I'm Thinking About Challenging Clan Head Fugaku

Ruohuo collected his vest and sat on a bench in the park not far from the Hokage Office Building, rereading the system notification.

"Was that really Indra's Chakra?"

He looked again, and took the opportunity to feel it out.

"I feel a lot more alert... So this is Indra's Chakra?"

As he focused on it more closely, Ruohuo's expression gradually turned strange.

"Indra's Chakra... Is that it?"

Aside from that initial jolt, which had felt like wasabi shooting straight into his brain, there didn't seem to be any real change.

"Could it be that all I got was a Rinnegan Synthesis Voucher?"

"That's just..."

Ruohuo paused, then suddenly realized he might be getting too greedy.

It wasn't a reward that immediately boosted his combat power, but "late-game items" like this were often impossible to come by.

"Fine. At least I've got a shot at the Rinnegan now."

"...And the stamina issue with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan should be taken care of, too."

Ruohuo had noticed a second hidden reward.

An increase in his mental attribute meant his Sharingan would last longer, after all...

Ruohuo's gaze shifted to the rewards for the higher-level missions.

"B-rank main skill slot..."

Ruohuo frowned, but still didn't rush to use it.

He did have several powerful B-rank mutated ninjutsu now, but in his opinion, there were even better options.

He just hadn't learned them yet.

Now that he was a three-tomoe Uchiha, his copy ability was maxed out. He could afford to wait.

"Let's check my stats first."

Ruohuo opened his Personal Attribute Panel.

[Personal Attributes: 3 (personal buffs not included)]

[Physical: 3 (Strength C, Speed C-, Recovery C, Overall Rating C (Genin))]

[Mental: 4 (Visual Prowess S, Genjutsu B+, Genjutsu Resistance B, Recovery B, Overall Rating A+ (Elite Jōnin))]

[Ninjutsu: 4 (Chakra Reserves C+, Chakra Control A, Chakra Quality A (Fire, Saturation 100%. Yin, Saturation 100%), Hand Seals B, Overall Rating A (Jōnin))]

[Overall Rating: A- (Special Jōnin)]

"Only Special Jōnin, huh... Still, that's better than Kakashi and Itachi."

Ruohuo raised an eyebrow.

Overall, the system's evaluation seemed reasonable.

But if it counted his "Little Fire God" buff, that would be a whole different story.

It didn't raise his attributes, but the minimum 90% exemption from ordinary chakra costs was equivalent to giving him ten times as much chakra.

Add the 200% increase in power, and if he conserved his chakra a bit, it would effectively double again.

That made it a hundredfold increase. He could easily pass himself off as a little Senju. He ought to have at least... an A+ rating, right?

"Put it all together, and I'd have... Well, physical strength is still my weak point."

His physical attributes were indeed a bit weak, limited by his age.

He wondered how Uchiha Madara had trained back in the day.

It was like he had endless chakra. He'd taken on the Nine-Tails and still gone toe-to-toe with Hashirama for days, only losing by a single move in the end.

That was why Hashirama and Madara were the real soulmates, wasn't it?

If Madara had gone all in and gambled on Izanagi the "Danzo way," the outcome... might really have gone either way!

"Congratulations, Ruohuo-kun."

Orochimaru's voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Ruohuo had been deep in thought. He turned to look at Orochimaru, his gaze utterly calm.

He glanced at his mental attribute again.

His still-underdeveloped genjutsu abilities had already reached B+ thanks to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan...

"Hello, Sensei," Ruohuo replied, then went back to thinking.

He had the Three-Tomoe Sharingan now. Next, all he needed to do was join Anbu or Root, and the Mangekyo wouldn't be far off.

Unlocking the personal attribute template had given Ruohuo a rough idea of how the system calculated things.

The Uchiha Clan's overall level was currently A.

Maybe it was A-. Maybe it was A+.

It didn't matter. He'd take action. With Hashirama Cells and the Cursed Seal in play, he really had nothing to fear.

The problem was, researching Hashirama Cells and the Cursed Seal would require Orochimaru's help.

