章 23: Substitute Sensei

The third month of the year. It was an ordinary day for Team Tsunade as they rested after doing 2 C-rank missions back-to-back, earning Kai 10 SP.

They began training in the Training Ground 23 like usual. Physical sparring, that is. One thing Kai quickly realized while grinding Mystical Palm Technique was that it couldn't be done on oneself. Mystical Palm Technique, in essence, promotes cellular growth in exchange for physical energy or better known as stamina. But doing this on a healthy body was just a recipe for growth and grind hadn't eroded Kai's mind enough for him to go out of his way and hunt animals crazily before performing the technique on them...

No, he IS that crazy but... he'd been sensing a few odd shinobi every now and then whose chakra signature wasn't from the Senju Clan and these signatures would disappear shortly before a Senju chakra signature rushed towards the area. This place wasn't as safe as it looked like but anyway... looking at Mikoto who wielded her poisoned kunai while attacking him fiercely... he couldn't help but feel elated.

Every step felt a burden of its own. Every dodge left him a little more breathless as the weights on his wrists, ankles, AND torso made it sure that his stamina would decline at a breakneck pace.

He finally went ahead and asked Mito for a special material called chakra metal and had it made into a durable mesh top. Pricey things they are... but Mito was anything but stingy. She, of course, asked everything in detail about what he wanted, and only when she verified that his intentions were purely for more stable training and long-lasting at that since chakra metal could be imbued by seals that can shift the state of the material, she helped him commission a large mesh top. That part was easy.

Mito, however, wanted him to spend time and imbue the seal matrix in it that made the mesh top complement his size or any wearer's size until its maximum size and watched over him while he molded his chakra into another complementing sealing matrix that integrated with the one before to increase the attraction of the mesh shirt along with the gravitational pull, achieving the effect of heightened weight.

Of course, a large part of the reason why Mito even agreed to spend such a large amount was because of his work ethic. He knew that she knew it. Although he would want nothing more than to chill with some babe, age and hormones kept him in check without the need of Gamer Mind and Kai would damn sure make every second with the grind. He needed to be alive to enjoy life and the weak didn't live very long in this part of the country. And after getting rid of Gamer Mind, Kai wasn't logically suicidal either. He loved life!

Sweat drenched his body right now as he almost slipped while Mikoto's paralyzing Kunai avoided his arm. Lucky.

He jumped back... more like a hop as Mikoto grew slightly concerned at his state. He was followed by a trail of sweat and even standing seemed like a heavy exertion to him.

But she kept her pity in check. Kai, of all people, didn't need her pity or worry. He would have found six ways to defeat her by now if he went by the rules HE set. This wasn't just a taijutsu spar. It was a spar. Everything was legal here. A kick to the nuts, poking the eyes, maybe groping... if she was older.

Tsunade and Kushina weren't free either. Done with her Water Weaving Sword, Kushina now sparred regularly with the Princess of Emasculation. Damn, he still shudders at the thought of what happened to the Dan Kato fellow. That was a piece of major news for the week that managed to make people a little scared of the ordinarily warm and pleasant Senjus.

"Fight me for real," Kai frowned, feeling distaste that he even had to ask for it. Mikoto finally hesitated and called out, "Kai-chan... shouldn't you take it a little easy? We just returned from the mission yesterday..." Honestly, Mikoto's nerves were still a little strung. She was gradually getting used to it but it was clear that she needed more time.

Kai frowned. And then blinked in realization as his body fell down unceremoniously.

"Hah... you're right... thanks for the good spar though..."

[Stamina: 3.2/100 (10.1/min)]

"No problem," Mikoto beamed before walking over to him and plopping down herself, watching Kushina run away screaming bloody murder while Tsunade chased after the girl with controlled speed. It was honestly good to see the tomato get bullied for once.

Kai's panting and rough breathing, however, rang louder in Mikoto's ears as she could feel him radiating heat from all the physical exertion which made her wonder for the umpteenth time— What drove this boy to such lengths? Besides training, he is lazier than a Nara, well, almost and more chill than a Yamanaka but when he trains, he becomes a perfect Inuzuka.

