5 Chapter 5: Growing Part 2

July 15, 20 B.N.B

It had been two years since Yoshima's first birthday, he had been constantly meditating, exercising, and reading and improving his knowledge of the world, comparing it to what he remembers from the Anime and Manga versions. Although there were many similarities, down to the names, dates, places, many things are skipped over or not talked about.

Yoshima placed the book down on the table in front, with a sigh. He had learned he was good at learning, an old reincarnated soul with a child's brain, made him absorb things like a sponge. He was a genius at learning.

What had Yoshima in deep thoughts is the last book he had just read, for it talked about population in Konoha.

From what he has gathered, Konoha has a population of seventy-five thousand people. This is according to the most recent survey that they have shared with us. Using those numbers he can make an estimation based on what he has learned prior.

In the anime, they only showed one academy to become a Genin, but what he has realized, is that the academy Naruto went to is most likely an academy geared to the elite clan members. In one book he read, it had described in detail the best academies to send clan members to.

Which denotes not only a separation between regular citizens, non-clan shinobi members, and shinobi clan members, but also how they had so many ninjas in the anime. For they must have academies only for citizens, probably a few that take them the shinobi route, some just for certain jobs, and maybe most just for regular schooling.

Taking that into account, and another book denoting the percentage of failure rates, one thing that is constant in both anime and here, he used those numbers to find what percent of the population is what in Konoha. There is a sixty-percent failure rate to become a Genin. This percentage fluctuates in times of war and times of peace.

Now, while forty-percent (40%) of seventy-five thousand (75k) is thirty-thousand (30k), he found a book mentioning, well more of a complaint really, how clan members had an almost direct graduation into Genin, due to either clan training, or deference for clan members. Most of that failure rate percentage came from the civilian population.

While having a population of seventy-five thousand (75k), Konoha, had thirty-eight thousand (38k) who are civilians. Those civilians had different jobs, whether they work as farmers, builders, assistants, or even servants to a clan, they did not have any positions as either Active or Reservist Shinobi.

Of that seventy-five thousand (75k), the Shinobi population in Konoha is thirty-seven thousand (37k). Of that number, there are twenty-two thousand (22k) who are in the reserves.

The reserves are mixed, but they mostly consist of Genin. Although, he could not find exact numbers detailing what percentage of reservists are Genin. This number also includes the ones working as medics, administrative work, teachers, intelligence, etc.

The rest of the thirty-seven thousand (37k) Shinobis, the fifteen-thousand(15k) left, are all Active-duty Shinobis. Of which around five-hundred (500) are Junin, four-thousand (4k) are Chunin, and around ten-thousand (10k) are Genin.

From those numbers, some are with the Daimyo acting as bodyguards and police, others are in missions throughout the different lands and villages, some are in covert operations, and some are in Anbu and Root.

The land of fire itself could most likely bring another eight-thousand (8k) Shinobis into the mix, if needed.

This, he assumed, are somewhat the numbers of the other great nations. Konoha, is the strongest, but he does not believe the numbers are too far apart.

Uzushiogakure has a population of twenty-five thousand (25k). This number is not including all of the Land of Whirlpool, or its vassal , the Land of the Waves.

Of that twenty-five thousand (25k), Uzushio has ten-thousand (10k) Shinobis. Of those, five-thousand (5k) are in the reserves. The reservists in Uzushio are mixed as well, having positions such as medical ninjas, administrators, intelligence, technological advancement, teachers, sailors, etc.

The other five-thousand (5k) are the Active-Duty Shinobi. From that five-thousand (5k), one-thousand (1k) are sealers, and another one-thousand (1k) are Uzushiogakure's elite Shinobi, the Whirlpool Guard. They specialize in weapons for fast killing, and seals, following the will of Uzushiogakure, that the first Uzushiokage, Ashina Uzumaki, established. Ashina himself used two katanas he carried on his back.

All in all, the active-duty numbers of Uzushiogakure are two-hundred and fifty (250) Junin, one-thousand four-hundred and twenty-five (1425) Chunin, and three-thousand three-hundred and twenty-five (3325) Genin.

The bad thing, is that after the First Great Shinobi War happened, it has almost been fifteen years, the new generations of Shinobi are soft, not having experienced much. Adding to that, Uzushio and Konoha's alliance makes Uzushio weaker.

He could see why Uzushiogakure relied on Konoha, Uzushiogakure was a Naval power, and had a small population, while Konoha had a large population with no natural ports. Uzushio would send sealers, trade, food, among other things, while Konoha would defend Uzushio in times of need. As a sign of friendship and close ties, Senju members would intermarry with Uzumaki clan members. A tradition that seems will stop, as there won't be many Senju clan members left soon.

