As time passed, August arrived. It was the height of summer, and the scorching heat was oppressive.
For the past two days, Gekkō Kumomi and the other two had all seemed a little dazed. They did not know whether it was because of the high temperatures, or because of the shock of witnessing someone develop a legendary Kekkei Genkai right before their eyes.
They could not tell— they truly could not tell. Was this still the ninja world they knew?
Since when had the Kekkei Genkai, something every ninja envied, become something that looked so simple?
Ten days. Just ten days.
Sage of Six Paths above—are my teammates really human?
Makoto had no way to explain it. He could only say, we players who are running cheats are just like this. Look—after Prince Naruto stuffed the chakra of other tailed beasts into his belly, things like Magnet Release and Lava Release—weren't they something he could just casually throw out on the spot along with a Rasenshuriken?
As for himself, it was merely that the miraculous perception and keen control brought by training in white natural energy had allowed him to analyze and reproduce an Ice Release.
Compared to all of that, what interested him more was the series of changes brought about by this new type of chakra formed through fusion ever since Ice Release appeared.
First, the speed at which his chakra quantity increased had become a bit faster. Then, after Ice Release chakra was produced, it seemed to begin slowly solidifying and imprinting itself into his body, causing his body temperature to drop ever so slightly.
That is to say, once a Kekkei Genkai is formed, the body will record it, and it can be inherited.
When he became an adult, if he had a child with some woman, then the descendant might directly awaken Ice Release, without needing to go through the hardship he did—painstakingly training in two chakra natures, and also having to analyze the special chakra fluctuations of Ice Release.
...
The second defensive line was much easier than the first defensive line. At least they could make an open fire, and they could have more time to train.
Under the shade of trees outside the outpost, the four members of Team Three were resting, and also boiling tea.
After the fresh, piping-hot tea was poured into the cups, Kumomi and the other two simultaneously handed them to the companion in front of them, who had his eyes closed.
Makoto, who was contemplating the changes within himself, opened his eyes. His face was full of speechlessness as he slowly reached out and brushed his hand over their teacups.
Cold air surged out. The originally piping-hot tea immediately became ice-cold. The three of them swallowed it in one gulp and let out a burst of delighted refreshment. Being able to drink a mouthful of iced tea out in the wild during a scorching summer day—that feeling was simply so good it sent them soaring.
Makoto: "…"
Damn it—I worked my ass off to develop Ice Release, and it was just so you could have a sip of a cold drink?
Yūgao let out a long breath. "Ah, comfortable. No matter how strong Ice Release is in combat, at least I won't need to buy a refrigerator in the future."
Hayate was still thinking about his own matter. He asked, "Makoto, I also have Wind and Water chakra natures, but these past days, after being in contact with you, I tried training a bit, and it seemed like I didn't feel anything like what you described at all."
The three of them had grown up together since childhood. If there was something they wanted to know, they would just ask—there were not that many reservations between them.
Makoto thought for a moment and said, "You want to learn Ice Release too? Well… first, you have to form chakra of these two attributes simultaneously within the meridians, allowing them to coexist."
"Then you need to suppress the fluctuations of the Water attribute chakra as much as possible, while at the same time controlling the Wind attribute's light, flowing nature to rotate at high speed around the Water attribute…"
Hayate, Yūgao, and Kumomi: "…"
Are you even speaking human language?
What do you mean by simultaneously converting two chakra attributes and letting them coexist?
What do you mean by controlling them to operate according to different properties?
Is this something a human can even do?
Kumomi let out a sigh and said, "Hayate, I suggest you don't aim too high. As your sensei, my advice is that you should first properly train in the things that Makoto and I have taught you.
"You're still young, so you might not know this yet. In the ninja world, chakra-fusion–type Kekkei Genkai are basically developed or awakened by ninja under accidental circumstances. They don't have reproducibility. Do you understand what I mean?"
