A couple of days later, I sighed as I awkwardly balanced and impatiently waited.
Dear gods, it had taken so long to level it up. Even with Tree-Climbing and Water-Walking, the damned skill took too long to progress! I eventually had to resort to combining the three skills in a number of ways before the rate of progress picked up again. I had to stick a feather to my forehead while I was standing on the wall, a feather on my forehead when I water-walked, standing on water with one leg and stick to the wall with the other (I had positively hogged the bathroom that day… Mika had not been pleased), and finally, doing the same while sticking a feather to my forehead. It was the very same awkward pose I was in right now and had just crossed the level 40-something threshold for the skill an hour ago. Any minute now….
Well… not yet anyway.
In spite of my best efforts, my mind began to drift. Changing the fate of an entire world is never too easy. What threats do I have to take care of? And what could be the possible problems I may encounter on my chosen path?
One was Danzo. Sometime between now and the Academy, the Uchiha massacre takes place. Not only does this give him an eyeball with the power to completely overwrite one's mental processes to mold the person to do something he wished them to, but it also gave him a number of attempts at what is basically pseudo-immortality. That will make him a threat in the future. Not only that, but he will also be kidnapping kids from orphanages all around Hi no Kuni (and maybe beyond) to brainwash into being his emotionless killing machines. Awesome.
Well, there wasn't much I could do about the latter, but the former… it would take a lot of meticulous planning, but I could do something to avoid the massacre entirely. Let's see… it took place because the Uchiha were planning a coup, which was because the clan felt alienated by the village and denied their rightful place in the hierarchy. Why…. This I couldn't remember, but I think it had something to do with being regarded as suspicious added to the fact that they were basically confined to their clan compound. Hm… [Wordplay] is going to be my best friend soon enough. I'd better level it up to at least level fifty if I want to have a decent chance at doing things right before I attempted anything.
Thinking about Danzo also got me thinking about another – Orochimaru. He was, undoubtedly, one of my favorite characters in the entire series! At least, he was, until it really hit me how far he'd gone with human experimentation. He not only is the one to put together Danzo's prosthetic hand, but also bore a deep-seated grudge against Konoha for using him and driving him out, and against Hiruzen for… some reason. Dammit, my memory is failing me!
Well, I can't do much to affect Danzo directly, but I can befriend the guy. Chances are I'll end up on his operating table if he even gets a hint of my Gaming ability, but I have the checkpoint system for that... even though I don't fully know how to use it yet. And the possibilities if I actually pull it off… they're worth the risk. And besides, I was fascinated with snakes.
What else, what else? Oh, yeah! Sometime between now and when Naruto graduates, the Akatsuki is formed. Nagato loses Yahiko because of Danzo's interference when they confront Hanzo, and Obito capitalizes on this to induct Nagato into his plans in a more active role. Come to think of it, I can't be certain that none of the happenings were not orchestrated by either him or even Madara…
Honestly, though? There's nothing I can do about it from here. Unless I somehow magically am able to advance my skills high enough, I don't think I can escape the village and make it there in time. Hell, I don't know if it's already happened, either! Dammit, I really was born too late…
And finally, the bloodline purge in Kiri. It's impossible for it to have happened already, because of one simple reason – Haku was around Naruto's age, and he can't have been less than seven or eight when his father murders his mother in front of him and he is forced to kill him in self-defense.
This, again, I couldn't get there in time for. I don't even know anyone who can help…
Wait…
That's not true. I do know someone who can help! I know someone who is intimately tied to most of my problems, possesses the capacity to change things, and is free to venture out of the village! What's better, given the news of the Kyuubi attack, he'll also be returning as soon as is possible! When I'm not busy training, I'm always around Naruto, so I know he hasn't been in yet. I have to only keep my eyes open… and maybe stake out the hot-springs until I finally nab him. Even if he does escape my notice when he sneakily comes to check in on the seal (and let's be honest, he's a spy, so that's almost a given), I'm sure Hiruzen won't let him go without at least him spending a day here, given the emotional turmoil that both must undoubtedly be in. I'll get to him then.
