Haseo's actual strength was somewhat complex to define. Because all his jutsu were one-of-a-kind within the Ninjutsu World, his power wasn't easy to categorize. Simply put, he possessed a massive information advantage, often leading to a "first-time kill" effect against clueless enemies.
Yet regardless of these effects and special traits, one thing remained certain—currently, Haseo definitely couldn't be considered at Kage-level strength.
If forbidden techniques that sacrificed one's life for devastating results were included, Haseo could probably suppress the majority of Jonin. However, if only considering "conventional combat power," then his strength matched his current status… surprisingly as a Jonin—nothing more than a Jonin.
For someone his age, becoming a Jonin already surpassed most ninja. But given how high his comparison benchmark was, he himself wasn't satisfied with this level.
One could even apply a very trendy expression circulating in the Ninjutsu World to describe Haseo—he could match many opponents fifty-fifty, and even hold his own fifty-fifty against those who were fifty-fifty themselves.
Put like that, he really did seem pretty strong among the lower ranks.
Considering his age and experience, Haseo's strength would naturally continue growing steadily over a long period ahead. Yet, in his own eyes, such growth was far from sufficient.
Due to his body constantly being corroded, both his chakra reserves and quality would grow faster than those of ordinary ninja. Though this corrosion carried risks, it also meant his development wouldn't be restricted by the usual age-related limitations typical ninjas faced... A ninja's body matured before age twenty-five, and chakra growth rarely extended past thirty, so normally speaking, a ninja's peak should arrive around age thirty.
But for Haseo, unless he killed himself first, his chakra might keep increasing until he turned sixty… although, what meaning would that hold? Even if he reached sixty, could his chakra ever rival that of a Tailed Beast?
Seriously, Haseo had the nerve to tempt fate—if he actually pulled it off, he'd do a handstand on the Hokage Cliffs… while taking a dump.
Precisely because of this chakra corrosion issue, Haseo couldn't become a Jinchuriki. Being a Jinchuriki was painful, yet the benefits brought by housing a Tailed Beast were obvious. Therefore, not being able to personally benefit from his proposed Tailed Beast division plan felt somewhat disadvantageous.
If he couldn't be a Jinchuriki and wasn't interested in subjecting himself to some devilish modifications, then there seemed to be only one path left for a non-bloodline ninja to reach the upper echelons—[Sage Art].
Naturally, Haseo had also turned his attention toward [Sage Art]. This wasn't about whether [Sage Art] was common or rare—it was simply an inevitable choice. Still, even if learning [Sage Art], he couldn't rush into it recklessly. For now, Haseo needed to wait until his physical condition improved further… At present, his strength was barely sufficient, so he kept reminding himself not to act impulsively.
Senjutsu is not something that can be mastered overnight. More importantly, although this ability appears to be a secret treasure accessible to common ninja, it actually relies heavily on bloodline enhancements. Jiraiya began studying Sage Art at the age of eight and remained unable to achieve full mastery even at fifty-eight years old; in contrast, Naruto surpassed him after spending just one week at Mount Myōboku.
No matter how you look at it, whether it's the blessing of destiny bestowed upon the protagonist or the innate talent from being part of the Uzumaki clan, possessing just one of these two qualities would be enough to completely outshine Jiraiya.
Or... could it be that the toads of Myoboku Mountain have favorites? If that were true, it would make sense. After all, Katsuyu would never do anything similar.
"Jinchuriki"—Haseo crossed out these three characters in his notebook and then wrote down "Sage Art."
Moreover, although his attending physician had warned him not to risk his life, he had already developed such a powerful Kinjutsu; how could he give it up so easily?
Of course not. However, these contents are indeed unsuitable to be recorded, in case someone discovers them, it would lead to trouble.
[Kinjutsu]—he murmured silently in his mind.
While Haseo was seriously thinking about his future path, he suddenly noticed a figure passing in front of him, seemingly holding something in their arms. He blinked, put down the notebook in his hand, and realized that the person was Mokkō, who was carrying a black cat.
"Mokkō..."
After a moment's consideration, Haseo decided to call the person back.
"Master Hanyu."
Upon hearing Yuji's voice, Mokkō immediately stopped and turned around.
Bringing a cat into the workplace for playtime seems somewhat inappropriate. Although initially wanting to speak up and remind others, Haseo decided instead to first understand the situation before taking any action.
"What's with this cat?" he asked. When they returned from the Whirlpool Country, he hadn't noticed anyone from the Uzumaki clan bringing a pet along their journey. Therefore, this cat must have been brought after arriving in Konoha.
The fact is indeed true; however, Mokkō was not raising the cat as a pet. "Lord Yugei, I am following the ancient methods passed down in my family to attempt to breed a summoned beast."
"Summoned Beast?"
Haseo was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck. As soon as he made slight contact, he realized that there was absolutely no chakra reaction coming from the cat.
"Can ordinary house cats also be trained to become summoned beasts?" After observing for a while, he couldn't help but ask.
"It's theoretically possible, but the likelihood is extremely low. Even if this cat truly learned to refine chakra on its own and successfully evolved into a summoned beast, its practicality would be very limited... Such a fragile lifeform is inherently deficient, lacking both combat potential and survival instincts. It would probably not even be reliable for delivering messages," explained Mokkō.
She noticed Haseo was really paying attention, so she continued, "This is just for experimentation. The summoned beasts that are truly effective in battle and on the battlefield are almost always powerful chakra beasts naturally born in the wild. By chance, they meet human ninja, develop mutual trust, or get tamed. In any case, after signing a blood contract, they become connected to the world of ninja."
For some reason, upon hearing this, Haseo suddenly thought of Kakashi's dogs. He had never seen Sakumo Hatake use the summoning jutsu before—so could it be those dogs were raised by Kakashi himself?
Was it eight ninja hounds or something? Either way, they were pretty useful. Without the dogs, it would be an even match, but with them, wouldn't they tip the scales toward victory?
But these were just minor details, and Haseo couldn't quite remember how Kakashi got his dogs.
Moreover… Haseo glanced subtly at the girl and thought to himself. Although their ages were similar, there was probably no way between her and Sakumo Hatake—it seemed one was secretly a dog person while the other was openly a cat lover; they just didn't mix, like oil and water.
In that case, maybe Kakashi—who hadn't even been conceived yet—was temporarily safe?
Well, Kagenami definitely didn't advocate for office romance.
Of course, all these thoughts were just wild speculation. Haseo gave it some thought, then asked Mokkō, "Can I try raising one too? Using your method?"
He had become somewhat curious about the cultivation methods of summoned beasts.
"Of course, Lord Haseo," Mokkō replied firmly.
"One more question—is there any chance that this creature might suddenly start speaking like a human as it grows up?"
"It's possible. Chakra nurtures the spirit, and as its chakra increases, so does the spiritual capacity and intelligence of this domestic beast. It may indeed learn to speak human language… Is there any problem with that, Lord Haseo?"
Haseo held the cat in one hand and rubbed his chin thoughtfully with the other before replying, "No real issue—except if this thing ever starts talking, I'll have to consider making it into stew meat. After all, it might learn some secrets about Kagenami, and then we'd risk a leak."
That might've been overthinking things a bit, but Haseo had always believed pets were smarter than people gave them credit for.
Apparently sensing danger, the black cat suddenly began to struggle—it naturally missed being held by the girl far more than being carried around by Haseo.
However…
Once you dive into animal protection work, there's no turning back...
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