Chapter 19: Totsuka!

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Konoha Year 39, March 15th.

Shūichi Hoshita officially submitted his application for early graduation from the academy.

Although he didn't graduate at the age of five like Kakashi, it still garnered significant attention.

For Kimura Kazuya and Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, this was entirely expected, so they approved his application that very day.

The next day, under the watchful eyes of Shizune and others, Shūichi entered the exam hall prepared solely for him.

The written exam? Finished in ten minutes.

The assessment of the three basic jutsu? Shūichi passed without any issues.

No extra tests, no surprises, and Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't make an appearance.

Everything was calm and straightforward.

"Congratulations, Shūichi. From today onwards, you are a true ninja!"

After the exam, Kimura Kazuya handed Shūichi a ninja forehead protector with a smile.

Shūichi accepted it with a deep bow, saying, "Thank you. Thank you, Kimura-sensei, for all your guidance!"

This gratitude was genuine.

Kimura Kazuya had not only taught him in class but had also answered numerous questions outside of it.

It was thanks to this guidance that Shūichi had been able to master the academy's entire curriculum ahead of schedule.

Kimura Kazuya accepted this thanks with pride, as he believed Shūichi was a true genius he had personally mentored, unlike Hatake Kakashi.

"The path of a ninja is fraught with danger, Shūichi. I hope you can continue to walk it with perseverance."

Kimura Kazuya offered his best wishes.

Shūichi nodded seriously. "Kimura-sensei, I will!"

Kimura Kazuya patted Shūichi's shoulder with a smile, "Go on, let your classmates congratulate you. But remember to report to the Hokage's office tomorrow to meet your squad leader."

Shūichi bowed once more before turning to leave the exam hall.

Shizune immediately hurried over. "Shūichi, congratulations!"

Soon, Might Guy, Rin Nohara, Kurenai Yūhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and others gathered around to offer their congratulations as well.

At that moment, Shūichi became the center of attention.

Standing at the edge of the group, Obito Uchiha clenched his fists tightly. "Even Shūichi has graduated. Obito, you're an Uchiha— you have to work hard and catch up to that smug Kakashi!"

…

Returning home from the academy, Shūichi found himself feeling slightly out of place.

From today onwards, he no longer had to attend school.

This meant it was time to adjust his previous plans.

Additionally…

"Who will be my squad leader?"

Shūichi wondered with anticipation.

From Tsunade, he had learned that not every newly graduated Genin was assigned a Jōnin squad leader.

Each year, many new shinobi graduated from the academy, but the number of Jōnin in Konoha was limited, and not all could serve as squad leaders.

Only the most talented graduates would receive guidance from a Jōnin squad leader.

For the majority, however, a Chūnin squad leader was the norm.

In any ninja village, Chūnin represented the core of the military strength.

Jōnin were the elites of the village, a small and select group capable of handling high-stakes missions on their own.

Each Jōnin not only possessed exceptional strength or skills but also had a wealth of mission experience.

Shūichi believed that with his performance, he deserved a Jōnin squad leader, right?

Kakashi's squad leader was a Jōnin from the Sarutobi clan.

With that thought, Shūichi grabbed his ninja tool pouch, placed a senbon in his mouth, and headed out to the Tenka's shop.

"Huh, Shūichi?"

Tenka was quite surprised to see Shūichi Hoshita, but then she quickly realized what was happening and smiled. "You graduated early!"

Shūichi smiled back. "Of course."

"Well, congratulations!" Tenka grinned and immediately turned around to fetch a wooden box, which she handed to Shūichi. "Here, this is your graduation gift. Open it and take a look!"

"This…" Shūichi hesitated a bit since Tenka had already gifted him a finely crafted kunai for his birthday not long ago.

Seeing his hesitation, Tenka put her hands on her hips and pouted in displeasure. "What, are you going to refuse my gift?"