And Orochimaru as he was now...

Well, even if Orochimaru had some sudden revelation, it would still take him at least three to five years to complete the research.

So Ruohuo figured they should start with the fundamentals.

He'd help the Uchiha bring out their own strength. There was no need to reclaim their status from the Warring States period; at the very least, they had to return to the level they'd been at back then.

What good was acting tough if you didn't have the strength to back it up?

They couldn't be wiped out by just Obito and Itachi, could they?

Once the Third Shinobi World War ended, Fugaku would awaken his Mangekyo, and the CBD Brothers would have three pairs of Mangekyo between them.

With the clan's strength reaching S-rank, things should be secure.

That would require him to have some say within the clan.

"What are you thinking about, Ruohuo-kun?" Seeing Ruohuo fall silent again, Orochimaru asked curiously.

Ruohuo glanced at Orochimaru and pressed his lips together.

"I'm thinking about challenging Clan Head Fugaku."

Ruohuo spoke seriously and showed off his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"I've already obtained the Chunin Will of Fire. It's time to settle things with Clan Head Fugaku."

"...Indeed."

"I remember you wanted to become a Chunin so you could challenge Fugaku and become clan head, right, Ruohuo-kun?"

Orochimaru was only mildly surprised. Then he smiled faintly and regained his composure.

After two months together, he'd already seen his student do far too many things he'd never dared imagine before.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan...

That was pretty normal, wasn't it?

"Mm."

Ruohuo was just as calm as Orochimaru.

"I'm ready, Sensei. We'll go as soon as Obito gets out of school. Will you come cheer me on?"

Speaking of Obito and Shisui...

He'd forgotten to bring those two little fans along to the Chunin exam. The whole thing had felt short on cheers.

But he'd been in a hurry today. First he'd gone to the funeral with Orochimaru, then straight to the exam site. There hadn't been time to call them.

He could make up for it later, when he challenged Fugaku one-on-one...

There was no way he'd lose. After all, he could fly.

Whether he could win, though...

That was hard to say.

He wasn't worried about his chakra reserves. With the "Little Fire God" buff, he could stick to Fire Style without worrying about the cost.

But the other aspects...

Genjutsu, taijutsu, and all sorts of practical combat techniques...

It didn't matter. He could fly, anyway.

Air superiority let him act as cocky as he wanted.

That was how Konan could fight Jiraiya when she wanted and run when she wanted.

"Ruohuo-kun, if you don't mind, you might want to hear your teacher's advice."

Orochimaru smiled warmly, giving Ruohuo the feeling that he was Uchiha Sasuke right now.

"Go ahead, Sensei." Ruohuo wasn't worried at all.

If all else failed, he could challenge the Sannin, too.

He could fly, after all.

"The initiative is yours, Ruohuo-kun."

Orochimaru smiled. "You can challenge the clan head whenever you like. There's no need to rush."

"After all... Clan Head Fugaku has the Will of Fire of a Jōnin. His Will of Fire is no weaker than yours, Ruohuo-kun..."

"So my advice is to build up your strength a little more. Why not wait until you've earned the Jōnin Will of Fire before challenging him?"

"..." Ruohuo fell silent.

As he silently marked Orochimaru down as "30% awakened," he suddenly thought of a certain shut-in.

Let's put it this way...

There have been successful cases of transplanting Wood Release Cells.

If I handed Uchiha Madara's body over to Orochimaru for research, he should be able to find a way forward pretty quickly, right?

And if I take it one step further...

If I could get control of the White Zetsu...

"So you're saying you want to help me submit an application for the Jōnin exam?"

Ruohuo asked.

"It's only a suggestion, Ruohuo-kun..."

Orochimaru smiled and took out a scroll.

"Becoming a Jōnin isn't simple. You need an extensive record of completed missions."

"But the Will of Fire you gain by becoming a Jōnin is exactly what you need, isn't it, Ruohuo-kun?"

Ruohuo took the scroll.

He opened it and looked it over. It was a B-rank rescue mission.

B-rank... That should be doable.