"Do you know what Tsume is upto these days?" Mikoto inquired with an amused expression as she missed the hyperactive girl that could compete with Kushina.

"Last," he wheezed, "I met... she's about to go to a training retreat with her mother. She said her Academy courses are done and she would graduate next year..."

"Oh," Mikoto smiled, "That's great! I miss her but training is more important."

"Yeah, you're alone on that missing ride about Tsume," Kai scoffed and finally lay back on the ground while Mikoto followed the suit and lay on the ground, too, when she could be grinding and training. Crazy girl.

He silently looked at his physique stat and held great satisfaction for it.

[Physique: 105→ 111/1000]

He had managed to reach another threshold and it increased his stamina regeneration alongside reducing the stamina cost of physical skills, too.

The first half of their training came to an end as they soon found themselves headed to Konoha Hospital without Tsunade. She had some errands to run which simply meant that a resident shinobi had something to report. Aside from straining themselves physically, they also train in mystical palm technique whenever they are back from the mission and as usual, made their way to the designated spot but...

Kai couldn't help but stop right before the gate as a girl suddenly rushed out before tripping down and falling in front of them. With Kushina and Mikoto just unconsciously used to his lead, they had stopped, too.

'"Are you alright?" Kai inquired as he crouched down alongside the two as the light-brown-haired girl groaned and patted around the ground until Mikoto pushed the round-rimmed glasses towards the girl's hands and she quickly put them on while looking up, "I'm... sorry. I was in a hurry."

Seeing the forehead protector on her head, Kai felt even weirder, "Are you really a kunoichi?"

Sitting up, the girl's emerald eyes grew serious and she replied with an almost sullen grumble, "I am."

"Okay," Mikoto shrugged as she stood up and others followed along. The girl adjusted her glasses while standing up and bowed, "I am Nono Yakushi, pleased to meet you."

"Mikoto Uchiha."

"Kushina Uzumaki."

"Kai."

The trio introduced themselves now that the girl started as she continued with a suspicious expression, "Are you trying to get into the Iryo Nin program? Visiting someone?"

And now Mikoto began to feel weird and frowned, "What's it to you?"

"I'm curious!" The girl exclaimed with a surprisingly happy smile as she adjusted her shoulder-length hair.

"Right... well, see you," Kai wasn't about to waste his grind on even weirder situations much less this. He was THIS close to mastering the Mystical Palm Technique and after that would the Chakra Scalpel technique... and then he would be able to pester Tsunade to teach him that juicy nature transformation!

Heck, he didn't even know what it meant aside from the most common definition from the name itself since jutsus and other stuff aren't openly shared with everyone and a request has to be made to the administration department before it would be processed.

As he left, Mikoto followed quickly, a little irked by the girl and Kushina bowed politely before following her team.

"Ah..." Nono blinked, "I forgot I have to eat lunch." And the girl ran again, tripping down not long after.

---

"Hmm... it's good enough..." Tsunade's brows twitched as the fish flopped about on Kai's table. Oh, he could heal the fish long ago. It's just that he did it under five minutes now.

[Mystical Palm Technique (15/15): Allows the user to charge the chakra with yin and yang in a specific ratio to induce growth in the target. Reduce chakra wastage by 0.6℅ for every level. Reduces chakra consumption by 3.3℅ at every level. Chakra Consumption: 550/min.]

As the turquoise chakra visible over Kai's hands receded and he stored the flopping fish in the nearby tank, he gave his Sensei a cheeky and sweet grin as Kushina was already getting a hang of it while Mikoto was making gradual efforts. Of course, the flopping fish wasn't their only task. It was just one of the major ones, a boss task, if you will. They also had to make a flower bloom and stuff like that.

"Sensei," Kai called out while Tsunade rolled her eyes. THIS boy was supposed to be her Guardian? He's just a maniac who would ask for...

"Teach me something new!"

Of course... one would think that the boy boasting such strength and talent would want MORE than just training. The council has started to establish the geniuses to nurture with appropriate training missions and better jutsus to not only increase their survivability but also their contribution to the village and Kai was on top of the list.

