Fuma Shuriken

[Uchiha Itachi (Ninja Rookie)]

[Skills: Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique, Shuriken Manipulation Technique, Body Flicker Technique, Shadow Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, Transformation Technique]

The skills on a Ninja Card were determined by how the ninja performed in the Naruto mobile game. Since this ninja only used these skills in the game, they were all Akiyama Shun could obtain.

Furthermore, a Ninja Card only took effect while equipped.

This state was a lot like Kamen Rider Decade. Only when he switched to the corresponding card could he use the corresponding ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, and the like.

However, if Akiyama Shun learned a ninjutsu or Kekkei Genkai himself, he could use it regardless of which card he had equipped.

He could even take advantage of having learned ninjutsu in advance to work backward through the process and quickly master new techniques.

The moment he equipped this card, Akiyama Shun felt his hands become much more nimble. He knew Uchiha Itachi's shuriken-throwing technique was taking effect.

Then there were the chakra circulation patterns and hand seals for the various ninjutsu that [Uchiha Itachi (Ninja Rookie)] knew. They seemed to be etched into Akiyama Shun's DNA. All he had to do was think about using a particular technique, and the relevant chakra would begin to flow on its own.

The strongest of these skills was Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique. After all, it was a B-rank ninjutsu, a proper Jōnin-level technique. But at the same time, it was also the least practical. Akiyama Shun knew his own chakra reserves well enough.

By his current estimate, even one small fire dragon would probably drain him dry.

Well, he was a little envious of people who could use it seven times in a day.

The most practical skill was Shuriken Manipulation Technique. It used no chakra and could clearly boost his combat strength.

Most importantly, drawing this card had come with a thoughtful bonus: a sealing scroll containing a Fuma Shuriken.

The first character in the name of the technique was the most important. As it happened, there was a hole in the middle of the Fuma Shuriken.

So it was obvious what that hole was for.

That's right—it was for tying on a wire.

The principle of Shuriken Manipulation Technique was to use wire to control shuriken more effectively.

Since the Fuma Shuriken had come free with the card, Akiyama Shun had saved himself quite a bit of money. All he needed to buy now were some ordinary shuriken and wire.

"Hmm..."

Akiyama Shun suddenly realized that, following this logic, if he drew a ninja with the Sharingan in the future, would the card come with a Sharingan, too? And if he drew [Uchiha Obito (Six Paths Mode)]...

Never mind. That was still a long way off.

"Shun? What are you thinking about?"

Yuhi Kurenai waved her little hand in front of Akiyama Shun.

"Ah, I was thinking about what'll happen after we start school."

Akiyama Shun came back to himself and smiled at Yuhi Kurenai.

"Don't think about that now! It's already time for lunch. Let's hurry and find my father so we can tell him the good news! And then... Oh, I can't tell you that yet."

Halfway through, Yuhi Kurenai remembered what had happened earlier. She quickly covered her mouth, then smiled at Akiyama Shun before taking his hand and pulling him toward her home.

"I'm not going to run away. You don't have to hold on so tight."

Yuhi Kurenai pulled Akiyama Shun along, and he found himself in an even better mood.

Sure enough, spending time with an older woman really did make a person happy.

The two of them jogged to Yuhi Kurenai's house in no time.

Her home was a large estate in the center of Konoha. When they arrived, Yuhi Shinku seemed to have just gotten home as well.

Yuhi Kurenai rushed over and rubbed her head against Yuhi Shinku.

"Father!"

Yuhi Shinku fondly ruffled his daughter's hair, then looked at Akiyama Shun.

"Shun, you're here too. Come in and eat with us. I saw your results—they're excellent. Let's celebrate today."

Yuhi Shinku liked Akiyama Shun. Though he was an orphan without any connections, Yuhi Shinku didn't care about that. Shun was smart and hardworking, and he had already learned to refine chakra before starting school. Calling him a genius was no exaggeration.

What was more, Shun got along well with his daughter. Yuhi Shinku was happy to look out for him in their daily lives.

"Sorry for the trouble, Lord Shinku."

Dinner was a seafood feast. At the table, Yuhi Kurenai took the opportunity to wheedle Yuhi Shinku. "Father, I want to be in the same class as Shun."

Yuhi Shinku paused, then laughed. "Ha ha ha! You don't have to ask me about that. With your grades and Shun's, you'll naturally be placed in the same class."

"Really? That's great!"

Yuhi Kurenai raised both hands in excitement and made a little celebratory gesture.

Akiyama Shun and Yuhi Shinku watched her with amused smiles.

Akiyama Shun thoroughly enjoyed the meal. He was practically broke, and he couldn't have afforded a meal like this even if he'd emptied his entire savings.

After dinner, Akiyama Shun returned home. He stood by the window, feeling the night breeze as he began to sort out his plans.

First and foremost was the biggest problem: the impending Ninja World War!

If he remembered correctly, the Third Shinobi World War would begin in about four or five years.

It would be a real meat grinder. To prepare for the fighting, some Ninja Academy students would even graduate early and head straight to the front lines. And the matchmaking there was even more brutal than in the Naruto mobile game. It really was possible to graduate early from the academy and run into the A-Bee Duo in your very first battle.

With his current strength, his odds of surviving weren't great. If he wanted to rapidly improve his combat abilities over the next few years, he had to make good use of his cheat—drawing cards!

Drawing cards required coins. The fastest way to earn coins was to rank up quickly, which meant...

Graduating from the Ninja Academy as fast as possible and becoming a Genin!

Once he became a Genin, his monthly stipend would rise to 1,600, and his daily sign-in rewards would increase to 60 coins!

That came to twenty draws a month!

It was a world of difference from what he got now.

He was already qualified to graduate early, but if he applied now, the school would reject him without even giving it a second thought.

There was only one reason: he hadn't studied the Will of Fire!

Without learning that, there was no chance of graduating. That was how the system worked.

On top of that, he had no connections, and his talent hadn't been impressive enough.

Akiyama Shun knew exactly how Yuhi Shinku saw him. He was already grateful that Yuhi Shinku was willing to look out for him. He didn't expect to trouble him in other ways, so that didn't count as having connections.

As for talent, his past performance could be called genius-level, but it still wasn't enough. Even Kakashi's early graduation had only been permitted because several factors had come together, including White Fang's death and the approaching war.

He didn't have a "heroic father who died" buff. If he wanted to graduate early, he would have to show far more terrifying talent!

In other words, to graduate early, he had to study the Will of Fire and, in a short time, display talent so overwhelming that he left every other student at the Ninja Academy in the dust!