Setting Collection

"Hey, Kakashi, are you planning to apply for early graduation?"

Genma Kazekaze, who was building a fire, asked Hatake Kakashi, who was spearing fish in the river.

Kakashi paused, the sharp wooden stick in his hand, then looked back. "How did you know?"

Genma got up and waded into the river to help. "I guessed."

"The things they teach at the Ninja Academy are too easy for you. You're already using Shadow Clones to attend class, and you've never been one to waste time."

Kakashi lowered his gaze to the water. "That's true."

"But you're the same, aren't you?"

As he spoke, he suddenly struck, his wooden stick piercing a fish with pinpoint accuracy.

Genma struck as well, spearing a fish, then smiled faintly. "I'm not like you. I'm not thinking of graduating early."

"The stuff they teach at school is boring now, but there's still plenty I can learn."

Kakashi tossed the fish onto the bank and went back to spearing more. "You can keep training after graduation, and your team leader will teach you more, won't they?"

Genma speared another fish. "Tch, that's true, but only half the story, right?"

"Are you eager to become a real ninja?"

Kakashi, his face covered by a mask, glanced at Genma and complained helplessly, "Do you have mind-reading jutsu or something?"

I definitely didn't have mind-reading jutsu. I was just a transmigrator who'd been reincarnated with knowledge of the plot.

Genma sighed inwardly.

He'd been reincarnated from birth. His parents were alive and well. His father, Yu Fenglan, worked in Konoha's Anbu intelligence division, analyzing intelligence—in other words, decoding enemy ciphers. It was a desk job, and he held the rank of Special Jōnin.

His mother, Ritsuka Kazekaze, was a medical ninja at Konoha Hospital, with the rank of Chunin.

Genma felt that aside from being a little good-looking, he was completely ordinary.

He didn't have the Red Eye or cataracts, no hidden Senju or Uzumaki bloodline, and he didn't come from a ninja clan.

Although he did have a cheat.

The damnable part was that he still hadn't figured out how to use it.

If things kept going like this, the best he could hope for in this life was to become a Jonin.

But could he accept that?

He speared a fish with a vicious thrust and continued, "Kakashi, do you think you can't improve anymore by staying at the Academy?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Of course not."

Genma asked again, "Then do you think your current strength is enough to protect yourself if you run into danger?"

Kakashi paused. He thought for a moment before answering, "I should be fine against an average Chunin."

You're not exactly modest!

Genma speared another fish and tossed it onto the bank. "Then do you think your strength is enough to protect your companions if you run into danger?"

Kakashi furrowed his brow slightly, then shook his head.

If they were in danger, they'd surely run into a powerful enemy. In that situation, the most he could do was protect himself.

Seeing Kakashi frown, Genma thought he might have gone too far, so he smiled. "I guess that was a bit much to ask."

"If you've only just graduated, you probably won't be sent on any dangerous missions."

"Besides, if you graduate, they'll definitely assign you a Jonin as your team leader."

"Still, I personally think you should make the most of your time at the Academy and do everything you can to improve."

"That's how you take responsibility for your own future and your companions'."

Kakashi couldn't help thinking seriously about what Genma had said.

Genma speared one last fish, then climbed onto the bank. "All right, this is enough for us!"

Kakashi followed him ashore. After cleaning the fish, he started grilling them.

At this point, Genma just waited to eat.

Kakashi was better at grilling fish than he was.

Of course, Genma was better at spearing them, so they were even.

"You just think it'll be boring to skip class by yourself once I graduate!"

Kakashi, grilling the fish, suddenly spoke up.

Genma's face stiffened. He immediately denied it. "That's not true."

A hint of a smile appeared on Kakashi's face. Then he said, "You do have a point."

Genma looked puzzled. "Hmm?"

Kakashi spoke seriously. "So I've decided not to graduate early for now."

At that moment, Genma realized that after six years, his cheat had finally changed.

[Setting Collection]

Character: Yu Fenglan

Age: 6

Chakra: 0.8 cards (Kakashi's current level is the standard)

Ninjutsu: Basic Clone Technique (setting can be modified) Basic Substitution Technique (setting can be modified) Transformation Technique (setting can be modified) Basic Body Flicker Technique (setting can be modified)

Shadow Clone Technique

Setting Value: 1

Log: March 14, Year 42 of Konoha. You changed Kakashi's decision to graduate early and gained 1 Setting Value.

Looking at the updated cheat, Genma froze.

Damn it, so that's how it worked.

Before this, the Basic Clone Technique and the others hadn't had the "setting can be modified" label, and there hadn't been a log section either.

The Setting Value had been zero, and he hadn't found any way to obtain one.

Genma had studied it for a long time, but could only treat it as a simple personal information panel.

He'd never imagined that changing someone else's original fate could earn him a so-called Setting Value.

And Setting Values could modify settings?

How was he supposed to do that?

Genma focused all his attention on the [Setting Collection] in his mind.

When he "looked" at the Basic Clone Technique, a description appeared: a non-physical clone used to fool the enemy; it cannot withstand attacks or deal any actual damage.

The description for the Basic Substitution Technique read: at the moment of being attacked, the user quickly substitutes another object for themself, then swiftly dodges, making the opponent think their attack succeeded. It is a technique for throwing the opponent off.

There was nothing wrong with those descriptions.

The settings matched the effects of the techniques Genma knew.

"So, now that I have a Setting Value, I can modify the settings for the Basic Clone Technique, Basic Substitution Technique, Transformation Technique, and Basic Body Flicker Technique."

"But how much can I change?"

Genma pondered. "For example, could I change the Basic Clone Technique into a physical clone? No, that'd be pointless. Then could I make it a non-physical clone that can still deal physical attacks?"

That was similar to the effect of Body Flicker Shisui's Body Flicker Technique.

But Genma didn't try it right away. He'd probably only get one attempt with a single Setting Value.

The Three Body Technique was an E-rank ninjutsu.

Clone, substitution, and transformation techniques could actually be defined as three broad categories of ninjutsu.

The Body Flicker Technique could also be considered a category of ninjutsu, rather than referring to just one specific technique.

For example, the Flying Thunder God Technique was a Space-Time Ninjutsu, but it also counted as a Body Flicker Technique.

The same was true of the Substitution Technique. There were basic versions and more advanced ones, such as using a clone as a substitute or Orochimaru's substitution technique.

The same went for clone techniques, such as Shadow Clone, Water Clone, Lightning Style Clone, Sand Clone, and Rock Clone.

There weren't as many transformation techniques. Aside from the basic Transformation Technique, the only other one Genma knew of was Orochimaru's Vanishing Facial Copy Technique, which also belonged to that category.

There were similar settings among genjutsu techniques, such as the Binding Technique.

For example, Uchiha Itachi's Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, which had instantly taken down Orochimaru, and Sage Art: Toad Chorus both belonged to the Binding Technique category.

Another name for the Binding Technique was the Immobilization Technique.

This was the distinction between an individual ninjutsu and a category of ninjutsu.

Since he could modify the settings, Genma had to think things through and explore the possibilities.