Liya and Karuto closed the main door and followed the old man into the house.
The room was simply furnished, with little in the way of modern appliances apart from electric lights.
The old man sat Kirito across his lap, scrutinizing him carefully.
"As expected, he's my kin!" He looked at the adorable and handsome child before him, bursting into laughter and gently touching his forehead to Kirito's as a sign of affection.
Kirito merely tried his best to act like a good grandson.
"I thought you wouldn't let me see him," the old man sighed.
Karuto and Liya looked embarrassed.
"You know the family's situation—it's really not suitable to cause more trouble," Karuto bowed to the old man in apology.
"Hmph!" The old man glared coldly, "A cowardly choice."
The room became awkward for a moment, and Kirito didn't know how to communicate with his freshly introduced grandfather.
"Father!" Liya changed the subject, "Kirito wants to be a ninja, and he has already refined chakra. You know Karuto and I can't teach him."
When the old man first held Kirito, he had already sensed the chakra within his grandson's body. Given his age and experience, refining chakra at four years old, while good, wasn't particularly remarkable, so he didn't think much of it.
Of course, if he had known that the child in front of him had learned to refine chakra in just a few minutes, it would have been a different story.
"While I'm not dead yet, I can teach him for a few years," the old man said. He didn't rely on the Ninja School's teaching. If a child obediently waited to graduate from the academy, he would basically just become cannon fodder on the battlefield.
Konoha's Ninja School primarily taught basic literacy and ninja fundamentals. In the original story, Naruto basically knew nothing upon graduation. If he hadn't met Jiraiya, the savior of the world would have been useless. As for Uchiha Sasuke, after his clan was annihilated, he lacked proper clan instruction. His brother, only a year older, had wiped out the entire clan, while Sasuke could barely spit a fireball.
Ninja clans sent their children to the academy more to foster bonds, make friends, and build relationships—and to comply with Konoha's regulations. They didn't expect to learn anything truly substantial at school. Even Naruto's chakra nature was taught by Kakashi only after graduation.
The various ninja clans in Konoha, big and small, had their own core inheritance. If a civilian ninja, after graduating and being assigned to a squad, didn't receive guidance from their squad leader, they would basically never get the chance to learn advanced ninjutsu.
Karuto and Liya naturally understood these truths. They decided to support their son's path to becoming a ninja and resolved to fully cultivate him. Since they couldn't teach him themselves, they had to seek help from others.
The first day was just for introductions. After having lunch at the old man's house, they returned home. Proper teaching would begin the next day.
A small river flowed quietly, with fish occasionally leaping.
"To learn ninjutsu, you must start with hand seals. Watch carefully," an old man in a white kimono stood by the river. "There are a total of twelve seals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar."
Kirito watched his grandfather form the hand seals and imitated him. Fortunately, the old man wasn't too fast.
A child's hands were quite flexible, and Kirito managed to complete the hand seals.
"Each hand seal has its own purpose. They help mobilize chakra. Remember—mobilizing chakra is the goal; hand seals are just a tool."
Kirito nodded, indicating he understood. For the same ninjutsu, two people might use different hand seal combinations, depending on their understanding of the technique and control over chakra.
For example, in Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu, Momochi Zabuza used 44 hand seals, while Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, used only three.
"Watch my hand seals. Water Release: Wild Water Wave!" Kirito watched intently as his grandfather formed about ten seals, then spewed a strong stream of water from his mouth.
The water flow quickly grew larger and more rapid, raising the river's water level.
Kirito watched with excitement, suppressing the thrill in his chest, carefully listening as his grandfather explained the chakra manipulation details, and diligently memorizing the different seals.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—Kirito quickly formed ten hand seals in one go, then opened his mouth and spat.
Water Release: Wild Water Wave!
Pfft~ A spray of saliva shot one meter out.
Uh~ That was awkward.
Luckily, almost no chakra was used, so he could try again.
Water Release: Wild Water Wave!
Another weak mouthful of water sprayed out.
Kirito focused on recalling the details his grandfather had explained, calming his mind. He formed one seal per second, and with each seal, the chakra in his body shifted slightly.
Now! Water Release: Wild Water Wave!
A stream of water burst from Kirito's mouth, traveling about ten meters before splashing into the river.
It was clearly different from his grandfather's ninjutsu—the volume of water was at least ten times smaller.
The old man looked at the child before him with a strange expression. He hadn't expected his grandson to learn a ninjutsu in just three tries. Even if it was a basic C-rank technique, that kind of comprehension was rare. This child truly had talent. But he didn't praise him—his expression remained calm. The Senju Clan no longer needed to prove themselves with geniuses. In fact, being too much of a genius would only bring unnecessary attention and danger to his grandson.
The old man's face grew solemn, lost in thought.
Kirito felt the chakra in his body and thought he could try another one. He raised his hands to form seals again.
The old man grabbed his hand and shook his head.
"That's enough. You've learned it. Practice slowly later. You're still young—save your chakra."
Kirito had no choice but to stop. He felt a bit frustrated. His chakra reserves were so small. A jutsu like this could only be used twice before depletion. Although he could refine more chakra, overdoing it would harm his health.
He truly envied those with vast chakra pools—able to unleash ninjutsu without a care. He wondered when he would reach such a level.
"Grandfather, is my chakra considered a lot compared to other kids my age?"
"It's a lot," the old man answered after thinking for a moment. "Quite good."
"Then will my chakra reach the Hokage level in the future?" Kirito asked, full of confidence in his Senju bloodline.
The old man grimaced. A Hokage wasn't just any village head; they were the strongest in the village. He thought for a while, then decided not to lie.
"No. But becoming a Jonin is possible."
Kirito was deeply disappointed. He hadn't expected the Senju bloodline to be this limited. He didn't have the Uchiha's evolving eyes, and without a Hokage-level chakra pool, it would be difficult to match a Kage's power. Then again, he wasn't a direct descendant—just a regular Senju branch member, probably with diluted blood. The only confirmed thing was that his grandfather was a Senju. Being able to reach Jonin level was already proof of how strong the Senju bloodline was. After all, there weren't many Jonin in all of Konoha.
The grandfather and grandson walked back, the road filled with Kirito's persistent questions.
"Will training increase chakra?"
"It will, but only a little."
"Will eating more increase chakra?"
"It does, but not by much."
"Are there other ways to increase chakra?"
"I haven't heard many, but there are methods to store chakra."
"Do you have any, Grandfather?"
"Grandfather doesn't. But Lady Tsunade does."
"Can Lady Tsunade teach me?"
"Grandfather doesn't have that kind of influence."
End of the Chapter.