Chapter 7: Hidden Talent, Time to Lay Low

Although Rinjin had officially become Hanzō of the Salamander's apprentice, it had been over a week since their last meeting in the office. Not once had he seen that shameless man again.

Instead, a special jōnin named Mizuguma was assigned to teach him.

Now, about this Mizuguma-sensei—his looks were utterly unremarkable, even a little ugly, especially with that huge nose and his conspicuously shiny forehead.

Every time Rinjin attended class, he couldn't help but worry about that tiny tuft of meticulously combed, sparse hair on Mizuguma's head. It looked like it could float away like a dandelion at any moment.

Once, Rinjin asked him why he didn't just shave it off and go for a cool bald look. Mizuguma, with a melancholic tone, replied, "This... this isn't just hair. It's a man's last shred of dignity."

Later, Rinjin learned that this seemingly aged man was only eighteen years old—still in the prime of his youth.

...

The room Hanzō had arranged for Rinjin was located on the top floor of a high-rise building in the village center, right next to Hanzō's office tower.

Although being on the top floor meant excellent lighting and ventilation, this was Amegakure, not Konohagakure. The constant rain meant the country rarely saw the sun, and the drainage on the upper floors was far worse than on the lower levels. This led to a peculiar custom in this country.

Most people lived on the lower floors, while the upper floors were often used to store coffins.

The only consolation was the fierce-looking human face statue outside Rinjin's room. Its tongue was extended long enough for someone to sit on it.

But Rinjin wouldn't dare. That thing got slippery in the rain, and he was afraid of falling and smashing into a pancake. If he somehow came back to life afterward, it would be hard to explain.

It had been a week since Rinjin last saw Hanzō. During this time, he had been learning the rules of the ninja world under Mizuguma's guidance.

Only after understanding these rules did Rinjin realize how dishonorable his last move—blasting Isamu Inoue with the *Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique*—had been. No wonder the guy nearly exploded with rage.

Apparently, such tactics were considered the lowest of the low in the ninja world. Any self-respecting ninja would avoid using them. If someone did resort to such methods, it was seen as a grave insult.

Reflecting on this, Rinjin silently observed a three-second moment of silence for Isamu Inoue.

*Knock, knock, knock.* A rhythmic knock on the door interrupted Rinjin's solemn moment.

Sighing, Rinjin apologized to Inoue in his heart and promised to make up for the interrupted moment of silence later. Then he got up to open the door.

Standing outside was Mizuguma, wearing a raincoat over his jōnin uniform. He stepped into Rinjin's room, casually placing the breakfast he had brought on the table.

"Eat up. Once you're done, we'll officially start the chakra extraction training today," he said, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table. From his pocket, he produced a teapot and, like a magician, conjured a teacup, pouring a steaming cup of tea and placing it in front of Rinjin.

Watching Mizuguma's fluid movements, Rinjin's mouth twitched slightly.

He had to admit, this guy was meticulous. The locals might call him "yasashii" (gentle and kind). At just eighteen years old, Mizuguma was already a special jōnin—a classic case of a talented, kind-hearted fool. If only he didn't look so old and had better luck with his hair, he might have already been married with kids by now.

Rinjin took the teacup Mizuguma handed him, thanked him, and then dug into his breakfast with gusto.

Seeing Rinjin eat so heartily, Mizuguma didn't idle either. He started talking.

"A week has passed, and you've grasped the basics of ninja knowledge. Starting today, we'll focus on learning the chakra extraction technique."

"I... already... know it," Rinjin mumbled, his mouth stuffed with food.

Hearing this, Mizuguma rolled his eyes without hesitation. "You don't. I know exactly what kind of garbage chakra extraction method the Jashin Cult teaches. It's a watered-down version!"

"Huh?" Rinjin swallowed his food in one gulp, his eyes wide with surprise.

This kind of thing could have a watered-down version? Why had he never heard of such a thing?

"Forget it. You don't need to understand what a watered-down version is. Just pretend you've never learned it before."

With that, Mizuguma stood up, walked over to the bed, and sat cross-legged.

Rinjin's bed, to be honest, was practically a leaking waterbed; the dampness in his room was severe. If he weren't immortal and immune to illness, he might have already developed arthritis by now.

Touching the damp mattress, Mizuguma's brows furrowed slightly, and he muttered under his breath.

"Lord Kanda is too much. How can anyone live in a room like this? No, I'm going to talk to Lord Hanzō today and get him a better place."

Muttering to himself, Mizuguma ignored the dampness, sat cross-legged on the bed, and assumed a chakra extraction posture.

"Watch closely. I'll demonstrate once."

With that, he slowly closed his eyes.

"The most important thing in extracting chakra is concentration. Empty your mind completely and control the fusion of your mental and physical energies to produce chakra."

