Gaming Training Is the Best!

Considering the numerous benefits of Ice Release, Shuichi listed it as one of his next training projects.

The Fuinjutsu he has been researching cannot be neglected either. Not only does the strength of Scientific Ninja Tool depend entirely on them, but they will also provide many helpful auxiliary effects in the future, such as transferring and storing chakra, and even accessing the realm of the soul.

After that, the third direction is Cursed Seal and Sage Mode.

He had tried countless times to fuse the cells of Jugo, the First Hokage, and himself, but he could never obtain a product that perfectly inherited the characteristics of all three. The power of the Cursed Seal he was currently using also had an upper limit, even if he combined two seals, one before and one after.

With the patterns almost covering the entire body, the effect should be slightly stronger than the first State One in the original work.

In addition, Shuichi's strength is astonishing, but his duration is very short. He uses up his power in just a few large-scale Ninjutsu, making it impossible for him to reach the State Two state.

The key issue lies with Jugo. His opponent is still a child much younger than him, and the strength of his cells is nowhere near that of him and the First Hokage. The fact that he possesses this level of power is already a result of enhancement.

This is also why the cell fusion experiment could not achieve a balance. Shuichi's own cells could barely resist, but Jugo Cells would collapse directly in the struggle between the two, leaving him no choice but to use White Zetsu Cells.

"He won't come of age for many more years. It's not worth wasting so much time. The research on the Cursed Seal has to be stopped," Shuichi thought helplessly.

However, this didn't have much of an impact. He even planned to remove both Cursed Seal, and he probably wouldn't be fighting Tailed Beast for the next few years, nor would he need that portion of Senjutsu Chakra in regular battles.

"In that case, it's time to start practicing Sage Mode; this is the true path to the end."

Regardless, the Cursed Seal was merely a degraded version, and biological research was not his forte; there were no shortcuts on the path to becoming a powerful being.

This is probably the most difficult training Shuichi has undergone since becoming a ninja, taking at least a year.

He didn't know if the First Hokage had received guidance, but he was certain he hadn't; the Three Great Sage Lands were not worthy of humanity's trust.

Completing Sage Mode alone is a formidable challenge, but it only fuels Shuichi's competitive spirit. Everyone else in the village considers him the strongest genius in the Shinobi World, so let's show them once again.

Time passed slowly. The learning, training, and missions of ninjas were always rather boring. Everyone had their own things to do, and experiencing a monotonous and lonely life was also a way to temper one's will.

However, Shuichi was an anomaly in Konoha, and he didn't want to live a miserable life, so before he officially began training in Sage Mode, he naturally couldn't miss out on entertainment.

Having completed several D-rank mission throughout the day, Itachi was slightly tired, but he didn't show any signs of it. After the team disbanded, he politely said goodbye to his teammates and then went straight to his teacher's courtyard.

Upon arriving at the Villa's small garden, he didn't see Shuichi; perhaps the other had gone out on a mission.

This had happened before, so he went to the training ground to adjust the training equipment, preparing to practice dodging and reaction speed with Hidden Weapons on his own.

"It's Itachi! We don't need to practice today!" Just then, a voice from inside the Villa interrupted Itachi's plan.

Shuichi was in a room on the edge of the first floor, standing by the window with half of his body sticking out and waving at him, "Come on in, I'll show you something fun, it's also a new training exercise!"

Itachi was somewhat surprised. He had been to the Villa many times and was quite familiar with its layout. He had even enjoyed the hot spring sauna, which, in his teacher's words, was an exclusive perk for disciples of the Purple Aurora Sect.

He remembered that only that room was empty, and although he was curious about what Shuichi planned to use it for, he politely refrained from asking.

His curiosity was quickly satisfied.

Itachi opened the Villa door with practiced ease, turned down the corridor towards the room, and arrived at the door. A newly made nameplate hung on the doorframe. "Game Room!"

"Crackling sound..."

