That night, Motonoya Toko looked at her mother and said, "That's why I said he's mysterious. Before class divisions, I didn't even know he existed—and no one ever seemed to notice him."
Senju Mei asked, "You said he's strong. How could you tell?"
Though she wasn't a ninja herself, Senju Mei was still from the Senju clan. She could make judgments based on the information given.
Motonoya Toko thought back to the day's examination.
She said, "After class divisions today, our instructor gave us an assessment."
"It was a kind of mental-type ninjutsu. Jumoku and I nearly couldn't endure it—our minds were on the verge of collapse."
"But Yoruha didn't seem affected at all. When the assessment ended, the instructor said the mental jutsu had been mainly directed at Yoruha. What we felt was just the residual backlash."
"Even so, Yoruha didn't feel any pressure."
"Even the instructor was shocked."
"And when we told Asuma-sensei about it, he also found it unbelievable."
…
As she listened to her daughter's account, Senju Mei's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
This was no small matter.
"From what you're saying, this child truly has an extraordinary mental strength."
"You must understand—your instructor came from the ANBU. Ninjas from the ANBU have extremely strong mental fortitude. For a child to withstand an ANBU jōnin's mental ninjutsu without showing strain…"
"That can only mean the boy possesses an unusually powerful mind. And people with that kind of spiritual strength usually have exceptional chakra control—and possibly a massive amount of chakra as well."
At that thought, Senju Mei's eyes grew more serious.
"This is quite a significant discovery."
Although Senju Mei wasn't a ninja herself, she possessed vast knowledge of the Senju clan's archives and understood the mechanics of ninjutsu well.
The Senju were known for their massive chakra reserves, and she knew that one with a strong mind naturally had both abundant chakra and fine chakra control.
Resisting the mental jutsu of an ANBU jōnin required not only precision control but also a vast supply of chakra to sustain the defense.
Otherwise, it would be like Sakura—she might have excellent control, but if her chakra reserves were overwhelmed, she wouldn't be able to resist a genjutsu at all.
"To have such precise control and a huge chakra reserve… how could someone like that stay unnoticed for six years, without anyone realizing it?"
"That's far too strange."
"And he's just a child. To conceal himself so perfectly for six years…"
"This kid's mind works differently from ordinary people."
Motonoya Toko, who had only been a little curious about Yoruha before, now found herself amazed after hearing her mother's analysis.
She looked up and asked, "Mom, then does that mean Yoruha is really powerful?"
Senju Mei looked at her daughter and replied seriously, "We can't say for certain yet. But unless something unexpected happens, his future will be extraordinary."
"Even the best academy graduates can't remain calm under a mental jutsu from an ANBU jōnin."
"Toko, it seems that boy truly is mysterious. Until we know more about him, it's best if you keep your distance."
Although Motonoya Toko was reluctant, she knew her mother was only looking out for her.
And after hearing her mother's reasoning, she realized Yoruha's power was beyond her understanding.
No matter how much she liked Yoruha, for now, she would have to listen to her mother.
Meanwhile, Yoruha himself was completely unaware that the exam had caused Senju Mei and her daughter to grow wary of him.
But even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared.
He had already been mentally prepared for the possibility that today's test might expose a bit of his true strength.
When he returned home, Yoruha didn't refine his chakra before bed as usual.
Instead, he lay straight down, staring up at the ceiling.
His consciousness drifted into his inner mental space.
---
[System Prompt]
"You have been in idle mode for one day. Chakra has doubled. Physical attributes have doubled."
"You have acquired Exceptional Learning Ability: as long as your body and chakra are sufficient, you can learn any ninjutsu at the speed of a top-tier genius of this world."
---
Yoruha suddenly felt a tingling sensation throughout his body—so pleasurable that he nearly moaned aloud.
His mind grew sharper and clearer than ever.
All the ninjutsu theories that once confused him now came into perfect focus.
Not only did he recall everything clearly, he fully understood it.
It was as if, from now on, if someone demonstrated a jutsu once, he could learn it instantly—just like Uchiha Itachi.
When he emerged from his mental space, Yoruha stared blankly at the ceiling, stunned.
Closing his eyes, he could feel chakra surging throughout his body, thick and almost tangible, coursing rapidly through his meridians.
The sensation was intoxicating.
"My chakra's doubled. That should put me at the level of an elite jōnin now."
"My physical condition's probably around mid-level chūnin in taijutsu."
That kind of improvement was terrifying.
After all, few ninja specialized solely in taijutsu.
Reaching mid-chūnin level in that alone was already a rare feat among taijutsu specialists.
"Too bad I still don't know any real ninjutsu… that's kind of awkward."
Thinking about it, he realized that all he knew were the basic Three Techniques.
In actual combat, he might not even beat a chūnin.
What he really needed now was a ninjutsu with practical combat value.
Since his system was an "idle/afk mode" type, he clearly had to learn something first before he could let it auto-train.
If he didn't learn anything, what would it even auto-train?
Right now, he'd mastered the Three Techniques to perfection—but in real combat, relying on just that wouldn't be enough to survive.
Ninja were assassins by trade; they used every underhanded, shameless, and deadly tactic imaginable.
Only knowing the Three Techniques and trying to fight a professional ninja?
That was pure suicide.
Yoruha wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on a jōnin already.
He wasn't even sure he could handle a chūnin.
"But still, tonight's gains are incredible. With this exceptional learning ability, I should be able to master basic ninjutsu just by watching them once."
"After tomorrow's mission, I'll head to the training grounds and see if anyone's practicing."
"At the very least, I need to learn a few offensive ninjutsu for combat. I have no intention of becoming a taijutsu-only ninja."
Sure, the Eight Gates technique was powerful—but even if Yoruha had the chance to learn it, he wouldn't want to.
Its ending was too terrifying.
And besides, that was Might Guy's ultimate art—he wouldn't casually teach it to anyone.
Only a few people could learn it—Guy himself, Kakashi, and Lee.
Kakashi was Guy's closest friend, and Lee was his direct disciple.
Who was Yoruha?
No one special.
And honestly, he didn't plan to learn it anyway.
---
Advance chapters at Ko-Fi (currently at Chapter 155)
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27