Naruto: Kage of Kages

“So the true three basic jutsu would be Clone, Transformation and Body Flicker. Taking that into account, what do you suppose is the deeper meaning I spoke of?” Mito once again questioned.

This time Shiki gave it some deeper thought.

‘The answer most definitely lies in earlier lessons.’ He pondered, that was how he had been taught up until now after all.

“Hmm . . .”

Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.

‘The nature of chakra . . . Yin and Yang . . . A way to teach how to intuitively grasp the concept without a need for understanding the theory . . .” An answer formed in Shiki’s mind.

“Because they teach shinobi how to intuitively alter the yin to yang ratio when molding chakra?” He let out with an inquisitive tone as if he was not completely sure of his answer.

Mito’s calm small smile widened a little as she nodded in praise.

“That is exactly the case. Now based on what we discussed about yin and yang energies, can you guess which jutsu favors what ratio?” She gave Shiki another test question.

The white haired boy closed his eyes in thought but formulated his answer faster than before and with greater detail too.

“Yin is form while yang is energy and substance so the Clone Jutsu which creates copies of the user’s likeness without any substance should favor yin. The Transformation Jutsu which alters the form not only in appearance should be balanced.”

“Finally, the Body Flicker Jutsu which is at its core, body activation akin to chakra enhanced taijutsu, should be mostly yang based.”

‘A smart student is indeed a pleasure to teach.’ Mito thought as she once again gave Shiki praise for yet another correct answer.

“You are once again correct. These three are very simple jutsu to grasp even if one lacks skill in chakra molding and control so they are great for teaching young shinobi how to grasp the skill of molding chakra with proper balance by feeling.” The Uzumaki matriarch explained.

“Most of the time, advanced concepts of yin and yang are not even touched upon in the Academy with Chakra being taught as the fusion of mental and physical energy without the more complex aspects of the theory.” She further clarified.

As Shiki pondered on the redhead’s words, he came up with another theory.

“Then hand seals which are used to assist in the molding of chakra act as a sort of key to find the ideal ratio.” He revealed his sudden thought.

‘Not only can he absorb my lessons well, he can even extrapolate into further topics. Talent truly is wonderful to witness at work.’ Mito thought to herself as she confirmed Shiki’s thoughts as the truth with a nod and large smile.

‘Ahh . . .’ The redhead let her thoughts wander a bit.

‘How long has it been since I naturally smiled this much?’ She internally questioned.

Since her husband had died, a part of her went with him.

Though her marriage had been a political affair for the most part, it blossomed into true love that forged an everlasting bond the way she thought.

‘Heh, I think that bastard’s only true love was that red eyed frea-’ A deep voice interrupted Mito’s thoughts before being forcefully silenced.

‘Then our child went ahead of me to the Pure Land while my grandchildren rarely visit.’ The Uzumaki matriarch continued to ponder.

‘Maybe if you weren’t a mind peeping, nagging bi-’ The deep voice from before came back with a vengeance but was silenced without trouble once more.

“MITO-SAMA!” A sudden shout broke Mito out of her thoughts.

She turned towards Shiki, meeting eyes with the white haired boy who presumably had been trying to get her attention for a little while until he felt the need to shout.

He was tactful enough not to blatantly mention the redhead’s sudden loss of focus and wander thoughts. This was his respect for his teacher and legal guardian who adopted him into her household out of the goodness of her heart.

Mito coughed in embarrassment but moved on with the lesson as if nothing happened, thanking in her heart that Shiki was not blunt like most children and so did not hang onto her little gaffe.

If she could hear Shiki’s thoughts about her she might even be more embarrassed, perhaps to the point of blushing. The redhead had taken Shiki in because he was interesting and his aura and presence was pleasant for her, not with some sort of altruistic motivation.

Regardless of this little interlude, the lesson continued and though Mito was already greatly impressed by Shiki’s prodigious talent, now that he would be let off the leash to experiment and with access to a great jutsu library . . .

*

In the blink of an eye, a week had passed since Shiki’s adoption, he absorbed all the theory on chakra and the basics of jutsu, reaching an impressive degree of proficiency in all three of the fundamental jutsu.

Believing that letting Shiki explore jutsu development on his own in the library would be more stimulating for a genius like him, Mito gave him the promised access and let him study all he wanted in the afternoon.

Mornings were spent on practical lessons in taijutsu and bukijutsu, the art of fighting with weapons. It was also an opportunity for Shiki to test his theories under the experienced supervision of Mito who could prevent grave accidents.

As for the evenings, they were the Uzumaki matriarch’s favorites. Since he was technically an adopted child in the vein of a servant, a common practice for various prestigious clans, his evenings were spent learning how to attend to his mistress.

He was not actually being taught by a servant. Mito just ordered him around and slowly guided him in his tasks.

While the boy was a prodigy in shinobi matters, he simply had no idea how to be a proper servant, giving massages, cooking, preparing baths and so on.

Seeing floundering and stumbling around with an embarrassed face was most amusing and gave the Uzumaki matriarch a showing of the more childlike parts of her new ward.

The way he blushed when he failed at something seemingly simple or pouted when she teased him were the most enjoyable parts beyond doubt.

And perhaps, though he would never admit it to Mito, Shiki too enjoyed these parts which made him feel a type of closeness to Mito akin to family.

Up until this point, he felt like an outsider to the world, incapable of forming any meaningful bonds in the orphanage, so much so that when Mito decided to adopt him, he did not even bother to show himself there before the move to Mito’s residence.

Now however, Shiki felt he truly had a new home and a motherly figure to care for him and for him to care for.

The days continued like this and as time passed with the same routine, things that made Mito question began happening now that Shiki was allowed to unleash his talent and outrageous ideas in full . . .

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