Chapter 2

I came to my desk and looked up at the scrolls on the shelves, the old-fashioned thread-bound notes, and the newly printed books mixed in. Even if I knew what to expect and was secretly hoping for it to be, I was still shocked at the contents of the books and scrolls.

Katon Gokakyuu no jutsu

Katon Hosenka no jutsu

Katon Ryuuka no jutsu

Katon: Haisekishō no jutsu

Introduction to Genjutsu

The Art of Genjutsu

Beginners guide to Kenjutsu

These are some of the books and jutsu scrolls present on the shelves, and some are strewn over the table. The ones on the table are from Mei, She, being a Chunin, was able to get some of these jutsu scrolls.

Flipping through the red scrolls on the shelf, he looked at the contents of them; they seemed to be Katon techniques. Similar to the red one, there are more scrolls in various color patterns, like cyan, purple, etc. Which might be water and lightning styles and other elemental ninjutsu. All of them together numbered more than a hundred scrolls, which equaled more than a hundred jutsus.

For the first time, Toshiro really felt the strength of the Uchiha clan. When he gave it some thought, he realized that it was only natural, because the Uchiha can copy any ninjutsu that their enemies or even allies use thanks to the Sharingan.

The Uchiha clan originated from Indra Otsutsuki, and it has been a ninja family for almost 1,000 years. Chakra, a supernatural energy that originated from Otsutsuki, has been engraved into the bodies and genes of every member of the Uchiha clan, however watered down it may be. And ninjutsu, a symbol of the power of ninjas, is the lifelong pursuit of every Uchiha after achieving the Sharingan. Passed down from generation to generation, it is not surprising that there are so many jutsu scrolls left. These were all the jutsu passed down to only my father and mother from their ancestors. Imagining how vast the library of the clan head would be made my head spin.

Without looking too much into the books and scrolls, I just glanced through them for now. After that, I went back to the living room, where Mei was doing some household chores after cleaning up the dishes.

After about ten minutes, she came to the living room after completing her work. Seeing a serious child sitting on the sofa, she immediately sat beside him, picked him up from the sofa, and put him on her lap. Our male protagonist showed an expression of irritation at this gesture, after all, he is an "old" man with a psychological age of thirty. Being teased by a sixteen year-old girl by lifting and placing him on her lap like a kitten was too much. How would you feel if you were lifted up like that by, say, a giant woman?

After a fruitless struggle, I had no choice but to give up. In the girl's opinion, his frustrated expression of being violated and unable to resist is too 'cute'. Coupled with the baby fat on his face, she couldn't help but giggle at his antics.

Helpless, he could only accept reality and put on a straight face for now. After getting comfortable, he turned to his sister and started to speak about what had been brewing in his mind from the moment he had transmigrated.

"Mei-nee, I have decided that I want to become a ninja in the future."

"You want to become a ninja?" Looking at the little boy sitting on her lap, Mei was a little stunned for a while. Because usually the thought of being a ninja comes either from the admiration of ninja parents or from talks with friends. But in the case of Toshiro, he has always been a bit of an introvert and a recluse; he has never interacted with any peers of similar age, nor has he been in much contact with his father. Hence, she was a bit surprised.

"Yes, I want to become a ninja."

After saying his answer in the affirmative again, he looked directly into Mei's eyes with determination. 

Listening to the little boy answer her in a kind of mature tone, 'but still childish and cute', and then looking directly at her with those black eyes, Mei discarded her thoughts of teasing him and asked

"Can you tell your neechan why you want to be a ninja? You should know that becoming a ninja is extremely difficult, and after becoming one, a ninja's life is accompanied by mission injuries, bloodshed, pain, and grief, these are all common things in the life of one, as you have witnessed recently."

"I want to know more about mom and dad, our grandparents. Why did they all end up becoming ninjas? I'm also curious about chakra; what kind of power does it give? So much so that every Uchiha is persevering in the pursuit of it."

"At the same time, I want to be stronger. So that I won't lose you because of my helplessness! like…"

She did not expect such a mature and emotional answer from a four-year-old. After a few moments, she finally said, "Toshiro, If you want to become a ninja, you will have a hard time in the future. It will be tough, both mentally and physically. Do you still want to do it?"

"Yes" was the immediate reply, without any hesitation.

"Ok. In that case, there is an initial training that our clan organizes for children above the age of four. It is going to start in a month. I'll enroll you in it."

 She understood there was no stopping him at the moment. Hence, she accepted. It is also a tradition for the members of the Uchiha clan to become ninjas since they are primarily a combat oriented ninja clan. It's just that there is a faint sadness in her heart: 'This may be the fate of the Uchiha.' Mei murmured.

The term "fate" is prevalent within the ninja community, resonating deeply with countless ninjas navigating through a constant stream of missions and conflicts, where feelings of powerlessness often pervade their experiences.

Hearing that Mei has no objections to him being a ninja surprised him. Mei went to the study room and came back, bringing a piece of yellow paper. It was a ticket for "Medicinal Bath." It seemed she was well prepared for this situation. As it's name suggests, the bath helps in rejuvenating chakra paths in the bodies of children to better assist them in accessing chakra. The Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was the one who created this powder with his wood release.

A particular herbal powder is poured into hot water. The child then soaks in it for 1 hour per week. This used to greatly help the civilians who used to want to be ninjas. Civilian-born people who did not have much aptitude for chakra. Hence, Hashirama created this. He wanted to give this to all Konoha citizens for free. But Tobirama, seeing the opportunity in it, sold it for a price, as that would become an income for their clan. This powder also had the effect of helping clan children increase their potential by increasing their limit of chakra quantity and quality. This is indeed a magical powder, but it cannot help children with close to negligible chakra. They need to have some potential for them to gain the benefits of this bath.

After showing me the ticket, she brought up a small wooden box and showed me its contents. There were my father and mother's pension books, deeds of the house, and savings account passbooks.

"Your parents and ancestors left these to you. This is your inheritance. Since you are determined to become a ninja, we need to make preparations for it. The savings and pension accounts currently have 6 million ryos in them. This should be enough for you to take medicinal baths every week for 3 years. The village will provide you with 3000 ryo every month, and the clan will provide you with 1000 ryo every month because of your circumstances."

Toshiro had his mouth opened in surprise, as he knew that ninja training outside of the academy was expensive. But he did not expect it to be this exorbitant.

Seeing his slack jawed face at all the information, she snorted and pinched his cheeks, as he looked too cute then. "Your Neechan is amazing, right?"

"Yes, Mei-nee is amazing. Thank you, Mei-neechan!" he replied, nodding his head up and down. The 'thank you' was not only for giving all information but also for taking care of him all this time, when he was self-loathing, alone, and distraught with the pain of losing his mother.

"Well, don't be too happy. There is a lot of training ahead for you." To the little boy's thanks, Mei accepted it calmly. However, looking at the smile on the corner of the little boy's mouth, she couldn't help but give out a little smile herself, amused.

AN : You can read chapters published ahead on my p@treon account - p@treon.com/noviceauthor777