"Ram → Snake → Tiger"
Haah…
Ritsu makes a series of rapid hand signs.
Poof…
A wisp of smoke appears beside him. A white malnourished version of Ritsu walks out of the smoke. It sways sideways and crumbles to the ground, dissipating into smoke.
"I failed again!"
Ritsu sighs and continues to make the hand signs for the clone technique.
It has been three months since the previous bullying incident. A lot of things happened in the village during this time. Several Anbu members and high-ranking shinobis were frequently active during the past two months.
The border tension between Kumogakure and Konohagakure continued to escalate. Everything started with the death of Kumogakure's head ninja during Hinata's third birthday party.
Since then, Kumogakure has demanded Hiashi's head for the sake of fulfilling the peace treaty they signed earlier.
This unreasonable demand is what led to the deployment of troops to the border. Even his father would visit them once per month and then return soon to continue his duty at the border.
In the end, Konoha relented and Hizashi offered his head in Hiashi's steed. The tension finally died down and his father returned a week ago.
As for his progress, his initial goal of mastering the C-rank 'Fire Ball' Jutsu was pushed back by two weeks. It was harder than he thought it would be. Again, it was a result of his high chakra reserves and low chakra control.
Since then, he has been seeking ways to improve his chakra control along with the 'Leaf Concentration Technique'. Ishiko was pleasantly surprised after he demonstrated his 'Fireball'. She expected him to take another month to master the jutsu.
So, in the heat of the moment, he asks her to teach him the 'Shadow Clone Jutsu'. However, she immediately rejected him with no room for argument. He wanted to learn Shadow clone jutsu by all means since this technique was like a cheat with its god-like learning ability.
Ishiko said that the jutsu is too dangerous for a kid like him. Ritsu could only give up and ask her to teach him the E-Rank 'Clone Technique' instead.
Ishiko agrees to his request since 'Clone Technique' is a low-rank basic technique and it is also a requisite to graduate from the academy. Along with the 'Clone Technique', he also requested to learn the E-rank 'Transformation Jutsu' and Substitution Jutsu.
Ishiko readily agreed to his request. So, he also asked to learn another genjutsu technique.
Genjutsu techniques are quite rare and extremely hard to master due to their stringent requirement. So, on Ritsu's persistence, Ishikao taught him the D-rank 'Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing technique. This technique is much harder than the 'Fireball Jutsu' since it requires precise chakra control. She didn't expect him to master this genjutsu technique but it will at least keep him occupied and give her a reason to deny his request to learn more techniques.
Now, he has his hands full with these four techniques for at least half a year. Within just a month, he mastered the three E-rank techniques. But even after three months, he is still struggling with the D-rank genjutsu technique.
On the other hand, his Taijutsu training didn't make much progress since there was no one to teach him after Uncle Yūga got busy with his missions. Ishiko gave him little pointers. So, he used this time to perfect his combat stance and body control.
Combat stance and body control are also a crucial aspect of the Taijutsu. Combat stance allows the user to perfectly switch between different combat styles like punching, kicking, grappling, boxing, etc. Whereas body control allows the perfect use of muscle strength and body coordination.
He also made rapid progress in the learning of the common language. Now he can read most of the books with simple vocabulary without fumbling. He expects to learn how to read and write by the age of five.
Six is the age when most students enter the academy. However, he had to wait a few months after turning six since the academy accepts students once a year.
'I am around seven months older than Naruto. So, if nothing unexpected happens, both of us will be in the same batch. And judging from mother and grandma's actions, that seems to be their intention.' Ritsu recalls a conversation he overhead a few days ago at night.
He woke up in the middle of the night to take a pee break and heard the conversation between his mother and grandmother. Apparently, his grandmother is a big shot in the village. She seems to be a member of the elder council and was personally appointed by Lady Mito Uzumaki.
Curious, he asked her grandmother about the difference in their hair color since he couldn't directly mouth the Uzumaki clan name. His grandmother was happy to hear his interest in the family and told him about the history of the Uzumaki clan.
It turns out his grandma is related to the Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage. It came out as a shock to him. No wonder Mito Uzumaki treated her nicely and appointed her as the village elder.
His grandmother, Shima Uzumaki, is the niece of Mito Uzumaki. Mito Uzumaki had an elder brother. Shima is the youngest daughter of Mito's brother. She moved to Konoha after its foundation to learn under Mito. Here, she married a member of the Senju clan and gave birth to his father.
Ishiko also has a similar story. She escaped to Konoha with several others after Uzushiogakure was destroyed overnight. Under the relentless hunt of several shinobis, only a small group of Uzumaki clan members survived the hunt. Shima led the rescue team from Konoha and Ishiko was among those lucky survivors.
