The next day.
Konoha Public Training Archive.
Shingetsu stood at the entrance, looking up at the unremarkable building before him.
From the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary archive.
Gray-white walls, a wooden doorframe, and two Chunin guards at the entrance.
It was nowhere near as conspicuous as the Hokage Building, nor as heavily guarded as the Anbu base.
But Shingetsu knew that for him, this place was more important than a pile of high-level ninjutsu.
A ninja's strength didn't come from bloodline limits alone.
It also depended on a system.
Chakra Control.
Ninja tools and taijutsu.
Tactical planning.
Trap placement.
Sealing Basics.
Intelligence analysis.
These things might not stand out in the original story, but in actual combat, every one of them could determine who lived and who died.
What Shingetsu lacked most right now wasn't a powerful move that could kill someone in one hit.
He needed to turn himself from "a talented child" into "a truly qualified ninja."
The Chunin guard glanced at him.
"Uchiha Shingetsu?"
Shingetsu handed over the Hokage Compensation Scroll.
"Yes."
The Chunin took the scroll and checked the Hokage's seal. His expression shifted slightly.
He had clearly heard about Shingetsu.
A Two-Tomoe Sharingan at nine.
Attacked twice in a row.
The Uchiha Clan Secret Passage.
Some of the most sensitive topics in Konoha's shadows lately were almost all connected to the child before him.
"Your permit is in order."
The Chunin handed back the scroll.
"You may enter the first floor."
"You have two hours."
"You can read the materials on the first floor, but you can't take them out or copy complete ninjutsu scrolls."
"If you want to learn a C-rank ninjutsu, you'll need to register with the administrator."
Shingetsu nodded.
"Understood."
He walked into the archive.
As soon as he entered, the faint smell of paper and ink reached him.
Rows of wooden shelves stood neatly in place.
The scrolls were arranged by category.
Fire Style fundamentals.
Water Release fundamentals.
Earth Release fundamentals.
Wind Release fundamentals.
Lightning Release fundamentals.
Taijutsu training methods.
Ninja tool throwing techniques.
Tracking and counter-tracking.
Trap placement.
Battlefield first aid.
Squad Tactics.
Basic Sealing Technique.
The first floor did indeed contain no advanced classified material.
But the collection was comprehensive.
That was the advantage of a shinobi village system like Konoha's.
An ordinary ninja might never get access to secret techniques, but with the proper authorization, they could still learn a fairly systematic set of ninja fundamentals.
The Uchiha Clan had its own inheritance as well.
But Uchiha teachings focused more on the Sharingan, Fire Style, and Shurikenjutsu.
The Konoha Archive offered a more comprehensive collection.
Shingetsu didn't waste any time.
He headed straight for the tracking and counter-tracking section.
Last night's encounter with Root had made him even more aware of the importance of reconnaissance.
He couldn't spend the rest of his life passively waiting for people to come kill him.
If he wanted to survive, he had to learn how to spot a tail, shake it, or even turn the tables and use it to his advantage.
He pulled out a scroll.
Footprint Analysis in Village Environments.
Inside, it recorded how footprints changed on different surfaces.
Mud.
Gravel.
Roof tiles.
Wooden rooftops.
Damp walls.
It also covered the subtle traces a ninja might leave behind after using chakra to lighten their steps.
Shingetsu read quickly.
His Two-Tomoe Sharingan wasn't active, but his mental strength was already far greater than an ordinary child's.
With the Mental Resistance and Chakra Control traits on top of that, his memory was exceptionally sharp.
He could read a lot of the material just once and remember the general framework.
Of course, remembering wasn't the same as mastering it.
True mastery still required practice.
But for now, his goal was to build a framework of knowledge.
One book.
Two books.
Three books.
Shingetsu quickly finished the tracking section and moved on to counter-tracking.
Introduction to Chakra Trace Cleanup.
Ninja Tool Residue Misdirection Method.
Fundamentals of Scent Masking.
Identification of Common Eavesdropping Talismans.
When he reached the last one, Shingetsu's eyes shifted slightly.
Eavesdropping talismans.
That was exactly what the intruder had used last night.
He pulled out the scroll and quickly unfurled it.
It detailed several common types of eavesdropping talismans.
The first type: sound conduction.
The second type: chakra fluctuation sensing.
The third type: short-term image recording.
