The following morning, Kaito woke up with a strangely heavy burden pressing down on his chest.
When he slowly opened his eyes, he could see Mirei sleeping soundly right on top of him.
She was drooling slightly, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist like a koala.
After sighing helplessly, Kaito carefully grabbed her shoulders.
He immediately positioned her properly on the tatami mat and gently covered her with a warm blanket.
He made sure not to wake her up.
Today was a very important day. He would finally meet his official Jōnin instructor.
According to his memories, after graduating from the Ninja Academy, every Genin would be grouped into a three-man team.
This team would be strictly supervised by an elite Jōnin.
However, before doing so and meeting his new teammates, Kaito wanted to use the early morning to adapt.
He needed to get used to his newly awakened Taijutsu Mastery.
Yesterday, during the Taijutsu Test against Minato, he didn't have many chances to properly practice with it.
The fight had ended way too quickly.
Moreover, Kaito wanted to learn and experiment with more Jutsu.
So far, he only knew a few Jutsu, specifically the Shadow Clone and the highly destructive Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
'How many Chakra Affinities do I actually have right now?' Kaito thought as he changed his clothes.
Without the system giving him all five natures, he had to rely on his natural talents.
When he quietly left the room and arrived at the main Senju Training Ground, he was surprised.
He didn't see a single person training there.
The massive training field, equipped with wooden dummies and target boards, was completely empty.
The morning breeze blew through the quiet courtyard.
Was this massive lack of active shinobi the reason they severely declined in the Shippuden era?
Not that Kaito cared much about the Senju Clan.
He was just here to survive and become the strongest.
"Are you an early bird, Kaito?" a sudden voice called out.
Kaito turned around.
"Lady Tsunade."
When Tsunade walked closer, wearing a loose-fitting morning kimono, Kaito suddenly didn't know where to look.
It's big!
Even though she was still young and hadn't reached her peak, her proportions were already quite intimidating for a teenage boy.
"What are you planning to do out here so early?" Tsunade asked, crossing her arms.
Kaito forced his gaze up to her face.
He said, "I'm thinking of practicing my Taijutsu and Ninjutsu out here. Is that fine?"
Tsunade stretched her arms upward, letting out a small yawn before replying.
"Yeah, sure. Not a lot of Senju are active combat ninjas right now anyway. You can use it as much as you want, don't worry."
"Understood. Thank you."
Tsunade suddenly narrowed her eyes and stepped closer, invading his personal space.
"Hey, what about my Wood Release Jutsu? You confidently said you would help me with that yesterday."
Kaito nodded seriously.
"Right... Can I touch you?" Kaito asked flatly.
Tsunade's face instantly turned bright red.
"You... Pervert! You're just a kid!"
Kaito sighed, rubbing his forehead.
He quickly explained, "It's not like that at all! I need to physically touch your Chakra Pathways in order to analyze your compatibility with the Wood Nature."
Tsunade looked at him suspiciously, but his bright blue eyes showed zero trace of lust.
She first blushed, but then agreed as she began to reach for the sash of her kimono.
She began to... take off her clothes?
"Wait! What do you think you're doing?!" Kaito panicked, stepping back.
"Huh? You specifically said you needed to touch me to feel my chakra!" Tsunade argued, pausing her actions.
"Not naked! You can just stand there with your clothes on!"
Tsunade's face burned with intense embarrassment.
She raised her fist menacingly.
"You damn brat... Why didn't you say so in the first place?!"
Kaito defended himself, "...You're the one who started stripping without even being asked to!"
After the awkward misunderstanding was finally settled, Tsunade sat cross-legged on the grass.
Kaito then stood directly behind Tsunade.
He placed his palm firmly on her upper shoulder and actively engaged the innate power of his Six Eyes.
Instantly, his vision transformed.
The world lost its normal colors, replaced by the brilliant, microscopic flow of energy.
He could perfectly see every single Chakra point and pathway inside Tsunade's body.
Kaito explained slowly, "If I'm not mistaken, the Wood Nature works by simultaneously combining the Earth and Water Chakra Natures to create a Kekkei Genkai."
Tsunade nodded slightly, feeling his warm chakra entering her shoulder.
Kaito continued, "The First Hokage could achieve it naturally because of his absurdly large life force and vitality. For anyone else, it wouldn't be possible to be awakened naturally."
"However, since you possess both Earth and Water Natures inside you..."
Using the absolute precision of the Six Eyes, Kaito manipulated his own chakra like a microscopic needle.
He didn't just look at her pathways; he forcefully guided her latent Earth and Water Chakra.
With perfect, atomic-level control, he forced the two conflicting elements to perfectly overlap and weave together within her core network.
He acted as the bridge, doing the complex elemental mixing that her body couldn't figure out on its own.
"I am forcibly altering the flow of your chakra right now. Memorize this exact feeling, Tsunade."
Tsunade gasped loudly.
"No way... I can feel it! It feels completely different from normal Ninjutsu!"
Life energy seemed to bloom from her very core.
Kaito slowly pulled his hand away, breathing a little heavily from the intense mental focus.
"You still have to practice it properly to activate it on your own. I just unlocked the door."
He looked at her seriously.
"And well, since it is an augmented Kekkei Genkai for you, the Chakra usage might be pretty large."
"But I'm sure relying on Nature Energy or precise Chakra control could help mitigate it. You need to constantly enlarge your Chakra Reserves and physical vitality, Tsunade."
Tsunade stared at her hands, feeling the faint, lingering traces of Wood Release.
Her grandfather's legendary power.
"I understand..."
Tsunade's voice trembled slightly.
"Thank you, Kaito. Truly."
Tsunade's eyes started to tear up, the heavy weight of her clan's expectations finally feeling a little lighter.