Mature-Mature Fruit

Rogge, who was walking home, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He saw a red-haired girl standing at his doorstep, idly kicking small stones by the roadside with her little feet. She seemed to have been waiting there for quite some time.

It was Kushina Uzumaki.

Rogge smiled and walked over. "Kushina, were you waiting for me?"

Kushina looked up and, upon seeing Rogge approaching, a delighted expression appeared on her face.

But she quickly put on a fierce look and glared at him. "Rogge, where the hell did you run off to? I went looking for you in the forest behind the mountain, but you weren't there. Then I came to your house, and you weren't here either. Do you know how long I've been waiting?"

Rogge scratched his head and smiled. "I went to Lord Hokage's keep."

"Huh?" Kushina did not quite process that at first, then hurriedly asked, "Lord Hokage wanted to see you?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

Rogge answered calmly, "Nothing major. It was about my application to graduate early. Lord Hokage said that if I can place in the top three of the arena ranking tournament three days from now, he'll agree to let me graduate early from the Ninja Academy and become a genin."

"You... you're always trying to show off. Sooner or later, someone's going to beat you into a pig's head." Kushina said irritably, "The Leaf Village clan ranking tournament? I've heard of it!"

"It's the Leaf Village clan ranking tournament held once every three years, established by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The ten major clans of Leaf Village are eligible to participate, and each sends three genin into a place called the arena. First comes a massive team free-for-all to determine the ten strongest ninjas. Then, through one-on-one PK matches, every participating ninja has to duel each of the other nine in turn. Only those who win all nine duels can become the undisputed champion!"

"I heard that the clan represented by the first-place ninja will receive the greatest resource support from Leaf Village for the next three years!"

Rogge nodded to himself. "So that's how it is!"

"Huh? I'd never known any of that. Kushina really is the young lady of the Uzumaki Clan. You're incredible."

"Of course! Hey, don't try to change the subject. Hurry home and cook, I'm starving to death." Kushina rose onto her tiptoes and tugged Rogge's ear.

Rogge cried out, "Ow, ow, ow! Let go!"

Kushina obediently released him, planted her hands on her hips, and said coquettishly, "Rogge, from now on, wherever you go, you have to tell me. You're not allowed to make it so I can't find you, got it?"

"Got it. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it." Rogge unlocked the door and went inside.

"I want tonkatsu, takoyaki, beef rice, soba, sashimi, tempura, grilled eel..." Kushina followed him into the house.

Rogge's face darkened as he turned around. "Stop! Young lady, this isn't a restaurant. If you want an imperial feast, turn left and find a high-end restaurant."

"Fine, just make something simple like grilled meat. Anyway, everything you cook is delicious." Kushina took a ninja scroll from her person, spread it out on the floor with both hands, and began forming hand seals.

"Sealing Technique! Release!"

"Poof!"

A cloud of white smoke suddenly appeared.

When the smoke dispersed, a pile of ingredients had appeared on the scroll.

"There, these are today's ingredients. Go cook, little brat." Kushina clapped her little hands, looking smug.

Rogge could not help sighing. The gap between people really was decided from the moment they were born.

As the next generation's Nine-Tails jinchuriki in Leaf Village, Kushina Uzumaki was the most pampered child in the village. The current Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki, was also Kushina's greatest backing.

That was because Mito Uzumaki was the First Hokage's wife, Leaf Village's most respected elder... and a rich woman.

Unless something unexpected happened, when Mito Uzumaki passed away, all of her inheritance would be left to Kushina Uzumaki.

In other words, with Mito's favor and her status as the next Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki was Leaf Village's little rich girl.

Rogge silently picked up the ingredients from the floor and headed toward the kitchen.

"Hurry up and cook! I'm starving, I'm starving!" Kushina lay on the tatami, her tiny body rolling around as she clamored for food.

After sending Kushina away, Rogge remained alone in the house, deep in thought.

"It looks like the world I transmigrated into is different from the Naruto of my previous life. It seems to have mashed in some elements from the Naruto mobile game too, like the arena and ranking tournament I heard about today... The original anime from my previous life never had any of this random nonsense!"

The next morning.

Rogge, who was used to waking up early for morning training, unexpectedly discovered something that thrilled him.

[Devil Fruit System!]

[Ding! Today's options have been refreshed. Please return tomorrow.]

[Current abilities: Magma-Magma Fruit (permanent), Mature-Mature Fruit (temporary)]

[Time until next refresh: 16 hours 22 minutes 18 seconds]

"The Paramecia-type Mature-Mature Fruit actually refreshed today!" Rogge was immediately overwhelmed by immense joy, and the smile on his face could not be suppressed!

The Mature-Mature Fruit could cause living beings and inanimate objects to age and mature, and these changes were irreversible!

Even after the Mature-Mature Fruit user died, humans or inanimate objects that had already been matured by the Devil Fruit's power would not revert to their original state!

In the Wano Country arc of One Piece, eight-year-old Kozuki Momonosuke had once asked Shinobu, the Mature-Mature Fruit user, to turn him into a twenty-eight-year-old adult!

In other words, eight-year-old Kozuki Momonosuke's childlike body had instantly been matured into that of a tall twenty-eight-year-old young man, losing the twenty years in between.

Thus, Kozuki Momonosuke, with the mind of an eight-year-old and the body of a twenty-eight-year-old, gained powerful muscles, a tall physique, and... the ability to transform into a giant dragon!

In other words, the Mature-Mature Fruit's power could instantly reshape someone's body into its perfect form twenty years later!

Although doing so would sacrifice twenty precious years of lifespan, what one gained in exchange was the physical strength of a body that had trained madly for twenty years. Whether it was strength, speed, or the development of one's Devil Fruit power, all would be greatly enhanced!

It was practically an epic-level enhancement!

Inside the cramped room, seven-year-old Rogge shut his eyes tightly as the power of the Mature-Mature Fruit began surging through his body.

His body seemed to be pulled by an invisible giant hand. His bones cracked, and his muscles rapidly swelled.

Eight-year-old Rogge... nine-year-old Rogge... ten-year-old Rogge... eleven-year-old Rogge... eighteen-year-old Rogge!

His formerly short body rapidly grew taller. In the blink of an eye, he had gone from a childish little brat to a handsome young man standing 185 centimeters tall.

Yet this rapid growth also brought immense destruction. Under the impact of that power, the clothes on his body could no longer endure and tore apart, becoming scraps scattered across the floor.

Only his elastic underwear clung tightly to his body, becoming the sole thing preserving his modesty.

He opened his eyes and looked at his brand-new body, a trace of surprise gleaming in his deep gaze.

"Such powerful chakra! Such a resilient body! It's practically monstrous! Is this really me? The strength of my body eleven years from now is actually this terrifying!"

"Wait, the Magma-Magma Fruit's power has actually awakened too?"

"Damn! This is practically a natural disaster-level ability!"

"With the taijutsu that terrifies even me and the awakened Magma-Magma Fruit's power, my raw strength should already be at the level of a Kage-class powerhouse, right?"