Shallow Strike and Class

Mindscape.

Uchiha Ling's spirit hovered in boundless darkness, with only that ancient, unadorned shallow strike standing quietly before him.

He tried to reach out and close an insubstantial hand around the hilt.

In an instant, an icy, bone-deep sensation spread up along his "arm." It was not physical cold, but some kind of touch at the level of the soul. At the same time, a faint pulse, like a heartbeat, came from the blade, forming an extremely subtle resonance with the fluctuations of his own soul.

So this is... my Zanpakuto. Realization dawned in Uchiha Ling's heart. In the worldview of Soul Reapers, a shallow strike was the state before Shikai. The user had to continuously pour their spirit, conviction, and soul into it before they could finally awaken its true name and form, revealing a unique power.

He clearly did not possess that kind of power now. He could not even materialize the shallow strike and summon it into the real world—his chakra reserves and spiritual power were still far from enough. What the system had rewarded him with was more like a "seed," a "qualification," and an extremely useful "soul training device" at his current stage.

According to the scattered information transmitted by the system and his understanding from his previous life, he knew that even simply communicating with the shallow strike in soul form and attempting to resonate with it could temper his spiritual power excellently—that is, this world's "Yin Release" power. And Yin Release power was precisely the foundation for the evolution of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan!

Looks like I'll have to add "visualizing the shallow strike" to my daily training routine, he decided inwardly.

He withdrew from the mindscape and returned to reality. Uchiha Ling sat cross-legged on the tatami mat in his small room and began refining chakra.

This time, he keenly noticed the difference.

After his body had undergone basic enhancement, his perception of natural energy seemed to have sharpened slightly, and extracting physical energy from his body's 130 trillion cells had become smoother and more efficient. More importantly, after his contact with the shallow strike in the mindscape just now, his mind was exceptionally focused and condensed, making the process of extracting spiritual energy much easier as well.

Chakra was formed by perfectly mixing physical energy and spiritual energy at a 1:1 ratio.

The increased efficiency of extracting physical energy, and the improved quality and control of spiritual energy, brought about one result—both the speed at which he refined chakra and the total amount he could produce had increased significantly! Although it was still nowhere near the level of a monster like Naruto, compared to the mediocre version of himself yesterday, it was already a difference between heaven and earth.

"With basic Sharingan control techniques, plus the shallow strike's tempering of my spirit... my talent in Yin Release has probably already surpassed most Uchiha clansmen." A sharp gleam flashed through Uchiha Ling's eyes. This paved the way for him to awaken the Sharingan in the future, and even evolve toward higher levels.

He calmed his mind and continued refining chakra, consolidating this hard-won progress.

The next day, at Konoha Ninja Academy.

The noise nearly lifted the roof. Children in identical uniforms were everywhere. Some chased and roughhoused excitedly, some nervously clung to their parents' sleeves and refused to let go, and some, like Uchiha Ling, quietly observed everything alone.

His gaze swept across the classroom. He saw the blond boy isolated in the corner, head lowered, his whole body radiating an aura of "don't come near me"—Naruto Uzumaki. He also saw the black-haired boy faintly surrounded by a group of little girls, wearing a cool expression—Sasuke Uchiha.

The gears of fate seemed to be turning according to their predetermined course.

"Quiet!"

A full, powerful voice rang out, carrying unquestionable authority. The homeroom teacher, Iruka Umino, walked in, wearing a Konoha forehead protector and a gentle yet firm smile. His gaze swept across the whole class, pausing slightly on Naruto with a trace of complexity that was hard to detect, before he said loudly:

"Starting today, I will be your homeroom teacher, Iruka Umino! From now on, I will be responsible for teaching you the fundamentals of ninja knowledge, shurikenjutsu, taijutsu, and teamwork! Remember, your goal is to become outstanding Konoha ninja who can protect the village and your comrades!"

After a simple opening speech, the theory lesson began. Iruka explained chakra refinement, the history of the ninja world, and the distribution of the Five Great Nations. To Uchiha Ling, who possessed an adult soul and prior knowledge, this information was as simple as "1+1=2," but he still listened attentively. He was observing, memorizing, matching the knowledge in books one by one with this real world.

At the same time, he was also waiting.

[Ding! Sign-in target detected: Iruka Umino.]

[Interaction level: Ordinary encounter (classroom environment).]

[Issuing sign-in reward...]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Basic Shuriken Throwing Technique (mastery-level experience pack)!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: 20 system points!]

A surge of muscle memory and experience involving shuriken weight, feel, flight trajectories, and wrist-force techniques flooded into his mind. Although it was only the most basic throwing, it had directly reached the "mastery" level, enough for him to stand out among his peers and even surpass some genin.

Not a bad opening reward, Uchiha Ling thought. This could effectively make up for his current lack of attack methods.

During the break, the atmosphere in the classroom grew lively. Uchiha Ling did not take the initiative to befriend anyone. He simply sat quietly in his seat, seemingly resting, while in truth secretly observing everyone, especially those "key figures."

