While Uzumaki Raiden was busy tracking down the true culprit behind the attack on the Uchiha team, he did not neglect Uzumaki Kushina and her son. When he saw Kushina and Naruto standing outside his study, he smiled and stood up to greet them.
"Sister, what brings you here?"
"Come in and have a seat," Raiden said with a smile, gesturing toward the study.
However, Kushina lightly shook her head and said, "This little rascal woke up early this morning, begging me to teach him shuriken techniques."
"You know we don't have enough space at home for proper training, and I wasn't comfortable letting him go to the training ground alone."
"Besides, you haven't visited us lately, so I thought I'd bring him to see you."
"What are you so busy with?" she asked, pointing at the large scrolls spread across his desk.
"I'm tracking down a murderer," Raiden replied. "My little disciple, Uchiha Itachi, was ambushed by a powerful enemy on his first mission as a team leader."
"The attacker possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan. I suspect that some Uchiha clan members may have faked their deaths or that some of the missing ones are actually still alive. I asked Fugaku for the clan's records to investigate further."
Raiden had nothing to hide from Kushina—he trusted her completely. He also didn't shy away from discussing this in front of Naruto. Although the boy was mischievous, he was sharp and knew what topics were sensitive.
There was no need to doubt Naruto's ability to read the room—after all, he was the future master of the Talk-no-Jutsu.
"Have you found anything?" Kushina asked, her curiosity piqued. She was familiar with Raiden's two disciples. Over the past few years, two young geniuses had shone the brightest in Konoha—one was Uchiha Shisui, the first disciple of Raiden, and the other was Hatake Kakashi, Minato's student.
Now, Uchiha Itachi was beginning to make a name for himself as well. Becoming a Chūnin at the age of nine was no small feat—it had earned him a reputation as a prodigy.
"There are some leads, but nothing conclusive yet," Raiden admitted.
"In a few months, I plan to leave Konoha. Partly to travel and broaden my perspective."
"But also to continue tracking this individual. I have a strong feeling that he will become Konoha's greatest enemy in the next twenty years."
As Raiden spoke, his gaze briefly fell on Naruto. This boy was destined to influence the entire ninja world.
"You're leaving? When?" Kushina asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice. Her brother had only just returned, and they hadn't spent much time together. Now, he was already planning to leave again.
"In a few months, once the weather warms up," Raiden said with a smile, knowing what she was thinking. Sure enough, Kushina relaxed at his answer, her expression brightening.
"This kid is here to train, right?" Raiden asked, looking at Naruto, whose lips were slightly pouted with excitement. His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"I'm free, so why don't I train him today?"
"Sis, you take care of him every day—you deserve a break."
Kushina, having no objections, nodded with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Why don't we have lunch together? I'll call Minato and have him bring some groceries."
"Raiden, I'll leave Naruto with you."
Since it was rare for their family to have a good meal together, she suggested it without hesitation. Naturally, Raiden had no reason to refuse and agreed with a grin.
"Naruto, learn well from your uncle!"
"If I find out you slacked off, just wait and see how I'll deal with you!" Kushina warned, flashing him a fierce look before waving to Raiden and leaving the courtyard.
Once Kushina was gone, Naruto relaxed, stretched, and grinned before tugging on Raiden's sleeve.
"Hey, Uncle, let's get started!"
"I can't wait!"
Raiden chuckled at Naruto's enthusiasm and ruffled his hair. "Alright, come with me."
Under Raiden's guidance, the two made their way to an open space beside the waterfall.
Raiden himself hadn't trained extensively in shuriken techniques, but as a child, he had received some instruction from Uzumaki Mito. Despite this, his understanding of shuriken combat was second to none. Years of battle experience had allowed him to observe countless skilled shinobi using shuriken.
Thanks to Kagura's Mind's Eye, Raiden could easily distinguish between high-level and low-level techniques among those he had fought.
He was like a food critic—he might not be a chef, but he knew exactly how to judge the quality of a dish.
Scanning his surroundings, Raiden found a tree nearby. Walking over, he pulled out a kunai and began carving symbols into the bark.
Naruto, at first, thought Raiden was simply drawing circles. But as he watched, he noticed that his uncle was engraving multiple "E" characters into the tree—each varying in size and orientation.
Curious, Naruto asked, "Uncle, what's this?"
Raiden didn't respond immediately. After finishing the last intricate "E," he finally said, "This is your target."
"A ninja's vision must always be locked onto the target."
Raiden blew lightly on the tree trunk, scattering fine wood shavings, then examined his work with satisfaction.
"???" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
Raiden began explaining, "This is your shuriken training target."
"As you can see, there are multiple 'E' letters of different sizes carved into the tree. Your goal is to hit these letters with shuriken—but before throwing, you must call out the target's level and direction."
"Each letter size represents a difficulty level. I've divided them into five levels, with four letters per level. The largest letters belong to the first level."
"This training method will allow you to track your progress accurately."
"Let's start simple—stand two meters away and begin with the first level."
Raiden tapped the largest four "E" letters, signaling Naruto to start.
After listening to the explanation, Naruto's enthusiasm surged.
What boy wouldn't love an RPG-style leveling system?
Raiden had designed this challenge to give Naruto a sense of accomplishment at each stage. This kind of system was an early online game technique—keeping players engaged through small, incremental goals.
Anyone who had played Legend knew—there was no sweeter sound than the "Duang!" of leveling up after grinding zombie holes for ten days straight.
"Alright!!!"
"I'll rush straight to level five!"
Naruto raised his hands in excitement, then eagerly pulled out his shuriken.
"Go for it. If you reach level five, I'll reward you with an ebony kunai," Raiden said with a smirk, setting a tempting goal.
And then, the sound of beep, beep, beep echoed in the clearing beside the waterfall.
(End of Chapter)