Kabuto was striding further down the path of a researcher. But for him, didn't this also make him happy? As long as he developed new products, he could make money, bring profits to the orphanage, and provide for more children in need.
He had a love for knowledge-and for money.
Thus, his partnership with Takeshi was mutually beneficial. Their cooperation only deepened over time, paving the way for even greater projects.
Leaving Kabuto's orphanage, Tsunade led Takeshi toward the former Senju compound. Once a proud domain, it had long since been absorbed into Konoha, with many areas repurposed into ordinary residences. It was nothing like the powerful clan stronghold it once was.
This, too, had been Mito Uzumaki's wish.
The Senju didn't need land. They didn't need a clan. When she passed, they would disperse.
In a way, it was the culmination of a process begun by Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki themselves-a gradual integration of the Senju into Konoha. And with it, the slow fading of their name.
Yet, some relics of the past remained. Particularly, the Second Hokage's study-preserved meticulously over the years.
Takeshi's ears twitched. "Meow~ So, the notes are still here?"
Tsunade glanced at him, then nodded. "The original research notes is intact. The old man kept a handwritten copy."
Pushing open the door, she stepped inside. The room was pristine, clearly cleaned regularly. Everything was exactly as it had been decades ago.
After a moment of recollection, she moved toward a corner, retrieving a small notebook from beneath a compartment. Then, she reached up and pulled down a box from a high shelf.
"Read them here," she said, handing both items to Takeshi. The notebook contained records and insights on Water Release ninjutsu, while the box held detailed research on Hashirama's Sage Mode.
Takeshi eyed the items, feeling a rare moment of solemnity.
The Second Hokage had been a master of Water Release. And yet, his notes on the subject were surprisingly sparse-overshadowed by a trove of research into various other disciplines.
'Was this how someone who haa research genius was like?' He exhaled softly, then hopped onto the table and carefully flipped open the title page with a paw.
After reading the first page, Takeshi admired him even more.
The first entry detailed optimizations for *Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu*-suggestions for streamlining the hand seals and increasing its power.
Further in, he found a section on *Water Release: Water Formation Wall Jutsu*, including methods to simplify its execution.
Every technique recorded here was B-rank or higher in difficulty.
As expected of the Second Mizu-... Hokage.
Takeshi sighed inwardly. Research masters were not to be trifled with.
Takeshi sighed in his heart.
After carefully reading and committing the notes to memory, he opened his system panel to check something-and was pleasantly surprised.
The cost to learn *Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu* and *Water Release: Water Formation Wall Jutsu* had dropped from 2,000 points.-They were previously worth 4,000 points.
Each one was reduced by 2,000.
A direct 50% reduction.
These were still the lowest-level two ninjutsu. The rest, like *Water Release: Water Colliding Wave Jutsu*, *Water Release: Water Severing Wave Jutsu*, *Water Release: Heavenly Weeping Jutsu*, and *Water Release: Hardened Water Drill Jutsu*, which were A-rank and above, were reduced even more.
In one word, 'Awesome!'
Though he couldn't afford to learn them all just yet, a discount was always welcome. And compared to the outrageous price tags on Lightning Release techniques, this was a blessing.
Satisfied, Takeshi shifted his gaze to the box.
So much research...
It reminded him of the pain of cramming for exams back in school.
He let out a small, resigned sigh. Time to get to work.
The cat grumbled inwardly.
Carefully opening the box, Tsunade pulled out all eight of the books for him.
Takeshi found the first Booklet and started reading, only to discover that it was a research Notebook, with loosely recorded knowledge points, something only experts who loved research would enjoy.
After reading one booklet, he already felt drowsy.
But the good news was, the price of Sage Mode had dropped a bit further...
'Oh well, guess I'll bite the shuriken and keep going.' Takeshi steeled himself and kept reading.
In the end, the harvest was considerable. Sage Mode had been reduced by 4,000, and now only cost 9,000 to purchase, dropping below 10,000.
'What's a few points compared to that? I'll buy it!'