Convincing Jiraiya to help his teammate will be easy-peasy. He was the one who last spoke to Orochimaru while said sage was in the process of fleeing the village. Hinting at him that Nagato is still alive won't be hard with a high enough skill; if that didn't work, I cold drop the hint that he knows a Rinnegan-bearer in public and he'll be all but forced to bring him to Konoha by the council. Besides one blood-controlling eye from Sasuke Shinden, Konoha currently holds the monopoly on overpowered eye-techniques, and they won't want to let that slip.
Speaking of which, there is the lesser concern of the Hyuuga fiasco, from when a Kumo delegation attempt a kidnapping on Hinata, and Hiashi kills the bastard, only to have to sacrifice his brother in the name of peace. Hm, in about… four years, I think. Well, that should be easy as hell to be done with since I'm never going to stop getting stronger.
So that's the plan. Now, I need to level up [Wordplay] and get Jiraiya into the fold, convince Orochimaru to stop being so shamelessly evil and just be a more normal-sane evil (even though that's a lot less fun), and get stronger. I don't like having to be an official shinobi of Konoha, but, welp, there's not much I can do on that front. I'm not sure if there actually is a Shinobi Library or something of the sort, but I'm sure they won't let civilians or even Academy students in – that would be sloppy as fuck.
PING!
Fucking finally! I smoothly relaxed my chakra as I stepped out of the tub. Damn, but I was running imoatient about it for the umpteenth time, even though the actual effort was so little... I guess my nifty little mental perk can't solve everything.
[Chakra Control has levelled up!
Chakra Control (Passive) Lv 49 (0.06%)
Allows stricter control over chakra flow, allowing the user to lower the cost for jutsu. Additionally, it also allows for finely tuning chakra movement throughout the body.
-49% CP cost for chakra-imbued skills.
Exercises Discovered – Leaf Balancing (5.1 CP/min), Tree Climbing (10.2 CP/min), Water Walking (15.3 CP/min)]
Ugh! I still have a long way to go… how depressing. At least I don't have a very long waiting period for my chakra to refill – apparently, chakra regeneration is governed by my [Wisdom] stat, which gives me about fifty CP per min, if I calculated correctly. So that would be a default ten plus ten for each wisdom point. I had practically no reason to stop, except that standing in an awkward pose for a while gets boring quickly, and I really wanted to be around Naruto a lot, so he'd see me as a prominent part of his life. I don't like the way he lived and turned out to be, at least in pre-Shippuden, and the only way I had a solid chance of influencing that, especially if the village didn't hate him as much as they did then, was to be pseudo-family.
Manipulation? Nah. I'd like to call it selfless-service to humanity. After all, he was the reincarnation of Ashura.
Anyway, now that I'm off that one stretch, it's time to purchase the [HUD] perk to see what comes next. I deftly navigated over and purchased it without much delay.
[Perk Purchased!
Due to purchasing a perk, a new function has been activated!
Function: HUD
Your eyes observe more about yourself and the world around you.]
Okay, that was seriously strange. A green HP and a blue CP bar showed up in the lower right corner of my vision, then faded out of existence. I assume that they'll only show up when relevant, i.e. if I incur damage or use chakra. Unfortunately, there was no mini-map or anything of the sort, but I was somehow certain, now, that I'd be able to see people's names and levels and stuff above their heads. Now, though, I had left me with zero perk points left. I waited impatiently as others, three this time, began to unfog.
[Perks
Hints – Having gained some proficiency with using the system, you now understand how to use it even better than before.Cost: 100 PP.
Familiar – You are now able to choose a sentient companion to accompany you on your adventures.Cost: 100 PP.
Foreign Influences – You choose to open your world to extradimensional stimuli.Cost: 100 PP.]
Something about the [Foreign Influences] perk was rubbing me wrong. It was like an itch at the back of my mind telling me that it would end up creating a huge mess for me to clean a while after, but since I practically had to purchase those three before I unlocked new ones…
The [Hints] perk would be my next aim, for now. I assume getting the perk will finally let me see descriptions of stuff within my game menu and help me understand the system better. But… I'll need hundred perk points more to purchase it, and I'm currently at zilch. Did I have a skill that I could grind quickly?
I navigated to my skills menu and eyed the list critically.
[Skills List
Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv MAX (100%)
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.
Cannot be affected by negative mental debilitations.
Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv MAX (100%)
Your body behaves as if it were in a game and reacts accordingly.
