Increase

Developing my own genjutsu?

On the way home, Genma seriously considered Kakashi's suggestion.

Maybe he could give it a try.

But first, he needed a complete and workable idea before he could use seals to assist with nature and shape transformation and develop a technique.

By the time he got home, his parents still hadn't returned from work. After washing up and changing clothes, Genma went to the study.

He plopped down and opened the [Setting Collection] to check his training progress over the past few months. Then he suddenly froze, cried out, and sprang to his feet.

The Setting Value, which had been 0, had suddenly become 3.

Genma immediately scrolled down and saw the last entry in the log.

Log: April 25, Year 43 of Konoha. Inspired by you, Tsunade made a leap in her training and achieved a breakthrough. You gained 3 Setting Values.

Nearly five months had passed, and Tsunade had finally made progress!

And it was a leap forward.

Could it be what he thought?

Genma was eager to learn about Tsunade's breakthrough, but his attention was immediately stolen by the 3 Setting Values.

He'd spent 1 Setting Value modifying the Substitution Technique last time. Now he had 3. He'd never had such a comfortable surplus to work with!

Character: Kazekaze Genma

Age: 7

Chakra: 0.7 cards (Setting can be modified)

Ninjutsu: Basic Clone Technique (Setting can be modified) Substitution Technique 1.0 (Setting can be modified) Transformation Technique (Setting can be modified) Basic Body Flicker Technique (Setting can be modified)

Hemostasis Technique (Setting can be modified) Healing Technique (Setting can be modified) Delicate Illness Extraction Technique (Setting can be modified) Chakra Scalpel (Setting can be modified)

Thousand Branch Spirit Touch (Setting can be modified)

Shadow Clone Technique (Setting can be modified)

Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Fox Spirit Technique (Setting can be modified) Demonic Illusion: Mist Servant Technique (Setting can be modified) Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique (Setting can be modified)

Setting Values: 3

Genma immediately spotted the key point. Not only could he modify the settings of various ninjutsu and genjutsu, he could also modify his chakra reserves.

He realized at once that modifying his chakra reserves would cost at least 2 Setting Values.

Then another question occurred to him: Did adding something to the Setting Collection count as modifying it?

"It should, right?"

Excitement glimmered in Genma's eyes.

When editing a paper, wasn't it perfectly normal to add or delete content?

If he could add settings...

If he added the Flying Thunder God Technique, would that mean he could master it outright?

If he added the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai, would he be able to awaken the Sharingan directly?

Whoa~

Genma's heart began to pound. This was thrilling.

Should he try it?

But was it worth spending his hard-earned Setting Values on the Sharingan?

Chakra was the foundation. He should add Senju Hashirama's Sage Body instead.

Genma's attention fell on the chakra section.

A year ago, his chakra reserves had been 0.8 cards. Now they were 0.7.

That didn't mean his total chakra had decreased. It meant that over the past year or so, his chakra had grown more slowly than Kakashi's.

Kakashi might seem to be constantly running low on chakra later, but that was actually because of his Sharingan.

On a scale of 10, Kakashi as an adult had a score of 6 for stamina, which represented chakra reserves. Jiraiya scored 10, Orochimaru 7, Tsunade 8, and Uchiha Itachi 5.

So Kakashi's score wasn't low.

It was a little counterintuitive that Tsunade had less chakra than Jiraiya.

After all, Tsunade was from the Senju Clan.

But Yamato, who had Hashirama Cells transplanted into him, scored 7.

Yuhi Kurenai, who was also a Jonin, scored 4.

So having less chakra than Kakashi wasn't embarrassing.

Still, chakra reserves were unquestionably one of the most important and fundamental measures of a powerful shinobi.

"Modifying my chakra reserves directly should cost quite a bit—at least 2 Setting Values—and I don't know how much of a boost I'd get."

"Setting Values are hard to come by. I have to consider the cost-effectiveness."

"Is there another way?"

Genma quickly thought of something.

Chakra refinement!

Would a sustainable approach be less costly and more promising than a fixed increase to his chakra reserves?