While many Uzushiogakure Shinobi would go to Konoha for training, most of the Shinobi just went on trading missions, pirate defense missions, as ambassadors, or covert operations. Ninjas were almost seen as cannon fodder, having the worst missions in the world of Naruto.

Sealers in Uzushio were very important to the village, and were mostly sheltered, which only bred weak ninjas without much experience. Unless they were the Whirlpool Guard, they had the most dangerous of missions, most of them kept secret, they had the best training and experience, but also only numbered a thousand.

From what he remembers, six years from now, the Second Great Shinobi War will commence, and he must do all he can, by improving himself on seals and chakra control.

That's the most important, chakra control. If he can conserve and use chakra efficiently when performing jutsus, it will set him apart from many, specially with an Uzumaki's chakra reserves.

'14 B.N.B. is the date I have to prepare for.'

Yoshima's father, Ikeda Uzumaki, is from the main line, his great-grandfather was Ashina Uzumaki, and he is also a Jounin Master Sealer.

While his mother Mitsui, is not from such a noble clan, she had lots of chakra and was a very strong Jounin.

'I have to use my past knowledge on military tactics and engineering knowledge to help in all I can. The tactics use presently is just to throw numbers at one another, no real strategy or tactics.'

Last week, Yoshima had asked his father to train him in seals, Ikeda had told him he was busy, and that he needed to learn the basics first. Now, he is just waiting for the instructor his father had hired for him.

His mother had started training him a month ago, she has started teaching him the basics of Kenjutsu, and the Swirling Fist, they were both the common Uzumaki military techniques. Swirling Fist was a disarming technique, it mostly focused on defense and teamwork, as they had always relied on Konoha to be there working as a team.

He remembers asking her if she knew Seals, she had frowned and told him she knew only a few, that they were too boring, and you had to spend your time indoors doodling around all day.

He still finds that memory funny. She had such a caring face, but she was more aggressive than his father.

With his mother, he was now stronger than a Genin, and could perform a few jutsus. He found he was good with a sword, preferring it over a katana. His mother, Mitsui, had a Water Release kekei genkai, and she thought him a few E ranked and D ranked water jutsus.

"I assume you are Yoshima, you will follow all my commands without question, if you don't like that, ask your father to hire another sealer. Nod if you understand"

Yoshima had sensed him walking into the library, his sealer instructor was a middle age man. His black hair and black eyes, set him apart from a typical Uzumaki.

Yoshima nodded.

"Good, take these scrolls, this brush, and the ink." The instructor passed him the items needed.

"You will call me Master Okino. I am not your friend, or your father, if you want to cry or you want to quit, do it, and don't bother me again. I am an Advanced Journeyman Sealmaster, if it wasn't because of your father, I wouldn't be here."

"Yes Master, I understand." Yoshima at first wondered if Okino didn't like his father, but now Yoshima just assumes it might be something else.

"Do you? We will see."

"I want you to trace every character on the scroll mark as 'Basics 1' twenty-thousand times each. Once you are finished, ask someone to send me a pigeon." With that, Master Okino walked away, leaving Yoshima with his homework.

Yoshima opened the first scroll, inside where different Japanese characters. He grabbed hold of the brush, opened the ink container, dabbed the brush with ink, and began tracing the first character.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 22nd, 18 B.N.B.

Two years passed on quickly, he had started training with his father a few months ago. Having long passed the brush to draw seals, he could now utilize chakra instead. He passed the test to become a Seals Apprentice back when he was three, now he is just waiting for the go ahead from his father to take the journeyman test.

Today, his parents had told him not to train, and wait at the left wing, in the training courtyard. They did not tell him what it was for.

Feeling his parents chakra signatures walking closer to him, he stood up from the floor, and dusted his black pants.

"Yoshi!" His mother ran up to him, he didn't even try to run away, past experiences had let him know it was pointless to even try.

Mitsui hugged her son, as if clinging for dear life. "Mother, you saw me this morning."

"What did you say Yoshi?" She said, with an underlying tone in her voice.

"Nothing mother, it is nice to see you." Yoshima turned to his father, trying to illicit some help, while his father whistled and looked elsewhere, no help there.

"Traitor..." Yoshima murmured.

"Cough. Cough. Yoshima, we are going to test your chakra nature. Usually, it is tested after a Genin turns twelve or so. But, since you are closer to a Chunin than a Genin, you need to learn at least one Nature chakra. Whether its water, fire, earth, lightning, air, or the other two non-elemental types, yin or yang. If you ever want to be a Junin, like us, you will have to know at least two nature types."

His father explained as he took out a squared-sized paper seal. "Konoha has papers they use to test chakra nature, but it doesn't go into detail. And since the other nations seem to follow whatever Konoha does, they also test it the same fashion." His father held up the seal he was holding.

