CH_4.35 (135)

CH_4.35 (135)

The lesson continued,

"If I remember correctly, you can use a genjutsu, correct?" asked Mikoto.

"Yes, ma'am. Mist Servant Jutsu," Takuma replied.

"Ah, illusory clones that act as though they're made of mist when attacked and reconstitute from any injury," Mikoto mused out loud. "A question regarding this genjutsu: how do you establish the connection to a target?"

"It's a visual genjutsu," answered Takuma.

"How do you know that?"Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com

"It was in the jutsu scroll."

Mikoto looked surprised. "You read the attached research on jutsu scrolls?" she asked.

"It takes time to read the text, but it makes up for it by making the learning process easier. Reading the text beforehand makes solving mistakes and blocks easier as I'm already aware of potential problems that may pop up and am prepared for them," said Takuma.

Mikoto smiled. "... You're correct; Mist Servant Jutsu is a visual genjutsu. However, I want you to be able to recognize the connection component of a genjutsu by studying the hand seals and the chakra pathways those hand seals direct the chakra into— the final goal is to be able to judge the genjutsu's connection component just from the hand seals."

"Understood," Takuma said as he took notes.

"Excuse me for a moment," said Mikoto and exited the room.

Takuma flipped to the last page of his notebook and started calculating how many mission points it would take to buy three, four, or five D-rank genjutsu so he could figure out the different connection components. Mission points weren't a problem, but it would still be a significant purchase. The real problem was choosing the genjutsu. The genjutsu catalog in the jutsu archives didn't mention the delivery method; they only said what the genjutsu did.

'I'll ask which ones I should buy,' he thought.

Mikoto entered the room and sat in front of Takuma.

"Here you go," she said.

"Ma'am, I was wondering which—" Takuma looked up from his notebook, and his words died in his throat as he found himself staring at four crimson-red scrolls sitting before him. The color wasn't the shocking part, but the paper seal which held the scroll shut. He recognized that seal design. It was unmistakably the official seal of authenticity imprinted by the village authority on every jutsu scroll created. He owned five such scrolls, and the only difference between his and the scrolls in front of him was that his scrolls were scarlet red.

"Ma'am?" Takuma looked at Mikoto.

"These are four D-rank genjutsu for you to study. In addition to the Mist Servant Jutsu, you now have five genjutsu in your possession. Study each of them thoroughly and compare them to each other to recognize which part of the hand seal and chakra flow establishes the connection component."

Takuma was stunned beyond words. He stared at the woman before him for a long while until she had to speak first.

"Takuma?"

He snapped out of his shock. "How much do I need to pay for these, ma'am? I was going to purchase a few on my own, but it's more convenient if I can get the ones you recommend."

"You don't need to pay me anything, Takuma," Mikoto laughed. "These scrolls come as part of our lessons, and you don't have to return these to me as they're yours to keep."

"B-But this is too much...."

"Not for me. These mean nothing to me," Mikoto shrugged. "The compensation of an inactive jonin like myself from the village is such an amount that I can buy four of these scrolls every day, and it won't put a dent in the amount I have. So, don't feel burdened by these scrolls as they don't hold the same value in my eyes as they do in yours. And if you still feel uncomfortable... I'm aware that you did a great service for the village and made the Police Force proud. Just consider it as gratitude from the Uchiha Clan. Refusing these would be a slight against me and my clan."

Takuma bowed his head deeper than before.

It didn't matter if he wasn't privileged to resources by his peers. If he wanted them, he just needed to get them in some other way, as he had done till now. Nothing had changed, only his goal. He simply needed to work harder, longer, smarter until he had everything he could ever want.

He hated this world, which made him hate his life.

No matter what it took, he was going to change that.

It was as simple as that.

The sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Takuma looked at the time, and it wasn't the time for an academy student to be back home. When he focused on the footsteps, he realized they weren't from a child. The footsteps were heavy, uniform, disciplined, and strangely evoked a sense of authority.

He looked up at the door as the footsteps neared, and a figure Takuma recognized appeared at the door.

"Dear, you are home," Mikoto said in surprise. "Did you tell me you would have lunch at home?"

"No," said the man. "I came for some documents in my study."

The man had short, brown hair reaching his shoulders and onyx-colored eyes with visible creases below that gave him a naturally stern look. He wore the standard flak jacket, along with a black shirt with the Police Force symbol on the shoulders, shin guards, and a black, open-front apron with white diamonds on the bottom.

The man was Uchiha Fugaku, the Commander-in-Chief of the Leaf Military Police Force, the Head of the Uchiha Clan. One of the most politically powerful people in the Land of Fire, one of the shrewdest leaders through the generations, and one of the strongest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf, his talents were said to be only second to the Fourth Hokage, which made him one prime candidate for the same position.

Takuma stood up to greet his boss.

Fugaku turned his gaze to Takuma.

"This is Takuma," Mikoto introduced. She didn't introduce her husband; there was no need to.

Fugaku nodded in greeting, which Takuma returned with a deep bow.

"Now that you're here, would you like to have lunch?" asked Mikoto.

Fugaku nodded.

"Takuma, can we end our lesson here today?" Mikoto turned to Takuma.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll take my leave," said Takuma, reading the room.

But as he was picking up his newly-acquired genjutsu scrolls,

"Genin Takuma, seeing that your lesson ended early," said Fugaku. "I would like to have a conversation with you."

———

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