"Maybe I should add a separate Setting Value for chakra control to improve it."
Genma had an idea.
But he only had 2 Setting Values left. Adding a setting cost 1 point, leaving just 1 point to modify it with, which definitely wouldn't be enough to achieve the effect he wanted. After all, his chakra control was already excellent.
"I should look at the others first."
Genma's gaze swept over the other settings in the [Setting Collection].
Genjutsu was the first to be ruled out. Right now, he was better at Yin Release nature transformation than Yang Release nature transformation, and these few genjutsu techniques didn't have much potential.
Medical Ninjutsu was out, too.
Chakra Refinement Technique 1.0 didn't have enough Setting Values.
Wood Release Chakra Mode didn't have enough Setting Values.
Substitution Technique 1.0 also didn't have enough Setting Values for another modification.
After ruling things out one by one, Genma found that there weren't many options left.
Clone Technique, Shadow Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Body Flicker Technique.
Genma couldn't help scratching his head.
Of the four techniques, he ruled out Clone Technique and Shadow Clone Technique first.
Between Transformation Technique and Body Flicker Technique, the latter had the most potential for modification.
But just how much could he modify with 2 Setting Values?
Even if he modified it into a space-time type of Body Flicker Technique, like Substitution Technique, the teleportation distance probably wouldn't improve by much.
Teleporting a dozen or twenty meters wasn't as useful as the upgraded Substitution Technique.
"What about Transformation Technique? Could that work?"
Genma pondered.
The E-rank Transformation Technique could imitate someone's appearance and even their voice. A skilled user could transform into rocks, small animals, and the like, while concealing their chakra so it couldn't be sensed.
However, it usually couldn't fool sensory ninja.
Another thing: Transformation Technique could turn someone into a bird, but it couldn't make them fly.
A person could imitate a little rabbit hopping, but they couldn't imitate a bird in flight.
If he could transform into a bird that could fly, that would be incredibly useful.
And if he could use ninjutsu while flying through the air as a bird...
"That could work!"
Genma immediately tried modifying it.
Transformation Technique 1.0: Transforming into a bird allows flight, transforming into a fish allows swimming, and neither transformation affects the use of any of the user's abilities.
But it failed!
There weren't enough Setting Values.
Genma had no choice but to settle for less.
Transformation Technique 1.0: Transforming into a bird allows flight, transforming into a fish allows swimming.
Success!
That used up his last 2 Setting Values, too.
Genma immediately got up and tried out his new Transformation Technique.
With a flutter of wings, Genma, transformed into a sparrow, took off and flew through the woods to where Kakashi was training.
Kakashi was practicing Lightning Release against a cliff face. The rock was pitted, its surface scorched black.
Kakashi was completely focused and didn't notice a sparrow fly past behind him.
Genma circled around and landed in a tree. Then he transformed into an eagle with a three-meter wingspan. With a thunderous flap of his wings, he kicked up a powerful gust of wind and shot into the sky.
The sparrow couldn't compare to this speed at all.
"Awesome!"
Genma couldn't help letting out an impassioned eagle's cry.
He flew up to an altitude of more than a thousand meters before his excitement finally subsided.
Then he realized that even while circling more than a thousand meters above the ground, his eyesight was clear enough to see Kakashi training below.
He could do more than just see him. He could make out his movements, too, in incredible detail, as if they were happening in slow motion.
"So besides being able to fly, I also get an eagle's powerful eyesight."
Genma thought that made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, he couldn't form Hand Seals in this state, so he couldn't use ninjutsu that required them.
He couldn't use unsealed techniques like the Chakra Blade, either. However, Genma realized that this wasn't a limitation imposed by the rules.
With enough practice, he could still use his eagle talons to perform the Chakra Scalpel.
If he could figure out how to use his other ninjutsu without Hand Seals, he'd be able to use them as an eagle, too.
That would all take training to develop.
Of course, he could also just modify the setting directly.
After circling overhead for a while, Genma spotted a rabbit and dove toward it.
He extended his sharp talons and grabbed the rabbit, which had sensed danger and tried to escape with a series of hops.
