Building a Combat System

Mo Jingxian walked side by side with Minato Namikaze through the streets of Konoha, the light from the storefronts spilling over the windows and doors to pave the street ahead.

Three figures approached from the opposite direction.

Fugaku Uchiha seemed to have been waiting specifically for Minato.

"Minato-kun, thank you very much for your understanding. Please, do me the honor of stepping inside for a chat."

It turned out that, without realizing it, the two had already arrived near the Uchiha compound.

"It is too late today, so I shall not intrude. I will visit Clan Head Fugaku tomorrow morning as scheduled."

Having received the answer he wanted, Fugaku did not press the matter further.

"Very well. This Humble One will certainly sweep the mats and welcome Minato-kun's arrival tomorrow."

With a polite bow, Fugaku shifted his gaze to the youth beside Minato.

"Uchiha Xian, from this day forward, you have no further connection to the Uchiha clan. I hope you conduct yourself well."

"Please call me—Mo Jingxian."

The youth curled his lip, clearly disdainful of the hypocritical lecture.

"Clan Head Fugaku, please do not get the name wrong next time; it is very impolite."

He had taken this opportunity to reclaim the name from his past life; he had no need for the Uchiha surname anyway.

In truth, everyone knew perfectly well that he was merely a scapegoat, yet no one had expected the youth's choice to be so decisive.

"Audacious!"

The guards behind Fugaku cried out in indignation, their eyes fixed on Xian with clear malice.

The atmosphere suddenly turned tense.

"My audacity has always been quite large; Big Brother Minato can attest to that."

Mo Jingxian confronted them without a hint of fear, his eyes narrowed as he flicked his gaze toward their vital points.

Fugaku waved his hand in time to stop them.

"Stand down!"

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

The minor disturbance came to an abrupt end. Fugaku nodded toward Minato and turned to leave with crisp efficiency.

Not bad, another two points of reputation gained; Xian didn't mind the small amount.

The two walked through the long street and arrived near Minato's home.

On both sides of the street were rows of two-story wooden buildings, mostly inhabited by ninja.

Minato pointed to a detached house: "What do you think?"

"It's quite good."

Come to think of it, since Xian had been expelled from the clan, his original house had naturally been reclaimed.

For a period just recently, Xian had become a homeless wanderer.

Fortunately, Minato had gifted him this detached residence—well, one couldn't exactly call it a gift.

According to Minato, the compensation from Fugaku should have included a share for him, and he had given Xian a ten-percent stake in two mines.

This house was to be considered an advance on those dividends.

A ten-percent dividend would bring him an annual income of 2.5 million ryo, equivalent to the earnings of two S-rank missions.

From this point on, he was tied to Minato's war chariot.

Xian did not resist this; when you're out in the world, you need a background.

Parting ways with Minato, Xian used his key to open the door.

It was decent; all the daily necessities were provided, ready for him to move in immediately.

Without realizing it, his favorable impression of Minato had increased significantly.

After entering the house, he didn't rush to inspect the rooms. Mo Jingxian placed his backpack by a chair and sat down quietly.

Moonlight filtered through the lattice windows onto the floor, and a few winter jasmines on the windowsill swayed in the evening breeze.

He reviewed the sequence of events, pondering how he should take his next steps.

The crisis had not yet been resolved; although he had broken free from the quagmire of the Uchiha, he was now caught between the power struggle of both sides.

A single misstep could plunge him into a lethal crisis.

Fortunately, he had finally managed to connect with Minato Namikaze.

One was looking to defect, the other was willing to recruit; the two sides had hit it off immediately.

With Minato's endorsement, he imagined that Yashiro Uchiha and Danzo would not go too far; they still had to give Minato some face.

Now that Mo Jingxian was branded with Minato's label, he could be considered as standing firmly within the camp of the Hokage faction.

Therefore, whoever intends to move against him must first consider their own standing.

Before the Third Great Ninja War arrives, he has secured one year of time for himself.

Time is what he lacks most right now; as long as he can grow, then... problems will no longer be problems.

Ultimately, strength is the foundation of everything.

After straightening out his thoughts, Mo Jingxian rose to pack his belongings.

Before setting out, he had already packed his essential items.

He opened the bundle and took them out one by one, laying them on the table.

Three scrolls, one ninja blade, some scattered ninja tools, a full set of carving tools, and thirty thousand ryo in cash.

This was the entirety of Mo Jingxian's current possessions.

It was a pity he couldn't bring his wood carvings with him.

He noted this grudge; one day, he would make that old geezer Yashiro deliver them to him personally.

The shift in identity, the reshuffling of power systems, and the complex relationships—he needed to adapt to all of it.

The next day.

Having slept for only four hours, Mo Jingxian rose early to seize the time and purchase supplies.

After spending the better part of the day, his new home finally started to look like one.

As the sun dipped toward the west, he timed it perfectly and knocked on the door of Minato Namikaze's house, carrying a gift.

Kushina opened the door and was startled to see him.

"Why is it you!"

"I'm here to see Big Brother Minato. Is he home?"

Mo Jingxian raised his hand, gesturing to the cake he was holding.

"At least you're a smart kid. Come in."

Kushina led him into the house; her brash personality was not entirely unlikable.

"Jingxian is here. Just in time for dinner. Sit and wait a moment, and taste my cooking."

Minato emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron, looking every bit the domestic family man.

"Then I'm in for a treat. I'll definitely get a taste of Big Brother Minato's cooking today."

"Such a young kid, yet so smooth-tongued."

Kushina gave him an honest assessment as she opened the cake box.

"Why isn't this a strawberry cake? Remember to buy strawberry next time."