Restore HP and CP and remove debilitations by sleeping in a bed.
Pain is brief and injuries only affect HP.
Sleeping and Eating optional.
Scan (Active) Lv 4 (12.00%)
Allows the user to understand the world around him by taking a closer look.
Chakra Resistance (Passive) Lv12 (19.14%)
Your body recalls being exposed to tainted chakra, and its attempts in fighting against it. Against normal chakra, these defenses are more effective.
-6% damage from all chakra-imbued attacks.
-50% skill effectiveness against tainted chakra.
Chakra Control (Passive) Lv 49 (0.06%)
Allows stricter control over chakra flow, allowing the user to lower the cost for jutsu. Additionally, it also allows for finely tuning chakra movement throughout the body.
-49% CP cost for chakra-imbued skills.
Exercises Discovered – Leaf Balancing (5 CP/min), Tree Climbing (10 CP/min), Water Walking (15 CP/min)
Wordplay (Passive) Lv 12 (72.62%)
Allows the user to twist words effectively.
6% chance of working.
-9% chance of working for every five levels the target is beyond you.
+11% chance of working for every positive REP with target.
Eavesdropping (Passive) Lv 6 (82.0%)
Allows the user to listen in on things happening around them.
30 meters range.
-50% skill effectiveness in loud areas.]
Welp, there was a lot that I could do, now that I think about it. In spite of [Scan] and [Chakra Resistance] being out of the question (one because it would be too much effort for too little gain, and the other because without a Bijuu around I have no idea how to level it), I'm left with [Chakra Control], [Wordplay], and [Eavesdropping]. The first I could level (although tediously) as long as I had chakra – the actual gain was high because every percentage of chakra cost that I shaved off of a jutsu left me with more to use in a battle; I didn't like how long it was taking, but I could make do. The last I could level up by at the same time, as I had been doing, by trying my best to listen what was happening outside the bathroom while I was in it. Thinking about that, though, I'm sure Mika's patience will extend only so far with me – I need a better place to train.
Thinking about [Wordplay], though, started a wave of thoughts in my mind. I did have a lot of [Location Collectibles] out there to claim, but they would get better if I levelled up. When I ran around town looking for some to purchase [Perks Galore], I encountered a side-quest from Teuchi that gave me ten experience points, but it was easy as fuck. There's a high chance that other shops around town have similar quests, and I'm willing to bet there's more than one for every shop. If I did make it a point to do all of those, then I could level up [Wordplay] while talking-up Naruto! Boom, that's a win-win scenario – not only do I get enough experience to level up, but I also soften the village's view of the poor orphan and level up an important skill at the same time!
But there was something else I needed to try out before that. If it was successful, though, I'd have to wait to use it until after I've exhausted all the side-quests, or else I just won't feel like doing them at all, and I refuse to let such an opportunity pass me by.
Since my CP was already full, I raised my hand and worked on releasing energy. Mentally, I focused on only one sentence, 'I'm making a protected space. I'm making a protected space.'
My CP bar came into view and drained rapidly, then it flashed blue before turning a bit dark. I fell to my knees as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me, too fatigued.
PING!
[Affected by debilitation: Chakra Exhaustion]
I didn't need to click on it to know what it was, nor that I had to rest to remove it fully, but… what the fuck? Why didn't it work? Did I do something wrong? I'm pretty sure I did it properly… maybe it required hand-seals?
Or… or…
Wait... crap...
My system interface was different. I had to unlock [Gamer's Body] and [Gamer's Mind]. I still have yet to unlock [Hints]. In short, the system I had was vastly different from the one portrayed in the manhwa. Could it be…
Could it be that there was no such thing as a protected space, an instant dungeon, or an instant dimension here at all?
But… but… oh fuck.
There was no such thing. Not unless I unlocked it, if it was even there.
Fucking hell. If I couldn't create an instant dimension, I couldn't train in hostile situations in relevant safety. I… I couldn't earn money quickly either. Dammit! I thought my afterlife was meant to be a paradise! What the fuck is this fuckery?!
Almost as soon as I entered full-blown panic mode though, I felt myself calm down, possibly due to the effects of [Gamer's Mind]. I inhaled deeply, ragged but true, and exhaled to gain more closure. Okay, so I couldn't farm for shit – no big deal. This just made doing all those quests a priority – they were my only means of earning any experience at all to level up.
