Mitsuro made his way to Training Ground 7, a large open space that was rarely used. The air was cool and pleasant, and the smell of damp soil filled his senses. Mitsuro took a deep breath and took two Fire Release jutsu scrolls and one Earth Release jutsu scroll out of his bag.
He carefully unrolled them on the ground and stared at the lines on the paper in silence for a few moments. He had initially thought of pretending to create a new jutsu, but he quickly abandoned the idea. It seemed like overkill; he only wanted to show off his skill in using ordinary jutsu.
He looked at the training dummies standing and hanging from the trees. The training ground was full of dry tree trunks and a few wooden targets placed at different distances. He tightened the leather blindfold over his right eye. Now was the time to empty his mind and only think about the flow of chakra within his body. He clasped his hands together. The warm, familiar feeling of chakra flowed through his veins like a river and concentrated in his hands. In a meditative state, he first repeated the signs in his mind, then his hands began to move: "Snake - Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger."
"Katon: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
With a forceful exhale, a scorching heat came out of his mouth. Six fireballs moved toward the targets with incredible speed. At the same moment, several shuriken flew out of his sleeve and embedded themselves right in the heart of each fireball. All six targets burst into flames at once, and the shuriken destroyed them with astonishing precision.
"Not bad!"
He then went to a tree and turned his back on the dummies hanging from the trees. He paused for a moment. He didn't want to end the training so simply. He climbed the tree with lightning speed, kicked off the trunk in mid-air, and performed the hand signs faster than before.
Again, he exhaled six fireballs and threw them all toward the moving targets. He did another spin in the air and threw several shuriken toward other targets. Then, without wanting to see the result, he landed on a branch. The shuriken bandages ripped, causing several shuriken to fly to the point where he was about to land. He made another hand sign and immediately, as soon as his foot touched the ground, he activated another jutsu.
"Doton: Earth Wall!"
A wall of dirt rose from the ground all around him, blocking all the shuriken. This training was for focus, not just skill. Mitsuro wanted to activate each jutsu with the least amount of chakra and see how long he could last. Each time he used Earth and Fire Release ninjutsu, he divided the amount of chakra used into smaller parts to increase the destructive power and decrease the rate of his chakra depletion.
This appeared very simple and showy, but it actually showed Mitsuro's extraordinary control over chakra. In fact, Kakashi in the anime had given a similar exercise to Sasuke to increase his limit for using Chidori. Combining a simple jutsu and activating it might not be difficult, but continuously activating it with less chakra and quickly, without rest, was very complex.
After half a day of training, Mitsuro took a relieved breath. His body was tired, but his mind was completely calm. He got up to go back to his house when he saw the Hokage nearby.
"Hokage-sama!" He immediately bowed his head respectfully.
The Hokage approached Mitsuro with a bright smile and said, "Mitsuro, I saw you were training, so I came to take a look. I hope I didn't bother you!"
"Not at all! Hokage-sama, thank you for your concern."
The Hokage gave a gentle laugh. "Haha... Congratulations. It's clear you've mastered the techniques you got from the library very quickly."
Mitsuro gave a pleasant smile and said, "It's all thanks to you, Hokage-sama."
"No, it's all the result of your own efforts." Hiruzen said to himself, "Mitsuro is not like the rest of his clan. He smiles more than the others and his behavior is always gentle. I wish I had paid more attention to him before. Even as a child, he tried to be different from the others."
He then changed the subject. "Mitsuro, how is being a teacher?"
Mitsuro replied softly, "It's good. I think it's the only thing I'm capable of."
Hiruzen frowned slightly, looking somewhat displeased. "Mitsuro, your skills are more than that. Don't underestimate yourself."
Mitsuro looked at Hiruzen in surprise and replied, "I'm sorry if my answer upset you, but I think you're overestimating me."
"No, I'm not." Hiruzen said seriously, "Mitsuro, I think one term of teaching is enough for you... I'm sure of it after your training today. You have much more potential than just being a simple teacher."
Mitsuro smirked and said, "Don't say that, Hokage-sama. If Iruka-san hears it, he will be very upset, as if teachers have little potential."
Hiruzen replied bitterly, "You know what I mean! For a teacher, being a Chunin is more than enough. You're a Jonin. Keeping a Special Jonin at the school is just a waste of talent! When you had just returned, I agreed for you to become a teacher because you had let yourself go for a long time, but look at yourself now. You have finally become a true Jonin!"
Mitsuro scratched his head.
"What do you think about having your own students? Not as an academy teacher, but as a Jonin teacher."
"I'll think about it, Hokage-sama."
In response to the Hokage's statement, Mitsuro looked at him and said hesitantly, "But I still want to continue being a teacher for a little while longer."
"We'll see what happens," the Hokage said, giving a subtle, happy chuckle as he put his pipe in his mouth.
Mitsuro walked toward his house. The light from the streetlights cast his shadow in front of him. As he did, he saw a familiar figure walking calmly on the sidewalk.
"Oh. Mitsuro, how's it going?!"
It was Asuma Sarutobi. He looked at Mitsuro with his ever-present lit cigarette and a smile. His spiky black hair, as always, gave him a messy appearance. As a child, Mitsuro had tried to befriend Asuma, who was a few years older than him, many times.
