First of all, thank you! We just hit 20,000 views, and I'm dropping this bonus chapter to celebrate. When I started this project, I didn't expect this kind of momentum so early on—you guys are awesome.
Want another one? We are currently sitting at 8 Power Stones. If we can hit 10 Power Stones, I'll drop another bonus chapter immediately!
Special thanks to Leo_Red, Garichto,
DaoistCSUmcl, and bambooblade for the
Power Stones! You guys are keeping this going.
Enjoy!
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After Kushina painstakingly redrew the Reverse Four Symbols Seal in the Hokage's office and provided a detailed breakdown of its underlying principles, the Third Hokage was finally convinced that the development was a success.
Naturally, the master and disciple were met with high praise. Hiruzen even went as far as calling Hagoromo—a fresh Academy graduate—a "genius."
Of course, in the world of Naruto, "genius" is a somewhat depreciated title.
With the Hokage's acceptance of the formula, the S-rank Forbidden Jutsu development mission was officially closed. Kushina no longer had to stress over it, and any further refinement or testing was no longer their concern.
Financially, they were set to receive the substantial bounty associated with an S-rank mission.
Since the technique was classified as a Forbidden Jutsu from the start, it would be sealed away upon completion. Only a handful of shinobi would ever know of its existence; as for 99% of Konoha, they would likely go their entire lives without ever hearing the name Reverse Four Symbols Seal.
Hagoromo didn't care how the Hokage handled the paperwork. If you asked who was most familiar with this technique, the answer was undoubtedly the primary developer, Kushina Uzumaki. And the second? Naturally, it was Kamishiro Hagoromo, the assistant developer.
The Hokage might have assumed Hagoromo couldn't memorize such a complex formula, but in reality, it was etched perfectly into his mind. If necessary, he could use it right now.
Though, for the moment, one should probably ignore his meager chakra reserves.
…
Let's take a look at Hagoromo's current stats:
Name: Kamishiro Hagoromo
Age: 11
Rank: Genin
Registration Number: 009887
Mission Record: D-rank: 9 | C-rank: 2 | B-rank: 0 | A-rank: 0 | S-rank: 1
Setting aside Kakashi, Hagoromo was likely the first in their graduating class to complete an S-rank mission.
Granted, this S-rank had nothing to do with combat, infiltration, sabotage, or investigation. It was earned solely through Forbidden Jutsu development. Normally, such work is considered high-risk, but Hagoromo had largely succeeded by riding his sensei's coattails. On paper, however, the data was immutable: he had finished an S-rank mission.
As for lower-level tasks, his record over the last three months was sparse. This was due to two factors: 20% of it was Hagoromo's own lack of interest in D-ranks, and the other 120% was Kushina's complete lack of interest in babysitting a kid through menial labor. (Yes, that adds up to 140%. Don't think about it too hard.)
Regarding his combat attributes, his self-evaluation looked like this: Ninjutsu: 8 | Taijutsu: 7 | Genjutsu: 2 | Intel: 10 | Strength: 5 | Speed: 8 | Stamina: 7 | Hand Signs: 9 Total: 56 — somewhere among the stronger Chunin territory.
Of course, these numbers were purely for reference. In this system, a "10" could mean two things: either the shinobi was very good at that attribute, or the attribute was simply MAXed out.
Despite having learned a massive library of techniques from Kushina, Hagoromo only rated his Ninjutsu an 8. He believed that the number of jutsus he could actually utilize effectively in high-speed combat was still limited to a few; the rest were mostly academic.
Still, the hunger for more knowledge remained.
And that was exactly what was giving Kushina a headache.
Over the past three months, she had taught Hagoromo everything she could—Ninjutsu, Sealing Jutsu, even advanced seal matrices. What remained were techniques she either couldn't teach or he couldn't learn.
For instance, could Hagoromo learn the Reaper Death Seal? Theoretically, yes. But Kushina refused to teach it. Handing a "certain death" technique to a rookie shinobi was irresponsible; if he used it out of sheer curiosity, he'd be six feet under before anyone could stop him.
Then there were techniques like Adamantine Attacking Chains. It was versatile, powerful, and perfect for all ranges. Kushina was willing to teach it, but Hagoromo would never be able to learn it. It was an Uzumaki Secret Technique that required their specific bloodline's chakra.
Kushina's biggest worry had finally manifested: thanks to her disciple's terrifying learning speed, she had nothing left to teach him.
If Hagoromo were sensible, he'd leave the nest at this point and seek his own path. But the problem was that he wasn't sensible; he remained tirelessly thirsty for knowledge.
To a knowledge-seeker, every new piece of information is like a drug — it never satisfies, it only deepens the craving.
Wait, if I keep writing like this, is the protagonist going to turn into Orochimaru? Nah, definitely not.
…
Inside Kushina's home.
Hagoromo, the disciple, was currently busy in the kitchen like a dutiful housewife. Meanwhile, Kushina was lounging with her legs stretched out lazily. Her upper body was draped over a low table, her chin resting on the surface as she stared blankly at the courtyard outside.
Ahem. Kushina-sensei wasn't "spacing out." She was "contemplating." Understand?
Expecting the current Kushina to cook was a lost cause. You'd have to wait until she married Minato... actually, even then, her culinary skills were famously questionable.
It was better to rely on Hagoromo being surprisingly handy in the kitchen. Ever since she tasted his cooking, Kushina had retired from the kitchen. His food wasn't exactly world-class, but compared to hers... well, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud, the difference was clear.
So, what was Kushina "contemplating"?
Simple. With the S-rank mission over, she was bored out of her mind. And more importantly: what on earth was she supposed to teach Hagoromo next?
"I've got it!"
Hagoromo had just brought the food to the table when Kushina slammed her hand down, nearly sending the plates flying.
"Um, Sensei... you've got what?"
Kushina stared at him, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous light. "To be honest, my dear disciple, your attitude toward learning has honestly impressed the heck out of me, and your progress has been lightning-fast. So fast, in fact, that your teacher has nothing left to give you..."
Hagoromo flinched. What, is she about to kick me out of the dojo?
Fortunately, Kushina continued, and it wasn't what he expected. However, after hearing her out, Hagoromo didn't feel happy at all. In fact, he found himself wishing she had just kicked him out.
"Hagoromo, I know a place. There's a miraculous scroll there that contains a massive collection of ultra-powerful Ninjutsu. Well? Interested?"