800 Meters Away, Throwing a Kunai

Rin Nohara noticed Obito Uchiha's awkwardness.

He stood there, a sweatdrop forming on his face.

"Um... Obito, maybe let Hikawa explain it. You go do your thing."

Rin took back the notebook, choosing her words carefully.

"I'm not clueless, I just—"

Obito Uchiha's neck stiffened, his face reddening as he forced an explanation.

Then came a string of hard-to-follow words, things like 'it's too simple' and 'I'll explain it to you alone.'

The classroom was filled with a lighthearted atmosphere.

Yuhi Kurenai couldn't help but laugh.

Though she sat far away, she'd been keeping an eye on Hikawa, so she'd caught Obito's whole spiel.

How to put it?

She meant no harm, but she found his words oddly amusing.

She wasn't the only one—Shizune and the others near Obito were laughing too.

Only Sarutobi Asuma wasn't; he even felt sympathy.

Because he understood all too well the feeling of having his beloved snatched away!

Asuma shook his head.

He felt as if a tragic, thick wall stood between him and them.

Pain! Too much pain!

But letting go now? He couldn't do it.

Hikawa's mouth twitched slightly.

I'm from Dunhuang—this is a mural.

"Obito."

Rin called out, a bit embarrassed.

"I-I'm heading back to my seat. Come back soon!"

Obito shot Hikawa a glare, then turned and left.

"Sorry."

Rin smiled apologetically, her voice soft. "That's just how he is. He can be a bit wild sometimes, but he's a good person."

"It's fine. I'll keep explaining."

For now, Hikawa wasn't worried about Obito causing trouble.

His current strength didn't allow it, and Rin was still alive.

In fact, Hikawa half-hoped Obito would challenge him—he'd entertain it.

Maybe he'd even unlock a Fire Release talent.

The only real headache was Madara Uchiha and Black and White Zetsu.

At this point, they might already have their eyes on Obito.

"Thank you."

Rin thanked him sincerely, then returned to her seat.

Obito's heart finally settled.

He clenched his fist, vowing to study hard.

But... one look at the math problems, and he gave up. Forget it. Can't do it.

If theory won't work, he'd go with strength.

Obito thought of the Final Exam's practical portion—maybe that was his chance.

Hikawa had no idea what he was thinking.

When school let out, he waved goodbye to Yuhi Kurenai and headed toward Tsunade's place.

Because his 'Seven Ninja Tools' trait was down to just 2% progress.

With a little effort today, he could hit a home run.

Hikawa stopped in his tracks as he passed the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.

This popular?

He looked at the customers lining up to buy books and thought to himself, Looks like the money won't be too little.

He already had a plan for his first earnings: forging a sword.

He'd been practicing Konoha-Style Swordsmanship with a wooden blade, but that wouldn't cut it in real combat.

Asking Yuhi Shinko for money wasn't ideal.

After all, he'd already helped plenty.

Hikawa rubbed his chin.

He wondered if he could buy a Chakra Metal Tachi.

Chakra Metal referred to a material that could better conduct chakra, increasing attack power and range.

Because of its special properties, it was extremely expensive.

In the original work, Sarutobi Asuma was one of the few ninja to use a Chakra Metal blade.

Hikawa figured he hadn't bought it himself—Sarutobi Hiruzen had given it to him.

Konoha's top essay: "My Hokage Father."

Hikawa crossed the street and soon arrived at Tsunade's house.

He came often enough that he knew the way by heart.

Tsunade's house was actually the former residence of Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki, located between Hokage Rock and Konoha Hospital.

Hikawa raised his hand to knock, but no one answered.

Out gambling again? Or at Konoha Hospital?

At this hour, the former was more likely.

Hikawa walked to the open space in front of the door, pulled out his wooden sword, and started grinding proficiency in Konoha-Style Swordsmanship.

Konoha-Style Swordsmanship was a complete system, but in the original work, two techniques possessed tremendous power.

The first was Maruboshi Kosuke's Konoha Style: Willow.

The second was the Crescent Moon Dance performed by Hayate Gekko and Uzuki Yugao.

Konoha Style: Willow was Maruboshi Kosuke's own creation—no way to learn it.

But Crescent Moon Dance was possible.

Unfortunately, Hikawa wasn't qualified yet.

Because Crescent Moon Dance had to be combined with the Shadow Clone Technique.

Just then, Hikawa suddenly raised an eyebrow.

An earthquake?

He turned instinctively and saw Tsunade with a grim expression.

With a light kick, she crushed the stone beneath her foot into powder, cracks spreading across the ground like an eggshell.

"When did you get here?"

Tsunade's expression softened when she saw Hikawa, and she asked.

"A few minutes ago."

Hikawa blinked and said, "I'm free tomorrow. I can go to the casino."

Barring any surprises, he'd obtain the 'Seven Ninja Tools' keyword today, so taking half a day off wouldn't matter.

Tsunade was momentarily taken aback.

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, then reached out and flicked Hikawa on the forehead.

"I like gambling, but I'm not that desperate."

Tsunade said with a smile.

Hikawa hesitated.

That statement had zero credibility.

Who was it that came looking for him right in the middle of his lessons?

But he didn't dare say it out loud.

Because he was afraid Tsunade would flick his forehead and send him straight to the afterlife.

After all, her Super Strength had a track record.

"Come on, let's go inside."

Tsunade's gloom vanished as she said excitedly, "Finish today's lesson, then tomorrow—casino!"

Did you learn that face-changing speed from your two-thousand-ryo teammate?

Hikawa looked up and saw Tsunade changing her shoes at the entrance.

Her left hand pressed against the wall, body slightly bent, her hips forming a full curve. Her arm stretched straight as her right hand slipped off her shoe.

A glimpse of pale, delicate sole flashed by before her foot landed on the carpet.

"Don't just stand there. Get in."

Tsunade glanced at Hikawa, then walked barefoot into the living room.

"Oh."

Hikawa quickly followed.

Just like before, two people held scalpels and dissected a live chicken.

An hour later, Hikawa's body trembled, and a few lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[E-Rank Talent Entry: Seven Ninja Tools (Acquired).]

[Trigger Condition: Seven Ninja Tools Beginner.]

[Effect: All ninja tools' power increased by 10%.]

[Conditions for D-Rank Ninja Tool Mastery synthesis met. Synthesize?]

[After synthesis, effects of non-identical lower-rank entries will not disappear.]

With a thought, Hikawa chose to synthesize without any hesitation.

[D-Rank Talent Entry: Ninja Tool Mastery (Acquired).]

[Trigger Condition: Synthesis of E-Rank Entry 'Seven Ninja Tools' and 'Ninja Tool Throwing'.]

[Effect: On the original basis, increases arm strength by 30%. When using ninja tools, comes with an 8x scope effect.]

Holy shit.

A kind of plant.

Hikawa had guessed at the 30% arm strength boost, but he never expected such a wild move as an 8x scope.

Translate what surprise means!

Kakuzu throwing kunai from eight hundred meters away was about to become reality.