Six Paths Tools

Monday was a rough start for anyone, except kindergarteners eager to see their little friends and those with thriving social lives, enjoying their youth and looking forward to meeting their sweethearts at school.

Leaving aside students who paid to attend classes, even wage slaves going to work to earn money were sick of Mondays. The morning trains brimmed with unspoken stress and exhaustion, the exact opposite of Friday afternoons.

After getting off the train at Komagome Station and walking another five or six minutes, Uchiha Naruto reached a long slope. He kept climbing until he arrived at Jinguji High School.

Japan's dense population meant crowded towns and buildings, while its geography left it prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters. Earthquake resistance and disaster preparedness had always been top priorities. Schools had large sports grounds and gymnasiums, and their buildings were more earthquake-resistant than ordinary residential structures, making them ideal temporary shelters. As a result, school sites were deliberately chosen at higher elevations.

Two students from the disciplinary committee stood at the school gates, checking everyone's appearance. Jinguji High School was a private high school and fairly strict about discipline. Obvious hair dye, outlandish clothing, and girls' uniform skirts with hemlines too low or too high were all forbidden.

Still, they only performed visual checks. Apparently, some schools with stricter rules even opened schoolbags to inspect personal belongings, just like in manga.

It was hard to imagine something like that happening in the Reiwa era.

Uchiha Naruto's clothes complied perfectly with school regulations, so he returned to his classroom without a care.

School had only started a week ago, and the novelty of entering high school had yet to wear off. Despite it being Monday, the classroom still brimmed with youthful energy.

"Good morning, Uchiha."

Several girls were cleaning around the teacher's desk. When a girl with twin ponytails saw Uchiha Naruto enter, she worked up the courage to greet him.

"Good morning!"

Was her name Maekawa or Morikawa? School's been in session for a week. I really should remember everyone's names by now. Uchiha Naruto mulled it over inwardly, but kept his expression composed as he nodded slightly and returned her greeting.

The twin-tailed girl blushed and retreated into the group. The girls beside her giggled and whispered teasing remarks into her ear, making her face even redder.

"You sure are popular, Uchiha. No girls said hello when I came into the classroom."

The moment he sat down, he heard Tanaka Hikaru's resentful voice from the seat in front.

"School started a whole week ago, and I still haven't talked to a single girl in our class. I carefully wrote down all their names, class rankings, and interests in my notebook, but none of it's come in handy."

That's exactly why no girls talk to you.

Seeing how utterly oblivious Tanaka Hikaru was, Uchiha Naruto said, "If you stopped making those weird lists and changed that frivolous attitude of yours, maybe things would be different."

"I can't change it. I was born this way. I inherited it from my dad. All my aunts and uncles say I'm exactly like he was as a kid. One look and you can tell we're father and son." There was even a hint of pride in Tanaka Hikaru's voice.

Tanaka Hikaru's father must have had quite a struggle finding a wife and passing those genes down. The only question was whether the line would end with this generation.

No, for the sake of all women, it would be better if it ended here.

After a little more idle chatter, Tanaka Hikaru asked:

"Uchiha, I heard you beat the tennis club's vice captain after school on Friday. Takizawa qualified through the prefectural high school tournament, and you actually beat him?"

"I wouldn't call it beating him. We didn't even finish a full match. He only lost to me while receiving my serves. It was 2-0. Under tennis rules, we still needed another two games to decide the winner."

Tanaka Hikaru really does hear everything. There weren't even that many people watching when I went to practice with the tennis club on Friday.

Uchiha Naruto mused to himself.

"That already counts as winning!"

Tanaka Hikaru counted on his fingers. "Kyudo, basketball, street dance, and tennis. You've shown extraordinary talent in all those clubs, Uchiha. Have you decided which one to join?"

"A club..."

Honestly, Uchiha Naruto had not decided which club to join. His visits to the various clubs last week had only been to test the copying ability of his two-tomoe Sharingan.

Uchiha Naruto's physical abilities were already beyond those of ordinary people. Even a Genin could scale walls, leap between tree branches, and traverse mountains and rivers as easily as level ground. His promotion to Chunin had strengthened his body even further.

The current Uchiha Naruto could even slash bullets out of the air. If he really went all out, forget real-world ball sports-he could copy even the special moves from superpowered sports manga. He really could play lethal tennis, the kind that punched through wire fencing and blasted craters into concrete.

With strength beyond human limits and world-champion-level techniques copied through the Sharingan, he could easily stand out in any sports club. But honors came with responsibilities and plenty of public attention.

Just thinking about it felt like a huge hassle.

"If you haven't decided yet, come join our Kyudo Club. With your archery, our boys' team could definitely dominate the nationals! The captain's been asking me about you these past few days. Looks like he hasn't given up yet."

"Maybe next time. School's only been in session for a week. There's no rush."

Uchiha Naruto brushed it off with a laugh, but he had actually made up his mind. Sports clubs were out. Ideally, he would pick a club that let him leave early and become a member in name only. Failing that, he could find something like the literary arts club or library club and review his schoolwork during club hours.

By noon, Uchiha Naruto headed to the cafeteria and, contrary to his usual habits, ordered only one large braised pork cartilage set meal.

It did not even leave him half full, but feeling the few coins remaining in his pocket gave Uchiha Naruto a headache. Only a week had passed, yet he had nearly exhausted the meal money Uchiha Senmon had left before going away.

That money would actually have fed an ordinary high school boy for over half a month. However, cultivating chakra had increased Uchiha Naruto's appetite to an increasingly alarming degree. Even at cheap restaurants, he ordered at least three people's worth of food, and five portions might not be enough. The money simply did not stretch far enough.

He could call Uchiha Senmon and ask for more, but his pride as a transmigrator made him instinctively reject that option.

"I can't live on Soldier Pills from the Item Shop. Making money with supernatural abilities wouldn't be hard, but it would inevitably leave traces. I should keep a low profile for now. Looks like I'll have to consider getting a part-time job to cover my food expenses."

A black pill the size of his little finger appeared in Uchiha Naruto's hand. He casually flicked it into the air and caught it. When he opened his hand again, it had vanished.

After his promotion to Chunin, the system had unlocked a new function: the Item Shop.

The Item Shop sold various items and equipment used in the game. One Ninja Jewel could buy ten dozen basic ninja tools such as Shuriken, Kunai, or Senbon. Even the Chakra Samurai Sword he had used when transforming into Uchiha Itachi cost only one Ninja Jewel apiece.

It was precisely because chakra metal conducted chakra so effectively that Uchiha Naruto could slash several meters beyond his blade, using the chakra extending from it as a sword slash.

Chakra metal was a special metal that did not exist in reality, and the quality of weapons produced by the system was beyond question. After cutting down more than a dozen bullets with his Chakra Blade, Uchiha Naruto had carefully inspected it back home. There had not been a single nick in the blade.

There were also Blood-Boosting Pills, the equivalent of red potions for healing injuries, and Soldier Pills, blue potions that replenished chakra. Both were fairly expensive, costing one Ninja Jewel per pill.

[Chakra Samurai Sword, price: 1 Ninja Jewel]

[Explosive Tag ×20, price: 1 Ninja Jewel]

...

[Puppet: Black Crow, price: 5 Ninja Jewels]

[Puppet: Hiruko, price: 20 Ninja Jewels]

...

[Seven Ninja Swordsmen: Kubikiribōchō, price: 20 Ninja Jewels]

[Seven Ninja Swordsmen: Hiramekarei, price: 50 Ninja Jewels]

...

The Item Shop offered a dazzling array of goods, but what Uchiha Naruto coveted most were the Six Paths Tools displayed at the very top!