Skill slots

During the last class before school let out, Kiyoshi sat in his seat, looking at the trees outside the window.

The leaves had yellowed a little more. A few sparrows hopped among the branches, chirping away.

The teacher was saying something at the front of the classroom, but he wasn't listening. There was only one thing on his mind.

School letting out.

When the bell rang, he was the first to stand. He put his books into the compartment under his desk, turned, and headed out.

Nakajima called after him, "Kiyoshi, aren't we walking home together today?"

"I've got something to do."

"What?"

Kiyoshi didn't turn around. "Something private."

Watching him leave, Nakajima muttered, "Even Mr. Poker Face has private business, huh."

Kiyoshi ignored him. He left the school building, crossed the field, and headed for the gate.

He walked a little faster than usual, but his face showed nothing. The same old poker face.

Once outside the gate, he didn't go straight home. Instead, he turned onto the path leading to the Back Mountain.

The Back Mountain wasn't particularly high, but its woods were dense. Few people came here, though a handful of Ninja Academy students occasionally practiced with Shuriken here. School had just let out, and everyone was heading home. No one was going up the mountain.

Kiyoshi walked uphill over fallen leaves, his pace neither fast nor slow, as though he were merely passing through.

Halfway up, he reached a clearing surrounded by trees that blocked most lines of sight. He stopped and looked around.

No one.

He stood in the center of the clearing and remained silent for two seconds.

He raised his left hand and looked at his wrist.

The system panel appeared before his eyes.

[Face value: 1600]

[Perform a ten-pull? (Costs 1600 face value)]

[Yes / No]

Kiyoshi looked at it for two seconds, then selected "Yes" without expression.

The panel flashed, and the text disappeared.

Pale blue light rose before him, gentle rather than dazzling, like fireflies.

It was rather pretty. Too bad only he could see it.

He felt a faint vibration in the air, as if something were resonating. His skin tingled slightly, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

The points of light spun faster and faster, gathering into a vortex before him.

A fissure opened at the center of the vortex, spilling brighter light.

Ten beams shot out of the fissure, one after another, landing on the ground before him.

The instant each beam touched the ground, it became a glowing orb that floated a foot above the earth.

Ten orbs, arranged in a row.

The blue light gradually faded, and the woods returned to normal.

Ten glowing orbs floated before Kiyoshi, varying in size and slightly different in color. Most were pale blue, but one had a purple tint and was noticeably larger than the others.

He stared at the purple orb.

The guaranteed SR. This is it.

The system panel appeared again.

[Ten-pull complete]

[Results:]

He read down the list, one line at a time.

The very first line stopped his gaze.

[Skill Slot ×1 (SR-Rank)]

[Function: Unlocks skill slots for loading Ninjutsu Scroll skills. Current capacity: R-Rank ×2. Capacity increases with upgrades.]

[Currently loaded: None]

[Note: Skill slots are a passive feature. They do not occupy equipment slots or consume chakra. Loaded skills can be used directly without additional study.]

Kiyoshi's pupils contracted slightly.

Skill slots. I've got them.

He took a deep breath.

With this, I won't have to learn any skills I pull from now on.

He thought for a moment, then added another thought.

Though I haven't pulled any usable skills yet.

Still wearing his poker face, he continued reading.

[Basic Chakra Refinement Acceleration Card ×1 (R-Rank)]

[Effect: Increases chakra refinement efficiency by 50% for 7 days after use.]

[Ninjutsu Scroll: Clone Technique ×1 (R-Rank)]

[Effect: Use on the Clone Technique to accelerate learning progress. Current Clone Technique level: Beginner → Expected improvement: Proficient.]

The rest were nothing special.

[Standard Ninja Tool Pack ×1 (R-Rank): Contains Kunai ×5, Shuriken ×10, Explosive Tag ×1]

[R Fragment: Body Flicker Technique ×1]

[R Fragment: Shurikenjutsu Insights ×1]

[R Fragment: Chakra Control Guide ×1]

[R Fragment: Explosive Tag Crafting ×1]

[R Fragment: Substitution Technique ×1]

[R Fragment: Recovery Potion Recipe ×1]

[All items have been stored in the system inventory and may be retrieved at any time.]

After reading everything, Kiyoshi fell silent for a few seconds.

The skill slots were a feature, not a consumable. The chakra refinement acceleration card could be used right away, as could the Clone Technique scroll. He still needed plenty more fragments, but at least none of the types were duplicates.

He raised his hand and tapped the purple orb.

The orb dispersed, turning into a streak of light that sank into his chest.

