Swish! Swish! Swish!
Natsuki formed hand seals with a serious expression.
"Bunshin no Jutsu!" Poof! Success!
"Henge no Jutsu!" Poof! Success!
"Kawarimi no Jutsu!" Poof! Success!
Natsuki was momentarily stunned. It was his first time actually performing the Three Basic Jutsu—and yet he succeeded on the very first try.
It seemed that the enhancement of his Senju bloodline hadn't only increased his chakra reserves, but also elevated his innate talent. Who could compare to that?
Still, Natsuki didn't get cocky.
It's just the Three Basic Jutsu. Every genius masters them instantly, right?
Even that famous weasel (AKA. Itachi) from the Uchiha clan had mastered Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu on his first try. In comparison, this little feat of his didn't seem all that impressive.
"Now that I've learned the Three Basic Jutsu, I technically meet the graduation requirements. But I still have to attend the Ninja Academy."
After all, the academy didn't just teach chakra extraction and basic jutsu—it also offered a variety of essential knowledge.
Like the history and geography of the ninja world, the development of Konoha Village, math, physics, chemistry, biology… and most importantly, professional training: tracking skills, clue analysis, stealth, trap-setting, rope escape, and more. These foundational skills were crucial. Without them, one had no business becoming a ninja.
(Oh, right—Naruto was a special case. A lovable idiot. But he was the protagonist, and a Jinchūriki, practically unkillable.)
Try swapping him out with a background character who couldn't even detect a basic trap—they'd be dead before they made it to graduation. Even Tsunade's little brother died to a trap—what chance would anyone else have?
Natsuki didn't overestimate himself. He valued the academy's teachings.
Even after completing all the material, there was always the library—so much to learn. Either way, early graduation wasn't an option.
More importantly, Konoha was dangerous. Especially during this period—before the Uchiha Clan Massacre. It was the peak of Danzo and Root's shady influence.
If you thought Danzo was too busy dealing with the Uchiha to notice others, you'd be gravely mistaken.
Root's Wood Release experiments never stopped. Danzo had a constant need for test subjects. If he ever found out a child with high Senju bloodline purity existed in the village, he'd definitely make a move. Not even the Third Hokage could stop him.
So, if you wanted to stay alive—you had to lay low.
Acting average? Easy. Who couldn't?
All he had to do was hold out until graduation. By then, Root would have lost its purpose following the Uchiha Massacre, and the Third Hokage would disband it. Danzo wouldn't dare act recklessly anymore. Only then would things be relatively safe.
Natsuki shook his head, clearing away those chaotic thoughts, and focused fully on training the Three Basic Jutsu.
Learning them was one thing, but mastering them was another. And in real combat, mastery mattered most.
Once he became proficient enough to use them without hand seals, he could truly catch enemies off guard. So more training would only benefit him.
"Can't go without seals just yet, but maybe I can start working on one-handed seals. And since the first of the month is coming up—the day of the special lab mode—I'll make that my first research project."
"First step—refine chakra control."
After all, the point of hand seals was to direct chakra to flow and change along specific routes to activate a technique.
So, the finer and more precise your control over chakra, the less chakra you'd need to use—and the fewer seals would be necessary.
Just like Hashirama—clap your hands, and boom, jutsu happens.
So how to improve chakra control?
Isn't that an open-book test? Tree climbing and water walking, of course!
With a thought, Natsuki manifested a massive towering tree—hundreds of meters tall. In this gravity training room, the environment changed according to his will. Making a tree was child's play.
"Ah, too bad I can't create living things. Otherwise, I'd summon ten Kamisato Ayakas right now!"
He cracked a joke, then focused chakra to his feet and began sprinting up the tree.
Naturally, it didn't take long before he fell.
Too much chakra was actually hard to control. Like holding a cup of water—easy. But trying to grasp an entire tank? Nearly impossible.
Luckily, his talent had really improved. After a few more tries, he could casually stroll up and down the tree with his hands in his pockets—it felt amazing.
He willed a whole forest into existence and dashed through the woods like a nimble little mountain dog.
"Looks like my talent really is top-tier. Even better than Sasuke. I picked up tree climbing in no time. Next—water walking."
With another thought, he conjured an endless ocean and leapt onto its surface.
At first, he couldn't help but misstep into the water, soaking his shoes. But soon he got the hang of it—running, jumping, even flopping around on the water like a child playing.
To spice it up, he made the water surge violently, increasing the challenge of maintaining his footing.
He trained like this for who knows how long. Only when his stomach growled did he reluctantly leave the gravity room and return home to cook.
"Trained for eight hours straight… and I'm not even tired. Despite the constant chakra consumption, I still have reserves left. Senju bloodline really is overpowered."
But a new problem arose.
His appetite had tripled.
"That 10,000 ryo might not last even a month…"
Natsuki stared at the empty dishes he'd polished off all by himself, eyes twitching.
He wanted to ignore the money problem… but reality didn't care. If he didn't figure something out soon, he'd be starving!
As evening approached, Natsuki hurried out to collect the cured meat and dried sweet potatoes from the yard. The shiny cuts of meat made him think—Japan's food culture didn't really have cured meat. Probably the same in the Naruto world.
"Maybe… I can sell the recipe? But who would I sell it to? And even if I did, it'd just be a one-time deal—not exactly sustainable."
Feeling a bit discouraged again, Natsuki cleaned up and returned to the gravity training room.
For now, he'd focus on researching one-handed seals. The 10,000 ryo would last a few more days. Money could wait a bit longer.
The next two days passed quickly.
During that time, aside from going out to buy vegetables and meat, Natsuki practically lived in the gravity room. By the end of the two days, his hand seal speed had skyrocketed. He could now perform four seals per second at full speed. Not as fast as Itachi's legendary six seals per second—but still respectable.
But the purpose of seal training wasn't just speed. It was to understand how chakra flowed during each technique—to master the internal changes, not just get flashy.
On the first of the month, he'd attempt one-handed seals that replicated the same chakra flow. If successful, he could cast basic jutsu with one hand.
But he wouldn't risk it now. Chakra was like internal energy—messing it up could cause serious internal injuries.
Better to wait for Special Laboratory Mode—safe, stable, and the perfect time to test risky techniques.
(End of Chapter)
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