She took shelter in Konoha under Shima's care. Eventually, Ishiko fell in love with Akinao and they married each other after the Third Shinobi war.
'Makes sense! Several other Uzumaki clan members like her escaped to different nations. Mom was lucky enough to escape to Konoha.'
Suddenly, Ritsu recalls Naruto.
'Naruto is also an Uzumaki. His mother's name is Kushina Uzumaki. I must ask Grandma about her. Perhaps I might even be related to him.' He remembers Kushina's introduction in the series after Pain's attack but he didn't get to watch the Naruto series after the pain arc.
'Hmm… For now, I will teach these three techniques- the clone technique, the transformation technique, and the Substitution technique to Naruto.' He makes up his mind.
"Ram → Snake → Tiger"
Haah…
Ritsu continues his practice. He wants to hone his chakra control.
'Perhaps I should also learn the 'Water walking' skill from mother.'
"Ritsu, your friend is here!" Suddenly, Ishikao's voice enters his ears.
"Naruto?!" His eyes lit up.
"He must be feeling lonely without me. Alright, I will play with him." He quickly rushes out of the house.
"Mom, I will be late today!" He informs his mother before rushing out with Naruto.
"This kid!" Ishikao shakes her head.
"Sometimes, he acts so mature and level-headed, and other times he is very childish."
"Naruto, I will teach you a new jutsu!" Ritsu's voice echoes from the distance.
----------------
Six months pass in the blink of an eye.
"I am already five years old!"
Ritsu lies exhausted on the ground while holding a wooden sword in his hand.
"Alright, that's enough practice for the day." Yūga gestures. He passes a towel to Ritsu to wipe his sweat. Ritsu accepts it, while lost in his thoughts.
Last month, he celebrated his fifth birthday with his family. Later, he even gave a treat to Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru in the Yakiniku-Q restaurant.
He met Choji on one of his shopping trips with his mother. Later, Choji introduced him to Shikamaru and since then, he, Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru formed a small group.
Even though most of them are quite busy with their clan training and have hardly any free time. They still spare some time to meet and play every three days. Naruto always looks forward to it. The group even took revenge on those brats who used to bully Naruto.
'Well, at least he isn't getting beaten every day.'
Another thing, Naruto is also learning how to read and write. When I asked him about it. He told me that a big sister with purple hair was teaching him. She is also the one who brings him food most of the time.
'That must be Yugao. I think she and Kakashi were assigned to protect him.'
"Ritsu, wash yourself and get ready for breakfast!" Ishiko's voice echoes from the kitchen.
"Yes, mom!"
Whoosh…
Ritsu performs a kip-up and stands straight.
'These past six months haven't been in vain. I trained hard and managed to master the D-rank Genjutsu technique under my mom's guidance and some pointers from Grandma. Not only that, I even completed the basic Senju Taijutsu training under Uncle Yuga and even mastered 'water walking'.
He initially gave up on learning the D-rank genjutsu since his chakra control was total crap. So, he thought of improving his chakra control first and recalled the methods of 'Water Walking' and 'Wall Walking' from the anime. Wall-making was easier than water walking and he picked it up quickly within a week. He took another week to perfect it.
But water walking was harsh to learn. Water has an everchanging flow with differences in volume and uneven surface with ripples. He had to adjust his chakra accordingly to stay afloat on water. A slight mishap in concentration and he will take a dip in water.
He first practiced standing still on the water for a week. After that, he asked his father to create a small waterfall for him in the backyard with his water release.
Ritsu practiced standing on the water under the flow of the waterfall. And even stood directly beneath it to feel the water pressure and maintain his concentration. His reckless action got him a scolding from his mother.
He even caught a cold during this time and had to lie in bed for a week or two. But he didn't give up on training. So, within a month, he managed to walk on water. And after another month, he was already running and hopping on water.
'Finally, I am Shinobi Jesus!'
He couldn't withhold his excitement after learning the two techniques and even went on a hill-climbing session around the village.
After mastering these two techniques, his chakra control improved a lot. The hard training paid off and he learned the D-rank genjutsu technique within two more months.
Swoosh…
Ritsu performs a roundhouse kick and strikes the head of the dummy.
"The basic Senju Taijutsu includes Heavenly Spear Kick, Heavenly Foot of Pain, Heavenly Assault Fist, and Heavenly Palm Strike. Who the hell named these techniques?" He mumbles.
"Not bad, young man!" Yuga praises him while ignoring his earlier remark.
"But don't overexert yourself."
Yuga nods at Ishiko and takes his leave.
Ritsu wipes his sweat with the towel and enters the bath.
'We will enroll in the academy at the age of six. So, there is still a year before we join the academy. I can practice a lot and improve my skills until then.'
