"Meow... I still can't figure out the trick," Takeshi mused, feigning seriousness. "Maybe I should study fuinjutsu."
"The Uzumaki clan are the masters of fuinjutsu," Tsunade offered, taking the bait. "Minato learned a lot from Kushina, too. You could ask him for help."
'She has no idea I already have my subordinate learning it straight from the source,' Takeshi thought. 'The Four Symbols Seal, the Adamantine Chains... she is learning it all.'
It was a simple misdirection, but it worked. She'd already forgotten about the tombstone incident. 'Good. Best to just let that fade away.' He felt a flicker of smug satisfaction.
"I know a few things myself," she said, her interest piqued. "Come on, I'll teach you what I can. It might help you get a better handle on that Sage Art: Gate of the Great God."
Though her Yin Seal and his jutsu were different, they were both fundamentally fuinjutsu. A better grasp of the theory might stabilize his technique. If he could truly master the Gate of the Great God, they wouldn't have to worry even if Sunagakure unleashed the One-Tails. The two of them, man and cat, could easily suppress the jinchuriki.
Of course, they could probably dominate the One-Tails even without it, but using the Gate would be far more impressive. It was all a ruse, she knew, but the rest of the world wouldn't.
She explained her reasoning to him.
'This is perfect,' Takeshi thought. 'Outsiders will think it's a fake jutsu we planned, and even Tsunade will believe her "training" is what made it work. She'll feel like she had a real hand in it. And then, when it's all over, I can tell her it was real the whole time.'
Still, she was being genuinely kind to him. Maybe he should try to hurt her feelings less often. It felt a bit inhumane, farming her for Points like this. 'Then again,' he reminded himself, 'I'm not human anyway.'
Inside Tsunade's tent, the first thing he noticed was Nekomata curled up in a corner, fast asleep. The cat had been out for a day or two now, showing no signs of waking. 'I hope he doesn't sleep through the fight with the One-Tails,' Takeshi worried.
Orochimaru had already started his machinations, so Rasa would likely lead his people to their doom not long after Ebizo returned. Once that battle was over, they could pack up and head for Onoki.
'Nekomata should be awake by then,' he reasoned. 'I can teach him Sage Mode. It's a waste seeing him eat plain cat food every day.' If his subordinate could use Sage Mode, maybe Takeshi could indulge in a luxury cat food himself to replenish his energy. His own body and chakra reserves were still too small, he needed to get stronger.
That reminded him of his Four Cat Generals. They needed to be trained, too, especially the orange one with the Lightning and Fire affinity. Now that he had learnt couple more techniques, he had to pass them on. He couldn't always be the boss stepping in to solve every problem. That would just be unimpressive.
Nekomata was his top general, and the Four Cats were his elite fighters. They all needed training. The road ahead was long, and any fleeting arrogance he felt vanished. He had to focus on steady development. His forces would have truly risen only when Nekomata could escape Tsunade's clutches on his own.
Tsunade motioned for him to sit, then began to explain the basics of fuinjutsu. At first, it was all theory, and even so, Takeshi couldn't make sense of it. Though he had the Gate of the Great God, the knowledge from the system was purely practical, how to use it, not why it worked. Tsunade was explaining the fundamental principles, and the hardest part was pretending he understood.
'This is awful,' he lamented internally. 'I already know the technique, so why do I have to sit through the lecture?' His head was spinning. If he didn't know she genuinely meant well, he'd suspect she was torturing his limited brain nerves on purpose.
Fortunately, she eventually finished her explanation. After a moment of thought, she decided to share something more substantial, the Yin Seal. She reasoned that even if the techniques were different, he might be able to draw some parallels from it. Since she didn't know the exact process behind his jutsu, she figured having him try a bit of everything was the best approach. Maybe something would just click.
As she started talking again, Takeshi's ears perked up.
'Wait... this is different.'
He listened intently, forcing himself to memorize every word. He had a feeling this was something valuable, the stuffs she was describing were on a completely different level.
He listened intently, forcing himself to memorize every word. He had a feeling this was something valuable, the stuffs she was describing were on a completely different level.
'Sealing one's daily chakra to extract it when needed...' he thought, his mind racing. 'Isn't this the Yin Seal? This is amazing!'
The only question was whether he, a male cat, could even learn it. He was suddenly anxious. In the anime, only kunoichi had ever used the Yin Seal. He wanted to check the system store right away but was afraid he'd miss a key detail while he was distracted. Every word she said could be worth Points.
After a long while, Tsunade finished. "Actually, it's alright if you didn't get all of that," she said, offering a comforting summary. "As long as you understand the part about sealing, that's enough. Since your Gate of the Great God seems to seal chakra, maybe you can find a connection."
She knew the Yin Seal wasn't easy to learn, especially for a cat. But then, who was she to say? Before he'd learned the Flying Thunder God, she wouldn't have believed a cat could do it. The same went for her super strength. And now, he'd somehow learnt this Sage Art. Thinking about it was almost disheartening. Her own talent was exceptional, yet next to him, she sometimes felt that familiar sense of being outmatched. 'Am I useless?' she wondered fleetingly. 'Is my talent just not enough?'
"Meow... thank you," Takeshi said, bowing his head respectfully.
He knew what a gift this was. She was treating him like family, like a true disciple. She would never share a jutsu as important as the Yin Seal otherwise.
"Hmph. Just try not to piss me off so much from now on," she grumbled, waving a dismissive hand. "Now scram."
Her good mood had vanished the moment she stopped teaching, the memory of the "Tomb of Tsunade" incident rushing back.
'Damn cat,' she thought viciously. 'Sooner or later, I'm tying him up and giving him a proper beating.'
Takeshi obediently left the tent. The moment he was clear, he impatiently opened the system panel to check the price of the Yin Seal. One glance, however, revealed a problem.
It cost twenty-seven thousand Points.
'That has to be with the discount,' he realized, which meant the base price was at least thirty thousand. 'Is it because it's not compatible with me?' he wondered, falling into deep thought.
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