Shinobi used their mental energy to draw physical energy from their cells and refine it into chakra. Plant cells were cells too.

And Sage Mode could absorb Natural Energy and refine it into Senjutsu Chakra.

The Sage of Six Paths had died and no longer had a body, so how could he still have chakra to give Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke?

Using mental energy to refine Natural Energy seemed to be the only answer!

The same went for Tailed Beast chakra. It also came from Natural Energy.

After pondering for a long while, Genma made up his mind. "It's worth a try!"

He immediately issued the command.

The next moment, a new entry appeared beneath the chakra section in the [Setting Collection].

Chakra Refinement Technique: Refines physical energy from cells using mental energy at a 1:1 ratio, then fuses them to form chakra (Setting can be modified)

"It worked!"

Genma was delighted. Then he checked his Setting Values and saw that only 2 remained.

"So I really can add content, and the Chakra Refinement Technique can indeed be modified further."

Genma looked at the chakra reserves entry again. It still said the setting could be modified, which confirmed that it would cost at least 2 Setting Values.

"I don't plan to graduate yet. I've still got two or three years to build up my strength, and I don't need to fight, so there's no need to modify my chakra reserves directly. I don't need to spend my limited Setting Values modifying my ninjutsu, either."

Genma's gaze returned to the Chakra Refinement Technique.

How should he modify it next? He needed to think it through carefully.

"Genma~"

Shizune's voice suddenly came from outside.

Genma let out a breath, then stood and headed out.

When he got downstairs, Shizune immediately smiled at him. "Genma, Lady Tsunade wants to see you."

Genma replied cheerfully, "Sounds like there's good news."

Shizune nodded. "Yeah, Lady Tsunade said she solved the problem from last time, so she sent me to get you. Let's hurry!"

As she spoke, she grabbed Genma's hand and hurried off with him.

At Tsunade's home.

As soon as he entered the room, Genma could tell that Tsunade was looking at him differently than before.

It wasn't affection or admiration, but... she was treating him as an equal.

"Does she not see me as a child anymore?"

Genma understood. He liked the feeling.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Genma went over and sat across from Tsunade.

Tsunade pointed to the scroll on the table. "Take a look!"

Genma picked up the scroll, unrolled it, and read it carefully. Before long, he felt a quiet thrill. "Just as I thought!"

Tsunade stared at Genma. "You don't seem surprised. Had you already worked it out?"

Genma nodded, then shook his head. "I hadn't reached any concrete conclusions."

"But Lady Tsunade's findings have confirmed my suspicions."

Shizune had read the scroll too, and she was still astonished. "The stronger the Yang Release nature transformation, the greater the proportion of physical energy. That completely contradicts the rules of chakra refinement."

The idea that chakra was refined by fusing mental and physical energy at a 1:1 ratio had long been deeply ingrained.

Chakra refined at that ratio was ordinary chakra, without any nature. A Wind Release nature transformation turned it into Wind Release chakra, while a Lightning Release nature transformation turned it into Lightning Release chakra.

But what about Yang Release? It gave form to life.

What was life?

That was a huge question, but when applied to the fundamentals of Yang Release nature transformation, the answer was simple.

In a word, life depended on movement.

Take the Hemostasis Technique, for example. It required chakra that could constrict the injured person's blood vessels, release platelets, and clot the blood to stop the bleeding.

The Mystical Palm Technique went even further, stimulating cells to divide in order to heal injuries quickly.

When Genma trained in the Hemostasis Technique and Healing Technique, he hadn't changed the ratio of his own chakra.

He had realized that deeper Yang Release nature transformation might have something to do with the ratio of mental to physical energy because of his training in Yin Release nature transformation.

Or rather, it was when he trained in Sensory Ninjutsu.

When using Thousand Branch Spirit Touch, it was very clear that, on top of the chakra, he needed to invest more mental energy.

This could very well have subtly changed the ratio of physical to mental energy in Yin Release Chakra.

That was why Genma had gone to Tsunade to test his theory.

Of course, he could have worked it out slowly on his own.

But this was clearly a good opportunity to grow closer to Tsunade and change her attitude toward him.