"Blackening Points?"
"System, what are those?"
Mu Feng was rather surprised by the sudden appearance of Blackening Points.
[Blackening Points are a special resource awarded by the system!] [The host may think of them as a currency awarded by the system!] [The host can earn Blackening Points by independently learning ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu, or by developing techniques of his own! Developing original ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu will yield more generous Blackening Points rewards!] [In addition, fighting powerful enemies also offers a chance of earning Blackening Points!] [Blackening Points can be used to purchase and learn new ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, special constitutions, special ninja tools, and more!] [They can also be used to activate the darkening of ninjutsu, taijutsu, Kekkei Genkai, special constitutions, special ninja tools, and other things that have not yet darkened.] [Blackening Points can also enhance any darkened skill or item the host already possesses, increasing its darkening level!] [The higher the darkening level, the greater the skill proficiency, with a chance of activating special darkening effects! The same applies to items.] [In addition, higher-level skills and items require more Blackening Points!]
After listening to the system's explanation, Mu Feng finally understood.
"So, anything I learn from now on, including Kekkei Genkai..."
"Instead of just passively waiting for it to darken and improve on its own, I can also upgrade it manually using Blackening Points?"
[The host may understand it that way!]
"Now that's great!"
Mu Feng's eyes lit up.
Relying entirely on ninjutsu or Kekkei Genkai to improve on their own would leave him far too passive!
Besides, Mu Feng still couldn't quite figure out what triggered darkening.
It seemed that stimulation would cause something to darken and improve.
But the intensity and amount of that stimulation were crucial.
Furthermore, Mu Feng had little control over how his various ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai developed.
If stimulation only kept improving basic ninjutsu like the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique, Mu Feng would still be a weakling when he eventually stepped onto the battlefield.
Now, however, with Blackening Points available, Mu Feng could choose which particular area to focus on.
For example, even if his Sharingan stopped darkening and improving on its own, Mu Feng could use Blackening Points to upgrade it into a Mangekyō Sharingan.
With Blackening Points, Mu Feng should also be able to bypass some of the restrictions on upgrading the Sharingan, making things much easier.
"The system really is thoughtful!"
"System, check how many Blackening Points I'd need to upgrade my Three-Tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyo level!"
[Searching...] [Search result: between 10,000 and 100,000, depending primarily on the Sharingan's special abilities.]
"Ten thousand to a hundred thousand? That many?"
Mu Feng was a little startled by the result.
But on second thought, gaining a Mangekyō Sharingan would bring a qualitative leap in his strength, so the price was acceptable.
And if learning one ninjutsu earned him 100 Blackening Points, he would need to learn 100 ninjutsu on his own.
That seemed a little difficult, but not impossibly so!
After all, the Sharingan could copy and learn other people's ninjutsu!
Besides, the system had said that developing his own ninjutsu would yield greater rewards.
On top of that, the more ninjutsu he learned, the more badass his system became!
After thinking it over, Mu Feng set himself a modest goal.
First, learn 100 ninjutsu!
"Mu Feng!"
While Mu Feng was lost in thought, Guy came over to him. The aura surging from Guy had already stabilized, making it clear that he, too, had successfully opened a gate.
"Congratulations, Guy! You've opened the Gate of Opening too!"
"Haha, my talent still falls far short of yours, Mu Feng! But I definitely won't lose to you! I'll work even harder from now on!"
"Mu Feng, want to do another round of taijutsu training? A thousand kicks, a thousand push-ups, a thousand sit-ups, and a ten-kilometer cross-country run!"
Seeing Guy so full of fighting spirit, Mu Feng's expression changed, and he shook his head.
"No, I still have something to take care of! Let's call it a day!"
"Guy, Mu Feng just opened the Gate of Life. He may not be used to it yet, so don't push him!"
Might Duy came over from the side and asked a question.
"Mu Feng, you haven't felt anything wrong, have you?"
"Not so far. Thank you for your concern, Uncle Duy!"
"You're Guy's classmate, and you're so talented at taijutsu. Of course I'd be concerned! I'll be counting on you to look after Guy in the future!" Might Duy spoke in a fatherly tone.
"Guy's my classmate. Of course I will!" Mu Feng said, rubbing the back of his head.
"But, Uncle Duy, it's getting late, and I really do have something to take care of, so I'll be leaving now!"
"All right! Mu Feng, if you want to train in taijutsu again, you can always come find me!" Might Duy didn't insist that he stay.
"That's right! Mu Feng, youth should be filled with even more sweat!" Guy struck a pose as he spoke.
Looking at the two of them, Mu Feng gave a warm smile.
Although he hadn't spent much time with them, Guy and his father were genuinely good people.
But the next moment, Mu Feng frowned as he remembered Might Duy's fate in the original story.
If things follow the original plot, Might Duy will die during the Third Shinobi World War after opening all Eight Gates to cover the others' retreat!
Judging by the timeline, that shouldn't be too far off!
Ah...
Mu Feng sighed inwardly and made up his mind.
If he had the opportunity in the future, and the strength to do it, he would step in and save Might Duy.
Consider it my tuition for him teaching me the Eight Gates Released Formation!
Having learned the Eight Gates Released Formation, Mu Feng said goodbye to Guy and his father and left the training ground feeling thoroughly satisfied.
By then, the sky had grown dark, and Mu Feng needed to return to his home in the Uchiha Clan Compound.
As he walked, Mu Feng observed the people in the village.
Konoha didn't yet have the tense atmosphere of a war at its peak, but along the way, Mu Feng heard plenty of conversations about missions. This showed that things outside the village were far from peaceful.
Following the main street, Mu Feng eventually reached one of Konoha's famous landmarks, the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Just as Mu Feng was peering curiously into the ramen shop...
"Mu Feng! Mu Feng!" Urgent cries came from behind him.
Hearing them, Mu Feng turned to look.
He saw a girl dressed in red and white running anxiously toward Mu Feng along the street.
"Kurenai Yuhi?"
Mu Feng recognized Kurenai Yuhi. Then his gaze shifted, and he noticed several boys his own age following behind her.
"Mu Feng! Thank goodness, it really is you!"
"Mu Feng, save me!"
Before you continue