Everyone knew people had limits, but cheats had none.
The same went for Gua's cheat.
After a day of idle training, he could already feel the benefits of Taijutsu. His body had gained considerable strength, and the weakness caused by years of idling was gradually fading.
He was growing stronger.
Not only that, his eyesight had improved dramatically.
The world before him seemed much clearer.
If he focused intently on one spot, he could even sense time slowing at the point of focus.
Then there was his perception.
A breeze brushed his skin, bringing a faint chill, and that coolness now felt even more refreshing.
"Looks like this idle-training system wasn't lying. It said tenfold gains, and it really meant tenfold gains."
Feeling the effects of the system's rewards, Gua returned home.
He pushed open the door.
"Ta-da! Gua's home!"
The moment Gua opened the door, his mother appeared in front of him, holding a cartoon teddy bear.
Uchiha Nai had given birth to Uchiha Gua at twenty-two. Now Gua was six, and she was twenty-eight.
Yet in everyday life, she was nothing like a composed, sensible mother.
Or rather, she was nothing like an Uchiha.
Most Uchiha carried themselves as though weighed down by bitter grudges, especially as they grew older.
Uchiha Nai, however, was an exception.
"Yeah~ Thanks, Mom."
Uchiha Gua took the teddy bear from his mother.
He remembered seeing it a few days earlier, when his mother had taken him shopping.
He had merely given it a second glance.
His mother had asked, "Do you like it, Gua?"
Gua had shaken his head.
He really had no interest in it.
He hadn't expected his mother to buy it today.
Gua had no interest in teddy bears, but he loved his mother.
"Gua, how was school today? Did you make any good friends?"
Uchiha Nai sat cross-legged on the floor with Gua and asked with a warm smile.
"Friends... I don't think... I did."
"That's all right. Don't get discouraged, Gua!"
"Okay, I know. Where's Dad?"
"Aww, Gua, other children come home and ask where their mothers are. Why are you asking for your dad? Mommy's going to get jealous~"
"No, that's not it. We got homework at school. We have to practice extracting chakra today, so that's why I'm looking for Dad."
Gua hurried to explain.
"Hahaha, I see. The clan leader called your dad out. He should be back soon. Wait a little while, and I'll go make dinner for you two."
Humming an unfamiliar tune, Uchiha Nai went into the kitchen.
Gua got up and put the teddy bear at the head of his bed, on the left. No, it looked better on the right.
It was already very late when Uchiha Oyama returned.
At the dinner table, Uchiha Nai prodded her husband's head with a finger and chided him, "Today was Gua's first day of school. How could you come home so late?"
Her husband smiled sheepishly, placed a meatball in Gua's bowl, and asked,
"Gua, how was school today?"
"Mm, pretty good. The teacher just said we should try extracting chakra today."
"Hahaha, is that so? Dad will take you out to practice after dinner. How does that sound?"
"Mm, okay."
Gua answered his father between bites.
After dinner,
Uchiha Oyama took Gua into the yard.
"Chakra Extraction is essentially the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy. To extract chakra, our first step is naturally to get a sense of what chakra is..."
Gua began trying, step by step, following his father's instructions.
However, his poor aptitude quickly became apparent.
He couldn't even sense chakra.
Gua was starting to think it was game over. Was he really just an ordinary civilian with Uchiha blood?
Fortunately, the system solved his problem.
[Chakra Extraction]
A new option available for idle training appeared on the system panel.
"It's all right, Gua. Let's stop here for today. We can take our time training from now on. Don't get discouraged."
Uchiha Oyama gave Gua an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
That night,
Gua lay on his tatami mat, his teddy bear beside his bed.
The night breeze occasionally drifted inside, gently stirring the curtains.
Gua simply stared at the ceiling.
Or rather, instead of the ceiling, he was staring at the system panel.
[Taijutsu (tenfold gains active)] [Eyesight (tenfold gains active)] [Perception (tenfold gains active)]
He thought for a moment.
Gua removed Perception, then put [Chakra Extraction] into its slot.
[Taijutsu (tenfold gains active)] [Eyesight (tenfold gains active)] [Chakra Extraction (tenfold gains active)]
"Mm."
"After a night of idle training, I should make some progress tomorrow."
With his idle training set up, Gua slowly closed his eyes.
Time to sleep.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, Gua got up, ate breakfast, and headed straight to school.
On the way, he ran into someone he knew.
Shisui Uchiha.
Three years older than Gua and Itachi, he had been born in Konoha Year 43 and was now their upperclassman.
"Gua, long time no see."
Shisui greeted Gua with a smile.
Gua politely returned his greeting. "Shisui, long time no see."
He still felt a strong attachment to Konoha. Aside from Itachi, whom he didn't particularly like, he treated everyone as fellow villagers.
Whatever Itachi's reasons were, he would still end up killing the entire clan.
All that talk of justice was bullshit.
Gua had thought that way before transmigrating, too, but afterward, his feelings were different.
Because now he was among those who would be killed.
"Shisui, Gua, good morning."
Itachi ran up from behind. It looked as though something had made him late, so he was hurrying.
"Running late today?"
Shisui looked at Itachi with a smile.
Gua had to admit, Shisui made an excellent big brother.
"Ah~ Sasuke peed on me just before I left, so I had to change clothes before coming."
"Hahaha! Is that so?"
Shisui laughed.
The corner of Gua's mouth twitched, too.
He sniffed and felt as though the air was full of the pungent smell of Uchiha Sasuke's pee.
Gua moved farther away from Itachi.
Itachi: "..."
"Hey, I washed."
Gua: "Mm."
Itachi: "What's with that attitude? I really washed. Believe me, Gua!"
Gua: "Mm."
Itachi: "..."
Gua walked calmly into school, with Itachi beside him, still trying to prove his innocence.
But Gua had believed him all along.
"Mm! I believe you!"
Itachi sat down beside Gua with a stiff expression.
Great. Now he wouldn't even have the energy to pay attention in class today.
Gua rubbed his nose. The Itachi in front of him seemed a little different from that Mass Murderer who killed without blinking.
But how had such a lively, adorable child grown into the future Mass Murderer?
Gua shook his head.
After so much idle training, he no longer liked thinking too hard.
He opened the panel and gave it a casual look, confirming that his skills were still undergoing idle training and leveling up.
Then he closed the panel again, shut his eyes, and began sensing chakra.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The chakra within his body began slowly gathering near his lower abdomen.
He had mastered the basics of Chakra Extraction.
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