But no, what pain, what life? The boy just wanted to throw himself into another technique and again she thought of his 'dreams'. Well, if he put his love for repetition to good use then he may just make it...

'According to the plan, I would have taught them chakra scalpel next so that they can provide sanitary incisions and activate the mystical palm technique within the body to spread the effects better in a controlled region... but it's just less of a hassle to teach the three of them at once. Hmm... what would keep him busy? Maybe... ah!'

"Something new, huh," Tsunade smiled, "I remember that I promised you a few genjutsu skills. The most effective genjutsu skills are similar to how Mikoto can weave things without exaggerating any details as it becomes obvious it's a genjutsu. Ready for it? Orochimaru is more of a hands-on Sensei when it comes to Genjutsu..."

"Yes!" Kai gushed happily, making the remaining trio roll their eyes.

---

"I see... well that is wonderful. You had nothing to do, and I am stuck in my research. Even Nawaki is being trained by his clan, Sen-chan is taking the mandatory medic-nin and Aburame-kun is raising his hive."

"Can't you teach Sen-san medic-nin yourself?" Kai inquired and looked around. Unlike Tsunade's lab which was divided into two portions out of consideration for her students, Orochimaru's lab was full of pieces of equipment and a distillery that dripped a light blue concoction.

"Oh, I don't know iryo-ninjutsu," Orochimaru chuckled as Kai looked at him, propelling the man to smile, "I plan to, eventually. But currently, my knowledge of anatomy, its various reactions, and chakra composition is above Tsunade so I help her in trying to find and develop new and better iryo nin. You could say I'm the brains and she's... the brains and the brawn."

"Jiraiya-san would have added something else," Kai snickered as Orochimaru blinked and promptly sighed, "Kai-kun... for your betterment, I will snitch to Tsunade what you said. Keep that in mind, I never snitch. That's how much I worry your talent would be affected playing the jester eventually..."

Kai paled slightly. Damn, the man is a sissy AND a snitch...

He then frowned and closed his eyes as he felt his chakra and suddenly raised the seal of confrontation before jerking his chakra.

The Orochimaru in front of him disappeared and he was now in front of the distillery, observing the reactions of the chemical.

"I'm honestly disappointed, Kai-kun. I am told you're a sensor. Any sensor worth his or her salt would have noticed that Genjutsu 2 seconds prior than you did."

Orochimaru looked up and smiled, "First lesson in being a cautious shinobi, always fluctuate your chakra at a set interval. It costs nothing and may just save your life."

Kai nodded, an eager light glowing in his eyes as he smiled, "Please teach me that technique."

Pulling a chair, Orochimaru sat down and smiled, "That was no technique but the most basic illusion conjured by me slipping my control into your chakra network. All rank D and E Genjutsu are just that, meager illusions. An actual Genjutsu skill—"

Kai suddenly fluctuated his chakra and saw this Orochimaru disappear again and saw the man shifting through documents with an incomprehensible mess of words.

"Eager to adopt new knowledge and grow. High perception and intelligence where it matters. My, my, Kai-kun, I have to raise my evaluation of you now. You're making me envious of Tsunade."

"Just to make it clear... sending hints by sitting down on a chair won't work," Kai beamed as Orochimaru's yellow snake-like eyes practically glowed.

"Good boy, I feel that you and I will find immense pleasure in each other's company."

---

If you can match up to Orochimaru's pace then he is a teacher possibly better than Tsunade in some scenarios. The first thing Orochimaru cleared was the distinction between illusions conjured by low-leveled 'illusions' that his trait classified as genjutsu and high-level genjutsu is the difference between the amount of control and not its subtlety.

High-level genjutsu can conjure monstrous shit but the target would not be able to escape because the user of the genjutsu begins to infect the chakra stream of the target more aggressively and simple fluctuations will not release that hold.

That's why a high-level genjutsu is hard to master, harder to use without Dojutsu like Sharingan, and even harder to escape in time. Of course, the high-level genjutsu can all be unraveled in time but would the enemy give them such precious time?