It was a completely different feeling.
He returned to the woods and changed back into a person. The Shadow Clone he'd sent away earlier also returned.
He dispelled the Shadow Clone, and its Wood Release chakra returned to his body. Once he dispersed the chakra, his stamina quickly recovered and surged.
Genma soon ate until he was full, then sat down to think about his next steps in training.
With chakra on the level of the One-Tail, he could absorb much more energy from plant cells, speeding up his body's transformation.
At the same time, he could have Shadow Clones refine chakra in the woods, then summon them with the Summoning Technique and dispel them. That would let him enter Wood Release Chakra Mode quickly in battle.
He could imitate Naruto's way of using Sage Mode.
That meant he needed to get his hands on the Wood Release Secret Technique.
As for developing it himself... why waste time when a ready-made technique already existed?
As for exposing the fact that he'd mastered a different kind of Wood Release...
That would happen sooner or later.
Besides, there was no danger in exposing it. On the contrary, he'd be taken more seriously and could get access to ninjutsu resources more easily.
And as for the Pot Kage...
Did someone who possessed Wood Release even need to fight for that position?
Next was genjutsu.
Genma already had some ideas.
But he couldn't rely solely on genjutsu, Taijutsu, and swordsmanship to fight.
"It's time to start training in another nature transformation."
Genma got up and headed toward Kakashi.
Hatake Sakumo's signature combination was Lightning Release, Body Flicker, and swordsmanship. As his student—and someone naturally gifted with Lightning Release—Genma had to carry on that legacy.
"It's already almost Year 44 of Konoha. The Third Shinobi World War will probably break out in Year 45 or 46."
"If I graduate on schedule, I'll be eleven. The Third Shinobi World War will already be underway. That's a terrible time to graduate—straight into a war."
"I need to start a year early and gain real combat and mission experience."
Normally, the best thing to do would be to stay out of the war.
But Genma had to take part. He needed to change the fates of characters, or even the original course of events in the Ninja World, to earn Setting Values.
How could he compete with cheats like Uchiha Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke without a cheat of his own?
Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Mangekyo at eleven and was already capable of reaching Kage Level.
And Uchiha Shisui may have awakened the Mangekyo even earlier.
When Genma left the woods, Kakashi happened to be taking a break.
"How's it going?"
Genma went over and asked.
Kakashi looked tired, with a hint of lethargy in his voice. "I'm confident I can develop the technique this year."
Genma raised an eyebrow. That was much earlier than in the original timeline.
But it made sense.
Kakashi hadn't graduated early, so he had plenty of time to train in the village.
On top of that, Genma's new chakra-control training methods had helped Kakashi become far better at it than his peers.
"How's your genjutsu coming along?" Kakashi asked in return.
"I've got a specific idea now. I'm not sure how long it'll take to finish. It could be soon, or it could take a few months."
Kakashi perked up. "What kind of genjutsu?"
He and Genma were friends and fellow students, but they were also rivals.
Seeing how eager Kakashi was, Genma smiled. "Immobilization Technique!"
Kakashi furrowed his brow slightly.
This kind of genjutsu was either very weak or very powerful. He'd have to be careful around Genma from now on.
He didn't want to be taken down by a single genjutsu.
"Kakashi, I'm planning to start training in Lightning Release nature transformation now, so you'd better work hard. Don't let me surpass you."
Genma spoke up suddenly.
Kakashi was taken aback. "Lightning Release? Didn't you say you were going to study Yin Release and Yang Release?"
Genma shrugged, looking unbearably smug. "What can I say? I'm a genius."
Kakashi gritted his teeth and got to his feet. "Don't worry. I won't let you surpass me!"
Great. Now I'll have even less time to rest.
Having a workaholic senior student is no way to live.
Kakashi angrily went back to training.
Genma watched him and couldn't help feeling smug. Then he created nine Shadow Clones and had them all begin training in Lightning Release nature transformation.
Kakashi, who was about to resume training, turned around and stared blankly. "When did you get so much chakra?"
Before you continue