Modifying Settings

"The only basic ninjutsu I can modify in the Setting Collection right now are four, and if I can only choose one, I'm ruling out the Clone Technique first."

"Next is the Transformation Technique..."

Genma began his process of elimination.

Finally, he hesitated between the Substitution Technique and the Body Flicker Technique.

The reason for his hesitation was that Genma had thought of Uchiha Sasuke's Rinnegan ability, Amenotejikara.

This Kekkei Genkai ninjutsu belonged to the space-time ninjutsu category, but Genma felt it could also be viewed as a high-level version of the Substitution Technique.

Could he modify the basic Substitution Technique to be something like Amenotejikara, allowing for an instantaneous swap of positions with an object across space-time?

This was a very tempting idea.

As for the Body Flicker Technique, the version Genma had mastered was the basic one, which involved using chakra to stimulate his own cells and then unleashing that power to move his body at high speeds.

If he were to modify it, the most obvious goal would be a Body Flicker Technique that allowed for instantaneous space-time travel, similar to the Flying Thunder God.

But could such a massive leap be achieved?

And if he were to attempt a scaled-down version, how should he go about modifying it?

"Alright!"

Kakashi's voice interrupted Genma's thoughts, and the aroma of grilled fish wafted into his nose.

"As expected of Kakashi!"

Reaching out to take the grilled fish, Genma blew on it before taking a bite, feeling immensely satisfied: "Mmm, if you had graduated early, I wouldn't be able to enjoy such good grilled fish so easily."

After a morning of training, he was indeed starving.

Kakashi glanced at the guy: "You didn't have to say that."

Genma shrugged: "Words spoken are like spilled water."

"By the way, do you have any training plans for what's next?"

Kakashi said while eating: "It should be nature transformation."

Watching Kakashi eat, Genma couldn't help but retort: "Hey, can't you take off your mask?"

Kakashi ignored the comment and asked in return: "What are your plans?"

Genma quickly finished one fish and picked up a second before saying: "Same as you, nature transformation training. Hmm... starting with Yang Release, which is medical ninjutsu. It's perfect for further improving my chakra control."

"What about you? Earth Release or Lightning Release?"

Kakashi thought for a moment and said: "Earth Release, I suppose. Lightning Release is relatively more difficult."

"I'll master Earth Release first for defense."

Genma gave a thumbs up, then stopped talking and buried his head in his meal.

Seeing this, Kakashi also picked up his pace. The two of them quickly finished all the grilled fish and then lay on the grass to let their food digest.

Genma closed his eyes, focused his attention back on the Setting Collection, and made his final decision.

Substitution Technique!

Survival comes first!

As he made his decision, the settings for the Substitution Technique were cleared, and he immediately entered the new parameters: Use any object within a certain range as a substitute to instantly swap positions with oneself across space-time to avoid attacks.

Modification complete, click confirm.

The next moment, the Setting Collection refreshed.

Genma's mind shook: It worked!

It really succeeded just like that?

It actually succeeded!

Genma opened his eyes wide and sprang to his feet with a kip-up.

Kakashi, who was nearby, glanced at him and then continued to rest.

Suppressing his excitement, Genma carefully sensed the mysterious stream of information that had flooded into his mind after the Setting Collection updated.

"Kakashi, I'm going to go move around a bit."

After calling out, Genma leaped away and disappeared, entering a nearby forest after a few bounds.

Stopping his movement, he scanned his surroundings, took a deep breath, and then held up one hand.

This wasn't the hand seal for the Substitution Technique, but rather a gesture to focus his chakra, similar to pressing his palms together.

The next moment, a Genma appeared silently beneath a tree three meters away.

Poof!

The Genma at the original position suddenly burst, turning into a withered branch that fell to the ground.

It really was the Substitution Technique, not Amenotejikara!

Genma stood beneath the tree, carefully ruminating on the experience.