Now when it came to casting a genjutsu, due to the high-level genjutsu having stricter requirements and the sheer amount of chakra making it easier to detect, there is something called finding the weak link.

If it's a team, the weak link will be its weakest member.

If it's a lone shinobi, his or her weak link will be his or her most untrained senses.

Sound, touch, vision, and even smell. High-level genjutsu use these mediums to make their chakra travel. For instance, Sharingan users can only employ Genjutsu if a person looks into their eyes. If the target's vision is trained to the point it can even see the link of chakra between their eyes then he may just escape genjutsu but people usually don't have such trained senses. While this makes Sharingan quite coveted aside from its dynamic vision and ability to copy movements, Orochimaru was very clear about this Dojutsu's weakness.

Distance.

Chakra can travel only for so long. A weaker Sharingan will have a smaller range of effects. As simple as that.

He also came to understand that high-level genjutsu changes the perception of time so it requires a large chakra amount for just one second at times which was the reason why his Genjutsu skills had chakra consumption based on seconds.

The things Orochimaru taught Kai... was mind-boggling. And one thing he found the cutest.

"You did... what?"

Tsunade's eyelids trembled and her amber orbs lit up in fury as Kushina and Mikoto looked at the extremely tiny pure white snake coiled around his index finger.

"Is that..." Tsunade looked at Orochimaru coldly and he chuckled, "Oh, no, of course not. This is the product of my research. I call it the Everlasting Snake. This snake bonds with the chakra signature it's fed after it emerges from the egg. Now, now, it wouldn't do me any good to teach the boy my most prized techniques for free, right?

Fifteen days of genjutsu lessons and two C-ranked Genjutsu techniques beyond the crap allowed for genins. And this special gift that certainly will never die from natural causes because Kai-kun has been a good boy," Orochimaru warmly patted the boy's head, "I will be seeing you around."

Tsunade snorted as Kai snickered, "You're a genjutsu, aren't you?"

His words shook Kushina and Mikoto as they hurriedly fluctuated their chakra and indeed, Orochimaru was no longer in the room.

Kai shrugged at the man's antics. He loved to test Kai almost every minute with something new and then something old.

"Tch... don't you get comfortable with the snake... you're more suited for... slimy slugs."

"Nah, Cinnamon is perfect!" Kai grinned, no longer caring about the arrogant koi who refused to eat from his hand and instead looked at the Cinnamon who refused to leave his finger.

"Aw... it's so cute..." Mikoto puckered her lips as Cinnamon looked around and slithered into Kai's sleeves with a swerving strut.

"Sensei, can we have one? I want one!" Kushina claimed.

"Shove it! No more snail talks. Only slugs rule!"

Meanwhile, Kai was just too happy with his growth these past 15 days. Although the man didn't speak anything about his research, he found Orochimaru's dream admirable. To master every jutsu!

What a Sissy... but chad!

Also, constantly having to endure genjutsu and even sense them, his stats had a major boost!

[Devil's Pit (20/20): The user utilizes the sounds of insects to pull the target into a genjutsu of a pit of poisonous insects. Increase mental stat at every level. Reduce Chakra Consumption by 2℅ at every level. Current Consumption: 90/sec.]

[Crushing Coil (20/20): The user utilizes the sounds from a snake to pull a target into a genjutsu of a giant snake coiling and crushing the target. Increase mental by 1 at every level. Reduce Chakra Consumption by 2℅ at every level. Current Consumption: 100/sec.]

[Mental Stat reached a threshold. Markedly improved the function of the mind and spirit energy.] *5

[Increase the willpower and ability to resist genjutsu by 1℅] *5

[Perception stat reached a threshold. Meta-physical sensing markedly improved.]*2

[Increase the rate of chakra regeneration by 5 times.]*2

[Name: Kai

Age: 5

Title: Tsunade's Apprentice

Gamer Traits: Skill Tree; Sleepless Gamer

Rank: Genin

Hit Points: 100℅

Stamina: 100/100℅ (11.1/min)

Chakra: 13993 (3214→ 3998*250℅) || (315/min) (90*250%/min)

Physique: 111/1000

Mental: 89→ 134/1000

Perception: 48→ 62/1000]

[Skill points: 434]

Now he wondered what kind of crazy skills he could open up by becoming Orochimaru's apprentice because it was clear that while Tsunade had clan backing and all, she was invested in prospering iryo nin. Meanwhile, Orochimaru was the repository of Ninjutsu and Genjutsu!

