Chapter 126: Fast Growth

At the Senju Clan compound, Uzumaki Mito, upon learning that her granddaughter had arrived in the village today, rarely left her house. She waited outside in the veranda, basking in the sun.

"Is that Tatsuma and Minato?" Suddenly, Uzumaki Mito frowned. She could sense the chakra of both individuals, but Tatsuma's chakra left her puzzled. Compared to over three months ago when Tatsuma's chakra was like a teacup-sized mass, it now seemed as vast as two "huge" teacups.

Of course, Uzumaki Mito measured chakra quantities based on her own chakra levels, akin to evaluating a basin of water. Although Tatsuma's current chakra quantity was still insignificant in her eyes, it had almost doubled compared to Tatsuma himself.

In just three months, Tatsuma's transformation had exceeded Uzumaki Mito's expectations. Compared to Minato, who had hardly changed at all in the past three months, Tatsuma's transformation was like night and day.

Tatsuma was also surprised by the growth of his chakra quantity. He originally thought that a thirty percent increase would be good enough, but it ended up doubling instead. The amount of chakra he could now access was almost reaching the requirement for a jonin.

Of course, his refining speed and body recovery speed were still far from that of a jonin. While a jonin could refine chakra four or five times a day, Tatsuma's current refining speed and body recovery speed only allowed him to refine once.

Furthermore, this portion of chakra was not recorded in the system panel. On the system panel, Tatsuma's "Spirit" realization level was still over four thousand, and the additional amplification was not included.

His strength had also increased by almost double, even though it was only during bursts. Nevertheless, it was enough to make Tatsuma happy.

Recently, Tatsuma had a feeling that other ninjas, or rather, other jonin-level ninjas, might also have similar talent enhancements to some extent, but they might not have discovered it yet.

For example, Minato, who originally outpaced Tatsuma in terms of thinking speed. He didn't need to force himself to think faster. However, in the past few days, because his thinking speed couldn't keep up, Minato's body and consciousness were unconsciously undergoing changes.

Three days ago, during Minato's sparring sessions with him, their mental duels could only last for about fifty to sixty rounds. However, this morning, just before entering the village for the final rest, Minato was able to keep up for over a hundred rounds.

Tatsuma's advantage lay in being able to see his own talents and progress, along with the additional amplification. This invisible talent, which would be latent in others, he could directly perceive and activate, something other ninja couldn't achieve.

Take Minato, for example. He has always used Tatsuma as a reference point. When he realizes that he has caught up with Tatsuma in a certain ability, he unconsciously slows down in that area to focus on improving other aspects.

However, once Minato becomes aware that he lags behind Tatsuma in a certain ability, his talent can fully come into play, allowing him to progress faster and catch up with Tatsuma.

Tatsuma believes that given Minato some time, abilities reliant on physique, like chakra quantity and strength, might not improve as quickly, but his thinking speed feels like it could catch up again very soon.

The two of them chatted as they quickly arrived at the depths of the Senju clan's territory. Since they were already in the village, they didn't use Sensory Jutsi to survey the surrounding environment. As a result, when they unexpectedly saw Uzumaki Mito staring straight at them in the courtyard, they were startled.

Especially Minato, who quickly bowed and said, "Mito-sama, did we disturb you with our noise earlier?"

Tatsuma also looked somewhat embarrassed. After all, their discussion just now was indeed a bit loud, and he knew that elders preferred peace and quiet. Therefore, he thought that Uzumaki Mito might have been disturbed by their voices.

Uzumaki Mito waved her hand and then patted the spot next to her, saying, "Nawaki and Kushina haven't come back from training yet, and your senseis should also be reporting duties, right? Come over and sit while waiting."

Seeing that Uzumaki Mito wasn't angry, the two of them approached quietly and sat down next to her. Uzumaki Mito observed the two of them, noting that Minato Namikaze hadn't changed much compared to three months ago, except for a bit less childishness.

His cheeks had become a bit thinner, perhaps due to hunger or possibly because of changes brought on by growth.

Tatsuma's changes were somewhat significant. Aside from slight changes in appearance, Uzumaki Mito felt that the biggest change in Tatsuma was his eyes.

In the past, Tatsuma's eyes were bright, filled with the vitality typical of youth. However, perhaps due to early worries about life, they were dimmed by a layer of worldly weariness, giving him a somewhat mature demeanor beyond his years.

But although they carried a bit more thoughtfulness and lacked the innocence and stiffness typical of his age, they exuded confidence, giving off a very reliable feeling.

He looked like Tobirama.

Uzumaki Mito couldn't help but think of her husband's brother again. However, her gaze quickly fell upon the left shoulder of Tatsuma's clothes, where there were countless patched-up seams and reddish stains, causing her brows to furrow once more.

However, Uzumaki Mito didn't ask. She knew that this was something every ninja would experience. She gently smoothed the hair at the back of both their heads and said:

"Your hair has grown again, and your clothes seem a bit tight. Take a bath later; Nawaki hasn't worn some clothes yet, and now they don't fit. I'll find them for you later," Uzumaki Mito said.

Seeing the two about to decline, Uzumaki Mito instantly knew their intention to refuse. She quickly added, "If you don't wear them, they'll just go to waste. It's a pity."

After hearing Uzumaki Mito's addition, Minato and Tatsuma nodded and didn't refuse further.

Then Uzumaki Mito asked, "By the way, Tatsuma, your Chakra levels have been increasing rapidly lately."