Asuma saw that, unlike his clansmen who were suspicious of outsiders, Mitsuro had a friendly demeanor and reminded him of his classmate, Obito. A few years after Obito's death and then the Nine-Tails incident, Asuma and Mitsuro's relationship became cold and strained for a while, but both were not the type of people to hold grudges, and they didn't even notice when they started talking to each other normally again. During the Uchiha clan massacre, Asuma had been away from the village on an important mission, which is why he was not present during that bitter event.
Mitsuro smiled. "Asuma-senpai. When did you get back?"
Asuma took a puff of his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke. "Not long ago."
Mitsuro raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did you go to see Kurenai-senpai as soon as you got back, right?"
The cigarette smoke caught in Asuma's throat, and he coughed. "What are you talking about? Why would I go to see her! Stop talking nonsense, kid!"
Mitsuro feigned naivety. "Oh? So I should tell Kurenai-senpai the next time I see her that Asuma-senpai didn't come to see her." He smirked and continued, "Or did you find a girlfriend on your mission this time?"
Asuma frowned. "Kid, don't mess with me! Since when did you get so bold?"
He smiled. "Have you had dinner?"
"No, have you?"
"Me neither. Let's go grab something to eat together."
"How about Ichiraku Ramen? My treat!"
"Let's go!"
While sitting at Ichiraku Ramen, Asuma said, "I heard you became a teacher! How is life as a teacher?"
"It's not bad. It's a new experience. Want to try it?"
Asuma looked at Mitsuro and said softly, "Maybe I will! I'm thinking about it."
So Hiruzen told him to become a Jonin teacher! It makes sense! He probably wants to prepare Asuma to be the next Hokage. After all, entrusting him with the Ino-Shika-Cho team only means one thing: more influence on the Hokage's supporting clans. And the fact that he'll have Kurenai's students also reinforces this hypothesis!
After a bit of small talk, Mitsuro and Asuma went their separate ways. Mitsuro returned to his house. When he was about to put the key in the lock, he noticed something. He narrowed his eyes and quietly entered the house.
As soon as he entered, the familiar smell of instant noodles filled his nose. Surprised, he quietly closed the door. From the kitchen, the gentle sound of bubbling water could be heard. He walked silently toward the kitchen.
A medium-height figure, with his back to him, was stirring his noodles. Mitsuro asked in a calm and serious voice, "Why are you in my house?"
Hearing his voice, the figure jumped and spilled the noodles on the table. He quickly turned around and said with a big smile, "You're finally here, boss!"
Mitsuro narrowed his eyes and looked at him in surprise. "How did you get in, Senta?"
Senta, as he hurriedly cleaned up the spilled noodles, answered in a flustered tone, "Well... through the door! Wait, no! I mean... the lock on your door wasn't very secure. No!... That's not what I mean either... I couldn't wait for you outside! Isn't it better to wait inside than outside?!"
Mitsuro raised an eyebrow. "And you thought you could just come in without permission?"
Senta grumbled under his breath. "Now I have to clean this up." Then he looked at Mitsuro. "Well... I thought maybe... maybe you wouldn't be upset."
Mitsuro gave a hidden smile and said in a softer voice, "That's why you were eating my noodles instead of me?"
"No!" Senta said loudly. "I just wanted to make sure..." He paused in the middle of the sentence and looked at Mitsuro with embarrassment. "Maybe... I was a little hungry."
Mitsuro walked toward him, and Senta backed away when he saw his serious face. In a flash, Mitsuro moved toward him with unexpected speed, and as he extended his hand toward his neck, he said, "Idiot, if it was an enemy, you'd be dead by now."
Senta froze in fear. Mitsuro pulled his hand back and smiled. Senta breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the floor. "Please, don't scare me like that."
Mitsuro looked at Senta and shook his head.
"What's with this get-up? Are you still living like a beggar?"
Senta frowned and replied, "Damn it. You think I want to live like this?" Senta's current appearance was like a Ronin. He was wearing an old samurai outfit, a dirty green scarf on his head, and an old sword at his waist.
Mitsuro tilted his head in surprise and asked, "If you don't want to, then why are you dressed like this?"
"Because of you, you damn fool! Do you know how much trouble I went through to get to Konoha? And without any money!"
"I don't remember asking you to come to Konoha. You were supposed to help Hiruko."
Senta got up and said with annoyance, "Yeah. Yeah, but Hiruko said I should come to Konoha." He frowned and continued, "Damn it! After all the trouble I went through because of you guys, now you're telling me you don't remember telling me to come to Konoha?"
Mitsuro ignored Senta's annoyance. "Hiruko sent you?"
Senta said in a soft voice, "Yeah. Actually, Guren chan and Hiroko-san went to the Land of Earth. They said to let you know they'll probably be a few months."
Mitsuro frowned. "She sent you all the way to Konoha just to tell me that?"
Senta took a folded map out of his bag and gave it to Mitsuro. "Hiruko san gave me this before she left to give to you. She said you might like it."
Mitsuro took the scroll and unrolled it. "This..."