The fact he could even master 2 C-rank genjutsu was that Orochimaru allowed him to use it on a few lab rats constantly! He was as generous as they came!

***

Shoutout to Robert Andrew, Jose Cintron, and Thong Doan!!

Read 30 advance chapters here—

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章 24: Evaluation

A pinky-sized pure white snake continued to slither in the area with its only indication of its passing being its soft hisses. Yet, the three bandits failed to consider the thin senbon needles it continued to spit around and scurry away. This continued for a few minutes until—

*Boom*

Multiple short-scaled explosions shook the tiny area of the forest while the snake slithered back to a boy resting against a tree and slid up his body until it contentedly slipped into his left sleeve where the boy wore a special wrist guard to house his precious.

Next to him sat a blonde image of perfection in a not-so-perfect situation while picking her nose idly and blowing over the tip of her finger later. Two shadows suddenly appeared in front of the duo and the raven-haired girl wearing her hair in a bun smiled, "Targets eliminated, Sensei."

"Hmm, the ability to communicate with your pet is just the cherry on the top, huh. Our missions just got several times easier," Tsunade smiled at Kai who grinned in return. Honestly, this sudden skill while trying to train Cinnamon was a surprise to him, too.

[Beast Chatter (10/10): The ability to convey to animals linked with the host's chakra. Perception stat increased by 1 at every level. Reduce Chakra consumption by 5℅ after every level. Current consumption: 10/min.]

[Perception stat reached a threshold. Meta-physical sensing markedly improved.]

[Increase the rate of chakra regeneration by 5 times.]

[Perception: 62→ 72/1000]

Chakra: 14731.5 (3998→ 4209*250℅) || (367.5/min) (105*250%/min)

Only at the fifth month of the year, this was their 12th C-rank mission which stacked his SP just nice. He was a little short of reaching 500!

Anyway, Beast Chatter only allowed Kai to communicate with Cinnamon but it didn't allow the poor soul to communicate back. Cinnamon could only twist its tiny body in certain shapes to communicate simple intentions or rest and have her poison bath later.

"I want one..." Kushina continued to sulk as Tsunade shot the red-haired devil a glare, "What did I tell you about being cautious? Stay alert!"

Mikoto and Kushina gave their Sensei a rebuking glare as these standards weren't being applied to Kai for some time. Ever since Kai returned from Orochimaru's care and sung his praises, Tsunade just had a mental scare and tried her level best to let the boy know that SHE is the best thing that could and would ever happen to him. Her pride as a Sensei won't settle for anything less!

But such back-to-back missions left others a little on the edge and Kai's ability to just send Cinnamon to take on the bandits made it too easy! Of course, no matter how easy the mission was, Kai never left the village with any weights on. Even the chakra mesh shirt was cranked back to become normal until he thought otherwise.

They soon returned to the village with a slightly exhausted expression. They were dirty and grimy and needed to refresh themselves. But they already had a destination in mind to meet each other later and left. They'd been genins for 5 months now and Team Tsunade's rate of success was easy to notice. With Nawaki held back in the clan and Orochimaru happy to let the situation exist so that he can focus on his more immediate goals made sure that Team Orochimaru had no missions. In fact, there's a quota of missions that a team must complete but because of the Senju lockdown, Orochimaru was exempted from any charges.

The other team who was catching up to Team Tsunade wasn't Team Jiraiya. No. Jiraiya would leave the village regularly and only return to fulfill the quota yet whenever he returned every month, he made sure to beat some new training into his apprentices. From Team Jiraiya, the one who entered into the Mandatory Medic-nin reform was Noha Utatane. It wasn't a team in the first place but a member of the genin corps.

Various teams will be evaluated today and will be given a short briefing on what to expect in the future missions since Konohagakure just received another wave of missions. This is an unusual case because the number of missions is startling but the amount of money they can generate is too good to be left and even if they did consider potential traps given the situation, Konoha would still undertake missions because that's its lifeline.

