuinely heartfelt."
"How is that possible? He clearly just wants to continue sparring with Minato and Nawaki."
Kushina obviously didn't believe Mito's words. Mito didn't bother to explain further but instead smiled and said, "Well then, use these old eyes of mine to take a good look at him."
Saying that, Mito reached out and placed her hand on Kushina. In an instant, a surge of red chakra flowed out from Mito, covering Kushina.
Meanwhile, at a distance, Tatsuma once again knocked Nawaki down. He reached out toward the fallen Nawaki, wearing a bright smile, and said, "How about that? Are you okay? Can you continue?"
"Of course I can!"
"I must say, Nawaki, your perseverance and tenacity makes me feel inferior."
Previously, these words sounded hypocritical and grating, but now as Kushina heard them, she felt a different vibe. She could sense Tatsuma's goodwill and sincerity in his words.
Not far away—Minato Namikaze, who usually wore a fake smile and observed unfolding events with a mocking gaze. Now, in Kushina's eyes, he appeared like a newly born, warm but not glaring sun.
"How about that? Did you see it?"
Mito softly whispered to Kushina's ear. Kushina subconsciously nodded, then froze for a moment before asking, "But... Granny Mito, why?"
"For your soul, the world is a mirror. It reflects the people's true colors which they can't hide. But the heart is sometimes blind and narrow-minded, just like someone who's color-blind. Sometimes they cannot distinguish the difference between two colors, and they will lump two different colors together."
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