Rinjin, having finished his breakfast, pulled up a chair to sit beside the bed, watching intently.

He saw a faint blue glow of chakra gradually emanate from Mizuguma's body, flowing along fixed pathways.

No longer a complete novice, Rinjin understood that letting chakra manifest externally like this was highly draining, both on one's chakra reserves and mental energy.

After all, not everyone could recklessly unleash chakra like Naruto, who had the Nine-Tails' power to back him up.

Seeing this, Rinjin stopped letting his mind wander and focused on memorizing the chakra flow pathways.

"Got it?" Mizuguma asked after a while, sweat beading on his forehead.

Rinjin nodded quickly.

When he concentrated, his memory was exceptional. He had already memorized the pathways in this short time.

Seeing Rinjin nod, Mizuguma released the hand seal, and the blue chakra surrounding him vanished instantly. He let out a long breath, clearly showing that this teaching method was physically taxing for him.

"Your turn," Mizuguma said, standing up to make room.

Rinjin nodded again, sat cross-legged on the bed, and mimicked Mizuguma's posture. Forming the "Ram" seal with his hands, he recalled the techniques for fusing mental and physical energies in his mind.

First, he combined mental and physical energy to generate stamina, then used a specific technique to convert that stamina into chakra.

There were two main challenges in this process, which determined the differences among ninjas.

The first challenge was in the conversion of stamina to chakra, also known as chakra production. Some ninjas could convert every bit of stamina into chakra with precision, while others wasted a portion of their stamina during the conversion process.

This was the difference between the standard chakra extraction technique and the watered-down version Mizuguma had mentioned.

The second challenge was in the utilization of chakra.

Some ninjas could precisely control the amount of chakra they used, wasting none of it when performing jutsu. Others, however, struggled with control, inevitably wasting some chakra.

These two challenges were known as conversion and utilization.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Rinjin recalled the techniques for extracting chakra. A warm current began to form within his body, slowly circulating along a peculiar pathway.

This! Rinjin was slightly stunned. This method was indeed much faster than the one taught by the Jashin Cult. At the same time, he felt a wave of fatigue coming from every cell in his body.

Rinjin knew this was due to the consumption of stamina.

However, he didn't mind. After all, he was immortal. His immortality not only prevented him from being killed but also ensured he couldn't exhaust himself to death.

In other words, his body's physical energy was infinite.

Understanding his situation, Rinjin secretly halted the chakra extraction process, merely going through the motions of forming seals.

As for why? There was no special reason—he simply didn't want to reveal his uniqueness while he was still weak, especially since his master was none other than Hanzō of the Salamander, a man with the title of "Demi-God of the Ninja World."

Rinjin remembered that while Hanzō was immensely powerful, his decision-making skills left much to be desired.

First, during the Second Shinobi World War, he declared war on the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind simultaneously, depleting Amegakure's resources and causing heavy losses.

Then, he colluded with Danzō Shimura to kill Yahiko, which led to Nagato's descent into darkness and his eventual destructive rampage.

Although Hanzō survived both times, most of his Rain ninja subordinates did not.

Thinking of this, Rinjin took a deep breath and silently resolved: *I'd better play it safe and just be a behind-the-scenes strategist. The ninja world is too dangerous, especially under Hanzō's leadership. The risk factor here is fifty percent higher than average.*

*If only I had fled to Konohagakure instead! Peaceful, harmonious, with excellent living conditions... I could've basked in the sun all day. Unlike the Land of Rain, where it rains nonstop—I feel like I'm going to develop shingles in my butt crack at this rate!*

...

Another week passed, and Rinjin had now been in Amegakure for over a month.

On this particular day, Rinjin was once again sitting cross-legged on his bed, "practicing" chakra extraction. Meanwhile, Mizuguma, as tireless as ever, kept a close eye on his every move.

Suddenly, an unusual knock broke the silence in the room. Mizuguma frowned, his expression displeased, as he got up to answer the door.

"Lord Hanzō!" Mizuguma exclaimed in surprise, immediately stepping aside respectfully.

Outside the door stood the tall and imposing Hanzō of the Salamander, wearing his signature mask and an expressionless face. Behind him were three Rain ninja, including Kanda, whom Rinjin recognized.

Seeing this, Rinjin stood up, adopting a meek and obedient demeanor as he stood by the bed.

Hanzō's gaze swept over Rinjin before he strode to the table and sat down, motioning for Mizuguma to approach.

"It's been fifteen days. How's the training going?"

Hearing this, a bead of sweat formed on Mizuguma's forehead as he stammered, "Uh... Lord Hanzō, Rinjin has been diligently practicing chakra extraction. Uh... he's very hardworking and has never slacked off."

