Taking Stock of His Assets

Under the dim light, Uchiha Kyohaku leaned on his cane and began the first—and final—thorough inventory of his "new home." The air was thick with dust and the silence of a world irrevocably changed. He needed to know exactly what he possessed, and what he could rely on to establish himself in this world.

His first destination was the small wooden box where his mother kept important belongings. The key still lay quietly beneath the vase on the dining table; that habit had not changed. When he opened the box, the first thing he touched was a dark blue bankbook. Opening it, he saw the account holder's name: "Uchiha Keita." The final balance was clearly printed beneath it: "200,450 ryo." These were the family's savings accumulated over many years—a considerably larger sum, but one frozen in the bank. He tried to recall the withdrawal procedure. It seemed to require the account holder's seal or proof of identity. For a five-year-old child, that would be extremely difficult and would most likely alert the clan. Don't touch it for now, but I have to remember that this money exists. He put the bankbook back at the bottom of the box.

In one corner of the wooden box was an even smaller cloth pouch containing scattered coins and low-denomination bills. Altogether, they amounted to a few thousand ryo—small change for everyday groceries and rice. He took them out as well and placed them together with the one hundred thousand ryo. This was all the liquid cash he could freely use at the moment.

After finishing that, he slowly made his way on his cane to his father's small study. The furnishings were simple, yet this room carried all of the family's dreams of being ninja. There were not many books on the shelves, and only a few unsharpened training shuriken and kunai remained on a small weapon rack. His target was the drawer his father had used often.

The drawer was unlocked. It made a soft scraping sound as he pulled it open. Several scrolls and a notebook lay neatly inside.

He first picked up the topmost scroll, Detailed Chakra Refinement Technique. The edges of the scroll had been worn smooth and bright, showing how often its previous owner had read it. Besides the standard contents, the blank spaces contained many notes and insights written by his father in a fine pen—"Calming the mind is the first hurdle," "Feel the flow of energy within your body as though it were a stream," "Use spiritual energy to guide physical energy, rather than forcing it"... The handwriting grew from slightly immature to steadily composed, recording a ninja's thoughts as he grew.

Beneath it was <Ninja Academy Basics: Applications of the Three Basic Techniques>. The key points of the Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, and Transformation Technique were listed one by one. His father had added many of his own observations beside them, especially techniques for precisely distributing chakra while switching between jutsu, as well as common mistakes that led to wasted chakra and failed techniques.

Below those were two ninjutsu scrolls: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. "C-rank" was marked along their sides. The Great Fireball scroll had been read the most. His father had even drawn a simple diagram of chakra pathways in the blank space beside it, with detailed notes on the key points of each hand seal in the sequence—Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. He had paid particular attention to the subtle control of chakra transformation during the Boar seal, along with the warning: "Never output chakra too forcefully. Greed for speed and power will only injure yourself."

There was also Illusion Technique: This Place Is Not Here. It had fewer notes, but there were still scattered thoughts on how to guide the opponent's perception more naturally.

Finally, there was a moderately thick notebook bound with ordinary paper. Its cover bore no title and looked utterly plain. Kyohaku picked it up and opened it. Inside was Uchiha Keita's somewhat messy but passionate handwriting, accompanied by many simple diagrams and analyses. This was not some advanced ninjutsu scroll, but the accumulated insights and conclusions of a Chunin who had awakened a single-tomoe Sharingan after years of practice with shuriken throwing, close-quarters kunai combat, and physical training. It recorded in detail various angles, methods of exerting force, wrist movements, analyses of wind direction and speed, as well as many practical taijutsu tricks and ideas for combo attacks.

He gently stroked the notebook. His fingertips could feel the texture of the paper and the writing into which so much effort had been poured. This was even more precious than those C-rank ninjutsu scrolls. It was the core crystallization of experience from a ninja who had kept his feet on the ground and climbed upward through hard work—a true treasure for building a foundation and steadily improving.

He carefully gathered the scrolls and notebook together, storing them separately from the money. Money was the foundation for survival, while this knowledge was the key to power and the possibility of achieving "completion."

Leaning on his cane, he looked around the house. The material inventory was complete.

Available funds: one hundred thousand ryo in cash + a few thousand ryo in small change. (Approximately one hundred and five thousand ryo in total.)

Frozen assets: a bankbook with two hundred thousand ryo. (Need to find a way to access it.)

Core assets: the chakra refinement technique left behind by Father, the basic Three Basic Techniques, two C-rank Fire Release techniques, one C-rank genjutsu scroll and its accompanying notes. Father's personal training insights (shuriken and taijutsu notes).

Physical condition: disabled right foot, limited mobility.

External environment: both parents deceased, an Uchiha orphan, with the clouds of war not yet dispersed.

Advantages: enormous spiritual power and exceptional perception from the fusion of two lifetimes' souls; anatomical knowledge from my previous life as a forensic doctor, logical analysis, and a mentality so calm it was nearly cold-blooded.

Uchiha Kyohaku took a deep breath. The dim light outlined his childish yet remarkably calm profile.

"Inventory complete," he murmured to himself, as if making a formal report. "The capital is limited, but I am not empty-handed. Next comes figuring out how to use this capital to maximize my chances of survival and growth." His gaze swept across the scrolls again, lingering especially on that plain notebook of insights.

The first step, perhaps, should begin with the most basic matter—finding a new place to live, far from the Uchiha Clan, especially from the neighbors of this body's former owner.