Chapter 431: Guidance

Chapter 431: Chapter 431: Guidance

"Don’t rely solely on your eyes. Your ears, your nose—those senses can also help you perceive what’s happening around you..."

"Don’t hesitate. Hesitation leads to defeat!"

"Is that all the strength you’ve got? A punch like that couldn’t kill anyone!"

"Learn to make use of your strengths. Once you’ve protected your vital points with sand, trading injury for injury can also be a perfectly viable tactic..."

Kagami continued giving Gaara pointers as the two sparred.

In Kagami’s view, when someone was still very young, there was actually no need to devote too much time and energy to learning those grand, impressive ninjutsu.

What truly required painstaking effort at that age was physical training and chakra control.

Taijutsu training didn’t merely temper a shinobi’s physique and willpower. It also subtly sharpened their powers of observation, as well as their ability to make split-second judgments in life-or-death situations.

And those were precisely the qualities that mattered most in a battle between true experts.

Because of this, Kagami didn’t have Gaara spend huge amounts of time practicing different methods of attacking with his sand. Instead, he simply required him to maintain constant control over a small amount of sand at all times.

The amount of sand one could control had never been the key.

What truly mattered was the precision and speed of that control!

As for quantity, once Gaara grew older and became capable of controlling the One-Tail, Shukaku, within him, his immense reserves of chakra would allow him to control as much sand as he wanted.

But when it came to improving the precision and speed of his sand control, there were no shortcuts. The only way was to improve little by little through prolonged practice.

This kind of training would not only refine his precise control over chakra, but also gradually allow his body to adapt to manipulating sand. Over time, techniques that originally required intense concentration would become instinctive movements ingrained into his body. He would no longer need to expend much effort or conscious thought—his body would naturally execute them on its own.

Bang...

With a muffled impact, Kagami’s fist once again struck the wall of sand protecting Gaara’s chest.

Pulling back, Kagami smiled. "Good. The speed of your sand control has clearly improved compared to before!"

"Huff... huff..."

The young Gaara panted heavily, his chest rising and falling like a bellows. Yet his childish face was filled with joy, as though all the exhaustion wracking his body was utterly insignificant compared to Kagami’s praise.

Seeing this, Kagami sighed inwardly.

"Sigh... He’s another kid starved for affection..."

After that brief lament, Kagami’s gaze shifted toward the mass of fine sand circling around Gaara.

In truth, even if Gaara didn’t consciously control it, the sand around him—which contained the chakra of his mother, Karura—would automatically protect him from harm.

However, that automatic protection was only effective against opponents at the Genin and Chunin level.

Once Gaara encountered a powerful enemy at the Jonin or Elite Jonin level, the speed of the sand’s automatic defense would no longer be able to keep up.

During the Chunin Exams in the original timeline, even Lee, who was still a Genin at the time, had faintly surpassed the speed of Gaara’s automatic sand defense after removing the weights from his legs.

And once Lee activated the forbidden technique of the Eight Gates, his attack speed completely left Gaara’s automatic sand defense behind, allowing him to strike Gaara with ease.

Therefore, by relying solely on the sand’s automatic protection, Gaara might be able to run rampant among Genin and Chunin without fear. But the moment he encountered an expert whose attack speed exceeded the speed of his sand’s automatic defense, he would become extremely passive, just as he had during the Chunin Exams in the original timeline—left looking around helplessly with no choice but to stand there and take the beating.

After finally catching his breath, Gaara respectfully said, "My lord, you were right. After reducing the amount of sand I control, manipulating it feels much easier than before!"

Kagami nodded. "The Shukaku inside you has been temporarily sealed by me, so with your current chakra reserves, controlling too much sand won’t serve any training purpose. It’ll only place an unnecessary burden on you. Besides, as long as you control it properly, even a small mass of sand is enough to help you defend against the vast majority of attacks!"

Gaara obediently replied, "I understand!"

Kagami reminded him again, "Remember, whether you’re eating or resting, you must maintain control over this mass of sand at all times. You need to slowly condition your body until it becomes a habit—treat this sand as though it were a part of your own body!"

"Hehe, you can do it, Gaara!"

At that moment, a little girl’s cheerful voice came from the sidelines.

Hearing it, Kagami’s expression immediately darkened as he turned his gaze toward the edge of the training ground.

He had to admit that he had underestimated the Uzumaki clan’s constitution.

Originally, he had thought that Karin had suffered far too much in Kusagakure. She had been tiny and emaciated, practically skin and bones. Because of that, he hadn’t allowed her to participate in any shinobi training, nor had he placed any restrictions on how much she ate.

But who would have thought that, as an Uzumaki, Karin possessed astonishing recuperative abilities?

In just one or two months, the skinny little girl had transformed into a round, chubby little dumpling!

Kagami deliberately put on a stern expression.

"Karin, it’s your turn!"

"HUH!?"

Karin, who had been happily munching on a wheat cake, opened her mouth in shock.

Crumbs of wheat cake spilled all over the ground.

"Why are you still standing there? Get over here!" Kagami snorted lightly before continuing sternly, "Starting today, you’ll also undergo shinobi training. If you fail to meet the requirements, you’ll go hungry!"

Hearing this, Karin hurriedly stuffed the remaining half of her wheat cake into the little pouch she carried with her, then walked over with a pout.

Going hungry would bring back memories of her time in Kusagakure, and that was something she absolutely couldn’t bear.

Kagami looked down at little Karin and asked, "Do you know how to extract chakra?"

Karin nodded.

"Good!" After a brief pause, Kagami continued, "From now on, your daily training will be the same as Gaara’s—taijutsu training combined with chakra control exercises."

Karin hurriedly asked, "Do I have to practice controlling sand too?"

Kagami shook his head.

"No. You’ll practice fuinjutsu!"

Even among the Uzumaki clan—a clan practically overflowing with monsters—Karin was a child blessed with exceptional talent. As long as she received proper guidance, there was no telling how far she could go in the future.

After teaching Karin some of the fundamentals of taijutsu training, Kagami handed her over to Gaara.

Although Gaara’s taijutsu couldn’t exactly be considered outstanding, it was more than sufficient for him to guide Karin, who was still a completely blank slate.

Besides, communication between children of the same age could sometimes be more effective than instruction from teachers or elders.

"Caw... caw..."

After settling matters with the two little ones, Kagami was just about to return to the laboratory when the faint cry of a crow came from outside.

Walking onto the outer platform of the air fortress, Kagami opened a small section of the barrier and allowed a messenger crow to fly inside.

Tied around the messenger crow’s leg was a small storage scroll. After opening the scroll, Kagami lightly pressed his thumb against it.

Poof...

A cloud of white smoke immediately billowed out.

When the smoke cleared, several ancient scrolls had appeared atop the storage scroll, along with a letter whose ink had yet to fully dry...