Tatsuma reached out towards the bookshelf, only to grab emptiness. His heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling as if he were experiencing the premonition of a sudden death.
He turned his head towards the bookshelf, where there were no scrolls left. Over a dozen scrolls, now either on the desk or scattered on the floor, with the one currently unfolded being the last one.
"Damn Uchiha!"
Tatsuma blurted out suddenly, realizing something was amiss. He slapped his forehead, wondering how he managed to bring out Senju Tobirama's familiar phrase from his notes.
"Tatsuma, are you up so early too? You truly deserve to be recognized as full of youth by Brother Duy!"
At this moment, a verdant figure suddenly appeared by the window next to the desk. With a spring-like smile, Nawaki suddenly appeared. Seeing Nawaki, Tatsuma hurriedly asked:
"Nawaki, are there any more scrolls?"
"There are plenty in the study, aren't there?"
"No, I mean... forget it."
Tatsuma shook his head. He had already guessed why there were so many scrolls missing from the bookshelf. Those were probably research notes for Space-Time class Body Flicker Jutsu—the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
Different from the research content of Summoning Jutsu, those belonged to the category of forbidden techniques. Although the complete Flying Thunder God Jutsu should be recorded on forbidden scrolls, the research notes also needed to be strictly guarded and preserved.
It was impossible to find them here, nor would they be in the study. Although Tatsuma hadn't finished reading all the scrolls in the study, he had organized and reclassified their contents.
Running his fingers through his already somewhat messy hair due to its curls, Tatsuma sighed. Seeing this, Nawaki asked, "What scrolls do you need? I'll go ask Granny to see if she has any."
Tatsuma shook his head and said, "No need, I'll tidy up first. If I need anything, I'll come ask."
Nawaki didn't dwell on it and asked, "Want to train together in the morning?"
"Uh..."
Tatsuma ran his hand through his hair again. His mind was full of Tobirama's notes on Summoning beasts and Space-Time, along with "Damn Uchiha." He wasn't in the mood for morning training. Tatsuma shook his head again and said, "No, I have other things to do."
"Alright! Even without sweating it out, you're already recognized as full of youth! Practice your youth in other matters!"
With that, Nawaki ran back home. He had come specifically to find Tatsuma, but since Tatsuma declined, he went back to his training.
Tatsuma then picked up the scrolls and headed towards the study. However, seeing the study filled with scrolls with no empty space, he turned back and went to get a large amount of ink and blank paper.
Over the following time, Tatsuma continuously transcribed what he had seen from Senju Tobirama's notes last night, excluding Tobirama's "personal enemity" and any confirmed erroneous content, of course. Listing out key information point by point, Tatsuma resumed his analysis and incorporated many of his own insights. Soon, a stack of blank paper was filled.
However, Tatsuma's mind was still highly active at this point, unwilling to cease thinking. So, he directly took up his pen and began writing on the walls and floor.
Fortunately, the furniture had been moved out, leaving large "canvases" for Tatsuma to freely jot down his thoughts.
After daybreak, Tsunade, who was to attend the Jonin meeting, returned home and glanced at what was happening, only to find her disciple completely disregarding her. Suppressing the urge to go in and give him a good thrashing, Tsunade proceeded to the Hokage Building.
In the afternoon, Tatsuma's absence caught the attention of Mito. She personally went to Tatsuma's current residence. When she peered through the window and saw the situation inside, even the seasoned Mito couldn't help but grimace.
It wasn't because Tatsuma had written anything shocking or scandalous; it was Mito who had the house cleaned spotlessly and the walls repainted. In just a few days, Tatsuma had completely trashed it!
Tatsuma's writings weren't just text; there were also numerous special symbols, formulas invented by Tobirama, seals, and Summoning Jutsu patterns. Plus, many areas had been altered or covered up, making it look extremely messy and chaotic.
"Sakamoto Tatsuma! Stop right there!" Mito's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it instantly snapped Tatsuma back to reality. He looked towards the window where the angry Mito stood and quickly greeted her, "Grandma Mito."
"What are you doing?" Mito suppressed her anger and asked Tatsuma. Upon hearing this, Tatsuma's initial panic disappeared, replaced by a smile. He gestured towards the writings and said, "These are speculations on Space-Time Ninjutsu derived from Lord Second's Summoning notes."
Upon hearing this, Mito furrowed her brow. She then looked at the content on the wall. Some of it seemed familiar to her, and Tatsuma's current state... seemed oddly familiar too.
Mito's anger subsided further. Nawaki and Kushina, who had followed sneakily to see if Tatsuma would get scolded, wore disappointed expressions. After all, they were eager to witness Tatsuma, who had always been the benchmark, make a mistake.
"Even in studying, you can't do this. And it's already noon. You haven't had breakfast or lunch. Judging by your appearance, you didn't sleep at all last night, did you?" Mito's tone softened, but Kushina, with her cheeks puffed out, was actually more upset. When she, Nawaki, or even Tsunade made mistakes, Grandma Mito wasn't this lenient.
Tatsuma nodded, suppressing his smile and lowering his head seriously. "I won't do it again, Grandma Mito."