"Uh, that... I'll keep it in mind for next time."

Minato gave him an apologetic look before turning back to the kitchen.

"Kid, tell me, why do you want to learn sealing jutsu?"

Kushina had always been this way, direct and straightforward.

Mo Jingxian rubbed his nose and answered truthfully.

"I feel that sealing jutsu isn't part of the same system as ninjutsu, so I want to study it. Perhaps it's just a hobby."

He wasn't lying; he had felt this way back in his past life while watching clips of the Hokage series.

Sealing jutsu that could seal heaven and earth didn't look like ninjutsu at all; it could be said to be a system unto itself.

"A hobby, huh?"

Kushina muttered to herself, lost in thought, and lost interest in further conversation.

Minato's cooking was excellent, and Mo Jingxian successfully enjoyed a sumptuous dinner.

After they were full, Minato took the initiative to ask.

"Speak up, what did you come to see me about?"

Mo Jingxian was indeed asking for a favor this time, so he didn't beat around the bush.

"Big Brother Minato, what do you think of my Water Python Technique?"

"It is a very interesting technique. My evaluation of it is that it is excellent."

"If I voluntarily hand it over, what kind of ninjutsu can I exchange it for?"

Minato was not surprised and replied candidly:

"It wouldn't be difficult to rate your technique as A-rank. If you exchange it... according to the rules, you can exchange it for another A-rank ninjutsu."

"I possess water, earth, and wind chakra natures. Big Brother Minato, which ninjutsu do you think would be most helpful for me?"

Mo Jingxian threw the question to Minato, who thought for a moment before providing an answer.

"Water Body Flicker Technique, Water Substitution Technique, and perhaps Wind Release: Vacuum Blade."

Perhaps noticing the confusion of Mo Jingxian, Minato continued to offer his own insights.

"The Body Flicker Technique goes without saying, and the Water Replacement is better suited for your combat system. As for the Wind Release: Vacuum Blade, that is a jutsu to increase your attack power; its characteristics are low consumption and high lethality. As for the difficulty of learning it, I believe it won't stump you."

The eye of an elite jonin was truly unique; these three jutsu were indeed the shortcomings Mo Jingxian currently needed to address most.

Combining this with the information Mo Jingxian knew about the Hokage world, he knew Minato was not deceiving him.

The Water Body Flicker and Water Replacement were the signature techniques of Hanzo of the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure.

Whether a jutsu is powerful depends on the user's understanding of it, such as Madara's Majestic Destroyer Flame.

And Wind Release: Vacuum Blade was the state that Asuma would later explain to Naruto, where chakra nature transformation is used to coat a weapon and increase its cutting power.

It had to be said that Konoha's collection of jutsu was peerless throughout the ninja world, so it was only logical that geniuses emerged one after another.

"Mm, I'll listen to you, Brother Minato."

Mo Jingxian nodded in agreement and handed the Water Python Technique scroll he had prepared long ago to Minato.

After talking for a while longer, he took the initiative to bid farewell.

Just as Mo Jingxian was about to leave, Kushina called out to him and suddenly tossed him a scroll.

"Kid, if you can't learn this within a year, don't ever say you're interested in sealing jutsu again!"

Without giving him a chance to thank her, Kushina returned upstairs after doing so.

Mo Jingxian caught the scroll, on the cover of which were inscribed five characters.

"Five Elements Seal"

Touching the delicate texture of the paper, a surge of gratitude welled up in his heart.

He bowed deeply, marking this favor in his mind to be repaid in the future.

Three days later.

Minato handed the three jutsu scrolls to Mo Jingxian, and from that moment on, his combat system took shape.

For the past three days, he had been studying the Five Elements Seal.

As he had suspected, this technique was fundamentally different from the current system of jutsu.

He had gained a slight awareness of this through his Water Element Mastery, but he could not yet perform it.

"It seems I am truly no genius."

Temporarily setting aside the study of sealing jutsu, he poured all his energy into practicing his new techniques.

Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, April arrived.

The Ninja Academy welcomed a new batch of students once again, and Mo Jingxian successfully advanced to the fifth grade.

This vacation had been fulfilling; not only had Mo Jingxian's strength increased greatly, but his relationship with Minato and Kushina had also grown closer.

Mo Jingxian returned to the Ninja Academy, looking at the new students with faces full of anticipation, and felt a moment of emotion.

He wondered how many of them would be able to survive in this cruel ninja world in the future.

Through observation, Mo Jingxian noticed that the number of ninjas active on the streets had decreased significantly over the past month.

The smiles of the villagers were also gradually turning into tension.

Even the pedestrians walking on the streets were mostly hurrying along.

The wind was rising, and the storm was about to break.

The shadow of war loomed over Konoha, and that very afternoon, Mo Jingxian stepped into the classroom of the Ninja Academy.

He scanned the room; the future elites of Konoha were sitting in their seats, chatting and playing.

Might Guy, Asuma, Obito Uchiha...

As the former disgrace of the Uchiha, his arrival did not attract anyone's attention.

Mo Jingxian walked directly to the podium.

"Knock, knock!"

He tapped the blackboard twice, drawing everyone's gaze.

"Hello, everyone!"

Everyone stared at the person standing on the podium, not understanding what he intended to do.

"The Uchiha surname has been discarded by me. From now on, please call me... Mo Jingxian."

No one spoke; the classroom, which had been noisy just a moment ago, became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Is it not working? Mo Jingxian was a little disappointed; the reputation panel had not refreshed.

Just as he returned to his seat, he noticed his reputation points had increased by 1.

[Reputation from Obito Uchiha +1]