First, though, I needed to sleep. I'm going to be able to do nothing in my current state.
Thankfully, because of [Gamer's Body], I hadn't needed to sleep till now, nor felt hungry. I was relatively calm, but slow, as I carefully walked to my bed and laid in it. A screen popped up in front of me showing the current time (around four in the morning), and asked me for how long I'd like to sleep.
I chose an hour, the minimum.
The transition was instantaneous and left me feeling none-too-different – except, of course, that the fatigue I felt from before vanished.
PING!
[Checkpoint!
You have slept in your own bed. HP and CP are fully regenerated! All debilitations removed!]
Oh, I was going to abuse the fuck out of this. I could train jutsu like no tomorrow if I put the bed in my inventory and managed to find a suitable enough place!
So, the agenda for today included multiple things. One, was to get started on those side-quests. Two, was to level up my skills simultaneously. Three, was to create and level the skills I would need to be successful as a shinobi in the down time I had between efforts. Four, was to find out where Orochimaru usually hung about, and to know whether or not Jiraiya has already visited the village, and if not, when will he.
I waited for a while and growled in frustration when no notification screen showed up. So, I couldn't manually train stats, I couldn't create instant dimensions, and there were no user-generated quests?!
This is hell. It has to be. Maybe mum's curses came true after all.
Anyway, no point dwelling. What happens to someone who dies in the afterlife, anyway?
Speaking of stat points, though, I opened my system menu and then the character screen, assigning the five points that I had on hand. There was no point saving them when there was no manual earning capability.
[Character Page
Gundan – Level 5
Title: Orphan
Next Level: 10/120xp
HP - 130
CP - 140
CON - 3
STR - 3
AGL - 8
INT - 4
LCK - 8
WIS - 4]
I brought up some of the lower stats to balance things out more. Since I can't earn stats manually, keeping them at least a little bitt above normal was warranted if one had good sense. [CON] by one for more HP incase things got dire, [STR] by one to be able to use at least the smaller weapons of my chosen trade, [AGL] by one because speed and handling, [LCK] by two because it was vital to both the type of character was going to be and because it would undoubtedly affect events around me, too.
I swiped the screen away and stretched my hands up above my head out of sheer habit, then walked out of my chambre and into the babies' room. Within two days of the attack, the orphanage had seen a lot of children joining, and the number of babies were too damn high to give each one a single room. If any more children joined, Mika said we were going to have to share – two to a room. Luckily, until now, this hadn't been the case.
I looked at a sleeping Naruto, barely able to hold in a cute exclamation. Babies were just so adorable! I honestly wish I could make Kagebunshin just to be able to leave one here to take care of and lay with him, but I'm almost certain I didn't have the reserves necessary to do that.
"Sweet dreams, kiddo." I whispered, and then sighed. It would take a while for me to change how the village thought about him, but I would do my best. After all, I was Legion, and there is nothing I can't do.
That thought done, I wobbled over to the window. There's a chance right here to create a skill that I can use in my career.
Climbing up to perch on my windowsill, I took a slow, calming breath and sent chakra to my feet, energizing them, before jumping off, aiming to land on the roof of the building next to ours.
PING!
[Due to a special action, a new skill was created!
Chakra Leap (Active) Lv 1 (50.0%)
Using chakra directed to the lower-led muscles, one can increase the distance covered by a single bound.
10 meters distance covered
Cost: 30 CP]
Wait… only ten meters?
AAHHHHHH- thump!
Ow.
PING!
[Due to a special action, a new skill was created!
Physical Resistance (Passive) Lv 9 (8.27%)
Due to being hurt in the past, your body has learned to stave off a portion of the damage.
-9% damage from all physical attacks.]
And, just like that, my HP went from 130 to 11, the bar flashing red. Ow, okay, jumping off a building hurt. I'm sure the only reason I survived is because the skill [Physical Resistance] was created simultaneously during the damage calculation, and the fact that I have chakra.
The pain vanished a few seconds later and I stood awkwardly, looking around to catch anyone who had seen the act. I sighed in relief to see my only audience was a flock of birds.
Okay, new rule: no testing my limits until I'm strong enough to bear the consequences. I almost just died. Once more. Once again, I wondered what happened when one 'died' in their afterlife, then decided that whatever it was, it couldn't be good. I shuddered.