After hearing this, Hayate fell silent. He was still young, and his breadth of knowledge was not as extensive as his father's. There were still many secrets of the ninja world that he did not clearly understand.
Being young and unwilling to admit defeat, he had always thought that if others could do something, then he could do it as well—it was only that he had not worked hard enough, or that his method was wrong.
Yūgao asked curiously, "Sensei, are there really no Kekkei Genkai that can be taught?"
Kumomi thought for a moment. "Perhaps there are. I've heard that the Dust Release of the Third Tsuchikage was learned from his sensei, the Second Tsuchikage."
"However, this was only a rumor. As you all know, ninjas place the greatest emphasis on secrecy—no one knows whether this rumor is true or false."
As he spoke, he glanced again at Makoto. "But one thing can be confirmed: Kekkei Genkai can be inherited through bloodlines. That is to say, if Makoto has more children in the future, then Konohagakure might gain an entirely new Kekkei Genkai clan."
Upon hearing this, Yūgao blushed and lowered her head.
Kumomi and Hayate: "…"
Why are you blushing like that?! You were way too straightforward, you silly girl!
Hayate looked at his father. "Are you going to report this? Would that really be a good thing for Makoto?"
Ironically, although Kumomi had once worked in the ANBU, he was not the kind of person who always put the village first. What he cared about most was his own family, followed by the small alliance formed by the Gekkō, Uzuki, and Higashino families.
Especially after realizing just how much of a genius Makoto was becoming, his first reaction was not to report everything truthfully, but to use this opportunity to raise the standing of their three-family faction within the village.
Makoto was still young. As long as he was given time to grow, with the ties between the three families, their group would become a force that even the Hokage could not afford to ignore.
He was already over thirty years old. He did not care about any of that so-called Will of Fire nonsense—he understood only one thing: in the ninja world, strength was the truth.
So he did not answer his son's question. Instead, he turned his head toward his disciple and asked, "Makoto, what do you think?"
"No need to report it. I just want to train quietly."
"That's fine. But for now, you cannot use this power in front of others—at least not until you believe you can withstand pressure from those above. Do you understand what I mean?"
Makoto replied calmly, "I understand, sensei. Don't worry. I trained in Ice Release purely out of curiosity, and to deepen my understanding of chakra natures. It won't change my fighting style."
"Very good. Then this will be the secret of our Team Three," Kumomi concluded. After setting the tone, he suddenly turned to Yūgao and said, "If the village were to find out, in order to obtain more Ice Release bloodlines, those above would assign Makoto many wives!"
"When the time comes, the Uchiha Clan and the Hyūga Clan might not care, but clans like the Sarutobi, Yamanaka, and Nara would all introduce beautiful girls to Makoto."
The young girl snapped to attention on the spot. "Don't worry, sensei! If anyone finds out about this secret, I'll kill them!"
Hayate: "Sensei, isn't that going a bit too far?"
"My son," Kumomi said, "you're underestimating what a heritable Kekkei Genkai means to a village or a clan. If you had one yourself, you'd understand."
Hayate: "…"
Huh? I don't believe it—one day I'll definitely get one myself.
Just then, Makoto suddenly said, "Someone's coming."
The three immediately fell silent. They had great confidence in Makoto's sensory perception.
At the second defensive line, Makoto would not actively activate his perception—it consumed chakra—but his passive sensing was always present, and the range was not short.
At this moment, a small squad was approaching their outpost.
Very soon, three chūnin wearing green flak jackets appeared in front of the four of them. After both sides verified the encrypted passphrase, the leader spoke, "Is this the Third Team under Jōnin Gekkō Kumomi?"
Kumomi: "Yes. Is there an order from above?"
"The command headquarters has issued an order. Team Three is to return immediately. We will take over the defense here."
After saying this, the man handed over a scroll. After reading it, Kumomi said to his disciples, "Alright, everything checks out. This garrison mission is ending early. Let's head back."
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