After the Third Hokage saw Ethan's performance and heard Aoba's report, Ethan did not know what the old man was thinking, but he knew he had entered the Third Hokage's field of vision. That old man had been secretly watching the entire time.
This was a good thing for Ethan, because he could finally start acting a bit more freely.
Correspondingly, some trouble might also come his way. However, the one thing Ethan was not afraid of was trouble knocking on his door. He even felt that his current life was too peaceful.
"I wonder if the Third Hokage will show some appreciation after seeing such an outstanding civilian genius like me."
Whether the Third Hokage showed any appreciation or not, Ethan did not know. In any case, after completing his daily tasks the next day, Aoba once again took Ethan to an empty training ground and began instructing him in Earth Release ninjutsu training.
In the following days, the whole team carried out missions during the day, and after the missions, Ethan followed Aoba to learn ninjutsu.
Ethan's learning speed was not particularly fast. He did not reach the level of mastering a new jutsu the moment he saw it and frightening his teacher. However, his speed in understanding new ninjutsu still amazed Aoba.
If it were not for Ethan lacking an excessively large amount of chakra, and the fact that understanding was different from actual mastery, Aoba might even have doubted whether he himself was fundamentally unsuited to being a ninja.
After completing the basic Earth Release training, Aoba taught Ethan a total of three Earth Release ninjutsu over the following days.
They were Earth Release: Earth Style Wall, Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears, and Earth Release: Great Swamp.
Strictly speaking, these three ninjutsu could not be considered basic Earth Release techniques. However, Ethan had an excellent grasp of Earth Release. He had already thoroughly mastered the foundational Earth Release techniques, so Aoba taught him these three jutsu.
Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears was an offensive ninjutsu. With sufficient chakra, it could create countless sharp earth spears across a wide area, making it very suitable for dealing with a large number of weak enemies.
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall was a defensive ninjutsu. It could be performed by spewing mud from the mouth to form a wall in front, or by channeling chakra into the ground and using the existing earth to raise a solid wall for protection.
Finally, Earth Release: Great Swamp was a composite ninjutsu with both disruptive and offensive effects. It created a swamp that could trap enemies or directly swallow them.
The power of these three ninjutsu was very strong, and their practicality was excellent. However, considering Ethan's current condition, these three techniques merely gave him more combat options, preventing his fighting style from being too singular and easily countered.
For example, with Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears, which could create countless earth spears from the ground to impale enemies, if Ethan did not want to collapse after using it once, he could only release a few spears at a time. Considering sustained combat, it was best for him to release only one spear each time, turning an area attack into a single target one.
Earth Release: Earth Style Wall was similar. The dirt wall he created in front of him could barely cover his body and was completely incomparable to the powerful ninja who could slam the ground and make a massive city wall rise.
Great Swamp was also pitiful by comparison. When the famous Jiraiya used this jutsu, he could trap giant snakes hundreds of meters long, and anyone who fell in would be swallowed without a trace.
When it came to Ethan, he could only create a small mud pit less than a meter wide, which could at most cause some trouble and disruption for the enemy.
"Do not worry. Everyone improves little by little like this."
Watching Ethan demonstrate the effects of his ninjutsu after some training, Aoba finally felt that Ethan now truly looked like a genin.
"I know."
Ethan was not in a hurry. He simply did not want to scare his teacher.
As the days they spent together increased, Ethan discovered that although Aoba always wore a stern expression and appeared calm at all times, he did not always maintain that demeanor. In private, he was just like any other young person. After all, Aoba was only in his twenties, and sometimes he even behaved a bit oddly.
However, his former teammates Katsuki and Yui would likely never get to see this side of him. As they completed more basic missions and gradually accumulated ninja experience, they were transferred to other teams one after another.
The number of genin in Konoha was huge, and they usually operated in teams. At the same time, being a ninja was a relatively dangerous profession. Even during times of peace, ninjas could be injured or even die during missions.
In order to always maintain three person squads, transfers between ninjas were very common. Moreover, Katsuki and Yui had now completed their basic training and were ready for official assignment.
In their new and proper teams, the two of them would receive higher level training and be exposed to more dangerous missions. Only then would their true ninja careers begin.
In most professions, outstanding members were allowed to graduate and then formally assigned to work. However, things were different in Konoha. The member with the greatest potential and strongest ability in a three person squad was instead carefully nurtured within Konoha's greenhouse.