"This is an Intermediate Chakra Nature Seal, the ones we use are unique, in the fact that it not only lets us see your chakra levels, I'll explain them in a second, but also the chakra nature in detail. Ranging from 1, the bare minimum, as all living beings are made up of all elements, to 9. Nine might be the highest, but it is almost impossible to see, as the most elite of bloodlines would have an 8 as a cap. The highest an Uchiha has been borned with, in relation to fire, is a 7."

"It is not widely circulated, but anyone can train any type of elemental chakra, but some people have it easier than others, while there is a cap for every person. And most are born with one, or two that they have enough time to master in their lives."

"Now, let me explain chakra levels, Konoha uses a classification of E through S. They got that from us, but they do not have the seals we use to be even more detailed. Our classification goes from F through SSS. F ranging from one-thousand (1k) to five-thousand (5k), which places you at academy chakra levels. The highest, usually being the Kage, have chakra levels ranging from 1,100,000 to 1,280,000. Don't ask me if there is something higher, as I do not know. Your Great-grandfather has chakra level of SS. While me and your mother are both S level."

"Now, I want you to hold on to this seal, and just channel your chakra until it lights up blue."

Yoshima was excited, he could finally be able to train properly on nature chakra. He had learned to climb trees and walk on water, but he was still having trouble making chakra spin or manipulate it into shapes.

Taking hold of the paper, Yoshima began pumping it with chakra. Soon enough, the seal started lighting up.

His father took the paper and started reading it off to him.

"Chakra level C : 157,000. Low Chunin/ Elite Genin"

"My son is a genius! Remember he was born with E chakra levels Honey?" His mother said happily dancing on the side.

His father continued, not paying attention to his mother.

'He is going to get it back home, haha, should have supported me when my mom was hugging me.'

" Water: 7,

Lightning: 7,

Earth: 6,

Air: 4,

Fire: 4.

Yin: 6,

Yang: 6." His father eyed the paper, his small smile slipping away.

Yoshima did not find it weird, until he saw his mother stop dancing.

"Ikeda..." His mother said worriedly.

His father sighed, "I know, we have to talk to Grandfather."

"Is something wrong with my score, Father?" Yoshima wondered what could be wrong, the scores were not great, but also not bad at all.

"It is nothing wrong my son, it has to do with our bloodline, as well as your mothers. One could be dangerous when it manifests, while the other one could be a great thing."

"Yoshima, you are a genius! You are your mother's son! Haha." His mother placed both hands on her hips as she laughed to the sky.

"Hey, I also had a take in making him."

"Shut up! With you as the father? Don't dirty Yoshi's mind." Mitsui said as she punched his father Ikeda.

"He might even be able to practice Sage mode when he gets older!" She said proudly.

"Not because of this lazy clown, it's all me! Aren't you proud to be my son, Yoshi?" She began dancing again.

His father just shook his head in the background.

They played around a little more before they headed to the Uzushiokage's office.

The Kage's office was the tallest building he had seen, on the other side of the river. It had a giant swirl symbol at the very top.

They only had to wait a few minutes before Yoshima's great-grandfather saw them in.

They bowed down together towards their Kage.

"Rise, rise , to what do I owe this pleasure? We just saw each other a month ago right?"

"Grandfather, this is not a social visit I am afraid, we came to see you as our Clan leader first."

The smile of his great-grandfather turned serious. He made a motion with his hand, and Yoshima could feel a barrier surround the room.

"What is it?"

"We had Yoshima test his nature chakra earlier today, and this are his results." Ikeda gave him the paper.

His great-grandfather, who he learned is named Hitarashi Uzumaki, looked over the seal for a few minutes.

He seemed to stare into space for a while until he heard his father cough.

Hitarashi took a seal from his desk, and gave it to Yoshima.

"Quick, move your chakra to this seal, this is an advanced chakra nature seal."

Yoshima did as he was told and gave it back to his Great-grandfather.

Hitarashi stared at it for a while, then turned to Ikeda and smiled. "Yoshima's nature elements is now a level SSS security clearance. I will ask you both not to spread it around."

"You have both given birth to a good son. I think the best we can do is focus on his water and lightning nature elements. He should just learn two until he is older and at Junin levels. I will assign an Elite Junin as your mentor, he should have either a water release kekkei genkai or lightning. Whichever I find, he must be proficient in both." Hitarashi reached for a brush and a scroll and was about to start writing an order.

"Clan leader, I would rather train with my parents, as my father is a Seal Master, and my mother is a Junin with a water kekei genkai. I would also rather focus on other things, and not just be a shinobi that specializes in just one thing."

His great-grandfather eyed him, than he turned to his father. "Did you make him say that?"

"No Grandfather." His father said with mirth.

Hitarashi eyed him again and laughed. "Great child, great child. We will do as you say for now."

"Dismissed, Ikeda, you stay behind."