Chapter 62

"Me and the rest of the Uzumaki? Maybe. But you—I don't think so. Even Hashirama, with his immense volumes of chakra practically surpassing even the Kyuubi, had very good control precisely due to the balanced ratio of energies generated by body and mind. Of course, his inclination towards Senjutsu played a significant role, but that was just another factor added to his repertoire in later stages of life. If you think about it, Hashi-kun never lacked control from the beginning of his adulthood, as far as I can remember."

"So, does that mean I could even reach Tsunade's level if I pay proper attention to improving my control?" I emphasized the main point.

"Exactly! You've inherited the best from your parents, avoiding the Uzumaki's deficiency of mediocre control despite their enormous amounts of chakra," nodded the Kunoichi. "We have too much Yang energy, which overshadows Yin, blocking some from even using elemental transformations and medical techniques."

"And I'm free from such problems thanks to the Nara inheritance," I added, "and my past life as well."

"Exactly why you were able to become an Iryo-nin," confirmed Mito, "even though your volume remains at the average Uzumaki level for your age."

"Yeah, and I've worked so hard to develop my reserves..."

"It pays off with the ability to spend much less chakra from my side," I nodded understandingly at her words.

"After all, it's not so much about how much chakra you have, but how you use it! Of course, monsters like Mito and the elders of the Fuinjutsu clan will surpass me in total quantity alone, as will most Jinchuriki, but already now I'm approaching Kage level in volume. What will it be like by the time I'm thirty? 'Ordinary' shinobi without the burden of an extra source in their belly will even leave Jiraiya behind. And yet, he's still considered to possess one of the largest reserves in Konoha after the Senju elders and Mito herself."

"This opens up new horizons for me, especially in Iryo-djutsu," I shook my head, finishing treating my battered body. "With my previous control, I would have capped out at the second degree of Iryo-nin at most. Now, I can even attempt to grow to Tsunade's level. But that's for later, for now..."

Ignoring my own not-so-clean state, I stood up and picked Mito up in my arms.

"Ryo! What are you doing!?"

"If half an hour deserves a 'reward,' then what does victory deserve?" I smirked, giving the red-haired beauty a carnivorous look.

With an indescribable expression on her face, she looked at me, then stroked my cheek and sighed.

"It's good to be young, so full of strength and insatiable... You'll get your reward, alright."

With a wide and satisfied smile, I headed home, ignoring the protests of my still-recovering body.

  ***

"What's this?"

Perplexedly looking at the bundle thrown into my hands, I raised my gaze to our sensei.

"This is your gear and along with it, the field patents of Chunins," replied Hyuga to us. "Did you really think they'd send genin to the front lines?"

"So, they've given us the rank only because they're sending us to war?" Tsume grimaced, having received her scrolls together with Rotaro.

"Actually, they were supposed to give them to you half a year ago, judging by the number of missions completed and the nukenins taken down, but due to certain circumstances, the decision was delayed," Kanade hinted, casting a suggestive glance in my direction.

Shrugging off the less-than-thankful looks from my teammates, I sealed my scroll.

"And now what?"

"Now you're free and can spend the remaining few days before deployment with your friends, family, and loved ones," replied Hyuga.

"No, I mean all of us—are we now a team of three, or do we still go to fight under your leadership?" I clarified.

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