Kirito took the paper slip.
Is this the chakra test paper?
"Inject your chakra."
Chakra flowed from Kirito's hand into the test paper at his fingertips.
The paper slip quickly became wrinkled, then damp, then it tore apart and fell to the ground.
"It has a Lightning Release nature?" Karuto looked at the fragments on the ground, then explained to his son, "Chakra generally has five natures: Water, Earth, Wind, Fire, and Lightning. Water Release makes it damp, Earth Release makes the test paper tear, Wind Release cuts the paper in half, Fire Release makes it burn, and Lightning Release makes it wrinkle."
Water Release, Earth Release, Lightning Release? He was born with three natures. Having Water Release and Earth Release wasn't strange—after all, he was a Senju. Was the Lightning Release from his transmigration or inherited from his mother?
If it's Water Release and Earth Release, those are prerequisites for Wood Release. But after Senju Hashirama, no one had awakened Wood Release naturally. Later, Yamato, Uchiha Obito, and the Madara's Wood Release were all results of being infused with Hashirama's cells.
Although Wood Release is strong, it's extremely difficult to obtain, and Senju Hashirama's and Yamato's versions were not the same.
Karuto placed two scrolls into Kirito's arms.
"These are some low-level Water Release and Earth Release ninjutsu. You won't need the advanced ones yet. I'll give them to you when you're ready to use them." Karuto put away the remaining scrolls, closed the box, and returned it beneath the bed.
"Remember, don't refine chakra too frequently—it will affect your development." Karuto solemnly warned.
"I understand." Kirito nodded quickly.
He unrolled a scroll, but unfortunately, Kirito could only recognize a few characters; the rest was completely unreadable, so he could only look at the pictures.
Helplessly, Kirito turned to his mother.
Liya shook her head.
"It's too late. I'll explain it to you later."
Alright, illiteracy is a major weakness. He wondered how other transmigrators could cultivate just by getting scrolls without ever going to school.
Bidding farewell to his parents, Kirito picked up the scroll, returned to his room, and carefully placed it under his pillow.
He began his daily meditation, but unfortunately, it still had no effect. He could only wait for his body to grow gradually.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, light snow still drifted through the air.
Kirito held a scroll and found his father downstairs.
Unfortunately, Karuto firmly refused to teach him literacy using the ninjutsu scrolls. He still didn't want Kirito to be exposed to ninjutsu so early. A child's body isn't fully developed and doesn't have much chakra, making it easy to deplete, which could affect development and, in severe cases, even become life-threatening.
Left with no choice, Kirito could only learn characters from newspapers with his father.
After lunch, he went to the same small grove as before, but didn't see Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Shisui, even as the sky grew dark.
He never saw Itachi or Shisui again after that. Kirito didn't dare ask at the police station either. He didn't know if they were busy with missions or purposely avoiding him.
"You're actually a monster, aren't you!"
A bratty voice called out from a distance.
"A Byakugan monster!"
The sound of a little girl crying followed.
Byakugan? The Hyuga Clan? He had indeed seen Hyuga members before; their Byakugan did look strange, and their looks weren't enough to balance that strangeness.
"Hey! Shut up!" Another child's voice yelled.
"Who are you?"
"Listen closely, I'm Uzumaki Naruto! The future Hokage!"
Naruto? Kirito walked toward the woods where the voice came from.
"Hokage? You're an idiot!"
"Clone Jutsu!"
A yellow-haired child with goggles on his forehead was making hand signs. Smoke rose, and two ten-centimeter tall clones appeared on the ground.
Three children surrounded Naruto. Nearby, a little girl squatted, crying.
The three laughed until their stomachs hurt at Naruto's clumsy clones.
Bang!
Naruto took a punch to the nose, and blood streamed out.
"Hey!"
The three turned to see a child their age walking over.
"You want a beating too?" The red-hatted one asked arrogantly.
"Then come hit me." Kirito, thanks to his past-life education, couldn't stand pure bullying.
The red-hatted kid came forward and threw a punch.
It was very slow—Kirito saw it clearly. He grabbed his wrist, pulled, and kicked. The red-hatted kid clutched his stomach and fell, crying.
The fat one hesitated, then also punched. Kirito dodged and punched him in the stomach.
He too fell, sobbing.
The last one turned to run, but Kirito grabbed the glove hanging from his side and pulled him down.
Although they were the same age, Kirito had the mind of an adult and had been training his body early. Beating up three kids was effortless.
"Apologize." Kirito said to the three on the ground.
They stopped crying and stared blankly at the dirt, too embarrassed to speak.
"If you don't apologize, I'll hit you again." Kirito raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry!" The three of them stood and bowed to Hinata and Naruto.
"If you don't leave now, I'll beat you harder next time! If I catch you bullying again, I'll make you regret it!"
The three ran off quickly.
"So cool!" Naruto imitated Kirito's stance, making poses.
Huh? This scene seemed familiar—wasn't it the part where Naruto saved Hinata and they became close? Kids sure matured early. Hopefully, he hadn't interfered with their future relationship.
