A "Technique" That Can Save Your Life

After half a month of rest and recuperation, Sosuke had been constantly thinking about how to strengthen himself.

Anyone else would likely start with various powerful ninjutsu, but fortunately he had planned ahead and replicated the Chidori series of techniques in advance.

That temporarily solved the problem of lacking offensive options.

Next, he needed to think about auxiliary abilities.

As a hero who had saved the next generation, once his injuries fully healed, no one could refuse his request to go to the battlefield.

Considering his two life-or-death experiences, Sosuke knew clearly that what he lacked most now was survival capability.

Every battle was fought to the bloody end; no matter how many points he had, they wouldn't be enough to burn through.

On the battlefield, survival always takes priority over killing the enemy.

How exactly to ensure survival depended mainly on what problems he needed to solve.

Perception-type abilities could let him detect enemy ambushes and strength in advance, avoiding traps and those overwhelmingly powerful foes.

Clone-type abilities could gather intelligence, let him send clones to do dangerous work instead of his main body, and give him more tactical options in combat.

Body Flicker-type abilities could increase his ability to disengage from battle, with the highest-level space-time techniques being top-tier lifesavers.

Defensive secret techniques could block damage and protect the user's main body.

Defensive bloodline limits were extremely powerful, but the downside was their very high point cost.

Defensive ninja tools came in all sorts of strange varieties, including special prosthetic arms that could absorb ninjutsu.

If possible, Sosuke would want to exchange for all of them, but unfortunately his current points weren't enough to achieve that goal.

[Points: 4280]

After exchanging for the Body Repair Potion, he only had a little over four thousand points left, so he had to filter through limited options.

By slightly changing the selection criteria, the choices before him immediately shrank a lot.

What remained were all items he could afford.

[Chakra Perception (Beginner), Item Grade C, Exchange Cost: 4000 Points.]

[Shadow Clone Technique, Item Grade C, Exchange Cost: 3100 Points.]

[Light Shadow Body Flicker, Item Grade C, Exchange Cost: 2800 Points.]

[Ninjutsu: Needle Jizo, Item Grade C, Exchange Cost: 3500 Points.]

[Scientific Ninja Tool (Arm), Item Grade C, Exchange Cost: 3900 Points.]

Five types of items, all within his affordable range.

Which one to choose, Sosuke hadn't made a final decision yet.

Let's start with Chakra Perception.

As the most expensive item among the five options, its value went without saying.

Whether for tracking or avoiding risks, Chakra Perception was extremely powerful.

Unless he ran into someone capable of masking their chakra fluctuations, it would be very hard for the user to be surrounded.

At higher levels of perception, one could sense each other's presence from hundreds of kilometers away, and true masters could even turn it into a passive ability.

The downside was that it didn't help much in actual combat, so Sosuke had been hesitating.

Shadow Clone Technique, a powerful clone technique nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye, could be used to avoid potential risks. In the original story, Kakashi used it with masterful skill.

Most importantly, Shadow Clones greatly boosted combat power, making them a favorite for cunning veterans.

It was one of Sosuke's more favored options.

Light Shadow Body Flicker, derived from Uchiha Shisui's Body Flicker Technique, combined light and shadow effects to move rapidly between different afterimages.

Though it seemed to have no physical form, the afterimages could still damage enemies.

It had strong combat enhancement, but the downside was its relatively weaker survival capability; against powerful foes, its effectiveness dropped sharply.

Needle Jizo, Jiraiya's defensive ninjutsu, had the advantage of being sudden and possessing some offensive capability.

Its obvious drawback was a low defensive ceiling, and its function overlapped somewhat with Chidori Stream.

As for the Scientific Ninja Tool, it was a defensive prosthetic arm that could absorb chakra from ninjutsu released by genin.

That's right, though it seemed similar to the Rinnegan's ability, the amount of chakra it could absorb was extremely limited.

It could be exchanged and used, but it couldn't become a life-saving trump card he relied on.

If conditions allowed, Sosuke would exchange for all five abilities, and then his survival capability would surely be formidable.

Long-range chakra perception, mid-range Shadow Clones to scout the path, Body Flicker to escape if things went wrong, Needle Jizo for defense, and the installed prosthetic arm to neutralize enemy attacks.

It might not help him defeat powerful enemies, but it could increase his efficiency at "farming points."

"Sigh, I can't be too greedy."

After struggling internally for a while, he gritted his teeth and eliminated Needle Jizo and the Scientific Ninja Tool first.

They were good items, but their value to him wasn't that great.

The less money you have in your pocket, the more you need to spend it in the right places.

Staring at the three options—Chakra Perception, Light Shadow Body Flicker, and Shadow Clone Technique—Sosuke fell into a long silence.

Before long, the entire clan learned of Sosuke's recovery.

For several days straight, visitors came in an endless stream, and his cramped little house could barely hold all the gifts.

Saving the Uchiha Academy meant saving countless families; some parents were so moved they nearly knelt to him in gratitude.

Earlier, when Sosuke's body was crippled, Madam didn't want outsiders disturbing him, so he issued a strict order in his capacity as Young Clan Head.

But now, it was time to let him feel the clan's warmth.

When Sosuke finally struggled to crawl out from the pile of gifts, he saw Uchiha Madara sitting in a chair, smiling as he quietly enjoyed the scene before him.

Seeing this, Sosuke rolled his eyes in exasperation. "When did you get here? Why didn't you say something?"

"I saw you were busy opening gifts, so I didn't want to bother you."

"Cough, cough, gifts can be opened anytime."

In Sosuke's eyes, anyone who could receive gifts and resist the urge to open them right away was a true hardcore among hardcore types.

He certainly couldn't do it—if he didn't open them all, he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"Father wants to see you," Madara suddenly said.

What does that old man want with me?

When the doctor declared he could no longer continue his ninja career, Tajima, as clan head, hadn't even shown his face. Logically, after such a meritorious deed, the clan head should have come to offer his regards.

But Tajima was that kind of person—an extreme realist. A tool with no use value was no different from roadside weeds in his eyes.

Now that he knew Sosuke was better, he immediately sent his son to express his concern.

With a slight smile, Sosuke didn't refuse the clan head's invitation. After all, his freedom was still in the other man's hands.

Meeting him face-to-face would be a good chance to speak openly and honestly.

"Alright, I'll tidy up and head over."

"Mm, then I'll be off."

After Uchiha Madara left, Sosuke plopped down into the pile of gifts, a strange curve hanging at the corner of his mouth.

The next second.

Bang!

His entire form vanished in a puff of white smoke.