Once Jiraiya’s presence had completely faded, Uzumaki Mito turned her gaze back to the two boys, studying them carefully and in detail.
Chiba had silver hair and red eyes, with sharp features and a tall, upright stature; there was a faint hint of the Second Hokage Tobirama in his brow.
Yet, their temperaments were completely different.
Tobirama was calm, cold, and stern throughout his life, rarely smiling, always presenting a cold face to others, and was decisive in killing.
Chiba, while appearing sharp, had a more cheerful and easygoing personality, possessing the ability to restrain or release his energy at will, balanced in both action and stillness.
In contrast, Minato Namikaze, standing to the side, was gentle and refined, with soft eyes and a clean, healing smile.
Whether it was his disposition, affinity, or the warm aura emitted by his Chakra, he was very much like the First Hokage Hashirama of the past.
Chiba’s Chakra was warm and mellow, yet it concealed a sharp edge, combining both hardness and softness.
Both children had their own style and talent; they were one-in-a-million prodigies.
“There is no need to be formal, please sit down.”
Seeing the two of them sitting upright and appearing slightly constrained, Uzumaki Mito smiled, her tone extremely gentle, and she raised her hand to gesture for them to be seated.
Following this was over half an hour of casual conversation, during which she patiently asked about their confusion regarding cultivation and their insights into their state of mind, gently guiding them one by one with words that hit the mark, leaving both of them with profound benefits.
Once the casual chat ended, Uzumaki Mito finally got to the point.
“The Third Hokage has already given you a welcome gift, and as your elder, I naturally cannot fall behind.”
With a gentle smile, she said generously, “Tell me, what do you want? As long as the request is not excessive, I can grant it.”
“If you want Ninjutsu, I can give you five chances to choose, limited to A-rank and below.”
“It is not that I am unwilling to give you S-rank Ninjutsu, but you are still young, and your Chakra reserves, understanding of Chakra control, and physical and mental foundations are far from the standard required to master S-rank Ninjutsu. Forcing yourselves to practice them will only harm your bodies, doing more harm than good.”
In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that Chiba had improved several basic Ninjutsu in just a few days and possessed monstrous talent, Mito had originally intended to limit the gift to B-rank Ninjutsu.
It was the stunning performance of these two children that made her voluntarily relax the restrictions.
Suddenly hearing such a massive opportunity, both Chiba and Minato were delighted, but they hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to choose.
Seeing this, Uzumaki Mito smiled gently, “There is no need to rush, take your time to consider, or you can discuss it with me; there is no need to feel pressured.”
“Thank you, Mito-sama!”
The two hurriedly bowed to express their gratitude.
“We are all family, there is no need to be so distant.”
Uzumaki Mito waved her hand, taking the initiative to close the distance, “In the future, you can just call me Grandma.”
Chiba and Minato exchanged a glance, followed her lead, and called out sweetly in unison.
A respectful address for an elder cost them nothing and helped bridge the familial gap, so the two were naturally happy to do so.
Immediately after, Chiba lowered his head in thought, quickly sorting through his own trump cards and weaknesses.
Currently, he had mastered Lightning, Water, and Earth Release Ninjutsu, covering attack, defense, and control; his foundational system was sufficiently complete.
However, after the high-intensity battle with Tsunade yesterday, he clearly realized his own shortcomings.
He currently lacked a truly decisive, high-burst finishing move, lacking sufficient means to end a fight.
Besides that, he had always been thinking about completing his Wind and Fire Chakra attributes.
He really wanted to try and see if unlocking Wind and Fire Chakra attributes for the first time could trigger a system reward and roll for the corresponding top-tier attribute affinity talent.
Once successful, he would be able to directly gather top-tier affinity for all five attributes, becoming a natural five-attribute Ninja, with a starting point far surpassing ordinary people.
“Wind and Fire attributes are things Minato will gradually come into contact with and master in the future.”
Chiba calculated quickly in his mind and instantly made a decision.
