Waking Up, System Binding

About two hours later, Uchiha Kō awoke from his unconscious state. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and looked around.

"Where is this?" Uchiha Kō muttered. This was not his home, nor the training grounds, and certainly not the dilapidated little shack he occupied within the clan compound.

Instead, it was a spacious, bright, and comfortably warm residence.

"Young man, you are awake." Uzumaki Mito sat in a chair, her closed eyes opening as she looked toward Uchiha Kō on the bed.

Uchiha Kō sat up and looked toward the source of the voice, only to find a middle-aged woman sitting in a chair. She had red hair, a noble bearing, and a beautiful face, looking directly at him.

His mind raced: Konoha, red hair, middle-aged woman—could it be...

Uchiha Kō hurriedly got up, threw off the blanket, climbed out of bed, and knelt on one knee, bowing. "Many thanks to Lady Mito for saving my life."

Uzumaki Mito raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Young man, I recall never having spoken my name in your presence. How did you know who I am?"

That was naturally due to the combination of Konoha and red hair, but he could not say that; it would seem too shallow. Thus, he replied with great wit, "In reply to Lady Mito, I ask, what other woman in Konoha possesses such temperament and beauty? Aside from Lady Mito, this humble one truly cannot think of anyone else!"

Uzumaki Mito covered her mouth and chuckled. "What a sweet-talking little brat."

The Nine-Tails' voice rang out, This brat is lying! He did it on purpose!

Uzumaki Mito was multitasking; she replied to the Nine-Tails, "I know, there is no need for you to tell me," and let out a cold snort.

Nine-Tails: ...

Uzumaki Mito smiled. "Little one, I heard you awakened your eyes? Could you let me have a look?"

"It would be my honor!" With that, Uchiha Kō closed his eyes, gathering Yin-style chakra to connect with his optic nerves, and then opened them.

Swish! His eyes snapped open, the blood-red Sharingan staring fixedly into Uzumaki Mito's eyes, motionless.

Uzumaki Mito nodded. "Not bad. It awakened perfectly. I can even feel an aura comparable to the Uchiha ninja of the Warring States period."

She was not lying about this; the Sharingan awakened during the Warring States period was far stronger than those of the current era.

Uchiha Kō was stunned. The Warring States period? He had never imagined he would receive such high praise. Awakening his eyes at eighteen, he was considered a failure by the Uchiha clan; he never expected to be seen as a genius in the eyes of Uzumaki Mito.

Regardless of whether Uzumaki Mito's words were true or false, Uchiha Kō felt heartfelt gratitude toward her.

"Many thanks for the praise, Lady Mito." Uchiha Kō's voice was now even more sincere.

However, Uzumaki Mito shook her head at this moment. "Do not thank me yet. It was little Tsunade who saw you collapse and carried you back. She just left to attend a meeting."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Kō immediately understood. So that was it! He had thought he saw a flash of golden yellow before he passed out; it must have been Tsunade's hair!

Thinking of Tsunade, a ripple of excitement went through his heart. When he watched the anime, he had always thought Tsunade was beautiful, moving, and peerless. A sense of joy bloomed within him.

Uchiha Kō nodded. This meeting was likely a pre-war mobilization to divide the troops. Tsunade was eighteen now and a disciple of the Hokage, so she would certainly be chosen to lead soldiers.

Whether as a descendant of the Senju clan or a disciple of the Hokage, this was something she had to experience.

However, there was one thing he had to keep in mind: within the first year of the war, a Jonin meeting would be held, during which Tsunade would propose the idea of medical ninja.

What he needed to do was to follow and support her unwaveringly. But the prerequisite was that he had to reach the level of Jonin and make contributions within this year to be eligible to attend that meeting.

Uzumaki Mito watched the changes in the young man's expression and found it amusing. "Kō, right? Please rest for now. You have only just awakened, and your body is still weak. When little Tsunade returns, you are both of the same age, so you should have plenty to talk about."

"Uchiha Kō thanks Lady Mito!" Uchiha Kō said, cupping his hands in a salute.

Uzumaki Mito waved her hand and left the room. Just as she was about to step out the door, she paused. "By the way, the room you are staying in belongs to little Tsunade."

She walked out with a smile on her face.

Uchiha Kō was stunned. This—this was Tsunade's room? No wonder, no wonder it smelled so good. After Uzumaki Mito left, he lay back down on the bed, inhaling that faint fragrance, his heart filled with joy.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out: "Ding, system binding complete. Strongest Ninja System activated."

Uchiha Kō was startled, then sat up and looked at the panel that had appeared out of thin air. "Please choose whether to activate the system?"

Uchiha Kō took a deep breath. He knew exactly what this was; aside from manga, he had read plenty of system-based novels! This was his golden finger!

Uchiha Kō said, "Yes!"

Ding! System bound.

Host: Uchiha Kō. Chakra Level: Genin. Combat Power: Genin. Skills: Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu, Uchiha Style Kenjutsu, C-rank Great Fireball Technique, C-rank Dragon Fire Technique, C-rank Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Kekkei Genkai: One-Tomoe Sharingan (Growable).

Ding! Detected one Newbie Gift Pack. Does the host wish to open it?

"Open!" Uchiha Kō smiled. His current Genin-level combat power would be nothing more than cannon fodder on the Second Great Ninja War battlefield. The arrival of the Newbie Gift Pack was perfectly timed.

Ding! Newbie Gift Pack contents: Reward host with Chunin-level chakra, B-rank Great Fire Annihilation (mastered instantly).

Ding! Since the host awakened the Sharingan independently, the original Sharingan reward has been canceled and is being replaced with an equivalent.

Detected that the host possesses Wind and Earth chakra, meeting the minimum requirements for a Kekkei Genkai. Rewarding Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai, with the B-rank Sand Binding Coffin (mastered instantly).

Immediately, Uchiha Kō felt his chakra levels rising rapidly, and his meridians widened significantly. The pale complexion he had suffered from after awakening his Sharingan gradually returned to a healthy flush.

Then, the methods for performing Great Fire Annihilation and Sand Binding Coffin were imprinted into his mind. His hand moved, and the sand in the room began to flow, but Uchiha Kō hurriedly stopped.

Uzumaki Mito, a senior expert, was in the house; if he moved again, he would surely be discovered!

However, what he did not know was that the moment his chakra increased, Uzumaki Mito had begun to release her Mind's Eye of the Kagura, observing Uchiha Kō in secret.

She saw every one of his movements. Uzumaki Mito's eyes lit up, and she muttered, "Magnet Release? The little one was hiding such a deep secret!"

She then retracted her Mind's Eye of the Kagura, feeling quite pleased. The little one seemed to be quite a decent lad, and he appeared to be in the same year as Tsunade.

But it was best to let the young people resolve their own affairs; after all, a forced melon is never sweet.

Uchiha Kō let out a sigh of relief and continued to examine the system's functions.

It seems I need to clarify: regarding the many comments about the protagonist kneeling, first of all, I am not writing an invincible-style story. Secondly, kneeling on one knee is in accordance with the etiquette of the anime. Furthermore, once Uchiha Kō becomes powerful later on, he never kneels again. I hope everyone reads the book rationally.