Little did he know, that worry was entirely unnecessary. Lei Dou was more cautious than anyone.
"All right, go find your classmate!"
Lei Dou nodded and looked down at the Wooden Sword in his hand.
"Keep that Wooden Sword. Make more time to practice your swings at home!"
"Got it!"
As he spoke, Lei Dou deftly shifted the Wooden Sword into a reverse grip behind his back. "Then, big brother, I'm off!"
"Mm. Be careful on the way!"
As Lei Dou's slight figure disappeared through the training ground's entrance, the smile vanished from Shimozuki Hayate's face, replaced by gravity and resolve.
He turned, darted away, and headed straight for the Hokage Building!
The Shimozuki clan had produced a once-in-a-century swordsmanship prodigy. This was the perfect opportunity to draw Lord Hokage's attention back to the clan.
At the same time, making the Third aware of Lei Dou would secure more village resources and protection for the boy. For both Lei Dou's growth and the clan's revival, it was an absolute win-win.
Raito sprinted all the way home!
Lei Dou braced himself against the doorframe and gasped for breath, his chest heaving.
He had run back from the training ground without holding anything back, sprinting at full speed.
He really was much faster than before. If he took the academy's fitness test with his current physique...
His speed score would improve by well over a third.
And that was the result of having Taijutsu in his skill slot for less than half a day.
His physique kept improving around the clock. Each increase was minuscule, but with one every ten-odd seconds, that added up to hundreds an hour.
Even dripping water could wear through stone, let alone growth this exponential.
The visible changes in his physique had already convinced Lei Dou that his idle-training approach was the right one.
The absurd power of the passive skill slots needed no further explanation. They were a miracle tool for snowballing his strength.
Now, though, the mystery of that active skill filled Lei Dou's mind.
He glanced up at the clock. It was almost lunchtime, and after that strenuous run, his stomach was already protesting.
He dug some quick-cook ingredients out of the refrigerator, deftly lit the stove, and made himself a simple lunch.
As an orphan who had been forced to live alone since he was three or four, with a transmigrator's soul to boot, he had long since maxed out survival skills like cooking.
After wolfing down lunch, Lei Dou did not even bother washing the dishes. He locked the doors and windows, then sat cross-legged in the middle of the living room.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and summoned the system's holographic interface in his mind.
The first thing he saw was still the diligently working passive skill section, but this time, Lei Dou ignored it.
His gaze locked onto the three icons in the active skill section.
The first two skills were still gray and unavailable, so Lei Dou skipped them for now.
He focused directly on the last skill, which glowed faintly.
[Active skill: Great Sage※]
Even though this skill was incomplete, its earlier performance had been downright divine!
It could forcibly analyze the logic behind movements and help him master swordsmanship instantly. That ability alone had made Lei Dou so excited he wanted to run downstairs for a couple of laps.
Now, what Lei Dou really wanted to know was whether this skill called "Great Sage" had any hidden functions besides parroting things back.
But how do I test it? There isn't even a manual.
"Calm down. Take a deep breath. Don't act like some country bumpkin who's never seen the world. First, figure out how to uncover every last secret this skill has!"
Lei Dou tentatively issued a command in his mind.
[Active skill: Great Sage※] [Responding... requesting establishment of a mental dialogue.]
Huh?
This skill can chat, too?
This is hardly some rigid skill. It's practically a highly intelligent AI!
Still, recalling how it had proactively requested activation while he was learning swordsmanship, that clever move certainly had an artificial-intelligence feel to it.
"Permission granted. Establish dialogue!"
[Great Sage※: Warning. This skill's core logic library is currently severely damaged. The main system is being urged in the background to allocate resources for repairs. Only the "analysis" function remains barely operational, and certain advanced algorithms within the analysis module are damaged and cannot be activated. If the host forcibly overclocks this skill, it may collapse completely and disappear.]
Well, damn. Is this thing explaining itself by playing the pity card?
The analysis function must be the ability I used to copy that swordsmanship!
If that's all it has left, does that mean it's only good as a learning aid?
