A Sage Body at the Start! Taking Off on the Spot!

Back in his room, Uchiha Xuan let out a long sigh of relief.

After dealing with his father and the clan members who had come to offer their congratulations, he finally had a moment to catch his breath.

He shut the door, completely shutting out the noise outside.

His impassioned speech before Senju Tobirama had seemed effortless, but in truth, every step had been taken on a knife's edge.

The intense mental strain left him feeling exhausted even now.

But the moment he thought of the gleaming gift pack in his mind, all his fatigue vanished instantly, replaced by uncontrollable excitement and anticipation.

This was the foundation that would let him survive in this damned world!

Without further hesitation, he eagerly recited in his mind, "System, open the beginner's gift pack!"

"Opening!"

At his command, the golden gift pack in his mind erupted with dazzling radiance!

The brilliant light nearly blinded his "eyes," while stirring music, like that of opening a top-tier treasure chest in an online game, played in his mind.

As the light faded, three options glowing with different halos appeared before him like three floating cards.

[A. Mastery-Level Fire Release Ninjutsu Compendium (Purple Rare)]

[Description: Instantly master all A-rank and below Fire Release ninjutsu of the Uchiha clan and attain mastery-level proficiency. You'll be a walking fire-breathing dragon!]

[B. Three-Tomoe Sharingan Upgrade Card (Purple Rare)]

[Description: Painless and without side effects, directly upgrade your Sharingan to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan form, saving you all the stimulation and trouble of awakening it!]

[C. First Hokage · Sage Body (Beginner) (Golden Legendary)]

[Description: Congratulations, chosen one! You will obtain a weakened version of the same physique possessed by Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, granting you immense chakra, terrifying vitality, and exceptional affinity with Natural Energy! Note: It's only beginner-level, so don't get too carried away.]

Looking at the three options before him, Uchiha Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

Damn!

Anything produced by the system was bound to be top-notch!

Either of the first two purple options would be enough to greatly increase an ordinary Uchiha clansman's strength, allowing them to become one of the best among their peers.

But when his gaze landed on option C, which radiated dazzling golden light, his breathing immediately grew rapid.

A Sage Body!

This was the very foundation that had allowed Hashirama Senju to dominate the Ninja World and crush Madara Uchiha so thoroughly that he could barely lift his head!

Immense chakra meant endless endurance.

Terrifying vitality meant exceptional recovery and survival capabilities.

And affinity with Natural Energy was an essential prerequisite for learning Sage Jutsu!

No matter how powerful the Sharingan was, it only concerned the realm of "techniques," while the Sage Body was the foundation of the "body" itself!

With a Sage Body, he would possess limitless possibilities!

Fire Release? Three tomoe? Before a Sage Body, they were pathetically weak!

"C! I choose C!"

Uchiha Xuan roared wildly in his mind and made his choice without the slightest hesitation.

The instant he made his selection, the golden card transformed into a pure golden current of warmth that surged into every part of his body!

"Urgh—!"

An indescribable agony suddenly erupted from the depths of every cell in his body.

Xuan felt as though he had been thrown into a high-speed blender. The bones, meridians, and muscles throughout his body were torn apart by an overwhelmingly tyrannical force, then reassembled in a more perfect form.

A layer of fine black impurities even seeped from the surface of his skin, giving off a foul odor.

His body was undergoing the deepest level of cleansing and rebirth!

The pain came quickly and left just as quickly.

After only a dozen seconds, the tearing agony turned into an indescribable sensation of comfort, as if he were soaking in a hot spring. Every pore opened wide, greedily drawing breath.

He could clearly feel that the chakra within him, which had originally amounted to no more than a small stream, was now explosively multiplying at a geometric rate!

A stream, a river, a vast sea!

In just a few moments, the amount of chakra in his body had reached a horrifying level!

He even closed his eyes and vaguely "saw" countless multicolored specks floating through the air. Those... were Natural Energy!

"Whew..."

Uchiha Xuan slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

He spread open his palm. It was fair and slender, looking no different from before, but he knew that this body now contained explosive power.

Power unlike anything he had ever felt before!

He felt that he could punch a cow to death with one fist right now!

"So this is a Sage Body? And it's only beginner-level..." Xuan muttered, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "This time... I'm taking off for real!"

Just as he was immersed in the thrill of his surging power—

Knock, knock, knock.

A hurried knock sounded at the door.

It was his father, Uchiha Tuo. This time, however, there was no fear in his voice. Instead, it was filled with barely contained excitement and delight.

"Xuan! Xuan! Open the door! Incredible news!"

Uchiha Xuan straightened his slightly rumpled clothes and walked over to open the door.

"Father, what has you so excited?"

"The Hokage's order!" Uchiha Tuo's face was flushed bright red with excitement. He waved a scroll in his hand, his voice even going shrill.

"The Hokage has personally ordered that, because you are mature and exceptionally capable, you are specially permitted to... graduate early from the Ninja Academy!"

Graduate early?

Xuan froze for a moment, then immediately understood.

This was probably one of Senju Tobirama's methods of appeasement and recruitment.

A slap first, then a sweet date.

He was rather skilled at the art of ruling.

Still, for someone as eager to increase his strength as Xuan, this was indeed good news.

"What else?" Xuan asked calmly.

"There's more!" Uchiha Tuo raised his voice several more notches. Looking at his son, his eyes brimmed with pride.

"The Hokage also said that he will personally assign you a jonin as an instructor, along with two of the most outstanding peers, to form an elite squad!"

"Oh? Who are the teammates?" Xuan asked casually.

Uchiha Tuo took a deep breath and spoke two names that would one day echo throughout the entire Ninja World in a near-dreamlike tone.

"One is the First Hokage's granddaughter, Princess Tsunade."

"The other is a genius said to appear only once in several decades... Orochimaru!"

"What?!" This time, Uchiha Xuan was the one left stunned.