Nara Kagetsu

The weather was excellent. The sun hung in the sky, its light neither harsh nor scorching. A gentle breeze brushed over the rooftop, nudging a hat slightly out of place.

Smack!

A small, slender hand gently pressed down on the hat, steadying it over the face beneath.

Beneath the hat covering his face, Nara Kagetsu had his eyes tightly shut as he seriously examined the card that had appeared in his mind.

A man in bizarre clothes and heavy, colorful makeup grinned wide, revealing a mouthful of golden-yellow teeth. His image was printed on the card.

Talent Card: Mayuri Kurotsuchi

World: Shinigami

Quality: Blue (77/1000)

Effect: Growth-Type Research Talent (You are a born scientist and researcher. Your talent will shine in Research and Development Fields.)

Field: Your research talent in Biological and Neural Fields far surpasses that in other Research and Development Fields!

Passive: Biological Modification!

Accumulation: No research can do without the accumulation of vast knowledge and experimental materials. All knowledge you possess will be understood and remembered more efficiently, then returned in another form as Knowledge Feedback!

Achievement: Every time you create a recognized work, the higher its Recognition, the more it can improve your Physical Fitness and strength.

Obsession: Become a scientist who surpasses Kisuke Urahara

Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the Shinigami.

The moment he saw the figure on the card, Nara Kagetsu recognized who it was.

As for how he could identify him at a glance, the memories left behind from his death and transmigration were naturally reminding him!

As one of the three great research giants of Shinigami in another world, Mayuri Kurotsuchi might not have matched those other two freaks in strength, and his greatest research achievements seemed somewhat inferior as well. But in crucial battles, he had always been someone who could rely on his research abilities to compete with those two freaks for MVP.

Though it was a little regrettable that his Golden Finger was not Aizen or the shopkeeper, both of whom possessed strength and intelligence, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who devoted himself wholeheartedly to science and immersed himself in research, seemed acceptable too.

It was just that this card had quite an influence on his mindset. His train of thought always unconsciously drifted toward certain freakish directions.

Huff!

Nara Kagetsu lazily propped himself up and sat on the eaves. His six-year-old body had skinny arms and legs, like a little bean sprout, while his hair was styled in the Nara Clan's signature pineapple ponytail.

He was somewhat reluctant to leave the warm spot where he had just been lying. This place was his best choice for relaxing and resting. Unfortunately, his leisure time was over.

Nara Kagetsu sighed. In his previous life, he had been a newly graduated doctor, neither outstanding nor hopeless, and had worked himself to death at his post. After transmigrating, it seemed he had made up for that somewhat.

Although this world was far from peaceful and could even be called dangerous, at least he was not a helpless orphan. He had a clan he could rely on.

Otherwise, for an orphan to face a Golden Finger that required knowledge and resources to build up, that would have been Hell difficulty.

With good luck, he might survive the battlefield, earn promotions through merit, and exchange for a few D-rank or B-rank ninjutsu. With bad luck, he would only become cannon fodder charging into battle, dying in a single wave. As for finding a good teacher, that required tremendous luck as well.

Since he had been given a relatively good start, he naturally had to seize the opportunity. Although the Nara Clan's bloodline instincts kept dragging him back and urging him to slack off, he still controlled his lazy body and prepared to begin today's acquisition of knowledge.

He easily jumped down from the eaves, bent forward and landed steadily with one hand braced against the ground. After rising and dusting off his hands, he checked his direction and headed toward his room.

As a clan passed down for centuries, the Nara Clan possessed a considerable number of secret techniques and collected ninjutsu. But they had even more knowledge related to pharmacology and the human body.

As one of the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans, aside from their respective clan secret techniques, much of their other knowledge was mutually shared and interconnected to a certain extent. The same was true of resources, with the three clans complementing one another.

For example, the Akimichi Clan, representing Cho, was exceptionally skilled in knowledge of the human meridians and pharmacology for strengthening the body. At this point in time, when Medical Ninja were still sorely lacking, members of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans who specialized in pharmacology and the human body had quietly supported the newly established Medical Department.

And these were precisely the kinds of knowledge Nara Kagetsu needed. At his current age, with this body's talent, he could not compare to those true geniuses who surged ahead in the pursuit of power.

He could only strengthen his foundation from other angles. Besides, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the template for his talent, had not been someone in that other world who fought solely through his own strength.

That was quite similar to the Nara Clan. Both relied on their brains, even if their brains worked in different directions.

Nara Kagetsu's small room was piled with open books. The pages were covered in dense diagrams of human meridians and anatomical drawings. Before the window, a fat Big Green Worm the size of a palm lay motionless in a flowerpot, looking as though it were dead.

Picking up a book he had marked, Nara Kagetsu began his regular lesson for the day.

With the Nara Clan's above-average intelligence and Mayuri Kurotsuchi's talent at work, even though the knowledge in these books was deep and tedious enough for a six-year-old child, he could understand it by himself and immerse himself in it with great interest.

Woof!

Time slipped by unnoticed as he read. Nara Kagetsu was startled awake by a series of cheerful barks. Raising his head, he saw a half-grown snow-white puppy standing with its front paws on someone's head, struggling to hold itself up as it barked happily at him.

When the puppy saw Nara Kagetsu turn toward it, its tail spun like a fan, whipping the head beneath it with loud smacks.

Then two hands reached up from below and lifted the overly energetic puppy off the person's head, revealing a familiar face marked by two streaks of camouflage paint.

"Kagetsu, it's feeding time today." Inuzuka San held his dog in one arm and beckoned Nara Kagetsu with the other. Then, bracing himself on the railing, he nimbly flipped inside.

Woof woof!

Hearing his owner's words, the puppy in Inuzuka San's arms struggled wildly, looking far too excited.

"It looks like Sanmaru really likes the new flavor." Nara Kagetsu stood and walked over to Inuzuka San. He took the puppy from his arms, lifted it high, and scrutinized it.

Faced with Kagetsu's somewhat invasive and dangerous gaze, Sanmaru sensitively curled up. Its excitement instantly subsided, and it quietly allowed itself to be held up while licking its lips.

"After Sanmaru ate that new Dog Food from your place last time, my father examined it and found that its Physical Fitness had improved quite a bit. It's also full of energy. He told me he plans to visit your parents in a few days."

Inuzuka San excitedly gave Nara Kagetsu his usual detailed account of Sanmaru's changes over the past two days, leaving out nothing. He even repeated and relayed everything his father had told him.

New book!