Lei Dou frowned. The biggest reason he had rushed home in such a hurry was that he wanted to test this skill—
Could it further optimize skills he had already mastered?
For instance, could it make his Chakra Extraction Technique mutate and evolve?
Lei Dou was no fool. The moment he saw the word "analysis" in the system notification, he had started wondering: if it could analyze something external, could it analyze something internal, too?
[Great Sage※: The extrapolation/optimization module has suffered physical damage. The host's request to "improve skills" cannot be executed.]
Extrapolation?
So that's what the function that strengthens skills is called?
That name sounds impressive. It makes sense, too.
But why did the most essential function have to be broken? Damn it!
How amazing would it be if that function were intact?
Given the absurd perfection with which it had analyzed the swordsmanship earlier, if it could extrapolate and optimize his shambles of a Chakra Extraction Technique, he would probably have to rename it the "tailed beast chakra production technique."
What a waste. Such a shame.
"Then roughly how long will the repairs take?" Lei Dou asked, unwilling to give up.
[Great Sage※: The exact repair time cannot be estimated. However, as the host grows stronger, the energy tier available to the system will rise, improving its repair capabilities and greatly accelerating repair progress.]
So if I get stronger, I can feed power back into the system and improve its ability to repair itself?
Then there's still something to look forward to!
At least it isn't terminal. I still have a chance to see the complete active skills restored.
All I have to do is keep my head down and level up. That closes the loop.
Now that he had a rough grasp of this active skill's temperament, what incredible abilities were those other two grayed-out active skills?
[Great Sage※: Database index missing. Unable to read the specific effect descriptions of other skills.]
"Even the data's gone? Then can I force them to activate manually and test them?"
[Great Sage※: Warning! Forcibly activating the other two damaged skills at this time will greatly divert the system's processing resources and delay repairs to this skill. Furthermore, dividing the system's repair capacity may leave this skill and the other active skills permanently irreparable due to insufficient energy, resulting in an irreversible crash.]
That can happen, too?
Lei Dou froze for a moment, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside him.
Why does this sound like it's competing for favor?
Does this active skill want to hog all the system's resources and focus all its repair capacity on itself?
This thing sounds less like it's giving a well-intentioned warning and more like it's scheming. Is it deliberately scaring its host away from the other two skills so it can recover sooner?
[Great Sage※: ...]
Hmm?
It went quiet?
Is that a tacit admission now that I've seen through it?
This active skill's intelligence is a little too high!
It seemed capable of some independent thought and self-serving reasoning. Still, although it had its own little agenda, it appeared bound by underlying protocols that prevented it from lying directly to its host.
That was why it had chosen to play dead when Lei Dou questioned it.
That's fine. It's still manageable. If even a skill could lie through its teeth, Lei Dou would never get a good night's sleep.
[Great Sage※: Additional explanation: prioritizing repairs to this skill will provide the greatest assistance to the host's current survival. Once repaired to a sufficient degree, this skill can also assist the main system in performing logic repairs on other skills. Therefore, concentrating resources on repairing this skill is currently the globally optimal solution.]
Well, damn. It's made its logic consistent.
This skill can even work as a repair technician and help the system fix the other skills.
If that's the case, building up this "Great Sage" first really is the best deal.
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building.
Shimozuki Hayate waited in the reception room for more than twenty minutes before the Third Hokage finally finished a pile of miscellaneous matters and made time to see him.
As Shimozuki Hayate pushed open the door to the tobacco-scented Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed that his complexion was considerably rosier than usual. With a smile, he teased, "Look at how pleased you are. What, did you come running to see this old man right after a date with that girl Yugao?"
In Konoha, both Jonin and Special Jōnin were the backbone that kept the village running. The Third was not particularly close to the sickly Shimozuki Hayate.
But he at least knew the young man well.
That lighthearted joke instantly narrowed the distance between superior and subordinate.
Hayate shook his head, a little embarrassed, then quickly suppressed his smile. His expression turned more serious than ever as he bowed to the Third behind the desk.
"Lord Third, we can leave the jokes for later. Today, I discovered an unexpected surprise big enough to shake the village!"
