Life was like a small river—at times surging with roaring waves, at others calm and still. No matter what, it kept flowing forward as it always had.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Taiichi's life during that time had been just as plain yet fulfilling, with every day packed according to his plans. During school breaks, he would also invite his companions out for picnics and outings.
It was worth mentioning that after several months of study, Taiichi had not only learned the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique and Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, but had also begun studying Medical Ninjutsu under Nonō and Tsunade's guidance. He had mastered his first medical ninjutsu, Healing Technique, thereby unlocking Wind Release Nature Transformation and Yang Release Nature Transformation.
Speaking of Tsunade, she had given Taiichi quite a surprise. Ever since Taiichi had treated her to a meal he cooked himself as thanks, Tsunade had started dropping by his house every few days to mooch meals. Sometimes, she even brought Shizune along.
She did not ask him to prepare anything special for her. Whatever Taiichi ate, she ate too, claiming that she was ensuring her partner's safety and preventing anyone from causing Taiichi trouble over those shares.
Though that sounded somewhat reasonable, how should he put it—she was just shamelessly freeloading.
Still, this was genuinely a good thing for Taiichi. Tsunade was one of the Sannin, the Hokage's disciple, and the First Hokage's granddaughter. She was one of Konoha's most influential figures. With such a powerful patron behind him, Taiichi could do anything with far more confidence. Not to mention that Tsunade herself was a treasure trove.
By now, Taiichi's abilities had also changed drastically:
Name: Taichi Matsushita Class: Genin Lv6 (547/1000) Talents: Diligence Makes Up for Mediocrity, Academic Overachiever Age: 6 Physique: 13 Strength: 15 Agility: 13 Spirit: 20 Chakra: 3000 (5350) Attribute Points: 9 Skill Points: 9 Fire Nature Transformation Lv2 (64/200) Wind Release Nature Transformation Lv2 (35/200) Yang Release Nature Transformation Lv2 (12/200) Skills: Basic Taijutsu Lv8 (1053/1400), Basic Meditation Lv8 (1148/1400), Chakra Refinement Technique Lv8 (1186/1400), Ninja Tool Throwing Lv7 (647/1200), Transformation Technique Lv6 (515/1000), Clone Technique Lv7 (537/1200), Substitution Technique Lv6 (853/1000), Fire Style: Flame Bullet Lv6 (256/1000), Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Lv6 (836/1000), Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Lv6 (648/1000), Healing Technique Lv6 (873/1000) Evaluation: You were no inferior to some veteran Genin.
After four months of comparison, especially after getting to know Tsunade, Taiichi had gained a thorough understanding of the strength of ninja at every rank. He no longer had to rely solely on his own guesses, allowing him to more accurately compare his own strength, panel data, and ninja rank.
First came physical attributes. The average attribute value for a normal person was 10. Every additional point was not a linear increase, but roughly a 1.1-fold improvement over one's current physical condition. Take strength, for example. A punch with 10 Strength carried roughly 100 kilograms of force. At 11 Strength, it would be 110 kilograms; at 12, 121 kilograms; and at 13, 133 kilograms.
In other words, the further one progressed, the greater the improvement brought by each attribute point. The Attribute Points Taiichi had saved would therefore become increasingly valuable later on. Of course, every attribute reflected overall physical quality and could not be compared from a single aspect alone.
For ordinary Chunin and Genin, only Strength and Agility were required. As long as those two attributes met the standard, one's physical condition was considered qualified. But becoming a Jonin was not simply about Strength and Agility. For an ordinary Jonin, at least one of Physique or Spirit had to reach 20 points.
That was the true value of a Jonin. It was also why there were so many Chunin and Genin, while the number of Jonin dropped off a cliff. Every Jonin was a precious asset to the village.
Compared to the straightforward nature of Attribute Points, Chakra growth was much more complicated. Taiichi still had not figured out the exact formula behind it. He could only say that increases in Physique and Spirit had a decisive effect on Chakra Quantity, while Strength and Agility had relatively little influence. After all, Chakra was originally formed by combining physical energy and spiritual energy.
However, Taiichi was certain that Kekkei Genkai definitely provided a bonus to a ninja's Chakra Quantity. Otherwise, how could ninja like Senju Hashirama possess Chakra comparable to, or even exceeding, that of a Tailed Beast?
For Taiichi, the value displayed on his panel represented the Chakra currently stored in his body. The upper limit of this portion depended on his Chakra Refinement Technique training and the limit of what his Physique could withstand. The value in parentheses was the maximum safe amount of Chakra he could extract on his own each day, a comprehensive reflection of all his physical attributes. Naturally, it did not include the Chakra his body slowly recovered on its own.
At present, Taiichi could store a maximum of 3,000 points of Chakra, already exceeding the minimum Genin standard of 2,000 points. His maximum daily Chakra extraction was 5,350 points. For a student his age, that was absolutely exceptional.
Next came skills. For Taiichi, the two most important special skills were Basic Taijutsu and Basic Meditation. Both could enhance his physical attributes, while the level of Basic Taijutsu more directly reflected his Taijutsu combat ability. Based on what he currently knew, Basic Taijutsu Lv1-5 was considered laying the foundation, Lv6-8 represented Genin-level combat strength, and Lv9-10 represented Chunin-level combat strength.
As for other ninjutsu skills, the higher their levels and proficiency, the faster they could be performed and the lower their consumption. The power of a ninjutsu, aside from its inherent might, was determined by the level of the user's Nature Transformation.
That was the main reason why the same ninjutsu could produce vastly different results in the hands of different ninja.
Overall, Taiichi's comprehensive abilities were more than enough for a Genin. What he lacked now was theoretical accumulation and practical combat experience. After all, those things required time to build up; having a panel alone was not enough.
Thinking of this, Taiichi could not help recalling a certain ninjutsu—the Shadow Clone Technique, or even the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Compared with other Clone Techniques, the greatest feature of Shadow Clones was that when they dispersed, they returned their memories to the original body. That absurd ability was what gave Naruto Uzumaki his cheat-like learning capacity in the future.
But what saddened Taiichi was that when he asked Nonō and even Tsunade about this ninjutsu, they both refused him on the grounds that he was still too young and that learning it was too dangerous. Forget the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique—even the Shadow Clone Technique was not taught to him. Though they truly meant well for Taiichi, it still left him deeply frustrated.
Without the support of Shadow Clones, Taiichi could only rely on himself to study and train bit by bit.
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