Seiryū was still working hard.
Shinku and Kurenai had already gone to sleep.
Not everyone had as much energy as Seiryū. Needless to say, the Uzumaki clan's constitution was starting to show its effects. Hard work always paid off.
Now that he had learned how to change the nature of his chakra, after only a few hours of repeated attempts, Seiryū finally succeeded in replicating Hado #4: Byakurai.
Seiryū formed an unformed seal with one hand, then pointed forward with a finger and called out, "Hado #4: Byakurai!"
Crackle. Bang.
A dazzling white bolt of lightning shot out from Seiryū's fingertip, striking a nearby wooden stake. It pierced straight through it, leaving a charred hole as wood chips scattered everywhere.
Looking at the damage he caused, Seiryū twitched at the corner of his mouth. "It actually requires hand seals. That's really something, but it also makes sense. Very few Ninjutsu don't require hand seals."
To use Hado #4: Byakurai from the Bleach world in the Naruto world, Seiryū realized that two conditions had to be met.
First, possessing Lightning Release chakra nature.
Second, using hand seals.
This was perfectly reasonable. Aside from certain kekkei genkai and a handful of seal-less Ninjutsu, as long as it was Ninjutsu, hand seals were required to guide the chakra within the body along specific meridians for proper execution.
Even when the First Hokage clapped his hands and summoned whatever he pleased, that clap was also a type of seal.
Rather than calling it replicating Kidō, it was more accurate to say that Seiryū had developed, modified, and researched a new form of Ninjutsu after understanding the principles and methods of Kidō.
Just like the previously mentioned Lightning Release: Kirin, as long as the conditions were met, Seiryū could truly replicate and use it.
The Kidō obtained through system rewards followed the same logic.
"I'll try Bakudō and Shunpo later."
"Time to sleep."
It was already late, close to midnight, so Seiryū decided to rest first.
He was going out to play with Kurenai tomorrow, and he had no intention of continuing his grinding routine. Tomorrow, he would properly slack off for a day.
The night passed without incident.
Morning came.
Seiryū woke up feeling refreshed, all the fatigue from the previous day completely gone.
The system's rewards were extremely effective, keeping him energetic throughout the day.
"Time to wash up."
Seiryū sprang up with a carp jump, went to the bathroom to clean up, and then headed to the living room.
Seeing that Shinku and Kurenai had not woken up yet, Seiryū took it upon himself to make breakfast.
Kurenai was the only one in the family who could not cook. She treated sugar as salt and oil as water. After tasting Kurenai's "delicacy" once,
Shinku and Seiryū decisively made her abandon any thoughts of becoming a chef.
It simply was not suitable.
While Seiryū was cooking, Shinku woke up. Seeing Seiryū making breakfast, he was slightly surprised. "What got into you today? Aren't you usually exercising at this time?"
Seiryū was not only exceptionally talented but also extremely diligent.
After waking up, he often went straight to the backyard to train and cultivate, which was why Shinku was surprised to see him cooking instead.
Seiryū continued frying the eggs without turning his head. "I need to relax once in a while too. I'm going out with Kurenai today, so I won't be exercising."
"That's good." Shinku nodded. Hard work was important, but occasional relaxation was also necessary, perhaps especially for Seiryū's mental state.
He shook his head, brushing away the odd thought, and asked, "Have you decided where you want to go?"
Seiryū continued battling the eggs and replied casually, "Not really. Maybe we'll just walk around. Konoha doesn't seem to have much entertainment. If nothing else, we can go to the hot springs. Uncle Shinku, are you free today? If so, you can come along."
Konoha's overall area was not that large. Otherwise, it would not have been flattened by a single Shinra Tensei.
There were not many entertainment options.
At most, there were hot springs, casinos, and the red-light district. The latter two were obviously not places a kid like Seiryū could go. The hot springs, however, were quite nice. He even wondered whether there were mixed baths. Cough, cough.
Shinku shook his head. "I have a mission today. You and Kurenai go by yourselves and have fun. As for money… just make sure you take good care of Kurenai."
He had originally wanted to say that he could give them some money if they needed it, but then he remembered Seiryū's savings.
Those savings were actually more than what he, a Jōnin, had.
That kid somehow came up with questions that even he, a Jōnin, could not answer. Later, he heard that even Hokage-sama could not answer them either, which made him feel much better.
Geniuses were always a bit unusual.
"Oh." Seiryū replied. The eggs were perfectly fried, with a soft center. His cooking skills were quite decent.
After that, he continued dealing with the bacon.
Soon, breakfast was ready, and Kurenai had just finished washing up.
The three of them ate together.
While eating, Seiryū asked, "Uncle Shinku, what's your mission today? Do you need to leave the village?"
Because Seiryū was still just a child and could not access much information, he occasionally tried to subtly gather information about the current state of the ninja world from Shinku.
After all, a butterfly flapping its wings could lead to drastic changes. Seiryū's appearance alone might already be affecting the original flow of events.
It was safer to keep a close eye on the situation in the ninja world.
Shinku did not go into detail and only gave a brief explanation. "We caught a spy. It's not an important mission, and I don't need to leave the village."
"Mhm." Seiryū immediately lost interest and continued eating.
Shinku specialized in Genjutsu, which was highly effective for interrogation.
Actually, the Uchiha clan was best suited for interrogation, but as for the Uchiha situation… those who knew, knew.
Kurenai did not join the conversation she did not understand. Instead, she was more curious about where Seiryū planned to take her.
"Seiryū, where are we going later?"
"How about the hot springs?" Seiryū suggested.
Kurenai's eyes lit up. "Hot springs? Yay. I've always wanted to go, but they seem a bit expensive."
Seiryū waved his hand grandly, full of nouveau riche swagger. "Money isn't a problem. I might not have much else, but I definitely have money, and I'm worried about where to spend it."
"Hehe, Seiryū, you're amazing." Kurenai praised him, then blinked her bright red eyes and acted cute. "Can you give your cute little sister some pocket money?"
Seiryū refused without hesitation. "No. I need to save money to marry a wife in the future. Save when you should save, spend when you should spend."
"Hmph, stingy." Kurenai muttered softly, then whispered under her breath, "Why marry a wife? Isn't having me, your cute little sister, enough?"
Seiryū did not hear her clearly, but he sensed she was saying something bad about him. His gaze immediately sharpened.
"What did you say? Were you talking behind my back?"
If you do not discipline them for three days, they will tear the roof off the house. This girl was getting more and more bold.
Kurenai made a face. "Nyaa nyaa nyaa, I didn't."
Watching the two of them interact, Shinku smiled.
It was a warm scene, and he hoped it could continue forever.
(To be continued.)