Mitsuro's voice echoed through the park trees. "All right, Konohamaru, ready?"
"You've found me three times, Sensei! I can't do it anymore!" Konohamaru groaned in defeat, slumping onto the ground next to a bush with a sigh. Ever since Mitsuro had become his private tutor, his life had turned into a series of bizarre exercises. It had started with simple breathing and running, but now every training session involved a game of hide-and-seek. Not just any game, though—Konohamaru had to use everything he had to stay hidden from Mitsuro's sight for twenty full minutes.
Mitsuro replied in his usual calm, yet mysterious voice, "Konohamaru, you need to practice using the shadows better. Suppress your chakra as much as you can and find the best places to hide. You're hiding so obviously, a blind man could spot you!"
Konohamaru muttered sullenly, "Why do I even need to learn how to hide? A powerful ninja doesn't have to hide!"
"You're wrong, Konohamaru! Stealth is precisely the skill of a powerful ninja! Do you know why?"
Konohamaru listened intently, without shaking his head in disagreement.
Mitsuro answered, "For two clear reasons! First: a ninja's main job is assassination and covert operations! Many people hire us to secretly kill targets or steal information! This requires us to infiltrate the enemy's den without being seen. How can a powerful ninja do that without stealth?"
He sat on the ground beside Konohamaru and continued, "The second reason is that we also work as escort forces. That means we have to watch out for ambushes from those who want to attack us. Do you know what skill is essential to prevent being ambushed? Stealth! That way, we can predict where the enemy might be hiding and track their chakra signature to find their location!"
Konohamaru was finally beginning to understand the deeper meaning.
Mitsuro went on, "Imagine you're escorting a caravan. The sun is out. The road is completely flat. The forest is lush and full of green trees. There's a puddle of water next to the road. A few dried-up trees are nearby, and there's a three-foot-tall sand dune next to a tree. Does this road look normal to you?"
Konohamaru scratched behind his ear. "No?"
Mitsuro gave him a light tap on the back of the head. "Kid! Were you even listening? You need to visualize everything! Why would there be a puddle of water on a forest road on a warm, sunny day?! That's obviously strange! Is a dried-up tree normal on a perfectly flat road where all the other trees are green? Can a sand dune even exist on a forest road? All of these things are unusual! These are the places you need to watch out for! Even if they aren't where the enemy is hiding, they raise the probability that the enemy is in the area!"
Konohamaru thought for a moment, then turned his head back to Mitsuro and abruptly changed the subject in a serious tone: "Sensei, when are you going to teach me Jutsu? I've learned the three main Academy Jutsu, but I want to improve."
Mitsuro smiled. "Konohamaru, you're still working on improving your chakra control. It's too early for you to learn a new Jutsu."
Konohamaru's face fell.
Mitsuro chuckled softly and said, "Don't be discouraged... I didn't say I wouldn't teach you anything. Chakra control is even more helpful than a new Jutsu right now. But to lift your spirits a bit, how about we peek ahead at one of your future lessons?"
"What do you mean, Sensei?"
"Let's talk a little about the lesson I was planning to teach in the next term's classes."
Konohamaru seemed a little annoyed: "Sensei! That's not what I wanted!"
Mitsuro stood up and said, "Listen! Let me finish! What I'm about to tell you could help you learn new Jutsu sooner in the future!"
"Really?"
"Yes. Now, first, answer my question. Do you know how many Chakra Natures exist?"
"Five: Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Fire," Konohamaru answered after a moment of thought.
Mitsuro replied, "That's both right and wrong! There are five elemental natures, but actually seven natural Chakra types. In addition to the five fundamental natural transformations—Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Fire—there are two special natural transformations: Yin and Yang."
He then continued, "Every ninja may have an affinity for one or more of these elements. This is the foundation for using elemental Jutsu. You first have to know your Chakra Nature, then learn to incorporate that nature into your chakra. Only then can you effectively use Jutsu based on that element."
Konohamaru asked, "So how do you figure out your Chakra Nature?"
Mitsuro helped Konohamaru stand up on both feet and answered, "There's a simple way to figure out your primary Chakra Nature."
Konohamaru asked with excited curiosity, "What way?"
Mitsuro smiled. "How about I come to your house tomorrow… I'll show you! That's enough for today!"
Mitsuro took a step back and left Konohamaru to his thoughts. "Well, Konohamaru. Time's up for today. Go home and think about everything you've learned. Especially think about how you could have escaped the enemy if you were on a real mission."
Konohamaru excitedly jumped up. "Got it, Sensei! I'll be waiting for you tomorrow!"
Mitsuro nodded. "I'll come for you around sunset tomorrow. Be ready, and don't skip your written exam either!"
