During class, everyone sat up straight.
Luo Yu, however, was distracted, exploring the system's functions in his mind.
He happened to open the entry for his Hashirama Cells talent.
A more detailed explanation unfolded.
Talent: Kamui Mangekyō Lv. 1 Effect: Grants the Sharingan's basic abilities and 5 seconds of intangibility. Leveling up increases the duration of intangibility and unlocks more abilities. Talent: Hashirama Cells Lv. 1 Effect: Increases ninjutsu power by 50%, chakra reserves by 50%, and stamina by 30%. Greatly increases chakra recovery speed, grants the Wood Release attribute, enhances the body's healing ability, and suppresses the Mangekyō's negative effects.
Only five seconds of intangibility?
The Mangekyō in this template probably belonged to Obito when he had only just awakened it, so it couldn't unleash its full potential.
He would need to level up the Mangekyō to fully master Kamui.
That made sense. After all, the Mangekyō's abilities had to be developed little by little.
Both Itachi's and Sasuke's experiences illustrated that perfectly.
Compared to the Kamui Mangekyō, whose abilities needed no introduction, what truly surprised Luo Yu was the Hashirama Cells.
No wonder his chakra and stamina stats showed percentage bonuses. They came from the Hashirama Cells.
Since these were percentage increases, the Hashirama Cells would become even more effective as those two base stats grew.
What surprised him even more was the 50% increase in ninjutsu power.
He would have every reason to feel confident when trading ninjutsu blasts with other people.
At the thought of ninjutsu, Luo Yu frowned slightly. "The key is figuring out how to raise my chakra and stamina within three days."
"Never mind that the assessment requires both stats to reach 10. With chakra reserves of 5, I can barely cast any ninjutsu."
"Even with four powerful ninjutsu and the support of the Hashirama Cells, none of it matters if I don't have enough chakra."
Just as Luo Yu was fretting, the system's mechanical voice sounded again.
Defeat enemies to randomly obtain attribute points. The host can allocate these points to increase base stats at will.
Luo Yu was startled. Well, damn. This system comes with its own AI!
That saved him the trouble of figuring everything out himself.
The system's answer also revealed how he could grow stronger.
As it happened, the outskirts of the Dark Forest lay along Jiangli City's border, and plenty of low-level mutant beasts roamed there.
Normally, Luo Yu wouldn't have dared go anywhere near it.
But now he had the Enraged Obito template, and raising his stamina and chakra had become an urgent priority.
With the school break starting tomorrow, he needed to head to the outskirts of the Dark Forest for some serious training.
With that in mind, Luo Yu silently took stock of the ninja tools in his schoolbag.
"Riiing..."
As the school bell rang, Luo Yu walked out through the gates amid a laughing, chattering crowd.
Because the assessment had become more difficult, the various Ninja Academies had even arranged a special three-day break, hoping their students could make a breakthrough during that time.
Half an hour later, Luo Yu walked into a shabby-looking, low-rent apartment building.
It was just as filthy and rundown as it had been before the world's timeline changed.
Only people at the very bottom of society would choose to live here.
But for Luo Yu, who had grown up in an orphanage, and his sworn older sister, Luo Qingyu, this was their only warm and welcoming refuge.
He pushed open the door and entered to find Luo Qingyu wearing an apron, busy in the makeshift kitchen.
Of course, it was a perfectly ordinary apron.
"You're back, Yu. Go wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready."
Luo Qingyu set the steaming dishes on the table and looked at Luo Yu with a warm smile.
He put down his schoolbag, which was full of ninja tools.
Gathering his courage, Luo Yu met her tender gaze. "Sis, school's giving us three days off."
"I'm planning to spend that time training at the Ninja Dojo so I can pass the ninja assessment."
"That should take some of the pressure off you, too."
Yes, Luo Yu had deployed his secret technique: a white lie.
After all, if Luo Qingyu found out he was going outside the city to fight mutant beasts...
She would surely do everything she could to stop him out of concern for her little brother.
"You've grown up, Yu. You're looking out for your big sister now." Luo Qingyu's eyes grew moist.
"Go ahead. Whatever you do, I'll always support you!"
"I'll cook two extra eggs today to build you up for the assessment."
With that, she reached for the last two eggs in the house and strode resolutely into the kitchen.
Watching Luo Qingyu walk away, Luo Yu felt a pang of emotion.
She was already at her wits' end over the rent, yet she hadn't said a word. She wouldn't even let him see her worry.
Instead, she supported him without hesitation, just as she always had.
Where else could I find a sister like her?
He had to work hard so he could give his sister a happy life!
With that thought, Luo Yu promptly polished off two large bowls of rice.
After dinner, Luo Yu shouldered his bag. "I can't let those two eggs go to waste. I'm heading out to train right now!"
He had originally planned to start his killing spree tomorrow, but those two eggs had gone to his head.
Seeing how eager Luo Yu was to leave, Luo Qingyu looked pained. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself over the assessment."
"It's fine even if you don't become a ninja. I can always support you."
"Don't worry. I've got that assessment in the bag." Luo Yu waved confidently, then left the apartment.
Half an hour later, Luo Yu arrived at a military base guarding the city's outskirts.
A large number of ninja soldiers were stationed here. They belonged to the Land of the Dragon's military Ninja Corps.
Through day after day of training, these soldiers had all reached Apprentice Level.
Anyone who wanted to leave the city and reach the forest's outskirts had to be cleared by the soldiers.
As for why so many elite troops needed to be stationed here...
Jiangli Base City was a third-tier city in the Land of the Dragon, and its border adjoined mutant beast territory.
If mutant beasts tried to invade the Land of the Dragon, Jiangli City, the nation's first line of defense, would be the first to face their armies.
Over its long history, Jiangli City had been occupied by mutant beasts several times. Fortunately, powerful Kage-level Experts had always stepped in to reclaim it.
But each cycle of conquest and recapture left countless civilians dead or injured.
"Living in Jiangli City is too dangerous. I need to grow stronger as quickly as possible and settle somewhere safer."
Having understood his situation, Luo Yu muttered to himself.
Then he joined the line behind the others, waiting for the soldiers to check him.
Since night had already fallen, far fewer people were heading outside the city to explore, and Luo Yu soon reached the front.
Noticing Luo Yu's school uniform, the Genin officer handling clearance gave him a second look.
The scanner quickly confirmed Luo Yu's student identity through facial recognition.
"Tengyang No. 3 Middle School? You're still a student!"
After checking the file displayed on his computer screen, the officer frowned at Luo Yu.
There was no explicit rule forbidding ninja students from exploring outside the city.
But for safety reasons, usually only a handful of top students whose chakra and stamina had both reached 10 would take that risk.
After all, reaching 10 in both stats already made someone a genius at school. It was natural for them to be young and brash.
Yet Luo Yu was utterly average, with both stats at just 5. Why was he joining in?
"The Apprentice Ninja assessment is coming up, so I'd like to train on the outskirts of the Dark Forest."
Luo Yu nodded firmly.
Seeing this, the officer began earnestly trying to talk him out of it.
"Although the outskirts only have unranked Stonefang Rabbits, whose base stats are generally below 10, they're still a serious threat to someone as inexperienced as you."
"Besides, Jiangli City has raised the assessment requirements considerably this year. Your abilities don't even qualify you to take it yet."
"You'd be better off building a solid foundation first and trying next year."
Looking at the officer who had kindly warned him, Luo Yu smiled faintly. "I'm just trying my luck. Who knows? Maybe I'll stumble upon a lucky encounter out there."
Before you continue