Can't act excited, can't act excited... thoughts kept running in my mind as I tried my best to put on a straight and thoughtful face. My goal here was to become Tsunade's student, but I couldn't let it show on my face.
"Huhh..." I put on a surprised face. "Umm, okay..." I agreed, showing slight reluctance.
"Hmmm, you brat, just because of the spar right now, you don't think I have anything to teach you, do you?" Tsunade asked with an annoyed face.
"No, I didn't think that, absolutely not, believe me," I replied, protesting.
"Yes, you better believe that. I am the best medical shinobi, and I have access to thousands of jutsus belonging to the Senju clan," Tsunade stated proudly.
Well, I just sighed and agreed with her. After that, we all spent some time together, and soon it was time for me to leave. But considering that I would have scheduled training sessions with Tsunade, I was about to become a regular here.
Me becoming Tsunade's student would certainly attract some attention towards me, but nothing unmanageable. Now was not the later time in which Danzo was completely rampant. The Third Hokage still managed everything well, and considering that I was technically from his faction—his grand-disciple, to be precise—he would likely protect me. Besides, just becoming Tsunade's student wasn't all that big of a matter.
Returning home, I contemplated the events of the day once more. Everything went well—too well, in fact—but that was due to my pre-planning. Now it was time to figure out my future plans.
The first step towards being the strongest would be to learn the Flying Thunder God jutsu, since its abilities extend beyond mere combat effectiveness. With it, I could also delve deeper into space ninjutsu. But more than that, I had some plans for which the Flying Thunder God was necessary.
In the following days, classes went on as usual, except that I was getting even more attention, and I had accompanied Kushina back home every day since then.
"Here, take these," I said, while handing a few scrolls to Minato.
"Huh? What are these?" Minato asked, surprised, but I just smiled. Understanding me, he went ahead and opened the scrolls.
"Mahoraga, I can't take these. They are too precious..." Minato said with a wry smile.
"Well, I'm not telling you to take them permanently. Learn them, then return the scrolls to me."
Yes, these scrolls contained jutsus—the ones my parents had left behind for me. I had given him five jutsus in total: four C-rank and one B-rank.
This may not seem like much, but remember that Minato comes from a completely civilian background and has never come into contact with ninjutsu other than the three taught in the academy. So, for the current Minato—who has not yet been taken in as a student by Jiraiya—this is definitely a great deal.
Hearing this, Minato didn't hesitate and accepted the scrolls. He was in dire need of them anyway. My strength and that of the other clan kids had unconsciously put some pressure on this genius. Now, with a few ninjutsu in his hands, he would finally have the qualifications to challenge and surpass the clan kids, whose ninjutsu had been troubling him until now.
As I had mentioned before, this move of mine was somewhat strategic. The surveillance on me should have been at an all-time high, so now was the best time to showcase my kind heart and my blazing Will of Fire. And as it would have it, Sarutobi Hiruzen was peeping at this scene right this very moment.
Well, the reason I did give it to Minato right now was to put on a show in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And looking at Sarutobi's satisfied smile, I knew my plan was successful.
Yes, I checked whether anyone could notice me spying on them with my Six Eyes. The answer was no. Even the Hokage's office and Root base are safe to watch. Now I can see everything happening in Konoha, which also gave me several pieces of vital information useful to me.
And since no one in this world knows about Six Eyes, I plan to keep it hidden. I mean, at least not let people know that my eyes are special. I could always play it off as having an insane level of sensory skills, like Hashirama and Tobirama had. No one needs to know that I can see it, not just sense it, right?
Doing this also greatly reduces the dangerous factors for me until I grow strong enough. According to my current estimates—and the strength of people in the world at present—it might take somewhere around 2–3 years. And that's considering that all my plans go well. I need to be at least Super Kage level to be free from all threats.
And so time passes. Days turn back to the same old monotonous ones: classes, walk with Kushina, train with Tsunade, practice on my own, sleep.
This continued for over a year until a significant event that embroiled almost the entire world into chaos took place.
The beginning of the Second Great Shinobi War.
But one thing was clear: this was not my stage to act on, since I was too young to be sent into the battlefields. Sending children off to battle didn't happen until the Third Shinobi War.
Now, I needed to graduate from the academy before being sent, which means—at least until I am twelve. And going to the battlefield at a young age isn't a good idea either, because it will not only put you at risk but also force your body to grow quickly, burning its natural potential.
There's a reason why it is advised not to extract too much chakra, since it depends on physical and mental strength, and is extracted directly from the cells of the body. Most people do not have excess vitality—extracting chakra undeniably exhausts their cells and strains them, shortening their lifespan.
So, it is always advised to use chakra in moderation and not waste it wantonly, which also signifies the importance of chakra control, considering it literally increases your lifespan.
But just because I did not have to go to war did not mean that everyone else had the same fate. Sadly, Tsunade had to leave for the battlefield soon...
Although I knew she would probably be safe, I still couldn't help but worry.
I have to get stronger real soon now...
"You know, you're a medical ninja first, so try to stay away from the front lines and focus more on healing than fighting," I said to Tsunade. We were both currently in a ramen shop, having a meal while talking.
"Oh, are you worried about me? Don't bother, I am very strong." Tsunade flashed a smile.
"Please, you lost to a seven-year-old just a year ago. Do you really think you should be saying that?"
We were a lot more comfortable with each other now, so no need for formalities.
"Brat, that was just a fluke, so shut up. And come with me, I have something to give you," Tsunade said, annoyed at my words.
After finishing up, I followed her as she had asked me to and reached the Senju mansion. Tsunade took me to a storage room filled with scrolls and handed me a large one.
"Brat, while I'm away, I won't be able to teach you... But you are the most genius person I have ever seen. You already know almost everything I know. So, until I return, you should study this.
This scroll contains every jutsu and note of my second grandfather, the Second Hokage—Senju Tobirama," Tsunade explained with a serious face.