After Sakumo Hatake left the training ground, Haseo remained there. As he recovered his strength and chakra, he quietly reflected on the lessons learned from that day's training.
At the same time, his hands instinctively went through hand seals repeatedly.
Hands are a ninja's most important tool. Although seal practice isn't taught as a formal course, it must be continuously performed and reinforced at all times—especially for beginners who cannot afford to slack off. Though Haseo's speed and proficiency in forming seals still had a long way to go before reaching elite ninja standards, considering how recently he'd become a ninja and how much training he'd actually done, his sealing could definitely be described as "fast."
Relatively speaking—"fast."
Since forming hand seals is fundamental to performing jutsu, minimizing the number of required seals for techniques, or even developing no-hand-seal techniques altogether, has always been the dream of every ninja. Each second saved by reducing seals translates into faster offensive capabilities—a seemingly minor difference in timing that often determines the outcome of an entire battle.
However, streamlining high-level techniques into fewer seals or creating no-seal techniques are both extremely difficult tasks, existing only within the imaginations of ordinary shinobi.
"Oh? You're going through all the Water Release seals?"
Just as Haseo was weaving one fingertip motion after another in the correct sequence, a sudden voice interrupted him near his ear.
"Huh?" Since he hadn't sensed anyone approaching earlier, his initial reaction upon hearing the voice was extreme alertness—but then, recognizing that this slightly familiar voice belonged to someone he knew, his wariness instantly faded away.
"The Third Hokage," said Haseo respectfully as he quickly stood up straight and lowered his hands in deference.
Standing behind him was indeed Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"These Ninjutsu were taught to you by Sansho over the past few days?" The Hokage asked casually, keeping his hands clasped behind his back.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Haseo answered, inwardly wondering why the Acting Hokage seemed unusually free when he should've been overwhelmed with duties. Why would he come here alone?
But the Hokage didn't bother to answer Haseo's unspoken questions; instead, he continued, "I saw your practice just now. For someone newly appointed as a ninja, your rate of progress is truly exceptional. In terms of nature transformation, you genuinely possess great talent."
Before Haseo could modestly respond to such praise, Sarutobi smoothly added, "Although, when I was around your age, I had already mastered five different natures with ease."
"…Ha…haha. Amazing. Truly admirable, Lord Third." Haseo tried hard to maintain a respectful expression but ultimately couldn't hide a forced grin—was this man here to compliment him, or to show off?
And what did he mean by that? Had the Third been watching the whole time while he was training with Kakashi?
So even this old man's habit of wandering around the village idly and peeking into things—had already started from such a young age? Haseo couldn't help but form an irreverent thought.
However, according to what Haseo knew, the number of ninjutsu that the Third Hokage could use was unmatched across the Ninjutsu World—truly unprecedented and unsurpassed. Even the First and Second Hokage paled in comparison when it came to the sheer number of techniques he could employ.
Therefore, if Sarutobi claimed he could use five different chakra natures by age ten, Haseo didn't doubt it one bit.
Beyond all these supporting facts, first of all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the legitimate descendant of the Sarutobi clan—he had one hell of a father, a genius who could wield five different chakra natures. Additionally, as part of the very first generation to grow up after Hidden Leaf's founding, he'd been personally mentored by both the First and Second Hokage. Since very early on, he had been carefully nurtured under the expectations and hopes of the entire village.
But how should one put it? At the moment, what Haseo was thinking instead was: giving too much national power to the youth really wasn't a good idea. Even someone like Hiruzen Sarutobi showed an energetic and somewhat frivolous side.
At this time, the Third Hokage was only twenty-four years old.
Fortunately, there was still someone like Mito Uzumaki—a respected elder—in the village.
"Hmph," soon, Hiruzen also realized that such self-praise wasn't appropriate for someone serving as Acting Hokage. He quickly continued, "Have you tested your chakra nature yet?"
"No. Sansho-sensei told me that focusing on training [Water Release] is enough for now," Haseo replied. Though he wanted to grow stronger fast, he wasn't dumb enough to fall into the trap of biting off more than he could chew.
"That may be true, but once reaching the rank of chunin, nearly every ninja must master two chakra nature transformations. Normally speaking, you're already close to becoming a chunin at your age, so getting familiar with other natures earlier wouldn't be a bad idea..." As he spoke, the Third Hokage handed Haseo a chakra nature test paper. "Let's first see if you have a natural affinity for other chakra natures."
Haseo still hadn't figured out exactly what the Hokage intended to do. Nevertheless, he took the paper as instructed and, following directions, channelled his most basic, untransformed chakra into the paper.
The surface of the paper immediately changed.
"It burned first and then became damp—that means fire is your most innate chakra nature. The reason you first mastered [Water Release] might just be because of external stimulation," the Third Hokage concluded based on the result shown by the test paper.
[Fire Release]?
If his natural affinity was actually Fire nature, maybe he should've started with [Fire Release] instead of [Water Release]? The Third Hokage's words momentarily made Haseo hesitate.
"You don't need to worry too much about it. This only means that if you were to train in chakra nature transformation under normal circumstances, your highest probability of success would simply be with the Fire attribute first. Learning fire release techniques afterward would come more naturally too. However, since your training in Water Release is going so smoothly now, there's really no need to feel anxious over it. Still..." The Third Hokage said, "As a thank-you gift for the big help you recently gave the village, I can personally teach you a Fire Release technique."
It seemed he hadn't forgotten what Haseo had accomplished during his previous visit to Kumo.
"Well then, are you interested?"
Haseo didn't give a direct answer. He simply stared at the Third without blinking… That's just how ninjas were — saying things like "Don't bite off more than you can chew," but secretly wanting to grab it all anyway.
"You've already mastered the [Water Dragon Jutsu], right? Then I'll teach you a Fire Release technique of similar level — how about the [Fire Dragon Flame Bullet]? I hope you'll learn this just as smoothly as you did your water techniques," the Third Hokage continued.
Back then Sakumo Hatake did it, and now here was Hiruzen Sarutobi doing the same — always acting like learning these techniques was as easy as pie. "Geniuses" always had that problem; they believed anything they could easily master, others could pick up quickly too. But tell me, how could someone who hasn't even begun training in Fire Nature Chakra ever directly learn a Fire Release technique?
Was he expecting him to start by following the Second Hokage's example — blasting a hole through Haseo with a Fire Release attack?
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