Then, though, I remembered the checkpoint system, and wondered if if should off myself to feel it out... nah. I can wait till I purchase the perk needed for more information on it. There's no guarantee it won't reset my progress or something.
But this was good, in a sense. I now had two more skills to level up! [Chakra Leap] could be useful during travel, and [Physical Resistance] could be downright broken if I levelled it up high enough. The latter would excuse my thoughtlessness when it came to investing points in [CON], freeing up more points to spend in other stats.
I was tempted to wait for a while until my health regenerated and then jump off the building again, but that would be time spent doing nothing, so I refrained. It was great that I had two new skills, but, honestly, the one I really wanted I had yet to unlock. So, I decided to make my way to Ichiraku Ramen as quietly as possible, crouching down and moving from cover to cover. Thankfully, the populace was still asleep, so I wasn't viewed as a madman.
By the time I reached my destination, the skill was long created and even leveled up a couple of times, even if I did not bother to look at the screens in question.
PING!
[Due to a special action, two skills were created.
Stealth (Active) Lv 4 (0.49%)
Minimizing the noise you make and the amount another can see you, you have learned to remain unnoticed.
4% chance of working.
-10% chance of working for every ten levels affected NPCs are beyond you.
+10% chance of working for every five levels you are above affeceted NPCs.
Idiocy (Passive) Lv 12 (67.98%)
Sometimes, people don't understand why you are doing what you are doing. Because of this, they may think you are insane, really foolish, or just plain endearing.
12% chance to earn positive REP with those around you.
88% chance to make those around you think you are downright crazy.]
Dramatically enough, a dry wind blew through the road, flicking my hair around my deadpan face. I totally forgot that there were ninja patrols around this village.
Unfortunately, and to my slight chagrin, since I really should have known better, it was much too early for the shop to even begin preparations to open up. Perhaps in another hour or so, but not right that moment. It was a civilian-origin shop, after all.
Since I had a block of free time, I decided to wander around and catalog how many shops I would have quests for. There were no quest icons or anything of the sort, which made me believe that only the people who ran it could give me those quests, and obviously only during business hours. Regardless, I trudged on, aware of the fact that, for some reason, I was being watched. Sure, keeping an eye on a suicidal orphan wasn't totally unwarranted, but something about the situation just rubbed me the wrong way.
Konoha was certainly not the size of a village or a hamlet, but a full-fledged town. By the time I walked around and made my way back in front of Ichiraku I had unfogged most of the map manually, even though I (painfully) refrained from collecting any [Location Collectibles] to reap better rewards later on. The 'village' had no discernable internal boundaries or walls, but it was easy to tell where one section of it met the other.
There was the Administrative Sector, if one started off from the Hokage Monument onwards. This included the Hokage Tower, the Academy, the Requisition's Office, the Foreign Travels office, and the Mission's Office. These buildings were the tallest, widest, and saw a lot of traffic even when I passed by in the early morning hours. Thankfully, the names were plastered right out front for the others, and the first of the lot was too iconic to miss. And one would have to be blind to miss the Konoha Stadium.
Moving on, there was the Civilian District that acted as a ring around the innermost sector. My orphanage was here, along with one other on what would technically be the opposite side. The Merchant's Guild, the Arts Center, the Civilian Marketplace Road, and various residential complexes made up this one. There was also a red-light area in the part closest to the mountain, but I didn't wander there for obvious reasons. Unless I could protect myself fully, I wasn't going to risk wandering into that sort of life again, not like when I was alive. Never again...
I shook it off.
A not-too-wide and not-too-narrow river ringed around that district, that eventually opened up into a lake in the next one – what was known as the Shinobi District. The various clans resided here, closest to the village walls and gates. I reasoned that they were the best bet in the case of an invasion and having access to their homes as soon as they returned from a mission would be beneficial. I wasn't allowed to linger long there, since access to anything other than the main roads were guarded by clansmen. However, I did come to know that the Uchiha Clan Compound touched the village walls on the furthest corner from the village center as possible and found myself sympathizing with their rebellious sentiments. I wouldn't want to be living there for a long time either.
