Kazuhiko took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"I'm a genius! My train of thought is crystal clear!"
From a rational perspective:
As a Uchiha, the highest-priority trait for me right now is undoubtedly the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
It'll do the most to improve my strength and genjutsu, and it'll be a big help with my plans to awaken it further.
"So the first trait I'll try is..."
[Replace Trait: Sharingan: Single Tomoe (Green)]
[Equip Trait: Phantom Body Flicker: Shisui Exclusive (Purple)]
[Permanent Condition: Master the Body Flicker Technique. Awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Be able to sustain multiple tangible-feeling afterimages (more than ten) for a long time in a normal state.]
[Chakra: 0.8 cards]--[Chakra: 0.7 cards]
Kazuhiko paid no attention to the temporary changes on his panel, focusing instead on his new favorite trait.
"This permanent condition..." He didn't understand it.
How long was "a long time"?
What did it take to "sustain more than ten afterimages"?
If all he had to do was use the Body Flicker Technique to leave afterimages, any ninja could do that. It was as easy as breathing.
After all, the Body Flicker Technique was a required skill for every ninja graduate. No one could graduate without mastering it.
Based on Kazuhiko's current chakra reserves, the total distance he could cover by using the Body Flicker Technique repeatedly was enough to circle Konoha three times. The afterimages he left behind would be enough to surround the entire village.
Kazuhiko successfully equipped the trait, and [Phantom Body Flicker] was refined in an instant.
Memories and experience related to the Phantom Body Flicker Technique immediately surfaced in his mind.
That experience, of course, came from the number one genius, Shisui.
The next moment—
The bed, floor, ceiling, windows... The entire bedroom was filled with figures. Dozens of Uchiha Kazuhikos appeared at once.
Before he could take another step—
Every Kazuhiko bent over at the same time, sweat beading on their foreheads. They looked as if they'd been fished out of water, their clothes soaked through with cold sweat.
All the phantom Kazuhikos vanished, leaving only Kazuhiko himself sprawled on the bed, gasping for breath.
He was exhausted, like he'd pulled an all-nighter and worked a forty-eight-hour shift.
Kazuhiko didn't even want to move a finger.
Just now, using ten Phantom Body Flickers had felt less like performing a ninjutsu and more like completing a triathlon in a matter of seconds. His body had been utterly drained.
In less than three seconds, Kazuhiko was completely wiped out.
That made him start to doubt the trait's permanent condition.
"Sustaining ten Body Flicker afterimages for a long time clearly takes superhuman stamina. Is that even possible for a human?"
Thinking of the way Shisui used Phantom Body Flicker, Kazuhiko gritted his teeth.
"So that's how it is. You're a body guy!"
Starting today, he'd work out!
[Replace Trait: Phantom Body Flicker: Shisui Exclusive (Purple)]
[Equip Trait: Sharingan: Double Tomoe (Blue)]
[Permanent Condition: Master the abilities of the Sharingan and successfully copy a B-rank ninjutsu.]
[Chakra +0.2]--[Chakra: 0.9 cards]
The trait equipped successfully, and that familiar scorching sensation struck again. Kazuhiko's pupils trembled violently, and tears streamed down his face.
It hurt!
A searing pain!
He knew his eyes were being washed by ocular power, about to break out of their cocoon!
The next moment, the sensation of flames burning in his eyes faded, and two tomoe began to turn slowly within them.
The surge in ocular power made Kazuhiko's vision incredibly clear. Even his completely depleted stamina had recovered considerably, thanks to the hidden benefits of the Sharingan.
"The Sharingan really is better suited to the Uchiha baby constitution!"
Kazuhiko felt alive again, and his breathing gradually steadied.
A question immediately came to mind:
"What would happen to my Sharingan if I equipped both the Single-Tomoe and Double-Tomoe traits at the same time?"
"Would they clash? Stack? Or would I get a Two-Tomoe Plus with three spinning tomoe?"