At this moment, Ethan finally felt the treatment enjoyed by the Rookie Nine. He was now considered one of the new generation of ninja being specially nurtured by Konoha.
Simply put, Ethan had successfully entered the ranks of the Rookie Nine.
However, there was an awkward situation for Ethan. The young people being specially nurtured had all formed teams, but he was alone. Setting aside whether assigning a Tokubetsu Jonin as a personal instructor was a waste of precious resources, being alone meant that Ethan had no teammates with whom he could form bonds, which was not a good situation.
The Third Hokage, who placed great importance on bonds, was very dissatisfied with this point and had a headache over how to handle it.
It was not until the day Naruto started making a fuss that the wise and mighty Third Hokage felt it might be appropriate to let Naruto go out and see the world. He suddenly thought of Ethan, who was difficult to assign on his own, and thus Ethan received a special mission.
"Go on an escort mission with Team 7?"
Ethan looked at Aoba in front of him and suddenly wanted to ask a question.
"By the way, Aoba sensei, what team number are you and I considered?"
He had lived here for a long time and had been a full fledged ninja for quite a while. He was certain that only the four person squads led by a jonin instructor, consisting of outstanding young people from major clans who were destined to become Konoha's future core, were referred to as Team X.
It could be said that becoming a member of a Team X meant that as long as you diligently worked to improve your strength, your future was basically guaranteed.
"Uh… well, we do not have a number."
Not only did they not have a number, they did not even have a formal designation or structure. After all, Aoba only had Ethan left as a student, so they did not form a complete team.
"Sounds like we are just unimportant background characters."
Aoba coughed awkwardly and decisively brought the conversation back to the main topic.
"This time I have another special mission to carry out. It is not convenient for you to take on new missions alone, and just training would take too long, so I have decided to have you work with another team. In any case, everyone in Team 7 are your classmates from the Academy, so you should not feel awkward, right?"
These were reasons Aoba made up on the spot. He did indeed have a new special mission, which was to secretly follow Kakashi and Team 7 together with Namikaze Raido.
If everything went normally, meaning Kakashi could handle all the trouble, they would not need to appear and could continue hiding in the shadows.
If the situation became very bad, they would have to initiate a rescue immediately.
The rescue targets were Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Kakashi would be responsible for holding off the enemy to buy them time.
As for Haruno Sakura, in that situation, she would undoubtedly be the one abandoned.
Likewise, if Ethan joined this mission and the situation escalated to that point, Ethan would also be abandoned.
Aoba would not tell Ethan these things. It was better for such a good young man not to be exposed to such matters too early.
"Oh, I see."
On the surface, Ethan put on a look of understanding and agreement with his teacher's arrangement. Inwardly, he was complaining about the Third Hokage's plan. This was clearly the Third Hokage trying to make him form bonds with his classmates in Konoha. Could that old man not come up with some other method?
The Land of Waves mission. He had thought that since he had not joined Team 7, he would not trigger this part of the plot at all. Yet after so many twists and turns, he was still dragged into it.
Still, it was part of the story. Ever since he gained the ability to travel through different worlds, being able to personally witness and even experience the original plotlines was something he greatly enjoyed.
It was just that sometimes he went too far and completely disrupted the plot, resulting in him missing out on much of the experience.
"This time, I will definitely just be an honest spectator."
After all, the Land of Waves mission was Kakashi's stage. He could simply watch from the side and deal with a few minor enemies.
After Aoba finished explaining, he told Ethan that he had already informed Hatake Kakashi, the jonin instructor of Team 7. Ethan only needed to meet Team 7 at the Konoha Gate the next morning. After giving these instructions, Aoba left under the excuse of preparing for a new mission.
…
Ethan had no choice but to go home and pack his things. Thinking about it, he had been in this world for twelve years and had lived in this village the entire time. On the rare occasions he went out, it was only to nearby villages or towns to deliver messages or buy supplies. He had never gone anywhere farther.
Seen this way, this mission was not so bad.
As usual, he had a good sleep that night. The next day, Ethan arrived early at the Konoha Gate and waited for a full hour before finally seeing the members of Team 7.
"Huh? Why are you here?"
Ethan looked at Naruto, but he first greeted Kakashi. Kakashi immediately began explaining to his students.
"Ethan will be joining us on this mission. Consider him extra support."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)