This Is the Confidence Galageki Gives Me!

There were two kinds of Substitution Technique in the world of the Hokage.

One was the ordinary E-rank Substitution Technique.

At its core, it was a trick of the eye, something like a combination of genjutsu and the Body Flicker Technique. Its advantage was that it was easy to learn; its drawbacks were its short movement range and long startup. It worked well for stomping weak opponents, but was basically useless in mid- to high-level battles.

The other kind was a personalized Substitution Technique developed by certain advanced ninja to suit their own circumstances. Typical examples included Orochimaru's Molting Substitution and Itachi's Crow Substitution. With sufficiently strong combat ability, they could evade attacks without taking any damage.

And now—

Thanks to the traits granted by the Gala System, Mikami Yu could also cast the "Substitution Technique" instantly and reliably.

The range was a little short, but aside from that, this trait had practically no flaws! It was basically a range-limited version of Amenotejikara!

And this was only the reward for reaching 25 favorability, the "Friendly" stage.

If 25 was already this good...

Wouldn't 100 favorability send him straight into the stratosphere?

"This little Gala System is actually pretty damn good."

If there was a flaw, it was probably that [Practice] could not be automated. He had to train bit by bit himself. On top of that, Mikami Yu had far less chakra than Obito, so the "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu" he could currently use was only the size of a basketball and had no practical combat value at all.

But then again, even Sasuke, Indra's reincarnation, had only been at this level when he first learned the Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu.

And as long as Mikami Yu kept practicing, he could raise the favorability of "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu" regardless of the results. Once he unlocked its stage reward, things would be different.

—The traits of the Three Techniques were already this good. Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu couldn't possibly be too shabby, right?

This was the confidence playing Galageki gave me!

For now.

Mikami Yu took a deep breath, straightened his waist, and recovered from his suspended upside-down position. Then he bounced a few times on the spot, feeling his body become incredibly light. His head nearly struck the tree trunk six or seven meters above.

He lowered himself into a horse stance and threw punches in place, the air whistling continuously around him. The power in his arms and waist had clearly increased, and his punches had become steadier and more forceful.

With no one to spar against, Mikami Yu did not know whether those three points of physique had improved his taijutsu as well. But one thing was certain: he could probably defeat his self from a few weeks ago with ease.

"It's about time."

"Tomorrow is the assessment exam. I need to get there early... Whether I keep being a ninja or become a noodle-pulling master depends on this one shot!"

The next morning.

"Good morning, Yu-kun!"

After having breakfast at home with his mother, Mikami Yu stepped outside and saw Nohara Rin coming out of her own home with a backpack on her shoulders.

She greeted him with a smile and a wave, then repeatedly glanced at the top of Mikami Yu's head, her expression turning a little strange.

"What is it, Rin? Is there something on my head?"

Mikami Yu touched his Haku hair.

"No... I just suddenly felt like Yu-kun had gotten taller recently? I remember that a while ago, you were only a little taller than me, but now you're nearly half a head taller."

Walking alongside Mikami Yu, Nohara Rin held a small hand over her own head and gestured toward his.

Mikami Yu turned and glanced at her. His gaze traveled down from the top of Nohara Rin's head, lingering for a moment over her Haku neck before he smiled calmly. "Maybe I've been eating better lately, so I grew a little... Come to think of it, I should thank you for that bucket of fish you sent me."

"That's not how it works. If eating a few fish could make people grow taller, everyone in Konoha would be fishing in the Naka River."

Nohara Rin laughed helplessly.

In truth,

Mikami Yu's change in height was probably mainly related to the three points of physique granted by the Gala System. The enhancement was comprehensive. It had not only increased the strength of his fists and kicks, but also made him slightly taller, enough for the change to show on the surface.

Still, this was an age when children were naturally growing, so the change did not seem too abrupt.

After walking a little farther.

Nohara Rin spoke again. "Oh, right, Yu-kun. Oki-sensei has already replied to me about learning Medical Ninjutsu."

"He said Konoha Hospital has a training class for newly recruited medical staff. He has already put in a good word for us, and I can start auditing it next week. Yu-kun, do you want to come too? If the two of us go together, we can discuss things whenever we run into problems."

"When is it?"

"Weekend mornings every week. Sometimes there are classes on weeknights too. The lecturers are all medical ninja from Konoha, most of them Chunin. But supposedly, Jonin occasionally show up too. Even Lady Tsunade has appeared before."

"Tsunade..."

Mikami Yu instinctively imagined an enormous pair of breasts...

It could not be helped. That particular trait of Tsunade's was just too deeply ingrained in people's minds.

But...

At this point in time, Tsunade should have already left Konoha, right? And she suffered from Hemophobia. What could she teach at Konoha Hospital? Wouldn't she be afraid of being triggered?

As Mikami Yu thought, he said aloud, "Sure. Remember to call me when the time comes."

As they spoke.

The two of them had already arrived at the Ninja Academy.

On the way to the classroom, students greeted them from time to time.

One of them had a pair of Byakugan and looked somewhat arrogantly superior. He also wandered over as if by chance and exchanged a few pleasantries.

His name was Kaimon Hyuga, a descendant of the Hyuga Clan.

Nohara Rin had a gentle personality, delicate features, and often helped others at school, so she was very popular. Aside from Obito, there were plenty of other precocious children who secretly had feelings for her, including Kaimon Hyuga.

But the pride of being born into a great clan made him disdain acting as fawningly as Obito. Instead, he tried to draw Nohara Rin's attention by deliberately acting cool and even putting others down. He often boasted about his great-clan background and exceptional talent, leaving Nohara Rin helpless but unable to say much.

As for Mikami Yu...

To most of the boys, he was a potential romantic rival.

It could not be helped. That was just what happened when you had good looks.

Back then, the Ninja Academy had also had Kakashi, who was equally handsome and far more gifted than anyone else, enough to steal everyone's spotlight. But Kakashi was no longer there, so Mikami Yu had become the prettiest boy in the class. Even if his talent was a little weaker, he still had plenty of fans who liked him for his face.

Mikami Yu did not care much about any of that.

They were just a bunch of noisy little brats. Compared to them, he preferred older ones.

Of course, if some pretty little rich girl stepped forward and told him he did not need to work hard anymore, it was not as though he could not consider it...