Chapter 7: Spare Us the PDA When You're Talking!

Chapter 7: Spare Us the PDA When You're Talking!

The crowd at the Police Force headquarters dispersed.

Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and Uchiha Fugaku walked ahead, chatting. Uchiha Itachi, holding Kitahara, and Kakashi, the two juniors, followed behind. The scene was quite harmonious.

Under the streetlights, the men spoke little, constrained by their respective statuses or personalities. Thus, during this stretch of the walk, the person controlling the entire conversational rhythm... was actually Kushina Uzumaki.

Given her free-spirited nature, this wasn't surprising. However, her words lacked much substance. Only the most well-behaved Uchiha Itachi listened intently and answered seriously...Shikatanai ( It can't be helped), the little boy had always been very respectful towards elders and seniors...

"Itachi, after the New Year, are you coming to watch the Hokage inauguration ceremony?"

Uchiha Itachi looked towards the head of yellow hair, "I will definitely go."

"Have you learned any new ninjutsu recently? Let me see how it is?"

Uchiha Itachi placed Kitahara on his shoulder, his small face solemn, and nodded, "Yes."

Rat - Ox - Tiger - Rabbit - Dragon - Snake - Horse - Ram - Monkey - Rooster - Dog - Boar!

Shadow Clone Jutsu!

A puff of smoke gathered beside Uchiha Itachi, and two identical little boys stood before everyone... Even if it wasn't the simplified seal version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, performing it at his age was shocking enough!

"Nani?"

"Ha?"

"..."

As the father, Uchiha Fugaku knew Itachi was learning ninjutsu from the crow. Intelligent ninja beasts often had knowledge of ninjutsu. Learning simple techniques like Substitution Jutsu early wasn't a big deal... Kids are kids, if they like learning, they should be praised. But now...

"...Itachi! Shadow Clone Jutsu is a B-rank ninjutsu!"

"Dad, what's a B-rank ninjutsu?" Itachi widened his eyes at Fugaku. Whenever Dad learned he had mastered a new ninjutsu, didn't he always praise him by saying, 'Truly my son'?

"...You little rascal..." Kushina Uzumaki stepped forward and pinched his little cheek, "Listen to me, ninjutsu is divided into 5 ranks: S, A, B, C, D."

"Among them, S-rank and A-rank are mostly forbidden techniques, requiring talent and chakra reserves. Ninjas are generally prohibited from learning or accessing them, like Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique and Kakashi's Chidori. Therefore, B-rank, C-rank, and D-rank ninjutsu become the commonly used techniques in ninja battles. This means..."

Kushina Uzumaki's words sent Kitahara into a mental haze. He finally realized something else... Hearing two ninjutsu mentioned consecutively, he finally had a clear comparison for activating the techniques within his body. The root cause was chakra nature... He didn't possess Lightning Release chakra...

Because Kitahara was certain he had activated the other ninjutsu Kushina mentioned – the Flying Thunder God Technique.

As a technique purely reliant on talent, not bloodline or chakra nature, he had mastered it... What did this mean? It meant... he still had no offensive techniques.

Only techniques matching his body's chakra nature(s) could be activated.

Kushina's voice gradually began to sound appealing in Kitahara's ears...

"Mastering enough D-rank ninjutsu allows graduation from the Ninja Academy, receiving a ninja headband, and becoming a Genin."

"Mastering enough C-rank ninjutsu allows participation in the Chunin Exams. Passing promotes you to Chunin, serving as a wartime ninja squad leader."

"Mastering enough B-rank ninjutsu allows participation in the Jonin Assessment. Success promotes you to Jonin or Special Jonin, serving as a team leader, and learning forbidden techniques."

"Ninja training requires gradual progression. Learning and developing high-level ninjutsu without sufficient chakra is a very dangerous thing..." After his wife finished speaking, Minato Namikaze added his supplement.

The little boy bowed to thank them both, "Thank you for the instruction."

To him, this was common ninja knowledge that he needed to learn. It seemed he couldn't just randomly learn the ninjutsu Kitahara taught him anymore... This crow in his arms was more willful than he was, acting like a child... teaching him new ninjutsu just for Ichiraku Ramen...

However, the amount of chakra within his body was increasing daily, and his refinement and recovery speed were getting faster and faster.

This was because Kitahara couldn't speak human words and didn't do human things... Itachi and Kitahara could only communicate using chakra. Each time their chakra connected, Itachi's chakra would show noticeable growth.

Kushina glanced at Kakashi standing beside Itachi and shook her head, "He'll probably be like Kakashi in the future, maybe even skipping the Ninja Academy..."

"No, the Ninja Academy's curriculum is irreplaceable." Minato Namikaze earnestly refuted his wife, "Whether it's the bonds with friends or the fundamental knowledge of ninjas, our time back then at the Ninja Academy was very fun! Right, Kushina!"

"Yeah!" Kushina blushed slightly, leaning closer to him, "If it weren't for the Academy, we wouldn't have met either..."

"..."

The middle-aged man Uchiha Fugaku, the teenage boy Kakashi, the young child Uchiha Itachi, and the crimson-eyed crow Kitahara watched them gradually snuggle together...

After seeing the others off, Fugaku took his son's hand, his expression inexplicably complex. He thought for a moment, then knelt, looking directly into his son's eyes, "The Fourth Hokage is right. Learning high-level ninjutsu without enough chakra! It's a very dangerous thing!"

"Dad..."

"Well, although knowing my son is a genius ninja makes me feel very proud," Fugaku placed a hand on his son's shoulder, continuing, "I still feel that watching you grow up healthy is the thing that makes me most proud."

"Dad!"

The father-son embrace made Kitahara, squeezed in the middle... feel very stuffy...

"Caw!"

"Kitahara, are you alright?"

"What a strange ninja beast! Possessing intelligence no less than a ninja's, even understanding various ninjutsu, yet unable to form a summoning contract..."

Since Kitahara moved in, the smiles on his wife's and son's faces had increased. Compared to the previous tranquility of the three-person household, the home had become livelier... When the second child arrived, it should become even more lively, right?

If the Kakashi incident hadn't happened tonight, they should still be gathered around the hot pot, offering favorite foods to each other, discussing New Year's gifts, and the like... But, he still bore the responsibilities of the Uchiha...

"Itachi, regarding the Fourth Hokage, what do you think of him?"

"Very impressive."

"Indeed, very impressive." Uchiha Fugaku sighed, "His strength is witnessed by all; the Yellow Flash is a terrifying name in the ninja world... Judging from today, he's also a very responsible Hokage... Truly... perfect..."

After Minato Namikaze succeeded the position, a rumor began circulating in Konoha Village. It claimed he was merely the Third Hokage's puppet to continue controlling Konoha's power, citing examples like the Konoha Mission Assignment Desk still being managed by the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The issue was, this point actually eased many relationships within the village, allowing the Third to properly finish his last watch.

According to Kitahara's memory, among all the Hokages, Minato Namikaze could almost be considered flawless. The only other one with even fewer flaws and more fans was likely... the Seventh... And, he should be meeting him soon, right? After all, Uchiha Mikoto was already pregnant...

Speaking of the pregnant Uchiha Mikoto... she's still waiting at home for hot pot!

"Caw!"

(End of this chapter)