With that, Mitsuro suddenly vanished in a Shunshin (Body Flicker Technique), leaving Konohamaru alone. Konohamaru stared for a moment at the spot where Mitsuro had stood. In his mind, he went over all of Mitsuro's words. "Use the shadows better... Suppress your chakra..."
He thought about how he could do better next time. "Blend with the environment and reduce my chakra as much as possible." Then, he suddenly remembered his exams: "Oh no! Iruka-sensei will kill me! I have to study hard tonight!" Repeating Mitsuro's words to himself, he ran toward home.
..
The sound of the door made Konohamaru rush to open it. When he did, he found Mitsuro standing in the doorway. The sunset light shone from behind him, casting his shadow long and stretched out on the ground.
"Mitsuro-sensei!"
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Konohamaru's face froze in surprise. He blinked a couple of times to make sure he heard correctly. For a moment, he thought Mitsuro was joking.
"Huh?"
"Huh… what does that mean?"
"I mean… come in…"
He nervously stepped aside from the door and let Mitsuro inside. At that moment, the smell of damp soil from outside and the scent of food from the kitchen mingled.
Konohamaru said shyly, "I thought… you would tell me to go straight to training…"
Mitsuro calmly looked around the house. It was small and cozy, with mostly old-looking furniture. In one corner of the hall, there was a large vase of fresh flowers, suggesting that someone other than Konohamaru cared for the place.
Mitsuro turned back to Konohamaru and said, "We will train, but as I told you yesterday, if you want your training to move to the next level, you need to learn a few things first."
Konohamaru simply nodded his agreement.
Mitsuro looked around again and put his hands in his pockets. His face took on a questioning expression. "Haven't you had guests over before?"
"Hmm?"
"You haven't even offered me a drink yet!"
Konohamaru smiled sheepishly and hurried to the kitchen. Mitsuro sighed, then his eyes sharpened. He began to look around the house. His eyes quickly landed on a specific door, and he walked toward it.
The room was full of papers and scrolls. He quickly entered and went to an old wooden desk in the corner. The air was heavy with the smell of aged paper and ink.
"Looks like this is the Sandaime's private room."
He glanced at the scrolls. Most contained ordinary information: mission lists, daily reports… things a Hokage deals with every day. But his eye caught one scroll with a delicate script that read: Himura Mitokado… List of Guardians. He reached out for the scroll. Just at that moment…
"Mitsuro-sensei? I brewed some tea for you."
Mitsuro calmly turned back, concealing the scroll behind his back with astonishing speed, as if he hadn't touched it at all.
"Oh… sorry… I just got a little bored… Let's go talk."
"Okay."
After a brief pause, Mitsuro began to speak: "Did you think about the Chakra Nature?"
"Yes."
Mitsuro continued with a satisfied smile, "Good, now let me explain more. Chakra in its normal state is raw, and its rawness prevents you from using it correctly. Remember I said that changing your Chakra Nature is based on which element you have an affinity for. So first, we must discover your elemental essence."
"Right."
Mitsuro reached into his pocket and pulled out a few square pieces of paper that looked ordinary but had an invisible aura around them. He said, "These are called Chakra Paper. When you infuse chakra into them, they reveal your primary Chakra Nature."
He took a piece of paper and held it up in front of Konohamaru. The paper suddenly turned brown, began to crumble, and turned into soil.
"See? This means my primary Chakra Nature is the Earth Element… although I can also use the Fire Element."
He handed a piece of paper to Konohamaru and said, "Now, you try."
Konohamaru eagerly took the paper, closed his eyes, and slowly infused his chakra into it. After a few moments, the paper split cleanly in half.
"Huh?"
He looked at the paper in his hand in astonishment. He never expected that. Mitsuro smiled and said, "Your primary Chakra Nature is Wind."
"Wind?"
"Yes, that's a powerful nature, especially in combat."
"Oooooh."
Konohamaru was thrilled by this new discovery, but Mitsuro immediately continued with a more serious tone: "And that also means I'm not the right person to train you!"
"What?!"
"You know I can use two Elements… I don't know how to use the Wind Element, but there are two people who can explain it very well to you."
"Who?"
"Your grandfather and your uncle, Asuma-senpai… They know how to use this nature. If you want to learn Jutsu, the Third Hokage and Asuma-senpai are your best options."
"But Uncle Asuma and Grandpa always say I have to follow the Academy's training."
"I know… Honestly, I don't think you should expect to learn too quickly either, but it's good to start learning… I'll talk to Asuma-senpai myself later to teach you a little about the Wind Chakra Nature."
He then stood up and said in a friendly but determined way, "I have to go now. Don't forget to practice all the drills I gave you, because starting tomorrow, I'm going to give you a new exercise to help you control your chakra even better."
As he left the house, he touched the scroll inside his pocket. "I found something useful."