Water Release!!!!

When Shiro returned to the inn, only Shikaki was there. Nakamura and Taichi had not returned yet.

Honestly, Shiro was rather envious of the Nara family. They might have been lazy, but they were ridiculously intelligent!

That saying felt as though it had been written specifically for the Nara family—my IQ is 200 not because I only have 200, but because 200 is its upper limit!

Of course, they had never called themselves that. Unfortunately, the Nara Clan had been born into the wrong world—a world shaped by the Otsutsuki Clan's domestic violence. Here, whether you were impressive or not depended not on intelligence, but bloodline.

Even someone as powerful as Orochimaru merely possessed unparalleled survival skills. In terms of sheer strength, Orochimaru could only barely be considered third-tier in the later stages.

Hm? Shiro suddenly felt like he understood why the Nara family was so lazy!

They had probably seen through the truth, which was why they acted so lazy!

Well, that last sentence was purely Shiro's wild guess. Whether it was true depended on whether the author wanted to flop.

Still, the Nara Clan's talent was quite impressive. They could become this strong despite being so lazy. If they worked a little harder, wouldn't they soar to the heavens?

Seeing that Shikaki was asleep, Shiro did not disturb him. He quietly returned to his room to train.

This time, however, Shiro did not continue practicing Reinforcement Magecraft. Instead, he practiced Projection Magecraft.

After becoming capable of projecting Noble Phantasms, Shiro had often practiced in private, but yesterday had been the first time he had truly used one in battle and unleashed it. Perhaps it was just psychological, but Shiro always felt that he had gained a little more from this time.

He wanted to verify it. Yesterday's battle had consumed too much Chakra, and he had forcibly refined another batch midway through, so he had not tested it last night.

"Projection, begin!"

Appraise the concept of creation!

Imagine the fundamental structure!

Duplicate the constituent materials!

Imitate the techniques of manufacture!

Empathize with the accumulated experience!

Reproduce the years that have passed!

Surpass and complete every process!

A flash of white light passed, and a crimson Magic Spear appeared in Shiro's hand.

Shiro gripped Blood Maiden tightly, unable to suppress the excitement on his face!

Of course, it was not because he had projected Blood Maiden. It was because this projection had been much faster than before! Shiro felt that he should now be able to project C-rank Noble Phantasms normally!

Rather than forcefully projecting them like last time. Of course, that was only a feeling. Whether he could truly project one would have to be tested personally. With that in mind, Shiro forced himself to calm down.

Shiro first dismissed Blood Maiden's projection, then patted his face and sat down with a serious expression.

"Projection, begin!"

This time, Shiro projected Rule Breaker, the Noble Phantasm he had forcibly projected last time. He chose this Noble Phantasm for two reasons. First, he had successfully projected it once before, so he was somewhat familiar with it.

Second, he wanted the Magecraft knowledge it brought with it. That would provide useful reference for Shiro's practice of Projection Magecraft and Reinforcement Magecraft.

After all, Medea was a mage from the Age of Gods. She had genuine skill in Magecraft, especially Reinforcement Magecraft!

On the Rin Route, the reinforcement spell she had placed on Kuzuki, combined with Kuzuki's fighting techniques, had nearly defeated Saber! Though that was also because Saber had insufficient Mana supply.

Even so, it was terrifying! There were very few mages capable of facing a Servant head-on, much less an ordinary person. (Compared to mages, that is.)

Therefore, Rule Breaker was Shiro's best choice at present.

Unfortunately, Shiro had forgotten one thing. He had just projected Blood Maiden, and his remaining Chakra was only barely enough for a projection. Thus, Shiro naturally failed.

"..."

"I'm such an idiot. Seriously, unbelievably stupid."

After criticizing himself, Shiro began refining Chakra.

Afterward, through Shiro's unceasing efforts, he finally projected it by the afternoon.

Unexpectedly, once Shiro truly projected Rule Breaker, he was no longer so excited. He simply sat there quietly, holding Rule Breaker as he carefully experienced it.

Unfortunately, even though his breakthrough in Projection Magecraft had greatly reduced the Chakra required to project a C-rank Noble Phantasm, Shiro still could not maintain it for long.

However, the Magecraft knowledge Shiro obtained from Rule Breaker also required time to digest, so in practice, it was more or less enough.

Oh, and by the way, Nakamura and Taichi had already been back for a while. They simply had not disturbed Shiro when they saw that he was still training.

Thus, when he saw Shiro, Nakamura waved at him and said, "Perfect timing. We were just about to go eat. We were even wondering what to bring you if you weren't coming."

"Hmph, how could I possibly miss something as important as eating? I'll go with you. I still remember the meal money the captain promised me."

"Ha, don't worry. You won't miss out, kid. This meal is on me."

"Hm? Really, Teacher Nakamura?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Then let's have barbecue. I saw a barbecue restaurant on the street earlier, but it was too expensive, so I didn't eat there. This is the perfect chance for you to take us."

"..." Nakamura first fell silent and looked at Taichi before saying, "Aren't you an Uchiha? Are you really short on that little bit of money?"

"But it's my own money. It hurts to spend it!"

"..."

Looking at Taichi's completely matter-of-fact expression, Nakamura was left speechless.

Meanwhile, Shiro watched Taichi from the side and quietly pondered something. He had a question.

"Taichi, do you know a clansman named Obito?"

"I do. He's my cousin, though we're not very familiar. Why?"

"..."

That settled it. This guy looked cold and aloof on the outside, but he was actually a repressed flirt.

"No, nothing."

The world of Hokage truly was strange. Even personalities could be inherited.

"By the way, where's Shikaki?"

"That guy's still sleeping. Taichi, go wake him up."

"Sleeping? He was already asleep when I came back at noon. Don't tell me he's been sleeping until now?"

"Ah..." Nakamura sighed, rubbing his forehead. "That's right. He's been asleep the entire time. I really don't know where that kid Shikaki gets so much sleepiness from."

"Ah, what a hassle, Teacher Nakamura. How about you bring a portion back for me, or I'll just eat a Military Ration Pill."

"Enough, let's go. Think of it as getting some fresh air."

A while later, the four of them arrived at the barbecue restaurant Taichi had mentioned. There were quite a few people there, which showed that the place was genuinely delicious. After all, the war had only ended recently, yet the restaurant still had this many customers. That alone explained a lot.

Of course, in Shiro's opinion, it was still not as good as Konoha's Yakiniku Q. But that was only natural. The Land of Fire was far stronger than the Land of Rivers, so it had spare energy to devote to studying such things.

Still, although it could not compare to Yakiniku Q, the regional differences gave it a unique flavor, greatly increasing Shiro's appetite. Of course, Nakamura treating them was also part of the reason. Well, only part of it.

However, because they had just gone through a war, Nakamura's wallet had become much emptier even though they had not actually eaten that much. In the past, that money would have been enough for four or five meals.

This reminded Shiro that after returning, he absolutely must not treat anyone to meals for a while. Shiro did not want to find out what dirt tasted like.

After eating, Shiro and the others returned to the inn to rest. They still had to travel tomorrow, and they would be training along the way, so it was best to maintain plenty of energy.

Shiro remained as usual. After completing his daily Reinforcement Magecraft training, he went to rest.

Seeing this book's statistics steadily rise over the past two days made me very happy. I also clearly know how poor my writing is, so I am extremely grateful for everyone's support. Finally, thank you to 6ag, life without chains, Great Dream Returns to Heaven, Book Friend 20171022213613800, Wanxin Yun'er, Tenghoulin, thousands of troops and horses avoid white robes, and rainy day maple for your recommendation votes.