Akihiro was dragged into the living room by his mother, who forced him to sit next to Nao.

  Nao, for her part, had already noticed what was going on for quite some time, but she decided to pretend she didn't know anything. Akihiro, aware of his mother's thoughts, watched as his enthusiasm for learning Fuinjutsu quickly faded away.

  At that moment, all he wanted was to escape and lock himself in his room for several days.

  —Akihiro, how have you been tely? —Nao asked, watching him closely.

  Akihiro sighed, scratching the back of his neck before answering.

  —I've been learning new things and perfecting what I already know. The usual —he replied with indifference, his voice showing exhaustion.

  Nao raised an eyebrow, as if sensing that there was more to the story.

  —Are you sure everything's fine? You seem a bit... distracted.

  Akihiro avoided her gaze, focusing on the walls of the living room.

  —I'm just tired, Nao. Studying all the time isn't as easy as it seems. And now this... —he said, gesturing around the room.

  Nao smiled slightly, as if she understood more than he was letting on.

  —I get it. But sometimes, a break isn't such a bad thing.

  —I don't have time to rest —he replied, almost as if speaking to himself.

  —I see —Nao said, her tone softer—. But if you need it, you can count on me. Sometimes talking helps.

  Akihiro looked at her for a moment, appreciating her offer, but said nothing. He simply nodded and refocused on his thoughts.

  —My mom doesn't get it —he murmured finally, almost in a whisper—. I understand she worries about my love life, but I've never shown any interest in that.

  Nao watched him with curiosity, but without judgment.

  —Don't worry about that, Akihiro. She just wants to see you happy, even if she doesn't always know how to do it.

  —I know, but now's not the time. There are more important things to think about right now —he said, growing more frustrated.

  —I understand. Don't worry about it. I'm here for you, whenever you need a shoulder to lean on —Nao replied, nodding with a look full of understanding.

  Akihiro nodded, neither denying nor accepting her offer directly, simply acknowledging the gesture.

  Five months passed in the blink of an eye. A year had gone by since he became a Genin, and many things had changed.

  Kazuo had returned from his mission, and thanks to his training with the Ocarina alongside Nao, Akihiro had made remarkable progress in his mastery of Sound Genjutsu. He had learned how to channel his chakra through the instrument, successfully executing simple genjutsu. Although the way these genjutsus worked with instruments was different from the conventional method, they still maintained certain basic principles that, with practice, could be adapted and perfected.

  Despite his progress, his abilities were still limited, and he couldn't affect multiple targets at once.

  In addition to practicing with the ocarina, Akihiro dedicated time to working on his water ninjutsu. However, he encountered several challenges. Offensive jutsus in the water style were fewer compared to other elements like fire, lightning, or even earth, which offered more direct and effective combat options. Even iconic techniques like the Water Dragon, though visually impressive, were impractical and cked lethality in real combat. To make matters worse, the reliance on a nearby water source further limited the style's usefulness.

  Frustrated by these restrictions, Akihiro decided to change his focus. Rather than invest more time in a path he considered inefficient, he chose to concentrate on developing his genjutsu, where he saw greater potential to stand out and make a difference. However, over time, the study of fuinjutsu provided him with an unexpected opportunity to make his water ninjutsu more practical.

  His main idea was to use simplified storage seals on his hands. These seals could store water, allowing him to perform water jutsus without relying on an external source. While the concept was promising, its implementation presented numerous challenges. Maniputing fuinjutsu in a way that worked with ninjutsu was complex, as it was like "storing" a jutsu and then releasing it at the right moment. Additionally, controlling and directing the water once released was a significant problem.

  Despite the complications, Akihiro persisted. As a first test, he tried using a basic sealing scroll to store water. Although he simplified the design as much as possible, the result was not as expected. His control over the release of the water was rudimentary, and the volume stored was insufficient for performing advanced techniques. Still, it was an acceptable start, and after numerous attempts and errors, he even succeeded in performing advanced ninjutsus using fuinjutsu.

  Furthermore, his chakra reserves had increased significantly, and his control over chakra was so exceptional that the time had come to learn one of the most iconic techniques in the entire ninja world: the Rasengan.