Soon, however, my contemplations came to an end as I neared my destination. To gain access to the Shinobi District to fully explore, I'd probably need to befriend a dozen or so clan heirs or members, though the latter for preferable. I could plot how to do that later. For now, quests await!
And, blessed be whoever above, the shutters over the shop façade were now hidden somewhere, probably behind the large banner. Grinning, I ducked into the stand since no one was out.
I instantly spotted someone by the counter, and, thankfully, identified him by the label above his head.
[Ichiraku Teuchi – Level ?]
"I'm sorry, we're still not- Gundan-kun!" The man began, but swiftly changed tone when he saw me, smiling. "Come in, come in! A bit early to be up, isn't it?"
"Good morning, Teuchi oji-san." I bowed. Hey, this man was going to help me progress onward on my path; the least I could do was be respectful. There was also something about that question mark that put me off a bit, but meh. "I'm a poor sleeper."
"Well, that's not good for a boy your age. How old are you anyway; three?"
"Five." I corrected, my smile all teeth. My stats reflected how I looked, so given that I had really low [CON] and [STR]… "Do not worry, I will be sure to make up for it by resting adequately. How goes the shop?"
The man sighed, setting his writing pad down and bringing a hand to his forehead. "I won't lie, Gundan-kun, but all this is much harder than I thought. I'm really grateful that Ayame decided to drop out of school to help me, or else we would be on the streets with the amount of money I invested here!"
I frowned. Wasn't education as important here as it was in my world? Then again, a lot f successful entrepreneurs I'd heard of back then began with less than a degree, so I decided not to comment on it. "Would you like some assistance?"
The man looked surprised. "You wouldn't mind? I've already sent Ayame out to get fresh ingredients but…"
"No sweat." I shrugged. "I have nothing to do, and I'd rather help someone than waste my time doing nothing. What would you like done?"
"Well… I needed to go check on our furniture order since it hasn't been delivered yet. The stools we have here are flimsy and won't last very long." He explained, gesturing to the stools in question. "Would you go and check up on it for me? I have the invoice here…"
PING!
Hell yes!
[Side Quest Alert!
Upturned Upholstery
Find out what happened to the promised furniture.
Objectives :
Visit Fufu Furnishings and talk to the owner about Teuchi's furniture.
Reward :
20xp, 20 Ryo]
Okay, so this had double the experience as the first quest… was there like a tier system or something? Do a set number of quests to progress to the next tier until all are done? I hope so, because that would mean more quests.
I accepted and took the invoice, smiling reassuringly, and ran out of there.
Thankfully, I had already passed by the place on my walk, and located it easily enough, although I had to run if I wanted this done in as little time as possible, since it was a few minutes away. I also remember it being… but I wasn't sure…
When I arrived, though, I instantly understood why the order hadn't been delivered yet.
Yep.
The place was only half-standing.
Being in a world where people could raise walls of earth and vomit out tidal waves, you'd think there would be some techniques specific to reparations and the like; but seeing as there were shinobi (Genin, by the look of it) hammering all over the place, probably on a D-rank mission, I'm gonna go with a 'no'. How sad. For them, I mean.
I walked through the precariously standing entrance and cast an eye around. What looked like a lot of demolished stock was being cleared away, and the few scant pieces that I could spot intact didn't have a single stool in sight. I sighed.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
I turned to the voice and was about to ask about the invoice when I stopped short. Blinking, I forced myself to remember that I'd be encountering people who I knew from the manga a lot. Right in front of me, was a very familiar Genin.
[Kamizuki Izumo – Level 14]
Level 14? How depressing – it seems I have a long way to go before I'm field-capable…
"Hello, shinobi-san." I greeted him, bowing. "I came here to speak to the owner regarding furniture for Ichiraku Ramen…?"
"So polite for a munchkin." Another voice spoke, and I didn't even have to turn to guess who it was.
[Hagane Kotetsu – Level 13]
"Kotetsu, be polite to the customer." Izumo chastised, and I fought a twitch of my lips when Kotetsu stuck his tongue out at the other Genin. "I'm sorry, um… what's your name again?"
"I am Gundan. Pleased to meet you two." I introduced myself. Hey, it apparently pays to be nice to people… to their faces anyway. "Perhaps if I could speak to your Jonin sensei…? I mean no offense, but Teuchi oji-san will probably require some form of written confirmation that the worst has come to pass."