Ritsu exits the bath after washing up.
"For now, I plan to plead with Mother to teach me 'Shadow clone jutsu' until she gives in.'
Ritsu picks up his chopsticks and slowly eats the rice.
"Mom!" After eating half a bowl of rice, he turns to Ishiko.
"Mom, I have already learned the four techniques you taught me. Now, please teach me Shadow clone jutsu." He makes puppy eyes and glances at his mother.
"NO!" Her firm answer pierces an arrow through Ritsu's heart.
'What an instant answer?!'
"But why?" Ritsu asks.
"Tell me, why do you want to learn Shadow clone jutsu first? And where did you even learn about this technique? Only then I will consider."
"Umm…" Ritsu revises the excuse he made up for himself in his mind and opens his mouth.
"Mom! I learned about this technique from the books in our clan library. I read records of the Second Hokage and from there I learned the name of this technique. The second Hokage is my ideal. So, I want to learn the technique he created. I want to follow in his footsteps and become a very renowned shinobi." Ritsu makes the sincerest face he can muster.
"Oh!" Shima and Ishiko are startled to hear his answer.
"Yes, second Hokage is my idol!" Ritsu nods.
"Hmm…" Ishiko thinks for a second but eventually shakes her head.
"The Shadow clone technique is a high-level forbidden technique that even Jounin rank shinobis are afraid to use. So, I don't think it is a good idea to teach it to you." Ishiko has a resolute expression on her face.
'In that case… I will use my trump card, 'Grandma-no-Jutsu'.'
"Grandma! Please!" He turns to Shima with puppy eyes.
"Hoho…" Shima chuckles at his antiques and Ishiko rolls her eyes.
Shima slowly places down her chopstick and turns to Ishiko.
"It's not a bad idea!" She gives her approval.
"Then, can I learn it?" He stares at her with expectation.
Mm…
Shima nods.
"Yay! I knew it! Grandma is the best!" Ritsu jumps in joy and hugs his Grandma.
Shima smiles warily and ruffles his hair.
"My little grandson is growing up very quickly."
"Alright! Alright! Finish your breakfast first." Ishikao shakes her head.
"Yes, mom!" Ritsu quickly finishes off his breakfast and rushes towards the backyard.
"Hey, but today is your language class!" Ishiko shouts.
"Mom, I already completed the literature book last week," Ritsu replies and eagerly waits in anticipation.
'Shadow clone Jutsu is such a powerful technique. The only requirement is a high chakra reserve which I possess. So, it's perfect for me. Now, I wonder why other members of the Senju clan and the Uzumaki clan don't use it that regularly.'
Inside the house,
Ishiko stares at Shima with worry.
"Mother, is it alright to teach him that technique? Other than the high chakra reserve, it also requires powerful spiritual and mental strength to learn. I can count a handful of people who possess both such qualities." Ishiko asks.
Shima smiles at her questions and answers.
"Luckily, Ritsu possesses both these qualities. Even disregarding his chakra reserves, his mental and spiritual strength is one of the strongest I have ever seen. They are almost on par with Lady Mito, Lord Hashirama, and Kushina." She adds.
"What?!" Ishiko is shocked to hear this.
"But with such high mental and spiritual strength, then shouldn't he have a high aptitude in Fuinjutsu," Ishiko speaks with excitement.
"Ritsu does have the necessary qualities to train in Fuinjutsu." Grandma Shima nods.
"Also, it's a good thing that he is always motivated to learn something new. We, as parents, shouldn't suppress the kid's ambitions." Shima takes out a scroll from her pocket.
"After he is done training, hand him this!"
"This is…"
Ishiko glances at the scroll and is surprised by it.
"The basic language of Sealing?!"
"Mom, do you want him to?"
Mm…
Shima nods.
"After the destruction of the Uzumaki clan, the legacy of the Uzumaki clan also came to an end. The last Fuinjutsu prodigy was Kushina."
Shima sighs with emotion.
"I don't want the legacy of the Uzumaki clan to end like this. Ritsu has a talent for Fuinjutsu, even higher than yours. This past year, I have gauged his talent in Fuinjutsu by mixing several Fuinjutsu letters alongside his regular classes. And he learned them all without a hitch. This talent is prodigious."
Shima points towards the scroll in Ishiko's hand.
"Believe it or not, he has already learned half of this scroll's content. He has to just piece them together."
"If that's the case, I can't allow his talent to go to waste." Ishiko clenches her fist.
She is also a part of the Uzumaki clan. So, she also wants to continue the legacy of her clan. Unfortunately, she didn't have the talent for high-level Fuinjutsu arts. So, she had no choice but to give up and learn Ninjutsu. But now she sees hope in her child.