Taro pointed in the direction of the old man that was sitting in front of a stall, "You senile old man!"
Noticing the commotion, the old man turned around and frowned upon seeing Taro, "You stupid brat! Stop calling me senile!"
The old man yelling was the same person that sensed the presence of multiple ninjas before Taro, even though Taro had acquired a skill from the system.
From the moment the old man sensed the hidden ninjas at the Eastern Walls, Taro had been curious since the old man was more skilled than the system rewards.
"Hmph, what was your name again, you old geezer? Hosen, Hoseken?" Taro asked.
"Grr!!" The old man turned red, gripping his pipe so hard it broke, "It's Housen you brat! Housen, the guardian of Hosai!"
The name Housen has long been buried in the annals of history, and only the older generations remembered his legendary name. Nowadays, no one had any idea who he truly was, and most kids in the Hosai clan only knew him as the lazy old geezer.
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say, senile old man." He stared at Housen up and down and said, "Anyway, how'd you sense the incoming ninjas before me?!"
Housen raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Bahahahaha! Do you want to learn under this great one?!" Wiping his tears, he continued, "First you must offer me 100 million ryo, and retirement benefits! Go, go tell your father, hurry! And I'll teach you!"
The surrounding people stared at the two with complex expressions, some showing amusement, annoyance, understanding, and some laughing.
In this part of the clan, Housen is a well-known elderly figure, not because of his past accomplishments, but because of his weird personality. On a daily basis, he would curse the current clan patriarch, gaining him many critics. Some days, he would yell about not being able to retire in peace, while also wanting to live a rich comfortable life.
A vein appeared on Taro's forehead, "Like hell I'll do that!" Feeling proud, he boasted, "I'm a sensor-type ninja anyway, I don't need your help! I just need to train more and I'll become a master in sensory!"
When Taro met Housen's gaze, Housen's expression had already turned solemn, a frown forming on his face, "You, a sensor type?" He scoffed, "Just because you can sense chakra doesn't mean you're a sensor type."
"W-What? What are you talking about?" Taro asked.
In truth, Taro had believed that to be a sensor type, one must be sensitive to other people's chakra. Although that was true, it was at most the minimum of becoming a sensor-type ninja, as there are many different aspects about the role.
Housen let out a mocking chuckle, "Tell me, if I were to cook a dish, am I a chef?"
He stared at Taro who seemed to be contemplating something, then he continued, "Sensing chakra is the minimum of becoming a sensor-type ninja. To be a true master in the field, one must use their surroundings, not a direct clue as the chakra signature of a ninja."
Taro began to process the words of Housen, as he never really thought about it that way. After all, he came from a peaceful era, where violence wasn't near him on a daily basis. Battle IQ isn't something you inherently have, it's something you gain.
Seeing Taro understand what he meant, Housen smirked, "You must use all your senses to be a sensor-type ninja. Your taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch." He looked up, took a deep breath, "Smell the air, feel the ground, look around, hear your environment, and gather information from your taste."
Taro's eyes widened as he remembered a scene where Tobirama Senju, one of the best in being a sensory type, touched the ground and deduced where the enemy was.
"Chakra is only a clue, once you sense it, it means that you found a clue." Housen continued and pressed his right hand on his chest, "Once you master the five senses, then you can move on to the next stage of sensing."
Taro was intrigued, "What is it? What do you call this next stage?!"
Housen smiled, "I call it: Ki."
Taro's mind went blank, as he knew this form of energy. He had seen it multiple times in one of his favorite anime, Dragon Ball. A type of energy that exists in every living being, an energy so strong it could destroy planets if refined correctly.
Seeing the dazed Taro, Housen felt that Taro was thinking of something different. He frowned and reprimanded him, "You brat! I don't know what you're thinking, but it's not some godly power!"
Once he saw Taro snap out of his dazed state, he coughed and continued to explain, "Ki reading is a process of reading a person's intention. No matter how good of a liar they are, the body does not lie." He paused and flexed his muscles, "To master Ki, you would need to be trained in sensing muscle tension, hearing the heartbeat change, and predicting their movements from their body alone."
Taro's jaw dropped as he learned more about this thing called Ki, something he had never heard of in Naruto.
Without waiting for Taro to comprehend what he said, Housen continued, "Once you master Ki, you'll be able to predict their movement and what an enemy will do. What's more, you will have the ability to sense everything that's still alive. Not only that, there will be no one in this world that could ever lie to you!"
After Housen finished explaining the power of Ki, Taro snapped out of his dazed state and asked, "Can you teach me?"
Housen paused before laughing, "Bahahahahaha! So you finally acknowledge this great one!" He grinned and showed five fingers, "Fine, since you wanna learn so bad, I'll give you a discount. I'll only ask for 50 million ryo, bahahahahahaha!"