But not yet. Tsunade is right there. Even if he bought for it now, he wouldn't have time to utilize it. Better to wait until he had time to properly absorb it and test it out.
He had an idea brewing. 'If I can generate Senjutsu Chakra on my own after getting Sage Mode, maybe I won't need to spend a thousand points on luxury cat food anymore, right?' Of course, it was just a thought. Whether it would work or not remained to be seen.
"Alright, let's go after you're done reading." Tsunade said, packing everything up. There were far fewer books here than before. When she was little, the Second Hokage had just started researching some Forbidden Techniques, and the notebooks had been countless, with derivation notebooks for almost every jutsu.
Once they were away from the archive, Tsunade began pressing him about his earlier conversation with the Third Hokage.
After hearing the rough outline, she fell into thought. 'Looks like the Old man has already made some decisions and is acting on them.' This was somewhat unexpected.
She had figured he'd do nothing, as usual, and only step in as a peacemaker when Tsunade stirred things up–his style lately. She hadn't expected him to be so decisive this time.
She pondered for a moment, then understood. 'He wants to retire, so he had to clean up the village and hand it over to the next Hokage in a good and clean state.'
'But who will that next Hokage be?' It couldn't be her. As far as Tsunade was concerned, the candidates were more likely Orochimaru and Jiraiya, but Orochimaru... she didn't know what Danzo had over him.
Tsunade pondered for a moment, and finally sighed softly.
She didn't want to think about it. It was useless to dwell on it. Someone as smart as Orochimaru would definitely consider the consequences before acting. He must have weighed the pros and cons and decided it would benefit him. In that case, what good would persuasion from outsiders do?
Takeshi parted ways with Tsunade soon after. He hadn't been home in a while, and he should drop by Nohara's household to say hello. He could also purchase Sage Mode after he arrived there and try to absorb natural energy.
The Nohara family was still the same as before.
The Nohara household was as he remembered. Aizawa Nohara went to work early and came home in the afternoon to rest and read. His life was much more comfortable than when he was a ninja. When Takeshi returned, Aizawa had just sat down to read.
But when he saw Takeshi, he stared in disbelief, then...
"Takeshi, is Rin back too?"
"Meow~ No, I'm back from being promoted to Jonin. The village wants me to lead a squad, so I came back first."
"What?" Aizawa's voice boomed, startling Megumi Nohara, who was cooking inside. Megumi poked her head out and was equally delighted to see Takeshi.
But then, she was drawn in by her husband's words. "Jonin? You?"
"I was just promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin a month ago, and now this...sigh, I really don't want to be promoted so fast. And now I have to be a squad leader. So tiring, meow!"
Aizawa wanted to lash out and hit someone. He had never been able to become even a Tokubetsu Jonin in his entire life, and he ended up just a Chunin who ran errands, no one important. Now, his cat had gone from a kitten to a Jonin cat in a few months...
Now, he was even going to be a squad leader. 'What in the world is going on?! This is outrageous! Why would the Third Hokage make such a decision? Has he gone senile?!'
Takeshi was brave and strong outside the village, and his reputation was slowly spreading, but honestly, not many people in the village knew about his strength, not even Rin's father.
Aizawa being just an ordinary Chunin, and the people he knew weren't in the Jonin circles, let alone aware of this information. If he were a Jonin, he would know Takeshi's Jonin rank was justified.
Of course, feeling uncomfortable was normal. Being colleagues with a cat was one thing, but being on the same level as a cat was entirely different. And Aizawa was in an even more miserable position. The small bit of "head of the family" pride he had shattered to pieces when he realized he was ranked below his cat.
-------------------
Dear Readers and Fans,
For those eager to dive into next chapters earlier before others, I invite you to join us on Patreon. By becoming our Patron, you not only gain access to exclusive advanced chapters but also help us continue this endeavour and expand it further.
https://www.pat reon.com/8Ashes8
(no space)
You can read upto 7 Chapters in advance.