Shūichi quickly took the wooden box. "You're not exactly strapped for cash, sis. I wouldn't dare refuse."

Tenka's mood brightened at this response. "That's more like it! Now, open it up and see!"

Shūichi nodded and opened the wooden box to reveal a sheathed short sword inside.

Tenka smiled and said, "I prepared this especially for you. Give it a name!"

Shūichi could sense the sword was something special. He took it out, set the box aside, and unsheathed the blade.

The short sword had a straight blade with a single-edged side, so polished that it gleamed like a mirror.

Shūichi channeled his chakra into the blade, and it immediately began to vibrate slightly, a faint glow appearing along the edge.

The chakra flowed through the blade seamlessly.

It was indeed a chakra blade!

Chakra blades/swords were not only expensive but also quite rare.

Shūichi's face lit up with joy. "Thank you, Sis! I'll name this sword… Totsuka!"

"Totsuka…" Tenka's smile grew even brighter. "As long as you like it, Shūichi."

The grenades had brought significant profits to her and the family. Although they would give Shūichi a portion of the earnings, it was nowhere near enough. She felt she had to compensate her little brother somehow.

But as she looked at Shūichi, Tenka suddenly felt a pang of melancholy.

He's still so young!

But then, she quickly perked up and left the room. When she returned, she had a leather belt in her hand.

She personally helped Shūichi fasten it around his waist and smiled. "Now you can wear Totsuka at your back. And when you have a longer sword in the future, you can carry it on your back too."

Shūichi tried it out and found it easy to draw the sword without interfering with his ninja tool pouch.

With that, he decided to put off buying more ninja tools for now and focus on mastering the use of the senbon and this short sword.

After staying at the Tenka's shop for a while, Shūichi bid farewell and left. He went alone to his usual training spot to practice with the senbon and Totsuka.

During lunch, he ate a bento and in the afternoon, he took out the scroll for the Shadow Clone Jutsu and began studying it.

With his solid foundation in the Clone Jutsu, the Shadow Clone Jutsu wasn't too difficult for Shūichi. The real challenge was his chakra capacity.

In less than an hour, he had basically mastered the jutsu.

However, he could only create one shadow clone, and it was somewhat weak.

After swallowing an unpleasant-tasting soldier pill to restore his stamina, Shūichi immediately created a shadow clone.

Now, with his original body and the shadow clone, he could have one practice sword techniques while the other worked on senbon techniques.

But Shūichi was very cautious. He carefully tested the limits of using shadow clones without overexerting himself.

For the first trial, he only kept the shadow clone active for ten minutes.

Fortunately, he could handle it without issue.

The second time, he extended it to twenty minutes.

The fatigue was noticeably greater, and the memory feedback was intense.

"Hmm?"

"Maybe I could use the Memory Palace…"

Feeling the overwhelming feedback from the shadow clone's memories, Shūichi suddenly thought of his Memory Palace.

Could he store the shadow clone's memories directly in the Memory Palace to reduce the impact on his brain?

"It should be possible."

Shūichi pondered, "But I'd need to modify the Memory Palace, incorporating seals and jutsu to turn this memory technique into an actual ninja art."

Of course, he knew this wouldn't completely solve the dangers of using the Shadow Clone Jutsu extensively.

Especially the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, which was classified as a forbidden technique.

The biggest danger of this jutsu lay in its strain on the body.

One aspect was the division of chakra. If managed poorly, it could lead to fatal exhaustion.

The other was the cumulative fatigue brought back by the shadow clones.

This required a strong physical constitution!

Without it, the sudden influx of overwhelming fatigue could easily lead to physical collapse.

"As expected, the more solutions there are, the more challenges arise."

Shūichi sighed internally.

Turning the Memory Palace into a jutsu or sealing technique wasn't simple.

To build a strong enough body, besides regular training, the fastest way was through the use of Tags.

"Time to get back to work!"

Shūichi buried himself in training once more.

(End of Chapter)

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