Eri's little courtyard.
Kazuhiko got home after dinner time. His dinner had been left out for him on the living room table.
The old couple sat on the sofa watching TV and sharing a fruit platter.
She cut him a piece of watermelon, and he fed her a grape. They were being unbearably lovey-dovey.
Black Charcoal was curled up on the sofa armrest, enjoying Eri's caresses and purring contentedly.
Seeing that nothing was going on, Kazuhiko sat down and started eating.
Ever since his physical fitness and chakra reserves had improved dramatically, his appetite had grown right along with them.
Every day, his stomach started growling well before mealtime, and he could eat just about anything.
"Breaking news. At 11:22 a.m. local time, a quarrel broke out between ninjas in the mission hall."
The voice of Konoha's evening news came from the television.
"The two sides came to blows after a disagreement and used Fire Release Ninjutsu, starting a fire. Let's hear from eyewitnesses at the scene—"
"I saw it clearly. *** threw the first punch!"
"That's right. The troublemaker used the Great Fireball Technique and nearly burned the entire Hokage Building to the ground."
"..."
"It's clear that the situation at the scene was extremely dangerous. Fortunately, a concerned Uchiha who wished to remain anonymous stepped in just in time and brought the situation under control."
"The two parties involved have been transferred to the Konoha Military Police Force office and are awaiting trial."
"Our reporter, Uchiha Bunpa, will continue to follow the story."
"..."
Uchiha Bunpa!?
A hundred percent chance of joining in!
Brother! Is that you?
Kazuhiko looked at the TV with his bowl in hand. After checking several times to make sure the reporter wasn't his brother, he went back to eating.
He wolfed down dinner, then hurried back to his bedroom, eager to sink his consciousness into his mind.
"With all the insight I've gained! With the way of the ninja I've honed my whole life!"
"With my boundless wisdom! With my unparalleled talent!"
"Deep Blue, ten pulls for Jonin!"
As Kazuhiko's inner roar faded, Deep Blue burst into dazzling light.
The good news: there wasn't much of that eye-catching white light.
The bad news: there was enough green to make his heart sink.
[Shuriken Manipulation Technique (Green)] [Basic Fire Style Chakra Nature Transformation (Green)] [Two-Tomoe Sharingan (Blue)] [Genjutsu Resistance (Green)] [Body Flicker Proficiency (Green)] [Mind Like Still Water (Green)] [Konoha-Style Taijutsu (Green)] [Shadow Clone Technique (Blue)] [Phantom Body Flicker—Shisui Exclusive (Purple)] [Weapon Throwing Mastery (Green)]
The ten glowing entries hovered quietly in the sea of consciousness. Their green light was dazzling, but it still couldn't obscure the deep purple glow.
No legendary gold. Kazuhiko was disappointed.
When he saw the familiar words "Shisui Exclusive," his breath caught.
Another Shisui exclusive!
And it was the very Body Flicker Technique that had made Shisui famous throughout the Shinobi World!
[Phantom Body Flicker—Shisui Exclusive (Purple)] [Description: The result of honing the Body Flicker Technique to its utmost limits. Combined with Shisui's own incredible speed, it transforms his Body Flicker Technique into the even more powerful Phantom Body Flicker. It leaves behind realistic afterimages, allowing the real body to instantly switch places with them. Each afterimage is solid and can attack just like the original.] [Rating: The pinnacle of Body Flicker.]
There was no need to say more about how powerful Phantom Body Flicker was.
This was the peerless Body Flicker Technique that had made Shisui famous throughout the Shinobi World, a speed that could rival the Flying Thunder God.
How could a man born between heaven and earth be content to remain beneath others forever?
From today onward, call me Body Flicker Kazuhiko!
[Shuriken Manipulation Technique (Green)] [Description: The Uchiha's signature technique. Uses Chakra Threads to control the flight paths of Kunai and Shuriken, allowing them to turn, pursue targets, or change direction with a wave of the hand. Combined with the Sharingan, it can hit any target within the user's line of sight with pinpoint accuracy.]
Its advantages were low cost and no chakra consumption. It was practically the ultimate technique for showing off.
But Kazuhiko couldn't imagine any ninja getting killed by Kunai or Shuriken.
[Basic Fire Style Chakra Nature Transformation (Green)] [Description: Increases the power of Fire Release techniques, making their forms more solid and giving them penetrating force.]
Chakra Nature Transformation was a prerequisite for learning all nature transformations.
The corresponding nature transformation could also increase the power of ninjutsu, making this a very useful green entry.
[Genjutsu Resistance (Green)] [Description: Increases mental resistance. Low- and mid-level Genjutsu will have a hard time affecting you.]
It was a life-saving entry, especially useful against Genjutsu specialists like the Jonin Kurenai Yuhi.
But it wasn't all that practical. When it came to Genjutsu, who could be stronger than an Uchiha with the Sharingan?
Kazuhiko rubbed his chin. Who would've guessed Shisui was a god of internal warfare?
[Body Flicker Proficiency (Green)] [Description: A standard Body Flicker Technique that allows rapid movement over short distances. Can be used to dodge, charge, or retreat.]
It was a basic skill for all ninjas, and Kazuhiko naturally knew it too.
But since this Body Flicker entry came from Shisui, he had to equip it and make it permanent!
[Mind Like Still Water (Green)] [Description: Suppresses emotional fluctuations and maintains absolute calm in battle; provides additional resistance to Genjutsu; reduces emotional interference when making decisions.] [Rating: An underrated god-tier support entry. Especially important for medical ninjas—your hands can't shake during surgery, and you can't lose your head in battle.]
After drawing so many of Shisui's willpower- and personality-related entries, this was the most useful one so far.
[Konoha-Style Taijutsu (Green)] [Description: Konoha's standard Taijutsu system, including basic punches and kicks, blocking, and dodging techniques. Enhances close-combat ability.]
It offered only a modest boost to combat ability. Ninjas with even a little family backing wouldn't bother learning it.
But Taijutsu entries had one advantage: they improved one's physical fitness to some extent.
So, the more entries of this kind, the better.
[Weapon Throwing Mastery (Green)] [Description: Greatly improves the accuracy of thrown weapons such as Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon, significantly increasing the hit rate against moving targets.]
It could work well alongside the Shuriken Manipulation Technique, but that was about it.
[Two-Tomoe Sharingan (Blue)] [Description: The Two-Tomoe Sharingan stage. Dynamic vision, Genjutsu amplification, copying ability, and hypnotic ability are all greatly enhanced. Its insight is also stronger, allowing you to clearly see high-speed movements, Hand Seals, and chakra flow; see through low- and mid-level Genjutsu; and predict the trajectories of attacks.]
He hadn't even had time to make the One-Tomoe Sharingan permanent, and now the Two-Tomoe Sharingan was already here.
Could life get any better?
Kazuhiko fought the urge to equip the entries right away and continued reading through the others.
[Shadow Clone Technique (Blue)] [Description: A B-rank ninjutsu that creates tangible chakra clones capable of acting independently. When a clone disperses, its memories return to the original. Suitable for accelerating training, gathering information, and coordinating tactics.]
It seemed like a B-rank technique, but in reality it was T0.
Shadow Clones could not only be used to cheat at training, but also to handle multiple tasks at once. Their strategic value far exceeded that of any other B-rank ninjutsu.
Kazuhiko stared at the packed column of entries in every color and found himself unable to choose.
"With so many entries, which one should I equip and make permanent first?"
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