Tsunade knew more about the situation. With her action of bringing in every wayward Senju, others knew that it would be only a matter of time before Iwa and Kumo realize that the jig is up and get even brasher with their preparations. So, the other clans decided to only move the civilian members situated very close to the borders of the nation. As for the rest of the innocent villagers... Konoha didn't dare move them. It would instantly launch the war. Right now, basic skirmishes have already begun with shinobi from Iwa, Suna, and Kumo entering their borders openly for dubious reasons, increasing conflict and harming the public whenever possible and in turn, Konoha could only reply in kind.

But everyone knew that the war cannot be fought in their lands... what a complicated and riddled subject war really is, sigh...

The discussion in the War Council was getting heated every day and more and more radical approaches were set on the table but when three shinobi villages are eyeing you like a fat piece of juicy meat, radical is the way to go.

Mito never once entered the war council letting her disinterest know but the secret letter transported to Tsunade through a seal demanding every single bit or facing retribution... seemed to indicate otherwise.

Still, each team had its own time to meet with the administrative department and Team Tsunade arrived on time.

---

The Hokage and the three elders sat in an intimate setting with three couches facing the table. Koharu and Homura sat on the left couch adjacent to Hiruzen's and opposite to Danzo.

They soon let their next visitor in and Tsunade led her team into the room with a smile, "Nice to see you again, Sensei."

"Hmm, I read the report, Tsunade. Impeccable work as always," Hiruzen smiled before letting his vision drift over to the team behind her and nodded, "You children have performed excellently, too."

By now, the use of medic-nin in each team was becoming more and more apparent. Hiruzen did not doubt that their advantage of iryo ninjutsu would fade with other villages catching on to some degree but it was enough now. It would give them more than enough time for respite and more.

His praise was well-received by the team mostly. Mikoto's calm smile lit up, Kushina's grin widened and Kai bobbed his head down with a short smirk.

"Tsunade, I will start with you so your team can understand how we generally undertake evaluations."

"Right," Tsunade nodded and exhaled sharply before standing straight and puffing out her chest with an obvious jiggle that caught everyone's attention, "Jonin Tsunade reporting for evaluation!"

"At ease, Jonin," Hiruzen nodded, "In these five months you have gotten your team, they have completed more than 53 D-rank Missions and 12 C-rank missions. Aside from one C-rank mission where a genin by the name of Mikoto Uchiha and a genin by the name of Kushina Uzumaki showed signs of insubordination, the records mark your progress as excellent."

"Mission Reports aside, the reports from the Mandatory Reforms show that Mikoto Uchiha has chosen to become the team's medic-nin and has passed the examination set by the Head Doctors before utilizing the basic C-rank Iryo Ninjutsu— Mystical Palm Technique and getting yourself certified as an apprentice medic-nin that can be called into the hospital in times of dire need.

Your performance reports state that Kushina Uzumaki has agreed to learn more detailed Kenjutsu from a retired Jonin Ken Senju while managing to master the C-ranked Fuinjutsu matrix seals of her parent clan— the Uzumaki Clan.

Your performance reports state that Kai has agreed to learn from a Jonin Sensei named Orochimaru and mastered two C-ranked Genjutsu.

Your performance reports state that Mikoto Uchiha and Kai have learned the concoction of poison recipes marked in the secret record of Konoha Recipes namely— 13a, 13b, 15a, 18c.

Is there anything else you would like to add?"

"No, Lord Third," Tsunade smiled and Hiruzen nodded.

"Genin by the name of Kushina Uzumaki, please step forward."

"Yes! Genin Kushina Uzumaki reporting for evaluation!"

"At ease," Hiruzen smiled and didn't let his complicated feeling about Uzushiogakure affect the task.

"Genin Kushina Uzumaki, your performance report has been evaluated in front of you. Do you have anything more to add?"

"No, lord Hokage," Kushina shook her head.

