The Forgemage of Konoha

Genius

"Speaking of which, you haven't introduced me to your girlfriend yet."

"Hehe, isn't it because you're always so busy, Big Brother Shirō? This is my girlfriend, Saori." Then he turned to her and added, "Saori, this is Big Brother Shirō. He's already a Chūnin!"

"A Chūnin? So young! That's amazing!"

"Haha, it's nothing. You two will definitely surpass me one day," Shirō said with a faint smile — if I live that long, he added inwardly.

"Really? Big Brother Shirō, can I become that strong too?"

"Of course. As long as you work hard, you can definitely achieve it. Now, before the others are ready, let's see how well you've learned the Ninjutsu I taught you."

He led Okita and Saori to the backyard. Since both families had children with shinobi potential, they had jointly built a small training ground behind the house.

Still, Shirō usually avoided training here. If he accidentally broke something, he'd have to pay for it himself. Public training grounds, on the other hand, were far more lenient — unless the damage was excessive, no one would hold you accountable. That's why he mostly used the public facilities.

"Hehe, Big Brother Shirō, watch me! I won't disappoint you!"

"Alright then, I'm looking forward to it."

At the training ground, Shirō and Saori stood off to the side while Okita stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the target. He inhaled deeply, centered himself, and began weaving hand seals.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Boom!

A gust of wind shot forward, slamming into the wooden target and causing it to sway slightly.

Shirō raised an eyebrow in surprise. While the technique's power and speed didn't match a proper C-rank jutsu, Okita had undeniably executed it. And he was barely over six years old!

"That's amazing, Okita!" Saori cheered from the side, eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Hehe, how was it, Big Brother Shirō? Pretty good, right?"

"Hmm… There's still room for improvement — your hand seal speed and chakra output aren't quite there yet. But for your age, this is already excellent. Still, there's one thing that confuses me."

"Huh? What is it, Big Brother Shirō?"

"You… why did you yell out the name of the jutsu?"

That's right — Okita had shouted "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" at the top of his lungs. Shirō and most shinobi usually just thought the name in their heads during combat. (Of course, we readers hear it for clarity's sake.)

"It just feels more dramatic that way! And if I don't shout it out, how will my enemies know what I'm using? That's no fun at all."

"..."

"I even came up with a trick move: I'll yell 'Wind Release!' and then suddenly use Fire Release! Pretty clever, right?"

"Sigh~" Shirō looked at Okita's excited expression, practically begging for praise, and sighed before gently crushing his illusion.

"Amazing, my foot. You're making two key mistakes. First, yelling wastes time — in a real battle, every second counts."

"Second, what's the point of hand signs?" Shirō asked as he quickly formed a basic seal.

"They're used to guide and mold chakra into elemental release," Okita answered after a moment of thought.

"Exactly. You already know that. So if you understand, what makes you think your enemies won't? This kind of fakeout won't work on experienced shinobi. It's not completely useless, but it's unreliable."

"But overall, you're doing well. Keep it up!"

"Yes, Big Brother Shirō!"

"Oh, right — Saori, what's your chakra nature?"

"Me? Um… I don't know yet."

Hearing that, Shirō turned to Okita with a frown. "You didn't test her?"

"Uh… I forgot, haha~" Okita scratched his head sheepishly.

Seriously? Not even a little concerned someone might snatch her away? Shirō shook his head, exasperated.

"Well, I happen to have some chakra paper on me. Let's test it now."

He handed the paper to her, but Saori hesitated.

"It's alright, Big Brother Shirō. I'm not learning Ninjutsu right now, so it's not necessary."

"Take it. You'll be learning soon. You're with Okita, and he's like a younger brother to me — that makes you family. No need to be shy."

"...Alright then. Thank you. How do I use it?"

"It's simple. Just infuse a bit of chakra. If it wrinkles, it's Lightning. If it burns, Fire. If it splits, Wind. If it crumbles, Earth. If it gets wet, Water."

"Got it."

Saori focused, channeling chakra into the paper while Shirō and Okita watched closely.

First, the paper split in the middle. Then, one half wrinkled, and the other caught fire!

"It's splitting, wrinkling, and burning—three natures?! That's incredible!" Okita exclaimed, grabbing her in excitement. "Saori, you're amazing!"

"Okita, let go! Big Brother Shirō is still here!" Saori protested, her cheeks flushed.

"Hehe, so if he weren't here, it'd be okay?"

"You're so dead!"

Shirō ignored the lovebirds and stared thoughtfully at the paper.

Three chakra natures… Even in Konoha, that was an extraordinary gift. And not just any natures — Wind, Lightning, and Fire were all highly offensive.

Poor Okita. That sweet, delicate-looking girl might end up as terrifying as Sakura one day…

"Heh. Okita, don't get too cocky. If you slack off, some cliché romantic drama might happen, you know."

"Ugh, Big Brother Shirō, there you go again with those weird comments…"

"Haha, just teasing. So Saori — which chakra nature would you like to start training in? I can teach you any of the three."

It wasn't a bluff. Shirō had learned all three theoretically. Due to limitations in his origin and chakra affinity, he could only use Wind Release — the rest were purely academic. But he could still teach the concepts and theory effectively.

"Really? Thank you so much, Big Brother Shirō! Then I choose Wind Release."

"Hmm? Are you sure? Okita already knows Wind Release — you could pick a different element and train with me."

"It's okay. This way, I can train together with Okita. And for now, Wind Release is more than enough."

"I see. In that case, I'll start by teaching you Great Breakthrough. Once both of you master it, I'll introduce more advanced techniques."

"Wait, Big Brother Shirō, I already know Great Breakthrough! Teach me the next one!"

"I said master it, not just perform it. You're still a long way off. Besides, do you even have enough chakra left?"

"Uh… no. I used it all earlier…"

"Then get back to practicing Great Breakthrough. Don't try to run before you can walk."

"Yes, Big Brother Shirō…" Okita replied dejectedly.

"Whew~ Finally got him off my back," Shirō thought with relief.

In truth, Great Breakthrough was the only Wind Release jutsu he could perform reliably. The others were either incomplete or still theoretical. For Fire and Lightning Release, he could simply claim his nature wasn't compatible for demonstration — but if he failed to show Wind Release, it'd be hard to explain.

Still, he wasn't entirely bluffing. Okita's basics really did need more work. That was the real reason for this decision.

Definitely not because I didn't want to lose face.