“There is no need for me to waste precious exchange opportunities to ask Grandma Mito for Wind and Fire Ninjutsu.”
“Given my relationship with Minato, I can just copy and practice them in the future; he would certainly not refuse.”
After all, along the way, he had already shared too many opportunities with Minato.
The exclusive improved version of the Senju Chakra Refining Technique, the complete version of the Shadow Clone Technique, the improved Lightning Release: Lightning Ball…
These Ninjutsu and techniques, which should have been Senju secret traditions and extremely scarce, he had taught without reservation.
Minato’s parents passed away hastily, likely due to a sudden accident, and they had no time to leave behind any clan heritage, which was why there was a gap now.
This favor and bond were already incredibly solid.
Chiba’s thoughts raced, his train of thought instantly becoming clear, and he immediately raised his eyes to look at Uzumaki Mito, speaking with a smile.
“Grandma Mito, I have heard that the Water Release Ninjutsu of the Second Hokage is the best in the Ninja World, and unmatched under heaven?”
“Oh? You certainly have a sharp eye.”
Looking at Chiba’s silver hair and clear red eyes, which resembled those of Tobirama, Uzumaki Mito couldn’t help but smile knowingly.
“That is correct, Tobirama’s attainments in Water Release are rare throughout history and can be called peerless. However, your foundation is still shallow, so I cannot pass on S-rank Water Release to you just yet.”
At this point, her expression softened, and she specifically made a promise to Chiba, planting an expectation.
“However, Grandma can make an exception for you; when you have thoroughly mastered the nature transformation and shape transformation of the Water attribute, and your Chakra reserves reach the Jonin standard, come find me.”
“At that time, I will teach you all the Water Release Ninjutsu left behind by Tobirama.”
She genuinely thought highly of this child and was willing to set goals for him and cultivate him with care.
“Really? It’s a deal!”
Hearing this, Chiba was overjoyed and hurriedly confirmed the deal, fearing he might miss out on this massive opportunity.
“Hehe, you little rascal.”
Uzumaki Mito playfully raised her hand and lightly tapped his forehead, her eyes filled with doting smiles, “Are you afraid that Grandma would break her promise?”
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Tell me your choices.”
“Yes!”
Chiba nodded heavily, his tone firm, and he crisply and neatly listed the five Ninjutsu he had already decided upon.
“I choose Water Release: Water Wall, Water Release: Water Severing Wave, Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, Earth Release: Earth Spear, and Genjutsu: Fox Mind Technique. Sorry to trouble you, Grandma Mito!”
“I naturally have these five Ninjutsu kept here.”
Uzumaki Mito nodded calmly, then turned to look at Tsunade on the side, instructing softly, “Tsunade, go to the inner room and bring these five Ninjutsu scrolls.”
Tsunade stood up immediately and walked into the inner room.
In the courtyard, Uzumaki Mito continued to study Chiba with a smile, her eyes filled with a hint of surprise and appreciation.
“You certainly know how to choose. Earth Release: Earth Spear is a very obscure close-combat Ninjutsu; ordinary Ninja would never specifically delve into it. I didn’t expect you to know this technique.”
“You are going to follow Tsunade to practice Monstrous Strength next, so physical close combat will inevitably be your main focus. Combining Earth Spear with close-quarters combat for both offense and defense is the most suitable choice.”
Then her expression tightened slightly, adding a few words of solemn advice.
“I am not at all worried about your talent in Water Release, but Genjutsu involves the spiritual sea of consciousness and is dangerously unpredictable.”
“You have never come into contact with Yin Release Genjutsu before, so do not be reckless or act impulsively when practicing. If you have anything you do not understand or have doubts about, you can come and ask me at any time, or consult Tsunade. Remember, safety comes first.”
Practicing Genjutsu affects a person’s spiritual origin; a slight carelessness could damage the sea of consciousness, leaving behind hard-to-cure hidden dangers, so one cannot be the least bit careless.
“I will remember! Thank you for your concern, Grandma Mito!”
Chiba nodded repeatedly, a warmth welling up in his heart.