Ruri rubbed his belly. The Flame-Flame Fruit he had just eaten was still fresh in his memory.
Images of Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit powers from Pirate King were already playing through Ruri's mind. How incredible would it be to wield those badass powers himself?
Ruri slowly and carefully felt out this energy and discovered that it was different from chakra. Chakra was a fusion of physical and spiritual energy, but this power was purer. It felt more like nature itself had become one with him.
Ruri knew that he was now a Logia Devil Fruit user.
"Let's try out the Flame-Flame Fruit's powers first!"
With that, Ruri extended his right hand and tried using the Flame-Flame Fruit's power. Sure enough, a current of heat flowed from his body into his palm. Then he turned his hand over, and a large fireball shot out of it.
So this was the power of a Devil Fruit? It was amazing! Using it was as easy as following his body's instincts. But Ruri knew that he was still a novice Devil Fruit user, with a long road ahead of him.
Feeling the lingering heat in his hand, Ruri used his Devil Fruit power to form another large fireball in his palm. Once it reached a suitable size, he threw it into a water jar in the courtyard.
A hiss rang out, and then the water jar burst apart. The water inside evaporated instantly.
"Holy crap! Why is this so much like the Uchiha Clan's Great Fireball Technique? But it feels way more powerful than theirs!"
Looking at the shattered water jar, Ruri smiled faintly. "Not bad! With this technique, I should be able to hold my own against a Jonin now!"
Suddenly, Ruri remembered something. "Oh, right! I almost forgot. I still need to buy ninja tools!"
After giving the courtyard a quick cleanup, Ruri left home and headed toward the ninja tool shop.
A small figure walked slowly down the bustling street.
Many passersby turned their eyes toward Ruri's face. Both the Hyuga Clan's distinctive pure white eyes and his delicate features drew plenty of attention. Ruri could even hear a girl and an older woman nearby saying, "So cute!"
Ruri lowered his head slightly and quietly quickened his pace. With an adult's soul, he still found it hard to get used to being treated like an adorable little boy. Besides, he did not want to attract so much attention.
Ten minutes later, Ruri reached the entrance of a ninja tool shop. Konoha had dozens of shops like this. Apart from ninja carrying out missions, their usual customers were kids who spent all day dreaming of becoming ninja.
"Oh, a little one from the Hyuga Clan! What can I get for you?" Seeing Ruri enter, the shopkeeper immediately recognized his background from his pure white eyes.
"I'd like thirty Ruowu, fifty shuriken, and a sheet of Chakra Paper. Oh, and please make me a Copper Man according to this drawing."
As he spoke, Ruri took a drawing out of his clothes and handed it to the shopkeeper. It was a diagram of the human body, marked with meridians and acupuncture points.
Ruri had broken his usual wooden training post yesterday. To prepare for more intense training, he had put considerable thought into devising this drawing.
"That many? Huh? What's this..." The children who usually came to buy ninja tools were mostly playing ninja games and make-believe. They generally bought only one or two Ruowu as toys.
Yet this child from the Hyuga Clan wanted so many ninja tools. After seeing the drawing Ruri handed him, the shopkeeper was even more surprised.
"Oh! And please make the Copper Man to an adult's proportions!"
"Are you sure you want one that big? It won't come cheap!"
"Here's your deposit. Once it's finished, please deliver it to the Hyuga Clan compound. I'll come out to collect it! I'll pay the rest then!" Ruri took a hundred out of his wallet and handed it to the shopkeeper.
Ruri knew that such a large, solid Copper Man would indeed be expensive, but for the sake of better training, he could only grit his teeth and part with the money.
Fortunately, both of Ruri's parents had been Chunin and had left some savings behind. After they died serving their country on the battlefield, the village had also provided a substantial death benefit, enough to cover his living expenses for the next few years.
Ruri also planned to apply for early graduation after entering the Ninja Academy next year, hoping to become a ninja as soon as possible. Then he could earn money by carrying out missions and no longer have to worry about his finances.
Although individual strength mattered most in the later stages of the Hokage story, when money barely entered the picture, ordinary daily life early on was still governed by a system. Everyone needed money for food, clothing, and other necessities.
After settling everything with the shopkeeper, Ruri promptly left the ninja tool shop.
Ruri returned home immediately, put on his Ninja Tool Pouch, grabbed some dry rations, and headed out again.
"I've got a lot of training to do today. First, I need to find somewhere to practice the Shadow Clone Technique and learn tree climbing and water walking!" Ruri said as he walked down the street.
From the original manga, Ruri knew that the Third Hokage habitually used the Telescope Technique to observe every corner of the village through a crystal ball and maintain public order.
Of course, the current Hokage was no longer the Third Hokage, but the recently appointed Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Still, there was no guarantee that the Fourth Hokage would not continue using this technique to maintain order in the village.
Ruri did not want to be under someone else's constant watch even while training.
More importantly, he could not let anyone learn about his Flame-Flame Fruit powers yet, nor could he reveal them in front of others. Otherwise, how could he possibly explain his ability to use the Great Fireball Technique without making hand seals?
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