A slightly hurried noise came from inside, and three strange machines, like three large boxes, were placed side by side in the room.

In the middle of each machine are several small components, from left to right: a joystick and several buttons.

Shuichi sat in front of the middle machine, the only one with a lit screen. He rapidly moved the joystick and pressed the buttons, the chaotic sounds coming from his hands.

Haku stood beside him like a curious child, his eyes fixed intently on the screen, unusually not greeting Itachi immediately.

"Teacher, what is this? Is it a game?" Itachi asked calmly, seeing how engrossed the two were.

However, his steps quickened considerably after he entered, clearly intrigued. "It looks somewhat like the television that appeared not long ago..."

"Oh, that's true. I call it Arcade Machine... no, a home arcade! A game console you play at home!" Shuichi replied calmly, his hands moving non-stop, looking every bit like a gaming addict.

"From now on, we'll add a new element to our training: after we're completely exhausted, we'll engage in game battles here. Hmm... this is a unique training method exclusive to our lineage, so it's best not to reveal it to outsiders!"

Opening a game store inside the village would definitely make money, but it would probably attract the Third Hokage again, so this time they won't take it outside.

Those outdated adults would probably criticize them for wasting their time on frivolous pursuits, but Shuichi would retort, "You outdated old folks, times have changed. We're training our reaction speed; it's definitely more effective than mindless practice."

Itachi quickly walked over to him and looked at the screen. The image quality was rather rough and the lighting was a bit dim, but the picture still caught his attention.

This is a game where you control falling blocks. Each time, four blocks are randomly combined and fall from the top. When a row is filled with blocks, it will automatically disappear. Players can adjust the direction of the blocks and speed up the falling speed. He understood these rules after watching Shuichi while.

"This is the game I developed, it's called Konoha Blocks!" Shuichi said proudly, feeling like a game design genius. "Come on, don't just watch, I've prepared a two-player PvP mode."

"This points system not only records scores but also allows for real-time comparison. It lets you compete to improve your ninja's reaction speed, Dynamic Vision, hand-eye coordination, and thinking speed. Give it a try!"

After saying that, Shuichi pressed a few buttons to refresh the game, then moved a small stool over and turned on the two-player mode, pushing Itachi and Haku in front of the machine. "This joystick controls the direction, button A rotates the cube 90 degrees clockwise, and pressing this makes it fall..."

"Brother Itachi, please have mercy!" After getting into position, Bai realized he had forgotten to greet his Senior Brother today, and smiled at him somewhat embarrassedly.

Itachi: "..."

When Haku arrived in Konoha, he hadn't even mastered chakra. I've been guiding him through the basics these past few months, but I never expected our first real duel Senior Brother to come so soon, and it was even played on a video game...

"Crackling crackling..."

After three countdowns flashed on the screen, the game room was filled with the pleasant sound of keystrokes. Neither child spoke again, but instead became completely absorbed in the intense competition.

Shuichi stood behind them, arms crossed, a fatherly smile on his face. He took a deep breath and said, "This is my lost youth, this is Konoha's new bond!"

After marveling at the scene before him, he then observed the battle situation of his two disciples.

Although it's just a game, it really shows how much talent a ninja has. Without using chakra, it all comes down to innate ability.

The match had only just begun, and to Shuichi's surprise, Haku's score was slightly higher than Itachi's. "That's because he watched me play for more time than Itachi, so he's more familiar with the game. That's why he decisively grabbed points when the blocks weren't falling fast—quite impressive!"

After several minutes, Bai maintained a slight lead, but the gap between the two sides was narrowing at a very slow pace.

At the beginning, Itachi was relatively conservative, allowing himself to get used to the controls first, and then gradually increased the rhythm of his control. His eyes swayed left and right very rhythmically, and when the top square appeared, he memorized the appearance of the next one, which showed his excellent ninja qualities.

"One minute left in the game!" Shuichi sly smile, putting immense pressure on them. "Whoever loses doesn't get to eat tonight!"