Character Card: Character: Marine Admiral Kizaru from One Piece Fusion Rate: 9%
In Shimura Kizaru's mind, a sleazy-looking 3D character card materialized.
This was the cheat he'd awakened after crossing over into the Naruto World.
To speed up the growth of his fusion rate, he'd even forcibly changed his name from Shimura Senxin to Shimura Kizaru.
Such an outrageous act would have earned an ordinary clan member punishment under the clan rules. But geniuses always enjoyed all kinds of privileges.
After Kizaru displayed his monstrous talent, changing his name became a trivial matter.
As long as he didn't change his surname!
Those were the exact words of the three elders who managed the clan.
Geniuses were every clan's hope, and Kizaru's strength and talent could no longer be described as merely genius.
A monster!
That was how the Shimura Clan privately described Kizaru—not as an insult, but in sheer awe.
To the Shimura Clan, Danzo was an investment that could no longer be improved, while Kizaru was a promising new unicorn, worthy of the entire clan's wholehearted investment.
That was also why Danzo had failed to recruit Kizaru into Root. Even as the Hokage Assistant and clan head, he couldn't oppose the will of the entire clan—not unless he wanted to become truly isolated.
The Ninja Academy's entrance selection had ended. After Kizaru displayed his terrifying strength and talent, every other newcomer seemed utterly insignificant.
Even with the direct heirs of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans among this year's students, and the future Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, none of them attracted the slightest attention from the village.
It wasn't that they were weak or untalented. Kizaru's performance was simply too terrifying and abnormal.
The Shimura Clan had produced a monstrous genius with the First Hokage's Potential.
With just one entrance selection, Kizaru had already begun making a name for himself in the village.
As a result, the fusion rate that had barely increased in his mind for three whole months began rising rapidly over a short period.
In just half a day, it had reached 10%, and it showed no sign of slowing down.
At his residence in the Shimura Clan's compound—a secluded home with an elegant garden—Kizaru sat on the tatami, leisurely sipping hot tea. When his fusion rate reached 10%, he set down his cup.
He straightened up slightly, excitement showing on his face.
Once his fusion rate reached 10%, Kizaru unlocked a new ability. That was why he was so excited.
Before reaching 10%, he'd only gained the physical potential of Admiral Kizaru. Now, he had acquired a Devil Fruit ability.
The Glint-Glint Fruit from One Piece was one of the abilities he'd envied most in his previous life, when he'd watched the series. It was perfect: great for fighting and escaping, with both high damage and high speed.
Bracing his left hand on the tatami and leaning back, he raised his right hand. A golden gleam appeared on his outstretched index finger.
The light shone brilliantly, then gathered and condensed until a laser shot from his fingertip.
It pierced the main gate in front of Kizaru and struck the ornamental rockery in the center of the garden.
Bang!
The sound rang out in every direction. The rockery, painstakingly crafted by a master artisan, instantly shattered into countless fist-sized pieces that scattered across the ground.
The disturbance in the garden alarmed several clan members. One Jonin assigned to Kizaru's security detail used the Body Flicker Technique to appear at the doorway.
The Shimura Jonin first looked at Kizaru to make sure he was unharmed. Only after silently breathing a sigh of relief did he turn his attention to the garden.
"Master Kizaru, what happened?"
Shimura Isshin was one of the Shimura Clan's twelve Jonin. The three elders had assigned him to Kizaru's side specifically to protect him.
Kizaru's father in this life had been Danzo's younger brother, an Elite Jonin who had died during a mission for Root.
Clan head Danzo had no children. As the son of Danzo's younger brother, Kizaru was a direct descendant of the Shimura Clan and its natural heir.
After displaying extraordinary talent from a young age, he'd been chosen early on as the Shimura Clan's future leader.
Even Danzo, the clan head, couldn't object to this arrangement. The decision embodied the hopes the entire clan had for its future.
Kizaru stood up from the tatami and straightened his clothes before walking over to Isshin.
"Uncle Isshin! Don't worry. I caused that noise just now."
At Kizaru's explanation, Isshin relaxed and looked at him with confusion in his eyes.
Kizaru didn't explain right away. Instead, he looked toward the garden gate.
Outside the gate, the Shimura Clan's three elders and Danzo, who happened to be home, were walking into the garden together.
They glanced first at the rockery, now reduced to countless fragments, then all turned their eyes to Isshin and Kizaru, standing in the doorway.
"Isshin, what happened?" Danzo asked with a frown.
Isshin, who didn't know what had happened, said nothing. He simply looked at Kizaru.
Seeing Isshin's gesture, the four people in the garden realized Kizaru had caused the commotion. They all fixed their attention on him.
"Such a bother," Kizaru murmured, then prepared to explain.
Kizaru had no intention of hiding his Devil Fruit ability, just as he'd openly displayed his talent when he was three.
In the Naruto World, in Konoha, hiding his talent when he was a member of the Shimura Clan would have been utterly foolish.
In this turbulent shinobi world, mediocre people could only become cannon fodder. Only geniuses deserved to be valued and cultivated.
Hiding his talent and pretending to be ordinary would only lead the clan to abandon him early, leaving him as a pawn they could sacrifice at any time.
Only by revealing his talent and becoming a genius recognized by the clan could he receive its careful cultivation and care.
Ever since he'd displayed his talent at age three, the clan's special treatment had proven that Kizaru had made the right choice.
In front of everyone, Kizaru raised his right hand again and extended his index finger. Golden light blossomed from its tip, and a laser shot out at high speed, blasting a large crater in the garden ahead.
Danzo's face filled with surprise at the sight, while the three elders behind him were overjoyed.
Their smiles made the wrinkles on their faces stand out even more. The three elders were grinning so widely their faces nearly split.
At their advanced age, what could bring them more joy than seeing their clan produce a peerless genius?
"Little Monkey, is this a ninjutsu you developed? Or..." The Great Elder paused, gazing at Kizaru with hopeful eyes.
"Rather than call it ninjutsu, I think it'd be more fitting to call it a Kekkei Genkai," Kizaru said, giving the Great Elder exactly the answer he wanted to hear.
The Great Elder's smile grew even brighter. He hurried over to Kizaru, affectionately took his raised right hand, and clasped it tightly in both of his own.
"When did you discover it?" the Great Elder asked eagerly.
Kizaru thought it over for a moment before answering, "Maybe after I beat up the Uchiha!"
At Kizaru's answer, a gleam appeared in Danzo's eyes. He wondered if he should have the clan members in Root go pick more fights with the Uchiha.
"When did our Shimura Clan ever have a Kekkei Genkai like this?"
The Second Elder was the one who spoke. He was a little plump and looked quite prosperous, and he was in charge of the clan's business and finances.
The Great Elder, who still had Kizaru's right hand in a tight grip, hurriedly turned toward the Second Elder and glared at him.
"You ignorant fool! The clan's historical records say that our Shimura ancestors once possessed a Kekkei Genkai called Light Style!" the Great Elder declared with absolute certainty.
The Third Elder, who had been silent until then, quickly chimed in, "That's right! Our Shimura Clan is a shinobi clan with a Kekkei Genkai!"
Watching the two shameless old men, even Danzo, the Darkness of the Shinobi, felt he couldn't compare.
It wasn't surprising that the Great Elder had no shame. A genius being born into the clan was a good thing, but one this extraordinary could also bring trouble.
A genius who awakened a Kekkei Genkai was easier for people to accept than one who created one.
So, after hearing Kizaru's answer, the Great Elder immediately declared that the ability Kizaru had displayed was an awakening of the clan's ancient bloodline.
This was to protect Kizaru—and the clan as well.
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