Chapter 7: Teaching
Back in the guest room, Masahiko's mind was still filled with Mito's "I'd be an idiot to believe you" reaction face.
Just moments ago, when faced with Mito's suspicion, Masahiko could only use the lame excuse, "Your Great-Uncle is a genius." Judging by her expression, she probably didn't believe him.
"Seriously, it would be weird if she did believe that..." Masahiko muttered.
"Forget it. I'll sleep on it first." The "surprises" from the system had kept Masahiko from sleeping well for two days. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, it was already afternoon.
"Ugh, so hungry. Why did no one call me for lunch? I think I forgot to eat breakfast, too. Heavens! I didn't eat dinner last night, did I... or lunch yesterday..." Masahiko finally realized he hadn't eaten for a full 24 hours.
He walked out of the room and, after asking a couple of Senju clansmen, learned that they generally only ate two meals a day.
"Oh, right. This is the Warring States Period. There's usually no lunch. I remember the Uzumaki clan's habit of eating three meals a day was actually because of my influence when I was a kid..." Masahiko mumbled.
Left with no choice, Masahiko could only go find Tobirama. After asking several people, he found out Tobirama had gone to Training Ground 4.
It's worth mentioning here that in the Warring States Period, most large clans divided their training grounds into four types. Training Ground 1 was the largest, mainly used by Jonin and above to practice large-scale or highly destructive jutsu. Training Ground 2 was for shinobi, Genin and above, who had already seen battle. Training Ground 3 was primarily for Genin who had not yet joined a battlefield, generally no older than 12; anyone older was long since sent to war. Even Hashirama, the clan head's eldest son, was no exception and joined the war at age 8.
And Training Ground 4 was for children who weren't even Genin yet. They were the future of the clan, so the security here was the highest. The Senju clan's Second Elder was almost permanently stationed here.
"Training Ground 4, huh? Tobirama must be teaching the kids. I'll go check it out. Speaking of Training Ground 4, I seem to recall a major incident with the Uchiha clan a few years back," Masahiko thought. "The Hyuga clan, relying on their Byakugan, launched a sneak attack and wiped out nearly half of the Uchiha's children. I think Madara's younger brothers died there..."
"It's a pity I wasn't there. That could have been another major Naruto world event: 'The Death of Uchiha Madara's Brothers.' Still, the Hyuga were really asking for it. They made a mortal enemy of the Uchiha."
"The Uchiha clan went crazy chasing the Hyuga. Even with the Senju clan at their side, the Hyuga were beaten so badly they had to close off their clan. There's been no news of them on the battlefield for years."
"The Warring States... it's all just hatred... The founding of Konoha is probably still nearly 20 years away..."
Lost in thought, Masahiko arrived at Training Ground 4.
Tobirama was in the middle of teaching the children shuriken techniques. Seeing Masahiko arrive, he immediately stopped.
"Children, this is Grandpa Uzumaki Masahiko from the Uzumaki clan. His Shuriken Jutsu is far better than mine. Let's have him teach you for a bit," Tobirama said.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." Masahiko replied.
"It's fine. Skill takes precedence. Please," Tobirama insisted.
"Your Second Elder's face has turned completely black..." Masahiko glanced at the elder's expression and said with a smile.
The Second Elder: "..." If Masahiko weren't present, he would have definitely given Tobirama a little "loving correction."
Seeing Tobirama's awkward expression, Masahiko took the initiative. "Alright, then. I'll do a simple demonstration of some... special shuriken-throwing techniques."
Masahiko walked to the front of the shuriken targets and pulled off the "Itachi's Shuriken Lesson for his Brother" maneuver, earning a wave of sparkling-eyed gazes from the kids.
Masahiko was just about to show off again when his stomach interrupted with a loud growl.
"I'm really not cut out for looking cool..." Masahiko looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, the very picture of melancholy.
"Er... Great-Uncle, you must be hungry after not eating all day. Let me take you to the dining hall for some food," Tobirama offered, saving him from the awkwardness.
"Go on, Tobirama. I can handle things here," the Second Elder quickly interjected, afraid Masahiko would corrupt the next generation.
"Let's go, Great-Uncle. After you eat, I have some jutsu I'd like to ask you about," Tobirama said, leading Masahiko toward the dining hall.
"I'm alive again!" After eating and drinking his fill, Masahiko sighed in contentment. "Did you know, Tobirama? Your Great-Uncle here hadn't eaten in almost two days."
"I can tell..." Tobirama was speechless, staring at the huge stack of empty plates on the table. That was enough food for four people...
"Alright, let's go. You wanted to learn my Shuriken Substitution Jutsu. I'll teach you, but whether you can learn it is your problem," Masahiko said.
"It's not that, Great-Uncle. I want to develop a space-time jutsu. By placing a spatial marker on a kunai, I could achieve long-distance teleportation," Tobirama explained.
"The Hiraishin no Jutsu?" Masahiko murmured softly.
"Hiraishin? That's a good name." Tobirama, however, had overheard Masahiko's muttering.
Masahiko: "..." Great, I just snagged the naming rights.
"The goal of your idea is the same as my Shuriken Substitution Jutsu. But my substitution jutsu has a bit of a long 'CD.' The Hiraishin would have a huge advantage there; it would have no restrictions," Masahiko said.
"Substitution 'CD'?" Tobirama looked confused.
"It's the interval time between uses. It's about half a minute. It's a limitation of the jutsu itself, nothing I can do about it," Masahiko explained.
"However, I can give you some advice..." Masahiko continued.
He, of course, had no talent for space-time jutsu, but he was intimately familiar with the Naruto plot. Suggestions about placing the formula on other people, or being able to transfer objects... he had tons of them. He spun so many ideas that Tobirama was left completely stunned.
"Thank you, Great-Uncle! I'll go back and research this. We'll continue tomorrow!" After a short while, Tobirama interrupted Masahiko's enthusiastic rambling, his mind already buzzing with ideas, and eagerly rushed back to his lab.
With nothing to do, Masahiko strolled over to check on Mito, just so he'd have something to report when he got back to his big nephew, the Clan Head.
After that, he went to Training Ground 1, found an empty spot, and began practicing his new jutsu: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
For the next few days, Masahiko's life settled into a routine: eating, sleeping, discussing the Hiraishin with Tobirama, developing his Rasenshuriken, and visiting Mito.
A week passed. Masahiko looked at the small, spinning Rasenshuriken in his palm and smiled, satisfied. He knew that as long as he increased the chakra output, he could use the same Rasenshuriken as Naruto. However, the jutsu damaged the user's arm cells. It wasn't to be used unless absolutely necessary. For now, it could only be a trump card.
With this, Masahiko became even more idle.
Another week passed in the blink of an eye. Masahiko decided it was time to say his goodbyes to the Senju and return to the Uzumaki clan.
Just as he was making this decision, a familiar line of text flashed in his eyes: "Witnessed and participated in a major event in the Naruto world: The Development and Naming of the Hiraishin. Reward: 5 Witness Points."
This works too?!