"Your Jonin Sensei has recommended you for a special Chunin promotion while concluding the said review with words suggesting your skills, physical reactions, chakra capacity, and experience far surpass that of Shinobi titled Genin. Do you have anything to add?"

Kushina blinked. Others except Tsunade did, too. The redhead did not expect this and grew hesitant for a moment before taking a deep breath and shaking her head. She spoke with determination, "I believe I am ready, Lord Third!"

"Hmm, Genin Mikoto Uchiha," Hiruzen called out and the raven-haired girl walked out before committing the same formalities as the man sighed while remembering a good friend of his and questioned, "Your mission report mentions a rare moment of insubordination on your otherwise stellar record. It was stated that the emotional outburst caused by the acts of sexual assault made you go unconscious. Is this true?"

Hiruzen didn't mince his words as Mikoto felt the silent stares of other elders and they were in no way positive. While the Uchiha clan is loved by many in the village, they are feared more than many, too.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. It's true."

"Did your clan's Kekkei Genkai, a Dojutsu by the name of Sharingan activate after this incident?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Do you still experience the violent urges that led to your insubordination in the first place?"

"No, Hokage-same. Sensei Tsunade has been accommodating when needed and stern when required. I was reprimanded for my actions and punished in the form of giving to the village by performing more D-rank missions."

Hokage nodded and a tinge of satisfaction could be seen on Tsunade's face as Hiruzen spoke the same thing about the promotion and got a similar response while he continued, "Genin Kai."

Kai stepped out and did the same as the previous three.

"Genin Kai, your performance review has been excellent and your ability is well-noticed by many Jonins. Would you like to comment on that?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"How old are you this year?"

"5."

"A child by the age of 5 has completed assignments that made him witness acts of cruelty and asked of him to commit murders. Would you like to comment on that?"

"Yes, it is my duty to fulfill the mission whatever it may require."

"Have you faced any psychological issues in the form of nightmares or blood scares?"

Tsunade frowned slightly. She was worried that her Sensei may go down this route. If Kai responds in the affirmative, Hiruzen will reject the special promotion and would have her complete the deal of 20 missions. If Kai declines it then it will be stated that the boy needs regular mental check-ups. Either way, her request will be denied.

"Jonin by the name of Jiraiya helped me cope with the stress of missions. In his words— Nothing like a breast to squeeze to forget murder and firm pair of buttocks to spank for the sound of agonized screams to leave forever."

Everyone's eyes widened while their thoughts froze.

Kushina and Mikoto blushed while a vein popped over Tsunade's forehead at the thought of what that man was teachinG HER student. Hiruzen blushed in anger and shame while the three elders frowned... because they noticed no humor from the boy. He was being dead serious!

"I see. Jonin Jiraiya is not a certified individual. Given the state of the team's condition, the request for special promotion is declined and it is declared for Genin Kai to have three mental check-ups for the next three weeks with Jonin Orochimaru. If the reports are found positive, a promotion mission must be completed with the rewards being a C-ranked Jutsu in all three main jutsu categories.

After that, Hiruzen explained how the missions from now on may have higher risks than stated and everyone must complete their tasks cautiously before dismissing the group who was utterly infuriated at Jiraiya even if they were fated to be rejected in the first place. Hiruzen just placed his question in a way that any answer will blow up on their faces.

As they left, a lone figure entered after a few minutes which made Danzo a little interested.

"Genin Nono Yakushi reporting for evaluation!"

---

Just because Hokage was done with his evaluation didn't mean Mito was. Of course, she excluded Mikoto since her presence didn't have a huge effect on the Uzumaki compound and Tsunade left with an annoyed pout once Mito was done talking with her privately.

Kai sat close to her feet. It was just too usual for him now. Heck, his hands felt weird in missions if they didn't run a pair of feet. Too bad he couldn't provide such fresh experience to his teammates or Sensei as this was entirely reserved for the sweet woman who decided to sponsor him. And Kushina, despite having grown, found the relaxation she sought desperately after every mission in Mito's arms. Her words being— Grandma Mito's embrace is very warm.

"I'm not going to live for very long." Mito dropped the bomb... well, it wasn't really a bomb. She was already so old, what could someone expect aside from a peaceful death? Rising from the ashes like a phoenix? If only there was such a Jutsu...

