Self-Arrangements and Friends

First came the system's stat allocation. Four years had passed since his birth, so under normal circumstances, Shuichi could already learn all four skills.

But Shuichi did not rush to allocate his points. The skill descriptions repeatedly emphasized that the improvements were based on the host's own physical qualities, which also meant that diligent training would be indispensable in the future.

Compared to the natives of this world, Shuichi already had a general understanding of the entire Chakra system. In this information-isolated world, there was basically no one else who possessed such an advantage in intelligence.

This advantage would not only let him anticipate things in future battles and quickly make the correct response against different opponents, but it would also allow him to make plans in advance during the foundational stage of ninja training, widening the gap between himself and ordinary ninja.

Shuichi already had his own plans for these four stat points and would test the best choices in the short term. Next came the plot progression of Naruto, which he absolutely had to commit to memory.

Although Shuichi's Golden Finger would certainly create a certain butterfly effect in the future, this was still immensely valuable intelligence. He absolutely could not let anyone else in the ninja world know that he could predict the future.

To deal with this, Shuichi immediately took action. He went to the table and took out a sheet of paper and a pen, but did not write right away. Instead, he began mentally reviewing the Naruto storyline from beginning to end.

For every stage, he tried his best to recall it by comparing the anime and manga, then reluctantly added some official setting material he could remember, such as the Book of Formations.

Only when Shuichi came across something he felt would be easy to forget did he write down a few keywords in a mixture of Chinese and doodles.

Over the entire afternoon, he recalled and filled in as much of the Naruto storyline as possible, then repeated it three times in his mind.

Next, he placed the sheet of paper, which basically only he could understand, beneath his pillow. He planned to take it out every night before bed over the next week to review and confirm it.

Finally, he would tear it into scraps over several batches and throw them away with the garbage. After that, he would only need to recall it in his mind whenever he had free time each month.

Having dealt with the Naruto storyline, Shuichi now had a general understanding of the basic information about Chakra, the ninjutsu that had appeared, and ninja combat.

But this was now a real world, completely different from the anime. Many details about ninja would require Shuichi to study seriously at the Ninja Academy in the future, filling in the gaps in his knowledge.

After keeping himself busy in the house all day, Shuichi was somewhat tired. He washed up simply and lay down on his bed.

Thinking about the original owner's memories, there were still some connections left behind by his parents that could be developed properly. He also had to consider what to say when he met the original owner's friends again.

To get along well in Konoha, he still needed to build a good image for himself... As Shuichi thought, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next day, although it was winter, Konoha after the snow had stopped carried a faintly hazy feeling beneath the sunlight. Shuichi woke naturally after sleeping through the night. Perhaps because the road ahead had become clear, he was in exceptionally good spirits today.

After washing up, Shuichi planned to go out and look around today, picking up some things he needed along the way. Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Shuichi, are you home?"

Shuichi realized that it was probably the original owner's friends coming to see him. He took two quick steps to the door and opened it.

Before him stood a child wearing a large brown scarf and sporting light green spiky hair. His name was Ishikawa Tatsuki. Half a step behind Ishikawa Tatsuki stood another ordinary-looking child with a serious expression. His name was Takashima Shota.

"Oh, you are home!" Shuichi looked much better today than he had the last time Ishikawa Tatsuki saw him. "I've been here the whole time."

"Phew, that's good. We were all really worried when you suddenly collapsed a few days ago. Mother told me not to disturb you these past few days and to let you get some proper rest. It's good to see that you're all right." Ishikawa Tatsuki's expression became more animated, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

Ishikawa Tatsuki's father had also been a ninja. During his years as a Chunin, he had been Shuichi's father's teammate for a long time, so the two families were fairly close.

Like Shuichi's father, Ishikawa Jōnin had died in the Second Great Ninja War. Ishikawa Tatsuki had only just turned one at the time, so he did not have a particularly deep impression of his father.

Ishikawa Tatsuki's mother was an ordinary villager who had always run a small sushi shop. Their family's circumstances were enough to maintain a normal life.

"I know I may have worried you that day. Don't worry. Although Father and Mother cannot come back to life, they would probably want me to live well!" Shuichi said gently.

Takashima Shota's expression did not change much, but his tone was full of concern.

"How about coming out to play today? You've been stuck at home for so many days."

Takashima Shota was the son of the owner of a small ninja tool shop in Konoha, so he came from a normal two-parent family. Shuichi's and Ishikawa Tatsuki's fathers had often bought ninja tools from that shop, and over time, they had become familiar with the owner.

Shota's grandfather's generation had been ninja who came to Konoha when the village was founded. They had been considered part of the village's middle strength at the time, but by his father's generation, they no longer had the talent to become ninja.

"Sure. I've been cooped up for so many days; I want to go out for a walk too." After returning inside to put on another layer of clothing, Shuichi thought for a moment and took some money from the cabinet as well. Then he locked the door and headed onto Konoha's streets with them.

Shuichi's home was behind Konoha's water reservoir, not far from Naruto's home in the story. It was considered the edge of Konoha's central district.

After passing through only two streets, they had already reached Konoha's relatively prosperous central district.

Perhaps because the war was nearing its end, the streets had begun to regain some vitality. But it was still the coldest part of winter, and it had yet to become as bustling as it had been in the spring and summer he remembered.

The Land of Fire was situated in a hilly region, with a mild climate and abundant sunlight. It had plentiful farmland, a developed economy, and a large population.

Konoha occupied the most prosperous central region of the Land of Fire. The largest nearby city was the Daimyo's Mansion, the foremost city of the Land of Fire. With such an excellent external environment, Konoha was the most developed and powerful hidden village in the ninja world.

Just in terms of its training environment, Konoha completely outclassed the other four great nations.

There were more than fifty training grounds in the village for ninja cultivation and practice, each differing according to its important facilities, terrain, and scale. Outside the central district was also the Forest of Death, used for ninja examinations, animal and plant cultivation, training simulations, and more.

The place Shuichi and the others were heading to was one of the smaller training grounds. However, it was located not far from the central district and was a top choice for many ninja in their daily training.

The target stations for Shuriken practice, for example, had once been packed almost every day. The targets had to be maintained regularly, or they would be riddled with holes from Konoha's ninja throwing at them.

This was also where the largest number of Konoha children gathered. After all, who born in Konoha did not dream of becoming Hokage?

Thus, the open spaces around the edges of the various training grounds were often filled with children watching ninja train and enjoying the spectacle. Naturally, Konoha did not prohibit this and even welcomed it.

After all, every child in the village was a potential future source of troops. Only when most of them dreamed of becoming ninja could Konoha remain strong and prosperous.