Yamato stood frozen, his eyes hollow as he stared at the house Kamiki had created with the Four Pillars House Technique.
You mother— The house Kamiki had built was far superior to his own!
Every fixture was complete; it even came thoughtfully furnished with a wooden bed, a wooden desk, wooden stools, and a matching wardrobe!
Yamato pinched himself hard.
Yamato!
Hang in there!
Don’t let this kid’s talent break you!
Hesitating for a long moment, Yamato pressed on, “Since you already know the Four Pillars House, then its advanced version, the Linked Pillars House, you should…” Kamiki gave an innocent reply.
“I figured that one out alongside the Four Pillars House back then.
You just tweak the formula a bit and burn more chakra to pull it off.” Yamato discreetly slapped himself twice across the face.
Idiot!
A mind as brilliant as Kamiki’s would effortlessly grasp the leap from basic to advanced jutsu!
“Then…
the Wood Clone…” Yamato tested the waters again.
“I tried that the very night I learned Wood Release,” Kamiki said.
“Wood clones are sturdier than regular shadow clones and harder to see through, but you can’t make as many of them as with the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu…” Yamato’s mouth twitched.
Refusing to give up, he threw out another name.
“Wood Release: Tree Substitution?” “Know it.” “Wood Release: World of Trees Wall?” “Know it.” “Wood Release: Thorns technique?” “Know it.” “…” One by one, Yamato ran through the techniques in his Wood Release arsenal.
With every “know it” from Kamiki, another layer of Yamato’s soul withered away!
By the end, Yamato was completely broken, his eyes dim and glazed over.
Clinging to one final sliver of hope, he threw out a technique: “Hokage-Style Sixty-Year-Old Technique — Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands!
You shouldn’t know this one, right?!
This is a specialized art used solely to suppress tailed-beast chakra!” His guess hit the mark.
Kamiki had never thought of applying Wood Release toward that purpose, so he truly did not know it.
“I don’t know that one,” Kamiki admitted, shaking his head honestly.
Using his last shred of willpower, Yamato forced himself to teach Kamiki the technique step by step.
Once he was certain Kamiki had mastered it, Yamato turned around and walked away into the night.
Devastated in body and spirit, he made a silent vow never to see Kamiki again for the rest of his life!
This world isn’t worth it!
Everything he had sweated blood for across decades, this kid scooped up like picking pennies off the pavement!
His mind was completely ruined!
Left behind, Kamiki stared at the spot where Yamato had vanished, completely at a loss.
What happened to Sensei?
The clever boy quickly pieced together an answer.
Could it be that replying “know it” to every single jutsu his teacher listed made him look arrogant and overambitious, driving the man away in pure anger?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Kamiki let out a long, remorseful sigh.
He had been far too impatient!
Even if he already knew the techniques, he should have watched how his teacher performed them.
After all, those were the culmination of years of hard-won experience.
A true master should always hold the heart of an apprentice!
Acting like that must have made his teacher think he treated ninjutsu without seriousness and lacked respect for his elders!
Being a ninja really was too hard!
Late that night, someone banged frantically on the Third Hokage’s front door.
The knocking was heavy and hurried, showing immense urgency.
“Hold on, hold on, I’m coming!” The Third Hokage threw on his clothes and rolled out of bed.
Fearing some major catastrophe had struck the village to warrant a midnight wake-up call, he hurried to pull the door open.
Standing on his porch was a masked Yamato.
“Yamato?
To visit this late, has an emergency come up in the Anbu?” the Third asked.
Yamato stood there, looking completely dazed and lifeless, giving no answer for a long time.
Remembering that Yamato had spent the past few days tutoring Kamiki, the Third’s heart tightened.
“Did something happen to Kamiki?” the Third asked, panic bleeding into his tone.
Kamiki was a priceless talent!
Losing such a prodigy would deal an immense blow to the Leaf!
Seeing Yamato still lingering in a trance, the Third snapped in frustration, “What are you standing there for?
Speak!” “Kamiki is fine…
Lord Hokage, I am never taking an apprentice again,” Yamato finally mumbled after a long pause.
The Third stared blankly.
“What on earth happened?
Tell me everything!” Driven to absolute despair, Yamato slowly recounted Kamiki’s ridiculous display of talent.
Listening to the slow, detailed report, the Third’s heart hammered harder with every jutsu Yamato named!
Finally, Yamato delivered his closing remarks.
“Lord Hokage, it isn’t that my mental fortitude is weak—it’s that his comprehension is terrifying!” “He invented the Flying Thunder God Technique simply because he wanted an easier way to haul timber.
Would you believe that?!” “He doesn’t need a teacher at all.
Curiosity and interest are his best teachers!” The Third took in a sharp, shivering breath of cold air.
This was the second time in two days he had worn such a shocked expression.
The last time had been when he learned Kamiki had unleashed the Deep Forest Emergence!
Kamiki’s comprehension could no longer be measured by ordinary logic!
Earlier, the Third had considered that Kamiki might grow into the next God of Shinobi.
Looking at it now, that outcome seemed practically guaranteed!
Mastering the vast majority of Wood Release entirely on his own, and then developing and proving the Flying Thunder God Technique—an S-rank space-time ninjutsu—in a matter of hours!
A monstrous shinobi possessing both Hashirama Senju’s raw talent and Tobirama Senju’s intellect!
His future accomplishments might even surpass the God of Shinobi himself!
Faced with such an extraordinary prodigy, the Third began wondering if his initial plan had been flawed.
Should he tilt more village resources toward Kamiki’s development?
If the Leaf could properly raise this young monster, a Wood Release shinobi armed with forbidden jutsu could keep the other four great nations at bay without ever having to lift a finger!
After weighing his options, the Third decided to hold off for now and let nature take its course.
A flower raised purely in a greenhouse could never weather a real storm.
A true powerhouse needed more than just terrifying jutsu—they needed an unshakeable heart!