Kai thought back at Orochimaru and his love for Jutsu once again.

"Huh? Come on, Grandma, this isn't even funny!" Kushina pouted as Mito continued, "Since what we consider the beginning of time, there have been nine chakra beasts of immense strength known as bijuu. The bijuu, aside from their monstrous chakra reserves with the weakest having dozens of times higher than the strongest shinobi ever, also have their unique capabilities but I will not go deep into that one.

When my husband was alive, these Bijuus of extraordinary power could only be sealed and not killed because they will come to life again and again. However, after his death, the various shinobi villages began to fail to contain these beasts in inanimate objects and followed my example to contain the beasts in a human that would suppress them... till they live."

Mito smiled, enjoying the contrasting expression on Kai's and Kushina's faces. While her supposed redheaded successor looked utterly distraught, tears beginning to already fill the watery eyes of the otherwise hyperactive lass as she wholly ignored the implications Mito wished to convey, just like Mito was when she was young, the old woman found Kai a bit more amusing. He looked sad but why he hid it quickly was something she wouldn't know. But through the blank exterior of the boy that he seemed to have mastered by now, Mito felt more.

Sadness was present the entire time, who knows, maybe the boy will miss massaging her legs now that he did the task even without her asking. But as she spoke of Bijuus, his curiosity was piqued and when she spoke of the beast within her... he seemed a little interested. Just the right amount. Not too much to probably try it himself and not too little— ah, Mito had to suppress her smile as the boy looked towards Kushina with barely suppressed indignance. He figured out what she meant.

The two were practically inseparable now and not because Kai was supposed to be her guardian. For all his disgruntlement, he entertained Kushina's requests more than anybody and the idea that some beast would be settling in her didn't settle right with Kai. It just felt dirty and not in the right manner.

"But... but," Kushina fumbled, unable to process things. She had been scared to move away from her clan but the people who made her at ease in this new village just became too close for her and the thought of even losing one of them despite having become more than a potent killer was just... shattering. Tears began to slowly roll down her cheeks, her nose sniffing loudly to control her running nose unsuccessfully as she sobbed lightly.

"And here I thought both brats would be having a hard time controlling their sobs," Mito smiled and let the girl ruin her expensive white dress as she began crying loudly, unable to express herself any other way meanwhile Kai silently massaged the woman's legs mumbling, "Even if I do cry... it'll at least be at the funeral..."

'Heh,' Having had her fun, Mito smirked and hummed loudly, "Before I eventually leave, you should know that the Uzumaki Guardians, at most, are taught D-rank basics. Any seals and matrix above C-rank much less the entire binding of it that I taught you are not a general outcome of situations. And I'm aware that you would want to learn more about Fuinjutsu. With the Uzumaki clan being the greatest in that field, your hope in growing that skill set lies in the Uzumaki clan, too."

Kai nodded as Mito continued, "I may still be here but take care of her..."

He nodded again but felt much more stifled as Mito reached out and patted the boy's head, "Besides, with what I have taught you and what Tsunade will teach you in time, you may just create fuinjutsu on your own." Oh, he planned to form more skills since they could be created by doing certain actions but... still doesn't change what Mito said.

"And with that, we'll start my personal evaluation of the two of you. Kushina, still a cry baby. Must work on this." The girl looked with her eyes red, glaring as Mito continued casually, "Kai, too young. Must grow quickly."

He rolled his eyes. How the hell was he supposed to do that?

"Oh and while guardians can only gain access to little information... there are a few titles you can earn for yourself," Mito smiled, "So, grow quickly."

"Really? Like what?" Kai inquired with slight eagerness, finding the topic more to his choice.

"You'll figure it out... sigh, no off with you two. And send a maid with a change of clothes and oh, Kai-kun, I took the liberty to change your room to a more complimentary one."

Kai nodded as Mito told him the directions and he dragged away the bawling Kushina from the Uzumaki Mistress.

***

Shoutout to Robert Bieluszeweski, Mark Music, Leo, and Dragon Wolf!!

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