Yuki stood in the training ground, her gaze sharp as she watched them approach. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Kana, Kenshin, Akane, and Maki walking side by side, but said nothing until they were close enough to hear.
"You're late," Yuki said, her tone flat but not unkind.
"We were picking up Maki," Akane explained, though Yuki's knowing look suggested she already had an idea of what had delayed them.
"Well with all due respect, we weren't that late. Just about ten minutes. We don't exactly need to be here at 8 o'clock flat, right?" Kana added.
Yuki sighed. "I supposed I'll let it slide for today. All right, let's get started. Kana, I want you with me today. You've got the most to learn, and we're going to focus on Jonin-level strategies. We'll also work on some advanced techniques."
Kana blinked in surprise, stepping forward. "And the kids?"
"They'll be fine on their own for a bit," Yuki replied. "Besides, the sooner you're up to speed, the sooner I can properly focus on training them." She then turned to the others. "Kenshin, Akane, Maki, you three train on your own. I'll check in on you later."
Kenshin hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Yuki-sensei, could I ask you for some help with my wind release?"
Yuki glanced at him, mildly surprised by the request. "Wind release? What do you need help with?"
Kenshin took a deep breath, deciding to lay it all out. "I've been working on two wind jutsu that I invented myself. One's called Wind Burst, where I create a burst of wind chakra from my palms to propel myself. It takes a lot of hand seals because controlling the power output is hard."
He paused, noting Yuki's curious expression before continuing. "The second one is Gust Bullet. I use a layer of wind chakra around my arm, and from there, I can shoot condensed wind bullets with strong penetration and range.
I make it through my chakra mode where I cover myself in wind chakra. But the chakra mode isn't dense enough to function properly. That's why I use it to enhance Gust Bullet."
Yuki stared at him, genuinely shocked. "You… invented those?" she asked, her tone filled with disbelief. "At your age? And you're also working on a chakra mode?"
Kenshin nodded, unsure of how to respond to her sudden astonishment.
Yuki narrowed her eyes, the weight of what Kenshin had said sinking in. "Most people spend entire lifetimes trying to create original jutsu. The fact that you've done it—two jutsu at that—and are only 15… Not to mention that even an incomplete chakra mode is a Kage-class feat, for as far as I know, the Raikage are the only ones that are capable of something similar."
Maki and Akane exchanged glances, realizing the magnitude of what Kenshin had just admitted. Yuki, on the other hand, was starting to reassess Kenshin entirely.
His potential was far beyond what she'd initially thought. She saw him as a potential threat, but she also genuinely wanted to know how far he could truly go. Even among history's greatest prodigies, this was nearly unheard of.
'Calm down, Yuki. His jutsu might not actually be that great. Maybe really chakra draining or inefficient or maybe even useless. How could someone develop multiple original jutsu in a village that doesn't even have decent wind users?'
"I'll help you," Yuki said after a moment of silence. "But you need to understand, Kenshin… what you're doing is exceptional. Not just anyone can invent jutsu, let alone multiple. But don't let it get to your head, you're still young. You can always get better."
Kenshin felt a mix of pride and responsibility. He knew he had a lot of potential, but hearing it from someone like Yuki gave it a different weight. "Thank you, Sensei."
Yuki nodded, her expression serious. "Demonstrate your jutsu first. I need to know what I'm working with."
Yuki assessed Kenshin, her analytical gaze shifting between him and the others. She formed a single hand sign, creating an ice clone that mirrored her movements.
"This clone will stay here to oversee Kana," she said, her voice calm and authoritative. "Now, Kenshin, show me what you've got."
Kenshin nodded, stepping forward and taking a deep breath. He began with Wind Burst, forming the necessary hand seals with practiced speed.
After a brief pause, he thrust his palms out, and a powerful burst of wind chakra shot from his hands, propelling him backward several feet.
Yuki's eyes widened slightly as she observed the burst's force. Though she'd expected something rudimentary, the sheer power behind the technique was impressive. "Your control is off," she remarked, "but the raw output is promising."
Kenshin straightened himself, wiping a small bead of sweat from his forehead. "Yeah, that's the problem... It's hard to get the balance right, even with all those hand seals. Took me almost five years to get it down to fifteen seals."
Yuki nodded. "It's not uncommon for techniques like this to require precise control. We'll work on refining it, but first, show me your Gust Bullet."
Kenshin prepared for the second jutsu, concentrating wind chakra around his body. A thin layer of wind chakra became visible, swirling lightly over his skin before condensing into a dense gauntlet around his forearm and hand.
He raised his arm, focusing intently, and shot a single bullet of wind chakra into an ice wall Yuki made for it. The bullet tore through the one foot thick wall with ease, the wall cracking around the hole before breaking completely.
Yuki blinked, clearly impressed despite herself. "The penetration power is no joke," she murmured. "You could seriously injure—or kill—someone with that, even though the strongest defenses. But I see what you mean about the wind chakra mode. It's not stable enough to use continuously. And it seems you can't condense enough chakra for it to stabilize."
Kenshin let the gauntlet dissipate, breathing heavily. "Yeah, that's why I can only use it to enhance this jutsu for now. And my limit is about five shots."
Yuki folded her arms, her expression thoughtful. "Both of these jutsu are highly promising, but you're right to want to refine them. Let's start with Wind Burst. If we can reduce the number of hand seals, you'll be able to use it more flexibly in combat."
She glanced over at her ice clone, watching as Kana studied under its supervision. "While my clone handles Kana, we'll work on your chakra control."
Kenshin nodded, mentally preparing himself for the intense training session that lay ahead.
"Why do I have to study while the kids can do actual training?!" Kana cried out, disappointed that she can't do physical training.
Yuki crossed her arms, glancing at Kana with a raised brow. "Battle strategies and tactics are just as important as physical training, Kana. A Jonin has to know more than just how to fight; they need to know when, where, and why. If you don't have the mental preparation, you won't survive long enough to use your physical skills."
Kana pouted but sighed in resignation, returning her focus to Yuki's clone, who had pulled out some diagrams of battle formations and began explaining different tactics.
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Once again, thank you everyone for your continued support and power stones. And as always, please give me your power stones and comment your opinions. They make a big difference and motivate me to write more.