Watching Tsunade catch a kunai with her bare hands and then flatten the weapon with nothing more than a slap was enough to make even Newton climb out of his grave and yell:
“I give up!
This is beyond me!”
But Isamu quickly reminded himself of something important.
This was the shinobi world.
People here possessed supernatural abilities.
Compared with everything else he’d already witnessed, Tsunade’s ridiculous strength wasn’t worth getting worked up over.
Nothing serious.
No big deal.
Then the system suddenly delivered an unexpected surprise.
[Based on your performance during this operation]
[You have acquired the passive ability [100% Guaranteed Kunai Catch]]
[100% Guaranteed Kunai Catch: After locking onto a target, the target will definitely catch your kunai]
[Note: The opponent catching the kunai is not a testament to their skill.
Rather, your setting dictates that your kunai will be caught 100% of the time]
Isamu stared at the system notification and nearly gave himself high blood pressure from sheer anger.
Three years had passed since he had last used Action Points to obtain a talent reward.
Yet he had never expected to get something like this.
And it was a passive ability?
Didn’t that mean that every kunai he threw from now on would be caught by his enemies?
Wait
Come to think of it
Wasn’t this actually an extremely powerful control ability?
Imagine Isamu charging straight at an enemy who was preparing to form hand seals and launch an attack.
At that moment, Isamu threw a kunai at them, forcing them to abandon their hand seals and catch the incoming weapon.
And if the enemy’s ninjutsu were interrupted at a critical moment
Not only would they lose their timing, but the disruption could also interfere with the flow of their chakra.
Isamu immediately realized the proper way to use this ability.
Hard control!
From now on, he absolutely had to carry a whole pouch full of kunai whenever he went out.
“You’re quite impressive.”
Tsunade walked over and first praised Isamu for his performance.
She then pointed out several areas where he was still lacking.
Her knowledge and strength were far beyond Isamu’s, so he naturally took her advice to heart.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru then walked over as well.
There was now a gleam in both their eyes as they looked at Isamu.
“What other Release techniques can you use?”
The single-handed hand seals Isamu had displayed earlier had surprised all three of them.
At their level, as long as they weren’t concerned with the speed of their hand seals, all of them could perform them one-handed.
But to perform single-handed hand seals as skillfully as Isamu had in the middle of an actual battle
Even they wouldn’t dare claim they could do it better than him.
“Just this one.”
Digging tunnels probably didn’t count as ninjutsu, right?
When they heard that Isamu only knew a single ninjutsu, the three fell silent.
No wonder he was so proficient at forming hand seals with one hand
It wasn’t merely talent.
He must have put an incredible amount of effort into it as well.
They couldn’t help imagining Isamu practicing this one technique year after year.
In reality, using ninjutsu wasn’t particularly difficult for Isamu.
All he had to do was form the thought, activate the skill, and his body would instinctively form the necessary hand seals through something akin to muscle memory.
His speed was exactly the same whether he used one hand or two.
But he had no intention of explaining that.
Instead, he looked at Tsunade and asked, “So, does this mean I’ve passed your test?”
Tsunade looked into Isamu’s calm eyes, trying to find even the slightest trace of emotion.
Unfortunately, she didn’t find the excitement she had been expecting.
She was one of Konoha’s leading figures among its new generation.
Wasn’t she worth even a little more anticipation from him?
Then again, perhaps it was precisely this mindset that had allowed him to possess such strength at such a young age.
“Mm.”
Tsunade nodded.
According to Konoha’s usual tradition, the Bell Test was generally conducted with a three-man squad.
For Isamu to accomplish this much by himself had already exceeded Tsunade’s expectations.
At first, she had only wanted to repay him for saving Nawaki.
But at this moment, she genuinely felt that this was a talent worth nurturing.
A child with such talent, if properly trained, might one day grow into a great tree capable of sheltering Konoha.
Of course, there was something else she had to do as well.
She had to cultivate his sense of belonging to Konoha.
A nine-year-old boy who had spent so long wandering outside
If he settled down in Konoha for a few years, made some friends, and perhaps even married into a Konoha family, he might eventually become a successor to the Will of Fire.
Of course, all of this depended on one crucial premise:
Isamu had nothing to do with Nawaki’s injuries.