[Replace Trait: Strongest Genius Eye Power (Purple)]
[Equip Trait: Sharingan: Single Tomoe (Green)]
[Equip Trait (2/2): Sharingan: Single Tomoe (Green), Sharingan: Three Tomoe (Blue)]
[Chakra: 0.9 cards]--[Chakra: 0.85 cards]
Before Kazuhiko could check how his Sharingan had changed, a sudden transformation occurred!
[Deep Blue] suddenly erupted in a dazzling light. The glimmers of the two Sharingan traits intertwined, wrapping around each other.
The green and blue traits were like two fish chasing each other, their heads and tails merging.
[Traits of the same kind equipped. Fusion conditions met.]
[Fusing traits...]
Kazuhiko narrowed his eyes.
Fusion?!
The two streams of light finally merged completely, transforming into an even more dazzling radiance.
[Trait fusion successful—]
The light faded, and a brand-new trait hovered in his mindscape—
[Sharingan: Perfect Double Tomoe (Deep Blue)]
[Description: The fused and advanced Sharingan will be even more powerful. Dynamic vision, genjutsu amplification, copying, and hypnosis have all been enhanced. Can copy advanced ninjutsu and see through intermediate and advanced genjutsu.]
[Evaluation: This perfect Double-Tomoe Sharingan has nothing to fear from even the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.]
[Chakra +0.1 cards]--[Chakra: 0.95 cards]
Soon, the strange phenomenon disappeared, and Kazuhiko's vision returned to normal.
"On par with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan..."
The increase in ocular power made his vision even clearer.
Looking at his reflection in the glass, he noticed that the tomoe in the center of his pupils had become more distinct.
And with the two tomoe arranged symmetrically, they gave him a sense of "perfection," as if this were the Sharingan's ultimate form.
[Deep Blue] sent another prompt:
[Hidden Function Unlocked: Trait Fusion and Advancement]
[Traits of the same kind can be fused with each other. After fusion, their quality improves and their effects become more powerful.]
Kazuhiko let out a long breath.
You could've told me this was possible sooner!
He immediately scanned all his traits, searching for combinations that might meet the fusion conditions—
[Equipped Traits (2/2): Sharingan: Perfect Double Tomoe, Strongest Genius Eye Power: Shisui Exclusive]
The two traits showed no sign of fusing.
"Rationally speaking, these two traits should definitely be able to fuse. After all, they both came from Shisui."
Could the Double-Tomoe Sharingan not measure up?
That was likely. The permanent condition for the strongest ocular power was to awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
A perfect Double-Tomoe was still just a Double-Tomoe.
Kazuhiko shook his head and looked for other combinations.
[Equipped Traits (2/2): Taijutsu: Konoha-Style Taijutsu (Green), Uchiha Style Taijutsu (Green)]
[Traits of the same kind equipped. Fusing...]
Sure enough, they could fuse!
The Uchiha and Konoha styles of taijutsu had the same origins, so it wasn't surprising that they could be fused.
[Trait fusion successful—]
[Taijutsu: Uchiha-Konoha Style Mastery (Deep Green)]
[Description: Mastering both Konoha and Uchiha-style taijutsu, you have combined the best of both. Your speed, strikes, and taijutsu will become even more formidable.]
[Permanent Condition: Master basic taijutsu and become proficient in both Uchiha-style and Konoha-style taijutsu.]
Keep going!
[Equipped Traits (2/2): Shuriken Manipulation Technique (Green), Ninja Tool Throwing Proficiency (Green)]
[...]
[Fusion successful—]
[Hidden Weapon Master (Deep Green)]
[Description: Kunai, shuriken, senbon, and other weapons become deadly weapons in your hands. You can use Chakra Threads to control ninja tools at will, killing without a trace.]
"Trait fusion and advancement..."
Kazuhiko murmured to himself, his eyes shining with excitement.
Trait fusion and advancement gave even originally useless traits the chance to become valuable and turn into rare traits worth equipping permanently.
Trait fusion represented infinite possibilities.
"Let's try some other traits!"
Before you continue