"Okay." Mito nodded, then added, "I've left you some food. Go eat first. And about the Space-Time Ninjutsu, Tobirama already has it ready-made. You don't need to derive it again."
Tatsuma certainly wouldn't admit he knew. He had derived it because he couldn't obtain it. He scratched his head and said, "Really? I couldn't find it."
"Hiruzen took it away, but if you want it, Grandma will go get it back for you," Mito said as Tatsuma climbed in through the window.
Watching Tatsuma, Mito gently rubbed his swollen eyelids and then took his ink-stained hands, saying, "Go wash your hands and eat first."
"Okay."
Tatsuma nodded, and Mito stepped aside. Tatsuma then saw the disappointed faces of Nawaki and Kushina. Nawaki, feeling embarrassed under Tatsuma's gaze, scratched his head.
Kushina snorted and headed back. Tatsuma paid her no mind and went to wash his hands for dinner.
After dinner, drowsiness crept over him. However, since Tatsuma had already made a mess of Senju Tobirama's former residence, under Mito's arrangement, Nawaki had to give up his room for Tatsuma to rest.
When Tatsuma woke up, it was already evening. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was startled by the resentful look Nawaki was giving him.
He quickly got up and asked, "Aren't you training?"
Although Tatsuma could see that it was already dark outside, the clock in the room showed that it wasn't yet late into the night. At this time, Mito hadn't gone to bed yet. Normally, Nawaki would train until Mito went to sleep.
If it weren't for the fear of disturbing Mito's sleep by continuing training, he might have continued.
Upon hearing Tatsuma's question, Nawaki said, "Third is here, talking with Grandma about the Jonin meeting, and it seems they're also discussing my sister."
"Sensei? Is she back?"
"She hasn't returned. I don't know where she went."
Nawaki shook his head, then remembered something and said, "Oh, Grandma left some food for you. Remember to go eat."
Tatsuma raised an eyebrow and said, "But isn't Third also here?"
His Chakra Sensory jutsu was already quite skilled, and coupled with Nawaki's awakening, he instinctively began sensing for danger. Therefore, he naturally knew that Mito and Sarutobi Hiruzen were in the hall.
The dining room was adjacent to the hall, with no partition between them. If he went to eat, he would inevitably be drawn into the conversation.
Nawaki shook his head and said, "How would I know? That's just what Grandma said."
Tatsuma furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and roughly guessed what was going on. He nodded and walked towards the door, first freshening up, then cautiously entering Mito's living room.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was indeed talking to Mito, and it happened to be about Tsunade's proposal, which unsurprisingly was being rejected.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was explaining the reasons for rejecting Tsunade's proposal, such as allocating all funds to military readiness and wartime efforts, maintaining the stability of the current personnel structure, and the challenges of establishing a new medical ninja training system.
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen also mentioned that after the war, when funds were more abundant and personnel deployment was no longer tight, they would focus on reconsidering. Mito occasionally nodded but didn't offer her own opinion.
Meanwhile, Tatsuma quietly slipped into the dining room and ate what was left of his dinner. Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't mind Tatsuma's arrival; after all, he couldn't overlook the fact that Mito had intentionally brought Tatsuma over.
After a while, Tatsuma finished eating, and Sarutobi Hiruzen went over the contents of today's meeting. Mito nodded and said, "Hiruzen, as the Hokage, this old lady will support your arrangements."
Seeing that Mito wasn't angry about his rejection of Tsunade's proposal, Sarutobi Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Tsunade's ideas are indeed good, and I've read her proposal. It's very thorough and feasible. But perhaps she needs to understand the difficulties of being a sensei like me."
"Tsunade still has a childish nature. As her sensei, you need to be more patient. This old lady will also advise Tsunade not to act recklessly."
After Mito finished speaking, she looked at Tatsuma, who had finished eating and was wiping his mouth. She waved to him and then turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen, saying, "Hiruzen, you should also know that I entrusted some of Tobirama's belongings to Tatsuma."
"Indeed, Tatsuma is a good kid. He will surely live up to the cultivation of both you and sensei."
Sarutobi Hiruzen also smiled. He had high hopes for Tatsuma and naturally wouldn't hesitate to give him praise. Mito nodded and said, "I also understand that some of Tobirama's research is too dangerous. When the village confiscated it, I supported it too. After all, it's all for the stability of the village."
Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen realized something and paused for a moment. Then, he smiled and said, "Indeed, sensei's research is not suitable for public disclosure. Of course, there are also some studies that require talented children to inherit and develop. I have been looking for suitable candidates."
Mito nodded. She understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's implication, which was that not all would be returned. On this point, Mito had no objection. After all, it was indeed better to sever some of Tobirama's techniques rather than perpetuate them.
Mito just wanted to request a technique from the village for Tatsuma, so she didn't argue. Instead, she continued Sarutobi Hiruzen's words.
"Tatsuma has been studying Tobirama's notes on Summoning Jutsu recently, and he has also delved into the Space-Time aspects. Why don't you transfer Tobirama's research materials in this area to Tatsuma? This way, he won't study it haphazardly on his own. What do you think?"
"The Flying Thunder God Jutsu?"
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