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This display by Akira Tsubaki redefined the term "Dead Last" (Crane Tail), pushing it to an entirely new level.
"This, this is too embarrassing!" Obito covered his face, unable to look directly.
Sensei asked us to show off our skills, not our inability to speak!
"Will he be punished, for sure?" Rin worried aloud.
She could understand why Akira Tsubaki did this.
After all, Akira Tsubaki didn't know any Taijutsu (Hand-to-Hand) or Ninjutsu (Techniques) at all, so he had no choice but to stall like that, right?
"Talent!"
Kakashi, who was always aloof, couldn't help but interject with a comment.
Obviously, this was the ultimate reverse compliment.
On the training ground.
Minato Namikaze took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure.
As a Jōnin, what major event hadn't he witnessed?
But this was close.
His composure was nearly shattered by his student, Akira Tsubaki.
"Akira Tsubaki, has your Kunai throwing improved at all?" Minato tried to salvage the situation.
"Oh, I don't have a good sense of direction," Akira Tsubaki replied earnestly.
"What about your Three Body Technique (Transformation, Clone, Substitution)?"
"I've been working hard to learn, but I still haven't managed to master it."
"Then what have you mastered since graduating from the Academy?"
"Um..."
Akira Tsubaki thought for a long time, stretching out the "Um" sound, but ultimately had nothing more to say.
"I refuse to believe it."
Minato Namikaze wouldn't accept this failure.
He felt that even the Dead Last couldn't be completely devoid of any potential sparkle, right?
If he could just grasp a single hint of ability and encourage it, even the Dead Last could be filled with fighting spirit.
Thinking of this, a Chakra paper (Elemental Affinity Test Paper) appeared in his hand.
"Come on, let's test your Chakra affinity."
"Okay."
Taking the paper, Akira Tsubaki condensed his Chakra and gathered it onto the test paper.
And then.
The Chakra test paper remained completely unresponsive.
"Huh?"
Witnessing this, Minato Namikaze was stunned.
No attributes?
This!
No wonder.
No wonder Akira Tsubaki couldn't learn the Three Body Technique.
Chakra affinity is crucial for a ninja. Chakra without any element means one cannot practice any form of elemental Ninjutsu.
This is because Ninjutsu in the ninja world is fundamentally divided into five categories: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning.
Without the corresponding elemental affinity, one cannot practice those techniques.
"Dismissed for now!"
Minato Namikaze waved his hands, his tone slightly hollow.
He had suffered a severe psychological blow.
No matter how he looked at it, Akira Tsubaki seemed to be a lost cause in his squad.
"To be precise, Akira Tsubaki is the victim."
Minato sighed helplessly, watching the backs of his team members leaving.
A person like this should have remained a civilian, but due to the village's pre-war system, he was forcibly classified as a ninja.
Is it because Akira Tsubaki didn't work hard enough?
No.
It's because he simply doesn't possess the raw talent to be a ninja.
Team Minato left the training ground.
The four walked side-by-side, and the atmosphere was extremely quiet.
Finally, Obito couldn't take it anymore.
He felt obligated to comfort his good brother.
"Akira Tsubaki, I believe you can do it," Obito said, his face earnest and devoid of his usual joking.
"Are you encouraging me?" Akira Tsubaki turned his head and asked casually.
"Of course!"
"Understood."
Akira Tsubaki nodded, signaling that he heard him.
"Keep going!" Rin also offered encouragement before heading home.
"I suggest you focus entirely on Taijutsu!"
Kakashi also chimed in, then turned and left immediately afterward.
The teammates departed one by one, and Akira Tsubaki returned home.
This time, instead of lying down, he dug out a dusty enrollment test card from his room.
Sitting on a chair in the yard, he stared at the test card, deep in thought.
"Chakra has no attributes?"
"No! I have attributes."
He distinctly remembered that when he entered the academy two years ago, the result of his Chakra affinity test showed three attributes:
Fire, Earth, and Water.
Moreover, the result was recorded right there on the old enrollment card.
"Two years ago I had three attributes, but now I have none."
"Degeneration?"
After considering it, Akira Tsubaki thought this was highly probable.
He hadn't refined or used his Chakra in a long time.
"A ninja's Chakra attribute is not fixed. It should be that with the in-depth development of a certain attribute, other attributes might appear."
This conclusion was not just random guesswork by Akira Tsubaki.
It had a real basis in the ninja world.
The most direct examples were Chūnin and Jōnin.
A Chūnin might have two Chakra affinities, but when they advance to Jōnin, it's possible for a third affinity to emerge.
This kind of development is common among shinobi.
Reversing this process:
"If I don't refine Chakra for a long period, then my weakly developed Chakra affinities will simply degenerate."
Leaning on his chin, Akira Tsubaki mused silently.
It was just like developing farmland.
If the farmland is actively developed, new crops may appear, but if it is left unmanaged for a long time, the land will simply be abandoned.
Having settled this theory, Akira Tsubaki hurried back into the house and grabbed a pen and paper.
As he thought, he meticulously wrote down various precautions.
These notes focused primarily on the weaknesses of Taijutsu-focused ninjas on the battlefield.
That's right.
Akira Tsubaki had temporarily classified himself as a Taijutsu Ninja.
This meant he needed to plan for the weaknesses and contingencies inherent to that specialization.
Minato Namikaze's Residence.
After returning from the training ground, Minato Namikaze sequestered himself in the house.
He first quickly scanned through his collection of Ninjutsu scrolls, then sat on a chair, falling into deep thought.
When Kushina knocked and came in, she was surprised to find Minato not smiling, which was rare.
There was only one possible reason.
Minato is having a problem.
"Encountered an issue?" Kushina sat down opposite him, asking with concern.
"Yes," Minato Namikaze said with a wry smile.
"You can tell me about it, even though I might not be able to help."
"In the ninja world, is there any Non-Attribute Ninjutsu?" Minato posed the question that was plaguing him.
"Non-Attribute Ninjutsu?" Kushina repeated, pondering.
Then, she brightened.
"Of course there is!"
"Huh? What technique?" Minato Namikaze asked hastily.
"The Tailed Beast Bomb (Bijuudama)!" Kushina replied with a cheerful smile.
At this moment.
Minato Namikaze's eyes lit up.
Found it.
I finally found the solution.
I can completely imitate the Tailed Beast Bomb and develop a Non-Attribute Ninjutsu.
If I do that, won't Akira Tsubaki be able to learn Ninjutsu?
I really am a qualified teacher!