Nawaki’s near-fatal injuries couldn’t have been deliberately orchestrated by some faction as an excuse to allow Isamu to infiltrate Konoha under the guise of saving him.
Based on what Tsunade currently knew about Isamu, however, the probability of that was extremely low.
With Isamu’s talent, if he were properly trained, he would inevitably become a renowned shinobi in the future.
The value of such a person would be far greater than that of an ordinary spy
Sending a shinobi with a potential Kekkei Genkai and extraordinary talent to another country for training was something even Konoha wouldn’t do.
Confirming the truth of the matter would be quite troublesome, but the Third Hokage had already told her that she didn’t need to handle it herself.
All Tsunade needed to do was make sure Isamu remained under her “supervision” for the time being and didn’t do anything suspicious.
“For the next little while, I’ll be teaching medical courses at the Ninja Academy in Konoha.
You also have some unique insights into medical ninjutsu So work as my assistant.”
Because of Nawaki’s situation, Konoha’s higher-ups had begun paying close attention to the Secret Technique Isamu possessed.
This was the price of the Third Hokage agreeing to let Tsunade take Isamu as her student.
In time, this so-called medical course would be handed over to Isamu
The purpose was to use this gentle approach to obtain information about his “Stitching Secret Technique.”
Isamu was unaware of the plans being made by Konoha’s higher-ups.
At this moment, he was simply relieved that he could finally remain in this “super village” and live peacefully for a while.
“You understand that this is merely a deal Don’t expect me to put my heart and soul into teaching you.
How much you can learn will depend on your own ability.”
From Tsunade’s perspective, she needed both to repay Isamu for saving Nawaki and to keep him settled in Konoha until the hidden danger within Nawaki’s body had been eliminated.
It was a transaction.
Isamu knew that perfectly well, but that didn’t stop him from taking advantage of the opportunity.
“Understood.
I’ll be in your care from now on, sensei.”
Isamu very naturally changed the way he addressed her.
Jiraiya immediately declared that Tsunade ought to treat everyone to a meal to celebrate such a major occasion.
But Isamu directly pointed out that he was completely penniless and couldn’t even afford a gift for his new teacher.
Why not cook her a meal instead, as a token of his appreciation?
The moment he heard that Isamu was going to cook, the white-haired uncle who was determined to freeload immediately volunteered Tsunade’s agreement.
He even eagerly took on the role of errand boy, buying quite a variety of ingredients according to Isamu’s instructions.
Of course, when he returned, he also tried to get Tsunade to reimburse him.
He was promptly educated by the Iron Fist of Love.
Afterward, he held his head and helped Isamu prepare the meal.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, went upstairs to check on Nawaki before quietly leaving.
That evening, the group ate until their stomachs were practically bursting.
When Jiraiya was leaving, he patted Isamu on the shoulder and told him that if he ever ran into trouble, he could come find him.
He still had some standing in Konoha, after all
Tsunade responded by kicking him straight out the door.
Then
Bang!
She slammed the door shut.
Tsunade arranged for Isamu to stay in the room next to Nawaki’s, just in case something unexpected happened and Isamu’s assistance was needed.
That night, Isamu lay on his bed and gazed at the starry sky outside the window before slowly drifting into a dream
“Youth!”
In a daze, Isamu seemed to hear a beast-like roar from somewhere outside.
It was followed by a barrage of curses.
Isamu suddenly jolted awake.
Following the sound, he went to the window and saw a green-clad figure running toward him from the distance.
Thick eyebrows, prominent eyes, a face covered in stubble, and a green jumpsuit.
The Konoha forehead protector tied securely around his waist was particularly conspicuous.
“Dai!
Your child has been born!
From today onward, you must train even harder and work diligently to support your family!”
“First, five hundred laps around Konoha”
Yet several windows along the nearby street opened one after another, and all sorts of objects came flying toward the green figure.
“Damn it!
It’s this early every day!
Are you people ever going to let us sleep?!”
Listening to the complaints and watching the first hint of dawn appear on the horizon, Isamu couldn’t help thinking:
Konoha’s shinobi really were hardworking.
If this guy eventually became famous throughout the shinobi world, he could even write in his autobiography:
“Have you ever seen the Hokage Rock at five in the morning?”
Now that was inspirational.