Mizuguma wanted to say more to praise Rinjin, but after spending time with him, he couldn't deny that Rinjin's chakra had not only failed to improve but had actually decreased. This baffled him to no end.

As a result, Mizuguma had doubled down on supervising Rinjin's training, like an overzealous parent desperate for their child to succeed.

But what Mizuguma didn't know was that Rinjin, who had honed his skills in slacking off during his childhood and professional career, was a master of avoiding work.

In short, Rinjin's slacking skills far outmatched Mizuguma's supervisory skills.

The result? Over the past fifteen days, not only had Rinjin failed to make progress, but he had actually regressed!

Hearing Mizuguma's report, Hanzō nodded expressionlessly. In his view, training hard was a given in times of war—it didn't warrant praise.

"What about his chakra reserves?" Hanzō asked again.

"Uh..." Mizuguma froze, beads of sweat forming more rapidly on his forehead.

"His chakra extraction technique is coming along well. Uh... he can now extract chakra anytime, anywhere!"

Seeing Mizuguma's stiff expression and his attempt to change the subject, Rinjin couldn't help but feel a small sense of gratitude.

He knew that if he failed to demonstrate any talent or ability, the privileges he currently enjoyed would be revoked. This included the regular food deliveries, the centrally located housing, and Mizuguma's one-on-one tutoring.

It was harsh, but Rinjin understood this was the reality. People without value weren't worth investing in. However, this was precisely what Rinjin wanted—freedom.

Being valued, being expected to achieve great things, and bearing heavy responsibilities—weren't these just forms of freedom being taken away?

So far, Rinjin hadn't found anyone in this world worth sacrificing his freedom for.

As Mizuguma continued to dodge the question, Hanzō's brows furrowed slightly. The room's atmosphere grew noticeably colder.

"I asked! Has his chakra reserve increased?"

Seeing Hanzō's irritation, Mizuguma didn't dare evade the question any longer. Like a wilting eggplant, he reluctantly admitted, "Lord Hanzō, there's... there's been no increase."

"But... it's still early, and besides, look at this environment—it's hardly conducive to focused training..."

As he spoke, Mizuguma's voice grew quieter and quieter.

He knew he shouldn't have said so much. After all, he was just a temporary instructor.

"Enough!"

Hanzō's cold voice interrupted Mizuguma. If it weren't for Mizuguma's exceptional teaching skills, any other chūnin who dared argue with him like this would have been dragged out and executed.

"Rinjin, inject your chakra into this."

With that, Hanzō tossed a piece of paper onto the table without any expression.

Seeing Hanzō's demeanor, Kanda, standing nearby, could barely contain his glee.

As someone who had served Hanzō the longest, Kanda knew exactly how to read his moods.

Normally, Hanzō maintained a stern, expressionless visage. If someone angered him, his brows would furrow slightly, but his overall demeanor wouldn't change much. However, when Hanzō was deeply disappointed or furious, his expression would revert to complete neutrality.

At the same time, Hanzō would exude an intimidating aura that made people instinctively fearful.

Realizing this, Kanda couldn't help but grin maliciously. Truth be told, he had disliked this cunning brat Rinjin from the start, feeling that he lacked the spirit of a true ninja.

In Kanda's eyes, ninjas should emulate Hanzō, defeating their enemies with overwhelming strength and honor.

When Hanzō broke protocol to take Rinjin as an apprentice, Kanda's jealousy had reached its peak.

Now, seeing Rinjin being treated coldly, Kanda felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, like eating a chilled watermelon on a scorching summer day.

Rinjin, oblivious to Kanda's thoughts, simply nodded and maintained his meek demeanor. He walked to the table, picked up the chakra paper, and, under Mizuguma's expectant gaze, Hanzō's icy stare, and Kanda's mocking smirk, pretended to struggle as he channeled chakra into the paper.

At that moment, all eyes were on the chakra paper.

The next second, Kanda's lips curled into an uncontrollable grin, and his ugly face lit up with glee.

It didn't get wet! Haha! Not the "water" Hanzō values most!

Not only that, but the chakra paper showed no reaction at all. It didn't burn, tear, wrinkle, or crumble!

Hahaha! This guy is a rare no-attribute loser. What a joke! What a complete idiot!

The reactions in the room varied as everyone stared at the unresponsive paper.

The bodyguards sneered disdainfully at Rinjin, their contempt written all over their faces.

Hanzō's eyes narrowed. Although his expression didn't change, the hint of disappointment in his gaze betrayed his inner thoughts.

This guy, aside from being a little clever, has no real value.

With that thought, Hanzō abruptly stood up and strode toward the door without looking back. Behind him, the scheming Kanda and the bodyguards quickly followed.