Given Minato Namikaze's talent, if I took the initiative to interfere with his growth now, could I speed up his progress and use him as a source of extra card draws?
For a moment, countless ideas suddenly sprang into Uchiha Gen's mind.
But for now...
"Next."
Hokage Office.
Click.
The door to the Hokage Office opened with a soft click.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and frowned at the person entering.
A man with bandages wrapped around his head, covering one eye, and an X-shaped scar on his chin strode in with a somber expression.
"Hiruzen, see for yourself."
Without any report or small talk, Shimura Danzō simply placed a scroll on the Hokage's desk, his expression grim.
"Land of Whirlpools..."
Apparently quite familiar with Shimura Danzō, Hiruzen Sarutobi paid no mind to his rudeness. He merely reached out, picked up the scroll, and began to read.
As he read the information on the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow furrowed.
"From the intelligence I've received, Kumogakure, several other shinobi villages, and multiple minor villages have formed an alliance. They've made no effort to hide their target: the Land of Whirlpools.
"What's more, they must have orders from those daimyō. Otherwise, with the Third Raikage's temperament, he would never share a prize as large as the Land of Whirlpools with anyone else. Hiruzen, what do you intend to do?"
Shimura Danzō looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and spoke in a grave tone.
"...This is troublesome. Let's pretend we don't know anything about it for now. I'll go see Lady Mito later."
Hiruzen Sarutobi closed the scroll, took a deep drag from his pipe, and spoke with some resignation.
The matter of the Land of Whirlpools involved too much. Konoha simply couldn't get involved.
"You made the right choice. Still, we need to prepare in advance. You should know the state Lady Mito's health is in. As for the Nine-Tails..."
Shimura Danzō's eyes flashed with satisfaction at Hiruzen Sarutobi's response, then he continued.
"I know. I'll discuss the Nine-Tails with Lady Mito. Anything else? If not, go back and get some rest."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at Shimura Danzō and spoke in a low voice.
"There is one more thing."
"Go on."
"About the Anbu Training Department I mentioned earlier. I need some people."
"Handle it as you see fit, but don't go too far."
"Understood."
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Shimura Danzō leave. His furrowed brow still hadn't relaxed, and his expression remained unchanged. Only the pipe between his lips glowed faintly, its ember brightening and dimming.
At home in the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Uchiha Gen silently pushed open the door. The empty house was completely dark. He switched on the light and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower.
The battles at school had earned Uchiha Gen three D-rank card draws. Minato Namikaze and Hizashi Hyuga had each provided one, and the last had come from a child of the Aburame Clan. As for everyone else, including this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho and the children of the other clans, their strength hadn't been recognized by Mist Space.
"Wait, what was his name again?"
Uchiha Gen suddenly froze as he washed.
After his shower, Uchiha Gen went to his bed, sat cross-legged, and let his consciousness sink into his mental space.
Inside Mist Space.
Uchiha Gen's figure appeared. Unlike the first time, when only gray mist had remained after his draw, countless blue, green, and white cards now swirled overhead.
There were more white cards than any other kind, with green cards coming in second.
"New draws. I hope they bring me a surprise."
Looking at the countless cards circling him, Uchiha Gen gently raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
The next moment, all the spinning cards abruptly stopped, as if someone had hit pause.
Boom!
With a soft burst, every card exploded into sparkling fragments. It was as if crystalline rain had begun to fall throughout Mist Space. At the center of that shimmering downpour, Uchiha Gen excitedly studied the three cards hovering before him.
Two green and one white.
His three chances to draw from the D-rank pool had brought him two C-rank cards!
"Taking a bath before drawing really works."
Uchiha Gen reached out and took the three cards floating before him. Their information immediately became clear to him.
The first card.
Superior: Thunder Breathing
World of Origin: Anime—Demon Slayer
Card Category: Swordsmanship Breathing Style
Description: One of the five basic breathing styles, renowned for its speed and explosive power. Users need to have exceptional physical conditioning. Its defining feature is gathering strength in the legs, then unleashing it in an instant to achieve extremely high-speed movement and attacks. Its techniques are said to be as swift as lightning, allowing the user to break through an enemy's defenses with force and inflict a fatal blow.
(The swordsmanship in Demon Slayer is just a visual effect and has no elemental properties.)
The second card.
Superior: Flame Slash
World of Origin: Game—Roco Kingdom
Card Category: Move
Description: A move wielded by Ember, one of the three Starter Pokémon in the Roco Kingdom game. The user channels its own energy to shape flames into a tangible blade that slices through the target and deals damage.
The third card.
Common: Strike
World of Origin: Game—Slay the Spire 2
Card Type: One-time attack card.
Description: Contains a regular attack from a randomly chosen character in Slay the Spire 2. After use, the target's HP is reduced by 6.
"Thunder Breathing and a Fire-type move. Not bad."
Uchiha Gen looked at the three cards in his hand and gave them a light squeeze. The cards containing Thunder Breathing sword techniques and the Flame Slash skill immediately turned into streaks of light and flowed into his body.
In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Gen had mastered the various Thunder Breathing sword techniques and Flame Slash. All that remained was to build up his proficiency.
As for the remaining white card, since it was a one-time use card of white quality, Uchiha Gen simply ignored it.
"Now that I have sword techniques... I suppose I need to get a sword."
Night fell at Uchiha Gen's home.
Uchiha Gen, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed and practicing the Golden Light Spell, opened his eyes and looked toward the door. A golden glint flashed across his pupils and vanished.
Knock, knock, knock.
A soft knock echoed through the quiet night.
Before you continue