He saw Naruto try to move close to Sakura, Ino, and the group of girls, only to be pushed away in disgust, a look of disappointment appearing on his face even as he forced himself to keep smiling. He saw that Sasuke was always surrounded by a circle of people, yet Sasuke himself did not seem to enjoy it. His gaze occasionally drifted out the window, carrying a gloominess that did not match his age.

He also saw the eldest young lady of the Hyuga Clan sitting by the window, quiet as a small white flower—Hinata Hyuga. She would occasionally sneak a glance in Naruto's direction, then immediately lower her head with a red face, her fingers twisting together nervously.

An opportunity.

Uchiha Ling stood up and walked, as if casually, toward the back of the classroom where the ninja tool models and water dispenser were placed. He needed water, and the water dispenser happened to be not far from Hinata's seat.

Just as he finished getting water and turned to leave, he caught sight of two boys who looked like upperclassmen blocking Hinata's seat with grinning faces.

"Hey, eldest young lady of the Hyuga Clan, I heard your clan's Byakugan is really amazing. Why don't you let us take a look?" a boy with spiky hair said with malicious amusement.

"Y-yeah! Let us see. It's not like you'll lose a piece of flesh!" another chubby boy echoed.

Hinata trembled in fright. Her head lowered even further, both hands tightly clutching the hem of her skirt as she refused in a voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz, "N-no... Father said... I can't casually..."

"Oh, don't be so stingy!" As the spiky-haired boy spoke, he actually reached out to touch Hinata's eyes.

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut, her body stiff with fear.

At that moment, a hand that was not particularly strong, but unusually steady, caught the spiky-haired boy's wrist.

"Hey, bullying a girl doesn't look very good, does it?"

Uchiha Ling stood in front of Hinata, his voice calm, yet carrying undeniable force. Using his newly enhanced speed and precision, he had stepped in instantly.

"Who are you? Mind your own business!" The spiky-haired boy tried to break free, only to discover that the other party's hand was as firm as iron pincers (the effect of Strength +5 was beginning to show). A trace of surprise and anger flashed across his face.

"Uchiha Ling." Ling gave his name, while his gaze swept over the other chubby boy. That gaze was calm and unruffled, yet it made the chubby boy subconsciously take half a step back.

"Uchiha?" The spiky-haired boy's expression changed slightly. The Uchiha Clan did not exactly have a good reputation in the village; more than anything, they inspired awe. He resentfully flung off the hand (in truth, Ling had let go on his own). "Hmph! You win! Let's go!"

The two upperclassmen slunk away in defeat.

The other students in the classroom had all noticed the small conflict, and their gazes toward Uchiha Ling now held a bit more curiosity and scrutiny. Sasuke in particular looked at Ling with a faint, subtle sense of recognition as a fellow Uchiha, but even more with a condescending appraisal—he seemed not to know Ling, this "fringe member" of the clan.

Uchiha Ling ignored those gazes. He turned around and looked at Hinata, who was still badly shaken.

At this moment, Hinata raised her head slightly. Her fair little face still carried a blush that had not faded, and her pure white eyes were filled with gratitude and a trace of shyness, like a frightened little deer.

"Th-thank you..." Her voice was faint, but it clearly reached Ling's ears.

[Ding! Sign-in target detected: Hinata Hyuga.]

[Interaction level: Rescue.]

[Issuing sign-in reward...]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: One Piece World · Vivre Card (Hinata exclusive)!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Fairy Tail · Healing Magic (basic)!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: 100 system points!]

A warm, gentle energy flowed through his entire body. Different from the scorching heat of physical enhancement, this energy carried the aura of life and healing. The basic principles of healing magic and the methods of applying several basic healing spells were grasped by him as if by instinct.

At the same time, he sensed that within the system space (which seemed to have automatically opened a tiny portion after the first reward was issued), there was now a small white slip of paper made of a uniquely resilient material. On the paper, a faint pink glow outlined a blurry pattern resembling Hinata's silhouette, radiating warmth ever so slightly.

A Vivre Card! It could point to Hinata's location and sense her condition!

A huge gain!

Uchiha Ling suppressed the joy in his heart and gave Hinata a gentle smile, doing his best to make himself look nonthreatening. "You're welcome, Hinata. If they bully you again in the future, you can tell me."

His smile was very clean, and his eyes were clear, without the curiosity, pity, or covetousness found in other people's gazes. This eased Hinata's nervousness quite a bit.

"Mm..." She nodded lightly. Her voice was still very soft, but it no longer trembled as much.

"My name is Uchiha Ling." He introduced himself again.

"I-I'm Hinata Hyuga..." she also replied softly.

After the brief exchange, Uchiha Ling did not linger too long, so as not to put pressure on her. He nodded and returned to his own seat.

He could feel a gaze secretly following him from behind until he sat down, at which point it hurriedly moved away.

The corners of Uchiha Ling's mouth curved in an almost imperceptible arc.

Rescuing Hinata had earned him generous rewards and allowed him to establish an initial, positive connection with this eldest young lady of the Hyuga Main Family. This first step had gone perfectly.

He glanced at the bright sunlight outside the window, then looked at the various future ninja in the classroom.

Life at the ninja academy seemed far more interesting than he had expected.

And his path of sign-ins had officially begun.

(End of Chapter 2)