"At first, some people laughed at me, but someone helped me."
Kushina stroked her red hair and murmured, "Grandma Mito, do you know? Kazuki and Mikoto are both very, very good people..."
Then Kushina chattered on, recounting everything that had happened that day.
Mito did not stop Kushina from continuing. Instead, she patiently listened to Kushina's narration.
The Uchiha clan had produced several very, very good people?
Mito was somewhat bewildered, but more than that, she was happy about it.
Because of Hashirama, Mito was not as hostile towards the Uchiha as other Uzumaki and Senju clansmen, even though Hashirama's death was inextricably linked to Madara.
But even until his death, Hashirama felt that he had wronged Madara.
As an observer, how could Mito not know that Madara had been forced away by Tobirama?
If one were to truly consider it, Tobirama might very well be the culprit.
Even Tobirama himself had once said that as comrades, the Uchiha were more reliable than anyone else.
And Kagami was clearly that kind of trustworthy Uchiha, so would Kazuki be the next one?
Mito looked at Kushina with deep eyes. Originally, she had wanted Kushina to become the Nine-tails Jinchuriki, which would also be a form of protection. But if that were the case, Kushina would clearly not be suitable for too much contact with the Uchiha clan.
However, could she keep Kushina away from Kazuki and Mikoto?
Clearly impossible!
Kushina had finally made friends. Perhaps she needed to find an opportunity to meet Kazuki.
After Kushina finished speaking, Mito comforted her with a loving expression, "In a few days, Tsunade and Nawaki will be back from the Daimyo's Mansion. You can interact with them more, and if anything happens in the future, you can tell your Tsunade."
"Tsunade?"
Kushina hesitated. She hadn't met these two before. Although they were relatives—Mito was her great-aunt, and Tsunade and Nawaki were indeed her older cousins—since they hadn't met, Kushina's heart was still very anxious.
"Yes, Kushina, starting tonight, we will practice Sealing Jutsu for two hours every evening."
Mito then continued, "You don't want others to have to save you when you go out on missions in the future, do you?"
Kushina thought of the scene where her parents entrusted her to Kagami and his team, and then remembered Kagami covering their retreat for her. She nodded with determination.
...
"Huff, huff, huff!"
On the other side, Kazuki was panting heavily, his eyes fixed with determination on the second elder, Tatsuya, not far away.
His single-tomoe Sharingan stared intently at Tatsuya, his Chakra almost depleted.
Tatsuya, standing opposite with his arms crossed, commented, "Your talent is excellent. You are indeed the earliest to awaken the Sharingan."
"In terms of overall strength, you are already stronger than an average Genin, but your experience is still a bit lacking."
He paused, then continued to add, "However, don't get too arrogant. When Madara was your age, although he hadn't awakened the Sharingan, his strength was still superior to yours. He started killing at the age of three."
Kazuki felt somewhat speechless. Tatsuya was indeed someone from the Sengoku era. Having followed Madara, his combat experience was not something an ordinary Ninja could compare to.
However, comparing him to Madara was giving him too much credit.
Even though Kazuki now possessed Indra Chakra, Kazuki found it difficult to guarantee that his talent was not inferior to Madara's, or even better than Madara's.
Madara was someone who had fought from birth until death.
Although the final boss of Naruto was Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, the sense of oppression Kaguya gave was not comparable to Madara's.
Little did he know, Tatsuya's eyes were filled with shock as he looked at Kazuki. Although Kazuki only had a single-tomoe Sharingan, the feeling he got was that its ocular power was in no way inferior to a two-tomoe Sharingan.
He had taught Kagami before and could clearly feel that Kazuki's ocular power surpassed Kagami's. This discovery made Tasuya even more excited.
This child, Kazuki, has even more potential than Kagami. In the future, he might be able to awaken that pair of eyes.
However, he couldn't reveal this matter yet. He couldn't let Kazuki become arrogant, and he also needed to worry about others who might wish Kazuki harm.
Like Kazuki, Tatsuya also harbored suspicions about the Uchiha clan head and Danzo, but he couldn't do anything.
Despite being the Uchiha clan's second elder and the leader of the peace-loving faction, he was ultimately just an elite Jonin. With increasing age and hidden ailments, his strength as an elite Jonin was likely even diminished.
He could do nothing. In the future, it would have to depend on Kazuki himself.
"I still have a lot to learn."
Kazuki gave a self-deprecating laugh, recalling how he couldn't even defeat the gatekeeper in the combat arena, which he felt was shameful.
"Hmm, it's best that you understand that."
Seeing Kazuki act like this, Tatsuya nodded in satisfaction.
"From now on, after school every day, come here for my training, especially regarding the use of the Sharingan. You still have a lot to learn."
"Yes, thank you, second elder." Kazuki said gratefully.
Regardless of the other party's strength, he was ultimately a veteran of countless battles, with too much for him to learn.
This was the difference between Kazuki and Sasuke. Kazuki had a complete system to learn from, while Sasuke could only go forward on his own.
Even though Kakashi's reputation with the Sharingan was great, when it came to using the Sharingan, Kakashi could only be considered an amateur.
Over the next month, Kazuki maintained his daily routine of attending classes, having lunch with Kushina and Mikoto, and being trained by Tatsuya in the evenings. He could feel his strength improving at a visible rate.
If Kazuki were given another chance to challenge the Kotetsu, he might not lose.
As for the other two Jonin, Kazuki currently had no such thoughts.
Finally, after training at Tatsuya's house that day, the combat arena finally refreshed.