He had just swapped positions with a withered branch, and the branch had been transformed into his likeness via the Transformation Technique; had an enemy attacked, they would have struck the branch-turned-him instead.

This was different from the simple positional swap of Amenotejikara.

"However, this range..."

Genma felt it was a bit short, insufficient to evade large-scale, area-of-effect attacks.

It clearly could not be mentioned in the same breath as Uchiha Sasuke's Amenotejikara.

Nevertheless, as his body matured, his maximum chakra output would surely rise accordingly, and the range of the positional swap would undoubtedly increase.

Whether it could reach a level comparable to Amenotejikara would depend on his future growth.

"Although it can't compare to Amenotejikara, as long as it's used well, it's definitely a trump card."

Genma beamed, his sense of security surging instantly.

Heaven knows.

Ever since he arrived in the Naruto World, he had been walking on eggshells. He began training at three, entered the academy at five, and had been in the same class as Kakashi and the others for nearly a year now, barely managing to earn the title of genius just like Kakashi.

But setting aside the cheat that was the Setting Collection, Genma was well aware of where his ceiling lay.

An ordinary Kage was the absolute limit.

Even with his god's-eye view and mastery of so much intelligence, breaking through that limit would be extremely difficult.

A Kage was certainly strong, but in the later stages, they were a dime a dozen, relegated to the sidelines.

But now.

Genma wanted to know: was the bloodline of the Naruto World more impressive, or was his Setting Collection stronger!

At five in the afternoon, Genma parted ways with Kakashi, each heading home.

After finishing dinner, Genma did not stay home alone but instead accompanied his mother to her shift at Konoha Hospital.

"Genma, isn't it a bit too soon to start learning medical ninjutsu?"

Hearing her son propose learning medical ninjutsu, Ritsuka hesitated: "Medical ninjutsu is highly difficult, you know; it might be very taxing for you at your age."

As a mother, Ritsuka did not want her son to suffer so much at this age, even though as a ninja, she knew full well that arduous training was never a mistake.

"Mom, don't worry, I'm prepared."

"You know I've already studied a lot of medical knowledge in advance."

Genma said with a grin: "Besides, I've inherited your beauty and wisdom, Mom; my talent for medical ninjutsu surely won't be lacking."

Ritsuka's eyes curved into crescents as she heard this, and she ruffled her son's black hair: "Alright then, when it's not busy tonight, Mom will teach you the training for Yang Release nature transformation."

What is most important in the Naruto World?

Bloodline is paramount.

For instance, the Senju, the Uzumaki, the "Red Eye Disease," and the Byakugan.

Of course, for an ordinary ninja, Genma believed it mainly came down to the following aspects.

The most fundamental is chakra refinement.

Aside from sealing techniques, the fact that chakra cannot be stored in the human body for long periods dictates that to become a qualified ninja, one must make chakra refinement as instinctive as breathing.

After all, one cannot exactly stop to refine chakra in the middle of a battle, can one?

Genma had achieved this by the age of four.

With this foundation, the next step is chakra control.

Taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu—as long as it involves the application of chakra, chakra control is the foundation.

With sufficient chakra control, a ninja can walk on cliffs or water as if it were flat ground.

Furthermore, techniques like Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred rely on precise chakra control, granting the user terrifying physical strength that surpasses even the Fourth Raikage.

As someone well-versed in most of the Naruto plot, Genma naturally placed great importance on this aspect.

However, regarding conventional methods for training chakra control, he actually only knew of tree-climbing and water-walking.

He had completed that training last year, and the subsequent exercises—climbing cliffs while holding rocks or sprinting across turbulent rivers while carrying stones—were merely upgraded versions of tree-climbing and water-walking.

Over the past year, the improvements had become negligible.

Therefore, Genma had now set his sights on medical ninjutsu.

Among all types of ninjutsu, this required the highest level of chakra control.

Learning medical ninjutsu could naturally serve as a means to train his chakra control.