"I came specifically to report it to you!"
A surprise?
The Third smiled around his pipe. What could possibly qualify as a surprise these days?
Unless Orochimaru had a change of heart, or Tsunade paid off her debts.
He leaned back in his chair, settled into a more comfortable position, and exhaled a smoke ring. "Go ahead. I'm listening."
"A boy named Shimozuki Raito has emerged from our Shimozuki clan. After confirming it myself, I found that he possesses potential no less than Lord Hatake Sakumo's back in the day!"
"His talent for swordsmanship is simply monstrous. No one in Konoha today can compare!"
The Third, who had been about to close his eyes and rest while listening to the story, abruptly snapped his clouded eyes open.
At that instant, the terrifying pressure of the "Shinobi Hero" flooded the entire office, his piercing gaze stabbing into Shimozuki Hayate as though it had physical substance.
"What... did you say?"
Even with his rank of Special Jōnin, Shimozuki Hayate felt a chill crawl up his spine, and his breathing grew more rapid.
That invisible pressure filled the air, leaving his body seemingly frozen in an instant, utterly unable to move.
This was Lord Third, the man known as the "Shinobi Hero." Even though the years had etched wrinkles all over his face, once his eyes sharpened, he was still as terrifying as a tiger reigning over a mountain.
His Adam's apple bobbed with a difficult swallow. Shimozuki Hayate forced down his unease and spoke again under the Third's gaze.
"Just today, I intended to teach swordsmanship to a younger member of my clan, only to stumble upon an unpolished gem. His talent for swordsmanship is downright frightening!"
"After watching me demonstrate once and trying it twice himself, that child performed the basic sword techniques with rock-solid precision, as if he had practiced them for years!"
"What's even more outrageous is that when I taught him Konoha Style: Swordsmanship afterward, he still watched only once, yet his opening sword movements were even more flawless than mine, his instructor's!"
The Third Hokage set down his pipe, his clouded yet shrewd eyes fixed firmly on Shimozuki Hayate.
Although respect and fear for the Hokage's authority still lingered deep in Hayate's eyes, far stronger was an irrepressible excitement and fervor.
This boy isn't lying. He's genuinely shaken.
If things were truly as extraordinary as Hayate described, this was not merely a surprise. Konoha had practically stumbled upon a treasure.
For an expert like Shimozuki Hayate to compare him to the legendary "Konoha White Fang" carried tremendous weight.
That level went far beyond a so-called genius. It was truly monstrous.
"He watched the complex Konoha Style: Swordsmanship once, then replicated it more perfectly than you?"
The Third tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, still overcome by a sense of incredulity.
As Hokage, he knew Shimozuki Hayate's abilities better than anyone.
Among all the ninja who had inherited Konoha Style: Swordsmanship, Hayate was undoubtedly one of the best.
Although his limited chakra reserves and frail physique left weaknesses in his overall strength, his mastery of swordsmanship definitely ranked among the village's finest.
Otherwise, the village would never have made an exception and promoted him to Special Jōnin.
Yet now, Hayate was personally admitting that a beginner had surpassed him on his very first attempt. It sounded utterly fantastical.
"What is that child's name?"
"Shimozuki Raito. He's my younger cousin, and he's currently attending the Ninja Academy. He won't officially graduate for another month or so!"
He's still a wet-behind-the-ears kid who hasn't even left the academy?
With such astonishing talent for swordsmanship, how could he have remained unknown and undiscovered until now?
The Third narrowed his eyes and considered it for a moment, then found it reasonable enough.
The Shimozuki clan was sparsely populated, after all. It made sense that a child from such a small, peripheral clan would receive little attention.
Besides, the Ninja Academy's curriculum did not include specialized swordsmanship classes at all.
Those youngsters had no exposure to advanced swordsmanship in their daily lives, so it was hardly surprising that his talent had gone unnoticed until now.
"If you have any doubts, I'll bring Lei Dou here right now and have him demonstrate in front of you!"
Seeing the Third remain silent, Shimozuki Hayate grew anxious, afraid Lord Hokage thought he was making things up.