Tatsuma nodded. He knew he couldn't hide it. Tsunade and others could see it at a glance, let alone Uzumaki Mito. Changing the subject, he said, "I woke up today with more Chakra. I don't know what happened. Sensei said she wants to check my body."

Hearing Tatsuma's words, Uzumaki Mito became even more puzzled but didn't delve deeper. She just said, "I've seen Chakra levels increase after a good night's sleep many times. Don't worry."

Uzumaki Mito had indeed seen it many times. When she was a young girl, she would wake up every day to find her Chakra increased, just like many of her clan members. Her children, her granddaughter, and now her adopted granddaughter Kushina Uzumaki experienced the same. Kushina's Chakra levels had been fluctuating recently.

However, Uzumaki Mito also knew that for many people, increasing their Chakra levels was a slow process. Not only was it inefficient, but the progress made over a lifetime might not even match what she experienced in a single year when she was young.

Tatsuma sensed that Uzumaki Mito was comforting him, telling him not to worry. He wasn't worried himself, but his friend Minato's eyes suddenly lit up. He began to wonder if he, too, could wake up one morning to find his Chakra increased.

Although such a thing sounded like an illusion, if Tatsuma's Chakra really increased after waking up, and Mito-sama said it wasn't an isolated case...

There are always people whose Chakra suddenly increases, why couldn't it be him?

However, Minato quickly suppressed this restless thought. He was not one to seek quick success, he just... got a little too envious today.

In the midst of chatting, Tatsuma noticed that the ninjas who used to take care of Uzumaki Mito were not in the Senju clan compound at the moment. While it's true that Uzumaki Mito used to have only a few ninjas looking after her, it's unusual for there to be none at all like now.

It's unclear whether Uzumaki Mito no longer needed their care or if those ninjas were also reassigned due to the war.

On the way back to the village earlier, Tatsuma heard from the communication ninjas in the team that things were also stirring up in the Hidden Cloud village. Although they hadn't left their own territory, with the army on the border, it was hard to believe they weren't up to something.

After chatting for a while, Uzumaki Mito urged the two to go take a bath. At the same time, she brought out the new clothes Nawaki couldn't fit into. Although they had been compressed for some time and inevitably had a little smell, compared to the two who had just returned from the Land of Rain, they smelled much better.

After taking a bath, Nawaki and Kushina also returned from school one after another. Nawaki, upon seeing the two back, eagerly went to do additional training.

Kushina, on the other hand, pulled Minato aside to talk about things on the battlefield. In reality, Minato had only been lurking in the Land of Rain for these past few months and didn't have any thrilling experiences to share from the last mission.

However, Kushina was still fascinated to listen, as this girl seemed to naturally enjoy ninja stories.

It wasn't until just before dinner that Tsunade returned to the clan compound. After examining Tatsuma's body, she could only attribute it to Tatsuma's development, considering time as a precious resource for ninja, but also a double-edged sword.

In the following days, Tatsuma returned to his usual training routine, occasionally contacting classmates to strengthen their bond and keeping an eye on the progress of the previous study creation program, offering some advice.

With Tsunade around, Tatsuma also learned a lot about the situation of the talks in the Land of Rain.

The progress of the talks was not smooth. Although Konoha and the Sand had temporarily ceased hostilities, neither side was willing to withdraw from the Land of Rain first. Konoha's stance was clear: they could agree to a ceasefire, but only if they emerged as the winners

Such talks were commonplace after enduring for several months; Tatsuma knew that in one war, ceasefire talks lasted a full two years.

Tatsuma could also guess the reason why Konoha intentionally or unintentionally prolonged the negotiations: it was because of the threat from the Land of Lightning in the north. Despite the excessive actions of Hidden Cloud Village, with its ninja forces stationed there, Konoha had to remain vigilant.

Konoha's current choice to delay was to wait for a response from Hidden Cloud Village. If Hidden Cloud Village chose to attack, Tatsuma estimated that Konoha would immediately declare a retreat from the Land of Rain battlefield, leaving behind a portion to defend against Hidden Sand Village while supporting the north.

After all, Hidden Sand Village had been at a disadvantage for nearly a year, with unstable military strength and morale. Without deploying the tailed beasts, it would be difficult for Hidden Sand Village to break through the defenses of the Land of Fire in a short time.

However, the well-prepared Land of Lightning was different. Every year, the Land of Lightning expanded its military, and its forces and resources were extremely formidable. If a real conflict were to erupt, Konoha would undoubtedly prioritize resisting the ninja army from the Land of Lightning.

But they were unwilling to give a clear answer over there. I've been loitering around the border; don't ask, if you ask, it's field training.

After more than a month of negotiations, Hanzo couldn't hold back anymore. Feeling humiliated, he announced directly and simultaneously declared war on the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Iron.

The Land of Iron, still under the influence of the cold winter "???"

At the Third Training Ground, carrying the two-month-old Might Guy on his back as a weight, Nawaki saw Tatsuma and Minato receiving mission scrolls. Enviously, he said, "Are you guys going to the battlefield again? That's great. I still have to wait another month to graduate"

Tatsuma and Minato were not excited. Last year's Minato might have been excited, but after experiencing the battlefield firsthand, he also understood the cruelty of war.

Tatsuma opened the mission scroll and found that it was not for participation in the Land of Rain conflict. He looked at Minato with confusion, and Minato, with the same expression, replied, "Are you also going to the Land of Iron?"

Minato nodded. It seemed they had the same mission again.

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