Kirito looked at Naruto. Yep, there were whisker marks on his cheeks, though they looked more like birthmarks.
Hinata shyly lowered her head and softly thanked him.
Kirito had liked Naruto when reading the original. He couldn't imitate Naruto's always-sunny personality—if he had gone through Naruto's childhood, he'd probably have turned dark long ago.
"Hey, what's your name?" Kirito asked, already knowing.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm the future Hokage!" Naruto pointed to himself proudly. "Thanks for earlier. What's your name?"
"My name is Kirito. If anyone bullies you again, come find me."
"The future Hokage doesn't need protecting! I was about to beat them myself before you stepped in!"
"Hokage, huh? Good luck." Kirito knew he meant it. But Naruto was still far from that title. He turned to Hinata and asked, "What's your name?"
"Ah?" Hinata looked up, then quickly down. "I-I'm Hyuga Hinata."
Her voice grew quieter as she nervously nudged the snow with her toe.
So shy.
"Hyuga Hinata, huh? Oh, right—Byakugan is a power it doesn't make you a monster." Kirito turned to Naruto. "Be my subordinate. If anyone messes with you again, I'll handle it."
Naruto bared his teeth and pointed a finger.
"Don't think I'll call you boss just because you helped me!"
"Oh? I can treat you to Ichiraku Ramen."
Gulp. Naruto swallowed hard, clearly tempted.
"Let's go eat ramen. Hinata, you too." Kirito waved his hand.
Hinata glanced at him, didn't say anything, but quietly followed. Naruto hesitated, torn between accepting a boss or eating ramen.
"I'll treat you to two bowls."
"Boss, I'm in!"
Kirito had pocket money. His parents didn't withhold it. Since their shop did okay, he didn't carry much, but always kept some paper money. A habit from his last life—even in a mobile-payment world, he'd carry cash just in case.
It was three or four in the afternoon, and Ichiraku Ramen was empty. The owner was dozing behind the counter.
"I want Pork Cutlet Miso Chashu Tonkotsu Ramen!" Naruto shouted, hopping onto a stool. Still too short, he stood on it.
"I'll have the same. What about you, Hinata?"
Hinata looked at the menu, mumbling softly, unable to decide.
Was she worried about the cost? Or just shy?
"Boss, three Pork Cutlet Miso Chashu Tonkotsu Ramen." Kirito remembered Hinata was secretly a big eater. "Naruto, want a second bowl?"
"Oh yeah! Boss, I want two bowls of Pork Cutlet Miso Chashu Tonkotsu Ramen!"
"Boss, make five bowls in total. Bring two out slowly."
Soon the ramen arrived. Kirito took a bite—it really was delicious. No wonder Naruto loved it.
Hinata quietly finished her first bowl. Seeing no one watching, she started on her second.
His body was still small. Naruto finished his second bowl and leaned back, hiccupping. Hinata looked fine.
After paying, the total was 375 ryo. Not too bad—he still had some money left.
"Let's part ways here. Come find me next time." Kirito pointed toward his house.
"Okay, Boss!" Naruto looked a little down—unsure if it was about leaving his new boss or new friend.
"Tha~nk you." Hinata blushed and lowered her head.
Kirito waved as he walked away.
Over the next few days, he thought Naruto would come find him, but he never showed up. Wasn't Naruto supposed to have no friends at this age?
Kirito didn't overthink it. He kept learning characters with his father, hoping to read the scrolls soon.
He could now extract chakra instantly. One hand seal was enough.
It wasn't good to extract too much at once. It wasn't that you couldn't—it's just that everyone has limits. Chakra is a mix of physical and spiritual energy. If you convert all of it, you're basically dead.
So, ninja extract a small amount and keep it in reserve. More can be drawn as needed in battle.
Stored chakra will fade over time. Some of it is used just to maintain the body. While chakra boosts reaction time and strength, not using ninjutsu means you use very little, so it's manageable.
"Her maternal grandfather acknowledged her and protected her."
Liya held her son, pointing at the picture book and explaining it.
"Grandfather? Mom, you said you'd take me to see him!" Kirito turned and looked into her eyes.
Liya looked hesitant but agreed. Her son wanted to go—she couldn't keep saying no.
The next day, after breakfast, the family of three prepared to leave.
Karuto closed the shop door and carried some gifts. Liya held Kirito's hand, and the three walked toward the northeast part of the village.
Konoha wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. The village's core was tight, but the ninja-controlled area was broad.
His maternal grandfather's home was in a quiet corner of the residential area.
The houses there were fewer but had tall walls and spacious yards.
Liya pushed open a gate.
Creak. A tall old man appeared in the yard, chopping wood with an axe.
He was sturdy, his white hair tied back. He wore a light yellow robe and glared sharply at the couple who entered, snorting.
Then he noticed the child at Liya's side.
"Is this Kirito?" the old man's voice trembled. He put down the axe, crouched, and opened his arms.
"Call him Grandpa," Liya gently pushed Kirito forward.
"Grandpa." Kirito walked over and stood in front of the man.
The old man scooped him up and pressed his face to Kirito's.
"Father."
"Father."
End of the Chapter.