The fourth type: trigger-based intelligence talismans.
Shingetsu quickly realized that the talisman he'd smashed beneath the roof tile last night was probably a simplified hybrid of the sound conduction and chakra fluctuation sensing types.
This kind of talisman wasn't particularly advanced.
But it was well hidden.
If he hadn't had Causality Retrospection and the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he would've had a hard time detecting it right away.
Shingetsu silently noted the key identifying features.
Creases along the edge of the talisman paper.
The scent of chakra-infused ink residue.
A break in the dust where it had been attached.
And the three most common angles for concealing a talisman.
These were all practical field lessons.
After finishing the scroll, Shingetsu continued reading about sealing fundamentals.
Sealing Jutsu was an important but often overlooked system in the Naruto world.
Powerful Sealing Jutsu could seal Tailed Beasts and Impure World Reincarnation, seal space, and even affect souls.
Shingetsu didn't expect to learn advanced sealing techniques in the short term.
But he had to understand the basics.
At the very least, he couldn't afford to be completely clueless when he came across a sealing trap.
Time passed.
Like a parched sponge, he frantically absorbed the knowledge in the archive's first-floor collection.
Only when the administrator reminded him—
"Half an hour left."
—did Shingetsu finally look up from the sealing fundamentals section.
Half an hour.
It was time to choose a C-rank ninjutsu.
He walked over to the ninjutsu registration desk.
The administrator was an elderly Chunin with graying hair. He looked quite old.
He pushed up his glasses.
"You're Uchiha Shingetsu, right?"
"Lord Hokage gave you a slot to learn one C-rank ninjutsu."
"Here are your options."
He handed over a catalog.
Shingetsu opened it.
C-rank Fire Style:
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
Fire Style: Flame Bullet.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.
Fire Style: Fire Run.
C-rank Lightning Release:
Lightning Style: Earth Flash.
Lightning Style: Thunder Ball.
Lightning Style: Electric Shock.
C-rank Earth Release:
Earth Style: Earth Wall Simplified.
Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu.
Earth Style: Earth Spear Introduction.
C-rank Water Release:
Water Style: Water Formation Wall Simplified.
Water Style: Water Violent Wave.
Water Style: Water Clone.
There were also some general ninjutsu.
Shadow Clone Technique wasn't on the list.
Apparently, although Shadow Clone Technique was B-rank, Konoha wasn't about to make it freely available to a child from the Uchiha Clan.
Shingetsu studied the catalog, lost in thought.
He already knew the Great Fireball Technique.
Though he wasn't familiar with it yet, the Uchiha Clan could teach him.
So there was no need to waste the slot the Hokage had given him.
Phoenix Sage Fire Technique worked well with Shuriken, and the Uchiha Clan probably had it, too.
Lightning Chakra was his second nature.
Choosing Lightning Release would round out his offensive arsenal beyond Fire Style.
Lightning Style: Earth Flash.
It was a fairly common Lightning Release technique in the original story. It sent an electric current through the ground, restricting the enemy's movements.
For Shin-getsu right now, techniques that controlled the battlefield were more valuable than straightforward attacks.
He was already skilled at using wire, traps, and terrain to outmaneuver his enemies.
With Lightning Style: Earth Flash, his ability to control the battlefield would improve considerably.
Still, Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu was tempting, too.
It was one of Kakashi's classic techniques.
He could burrow underground and drag an enemy into the earth, restricting their movements.
Combined with the Sharingan and traps, it was vicious.
But Shin-getsu's chakra reserves were limited, and Earth Release wasn't his primary nature, so learning it might not be very efficient.
Water Clone was another good option, but it required a body of water.
After thinking it over for a moment, Shin-getsu looked up.
"I'll choose Lightning Style: Earth Flash."
The administrator looked a little surprised.
"You're an Uchiha. Why not choose Fire Style?"
Shin-getsu replied calmly, "I can learn Fire Style from my clan."
The administrator paused, then nodded.
"Smart choice."
He took a scroll from behind him and set it on the table.
"Lightning Style: Earth Flash. Rank C."
"The key is transforming Lightning Chakra's nature and maintaining a steady flow of chakra outside your body."
"It's best to have someone watch over you the first time you practice."
"Lightning Release backlash is no joke."
Shin-getsu took the scroll.
"Thanks for the warning."
Before you continue