Lifetime opportunity

I could not believe my ears.

The elder Otuka, the son of Byakuren, had taken me as a disciple.

Maybe he had done it out of spite and scorn from the Mizukage, or maybe he truly had been moved by his attempt to a sword strike he had only seen once in his life, and almost succeeded in doing so. The fact remained that it had been enough to fuel the Trial of Steel quest, which had been stuck at 8% ever since he collapsed in the Fog Kenjutsu Art Dojo.

My talent in Kenjutsu was now [High].

This was no small achievement.

After sparring with Biwa on a weekly basis, I knew how I stood in terms of talent. Although his clan lineage played a role, it was ultimately his talent as a swordsman that earned him his fame. There was no mention of him in the series, but he was definitely someone with the mindset and the talent to become one of the seven swordsmen of the mist. 

Even if he did not, he had potential to become a jonin, and that would be mostly thanks to a Swordsmanship talent roughly equal to [Medium].

However, I had basically gained tens of thousands of EXP worth of talent in this one quest. My talent was not above-average anymore. It was excellent.

"What are you standing here for?", the old man suddenly asked

I had forgotten what I had come here for

"You are right! Thanks for acknowledging me as disciple, and putting me on the right path", I said in a respectful voice, before rushing into the inner library.

The old man truly had become my master, looking out for my growth.

He even reminded me to steal some jutsu from the academy!

Little did I know, for the elder Otuka's perspective was completely different. And my last words had left him so dumbfounded that he did not react.

However, I devoured the jutsu. 

Suiton no jutsu : Azure Stream [D]

Bubble Clone Technique [E]

Drowning Bubble Technique [D]

Water Palm Strike [D]

...

There was so many good stuff in here...

A devilish chuckle escaped my mouth. It was paradise!