He felt no particular change. No pain, no warmth. There was simply a clear new understanding in his mind: he could now use the skill slots.

He looked at his hands.

Now I have two empty slots. If I pull an R-Rank skill, I can load it directly without learning it.

The corner of his mouth moved, so slightly it was almost imperceptible.

He tapped the blue orb containing the chakra refinement acceleration card next. It likewise turned into light and sank into his body, but this time he felt a trace of warmth spread from his chest, like a warm current flowing into his limbs.

The system panel added a line:

[Basic Chakra Refinement Acceleration Card activated]

[Time remaining: 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes]

He looked at those words, then at the eight remaining orbs.

He put the Ninjutsu Scroll and the Standard Ninja Tool Pack into his inventory as well. The remaining fragment orbs sank into his wrist one after another, becoming fragment icons in the system inventory.

The clearing grew quiet again.

Kiyoshi stood where he was, looking down at his wrist.

The skill slot section on the system panel lit up.

[Skill slots: 2/2 empty]

[Available skills to load: None]

He closed the panel.

Leaves rustled overhead. Wind blew up from the foot of the mountain, carrying the scent of grass and earth. He stood in the clearing, silent for a long time.

Finally, I can pull skills and use them directly.

He rubbed his fingers together. Bits of bark still clung to his fingertips.

He crouched and scraped at the ground a couple of times, smoothing out the few blades of grass the light effects had scorched. No one had seen anything, but the grass had been burned, and he felt he ought to tidy up the scene.

He stood and brushed the dirt from his hands.

He recalled all those days of training. Running on the Back Mountain, striking wooden posts, practicing with Shuriken, falling until he was covered in dirt. Those were the fundamentals. There were no shortcuts. But things were different now. As long as he pulled a skill, he could use it directly.

No more practice? I'll still have to practice. But I can save time on some things.

Above the canopy, the sun had already drifted west. Light filtered through gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the ground.

He turned and headed down the mountain.

The descent was easier than the climb. He walked at an unhurried pace, his face expressionless, looking no different from usual.

As he passed a tree, he reached out and touched its trunk. The bark was rough and prickled his hand.

He withdrew his hand and kept walking.

Time to save up for the face value pool again. Sixteen hundred short of the next ten-pull. Ninety-seven short of the third ten-pull from the awkwardness pool. Saving for both at once shouldn't take too long.

He left the Back Mountain and returned to the main road. He kicked a stone by the roadside. It rolled twice and landed in the grass.

Cooking smoke rose from the houses along the road. Someone was making dinner. The scent of soy sauce and miso soup drifted through the air. He sniffed. His stomach didn't growl, but he was indeed a little hungry.

He turned into the alley leading to his house.

The alley was long, lined on both sides with wooden fences. Vines crept over their tops, their leaves already beginning to yellow. As he walked through it, his footsteps made soft tapping sounds on the stone paving.

He didn't notice the person sitting on a rooftop opposite the alley's entrance.

Dressed in an Anbu uniform and wearing an animal mask, the man crouched motionless in the roof's shadows, like a crow perched on the eaves.

He watched Kiyoshi turn into the alley and disappear behind the fence.

He didn't leave immediately. He waited roughly ten seconds before standing, silently leaping onto another house's roof, and departing in the opposite direction.

Anbu didn't appear here for no reason.

But Kiyoshi didn't know.

He opened the door, changed his shoes, and set his schoolbag beside the entryway.

He went into the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and took a sip.

The water was cool and tasted slightly sweet as it flowed down his throat.

He set down the glass and looked at the sky outside the window.

The sunset had dyed the sky orange. A few clouds had stretched into long, thin strands, like cotton pulled apart by the wind.

He stood there for a while, then turned and went into his room.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he opened the system panel and checked the skill slots again.

[Skill slots: 2/2 empty]

[Items: Ninjutsu Scroll: Clone Technique ×1]

He considered it and decided not to rush into using the scroll. Waiting for the chakra refinement acceleration card's effect to stabilize before using the Clone Technique scroll might produce better results.

He closed the panel and lay down on the bed.

A small crack ran down the ceiling like a dry riverbed. He stared at it for a few seconds, then slowly closed his eyes.

Today's haul was enough.

The moment he closed his eyes, the system panel flashed silently.

[Skill slots unlocked]

[Total pulls: 30]

[Next ten-pull: Face value short by ? / Awkwardness value short by 97]

But it made no sound, not even a notification chime.

Kiyoshi didn't see it, either.

He had already rolled over on the bed and buried his face in his pillow.

Outside the window, the sky grew darker.

The figure on the rooftop was already gone, as though he had never been there at all.