Draw Card! Dragon?!?

"It's fine. You're quite straightforward, kid. Qiuyan, what do you say?"

Seeing the fluid motion with which Uchiha Gen sheathed his blade, Setsuna Uchiha curled the corner of his mouth and spoke with a smile to Uchiha Qiuyan, who was walking forward.

"Hold onto it well and defend the glory that belongs to our Uchiha."

Looking at Uchiha Gen, a smile appeared on Uchiha Qiuyan's face.

"I will."

Gently stroking the scabbard with his thumb, Uchiha Gen nodded in response.

Displaying one's strength, having it valued by those in power, and then securing investment.

At this stage, this was the most stable path Uchiha Gen could conceive, and looking at it now, the results were excellent.

"Young Master Gen's talent is truly terrifying. The Fire Style you just used seemed to have a faster attack speed than the Dragon Fire Technique. Come to think of it, with your current strength, you could already graduate early and carry out missions."

The Uchiha ninja who had served as Uchiha Gen's test opponent walked up at this moment, looking at Uchiha Gen as he spoke softly.

"No interest. Since I have the rare opportunity to spend a few more years training to become stronger, why would I choose to graduate early and take on those thankless missions?"

Looking at the blood-stained Uchiha ninja, Uchiha Gen replied with a smile.

"...That is true. What Gen lacks most right now is time to grow. Gen, this is Ganghuo. He is the captain of the guard squad I have arranged for you. With his strength and that of the others, there will be no problem protecting your safety."

Upon hearing this, Setsuna Uchiha fell silent for a moment before nodding slightly. He then gestured toward Ganghuo Uchiha—the ninja who had tested Uchiha Gen—and introduced him.

Although in his heart, Setsuna Uchiha would have preferred for Uchiha Gen to graduate early and ruthlessly suppress that Senju orphan, he respected Uchiha Gen's own decision.

"Many thanks, Elder Setsuna. Senior Ganghuo, sorry for the trouble."

Without refusing Setsuna Uchiha's good intentions, Uchiha Gen gladly accepted the protection offered.

Not utilizing the conveniences of a ninja clan would be the act of a fool, especially since Konoha was not absolutely safe in the shadows.

Uchiha Gen did not want to gamble on the chance that others wouldn't make a move against him.

"It's getting late, so you should head back and rest first. I've already arranged for people to move all your belongings from your previous room over. If you're still missing anything, just let Ganghuo and the others handle it."

"Understood."

Mist Space.

Familiar cards of various colors danced in the sky.

He had not yet found the time to use the D-rank card pool draw he had obtained after defeating Hyuga Hiashi during the day.

"I hope it's not white."

Watching the colorful cards fluttering in the sky, Uchiha Gen raised his hand.

Snap!

As the sound of his finger-snap faded, all the cards instantly exploded, and countless crystalline rays of light flowed forth.

Amidst the brilliant radiance, a hint of blue quietly emerged.

Seeing that flash of blue, a trace of excitement flickered in the depths of Uchiha Gen's eyes.

A blue card!!!!

He had pulled a B-rank card from a D-rank pool!!!!

A 0.1% probability, and he had actually pulled it off!!!

Without hesitation, Uchiha Gen reached out to take the card. As he looked up, he saw an orange-red figure imprinted upon it.

The moment Uchiha Gen grasped the card, its information immediately became clear in his mind.

Rare: Charmander

Source World: Anime - [Pokemon]

Card Category: Summon

Description: The Fire-type starter Pokemon most suitable for novice trainers in the Kanto region of the Pokemon world. Pokemon are a unique species that possess magical powers, also known as Pocket Monsters.

"Charmander? So... the dream I had as a child has now been realized in the ninja world?"

Holding the card, Uchiha Gen murmured softly as he looked at the pattern of Charmander bathing in flames.

"Come to think of it, most Pokemon skills can rival rule-based abilities, and their growth cycles are extremely short. If this Charmander's talent is sufficient..."

As he spoke, Uchiha Gen squeezed his hand, and the card shattered instantly.

The next moment, a cute creature with an orange body and a flame burning at the tip of its tail appeared before Uchiha Gen.

"Char!"

The moment Charmander appeared, it immediately began to run happily around Uchiha Gen.

"Well then... I'll be counting on you from now on."

Watching Charmander darting around him, Uchiha Gen reached out to gently pat its head and spoke with a smile.

"Char!"

Time flowed by.

On the playground of the Ninja Academy, Ino Sarutobi was leading the students through their practical combat exams.

A year had passed since enrollment, and during this time, Uchiha Gen's classmates had successively contributed D-rank gacha draws to him.

Among them, Minato Namikaze had contributed one C-rank gacha draw.

It was precisely because of this instance that Uchiha Gen fully grasped the mechanics of the Mist Space: when a ninja's strength reached a new level, a new opportunity to obtain gacha draws would manifest from them.

In other words, as long as a person's strength continued to improve, Uchiha Gen could harvest gacha draws of every rank from that single individual.

Over this past year, Uchiha Gen had also defeated quite a few ninjas within the Uchiha clan, earning him a fair number of C-rank gacha draws as well.

It was a pity, however, that it seemed as if all his luck had been exhausted on Charmander; in the subsequent draws, Uchiha Gen had not obtained many good items.

"Next group! Uchiha Gen versus Minato Namikaze!"

Standing in the center of the training ground, Ino Sarutobi held a clipboard and called out sternly, the document recording all the match results.

"Gen, it looks like we're sparring again. How are we doing this this time?"

Hearing his name, Minato Namikaze turned his head toward Uchiha Gen, who had his eyes closed, and spoke softly.

"Same as last time. Pure taijutsu. I'll dodge and you try to catch me; if you touch me even once, you win."

Stopping his focused practice of Qi to let it circulate through his body on its own, Uchiha Gen opened his eyes and replied quietly.

"Alright."

Minato Namikaze nodded.

As the two stepped onto the stage, the surrounding students were filled with excitement, constantly cheering Minato Namikaze on, hoping that he might win this time.

Although everyone knew that the two were on good terms and that Minato Namikaze was no match for Uchiha Gen, what if? What if Minato Namikaze just happened to have a breakthrough this time?