PING!
[Due to a special action, a skill has been created!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) Level 7 (98.6%)
Allows you to pinpoint the person who is emitting the sensation of wanting to very-much kill you, and from where.
-10% skill effectiveness for every five levels the source is beyond you.
+10% skill effectiveness for every five levels you are beyond the source.
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!]
"Are you trying to say we're incapable, brat?" Kotetsu growled, levelling a dangerous glare at me.
"Don't be silly, Ko-chan." Izumo smiled serenely, then turned that one on me. "I'm sure that's not the case, is it, Gundan-kun?"
[Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!
Detect Bloodlust (Passive) has levelled up!]
I sweat-dropped at the Unohana-Retsu-smile he was sending me. Wait, since I was in Naruto, would that make it a Tezo-face? "Of course, shinobi-san. I just need a-"
"Oh, and what is this?" someone else spoke, and I turned to see… an ordinary looking Jonin. He donned what passed for standard gear – a blue turtleneck, blue trackpants, green flak jacket, and blue sandals. His hitai-ate was on his right shoulder. He was bald, had beady eyes, but a small warm smile on his face. Obviously, I only got his name from his head because, [Metsumei Hito – Level ?] was what greeted me from over his head. "Are my little minions bullying a civilian?"
"A- absolutely not!"
"No way!"
"That's good to hear." He smirked, then turned to look at me. "Aren't you a cute little boy. You remind me of the Niidaime, except for the eyes. How unusual."
"Greetings, Jonin-san." I bowed, because being polite to people who could snap your neck was just good self-preservation. "I am come here to represent Ichiraku Teuchi of Ichiraku Ramen. He had placed an order for furniture, but I see that he won't be getting it any time soon." I finished lamely, turning to wave my hand towards the half-side of the building that looked like Kurama had probably stamped on it at some point.
"Well-learned for your age." Hito quipped, drawing out a scroll and handing it to me. "Yeah, the shop was turned over to the village. Since its not a priority to get meager operations up and running, we're reimbursing unsatisfied customers for such shops. Ask Teuchi-san to come to the Ninja Academy tomorrow."
I accepted it and bowed again, just to remain polite. "Thank you, Jonin-san. I hope the damage from the Kyuubi does not take long to fix."
The man's eyes hardened. "A lot of lives ended or were disrupted a few days ago… it's going to take a while to pick up the pieces."
"Someone wise once told me, 'life is what happens between every problem'." I smiled. "We can beat anything if we all work together."
"The Will of Fire burns strong in you." The man noted, looking a little impressed. "Tell me, Gundan-kun, are you going to be a shinobi?"
"Yes." I nodded, instantly seeing a chance for me to get some information. "I have been playing with chakra since I was very young and hope to employ my skills as a protector of this village. I want to save… everyone."
"Oho, playing with chakra, huh?" Izumo butted in, eyebrows arched in disbelief. "Prove it."
I shrugged and walked up the nearest wall. Being under the radar was not a priority for me. The sooner I graduate, the sooner I could be out of Konoha and into the world proper. If showing off is going to get me there, so be it. Sure, Danzo could be on my tail, but if I stand out too much, he will have no choice but to leave me alone.
"Good form." The Jonin commented. "Where did you learn tree-walking as a child not even in the academy?"
"I saw a ninja do it in front of me when I was younger and tried my hand at it." I tried to lie. "I thought it had something to do with chakra, so I managed to send it to my feet. It took a long while to get the hang of it, though, I kept slipping."
The ninja hummed, and I didn't know whether he was convinced or not from where I was on the wall. I heard two PINGs, but I couldn't check it now. "What else can you do?"
"I can water-walk and leap." I answered. "I'm a novice at the latter, though."
"Woah. And you're not even in the Academy, munchkin!" Kotetsu piped up. "You should apply; I'm sure they'd be happy to accept you."
"I agree." Izumo nodded. "They may even fast-track your progress depending on your learning capability, making you graduate early."
"Is there no age requirement for me to join?" I tilted my head, stopping the flow from my feet to land on the ground softly. "I was under the impression I needed to be eight…?"
Hito waved me off. "Nonsense. There have been entrances at ages such as four or six, it's not really unusual."
Jackpot! I could definitely balance the Academy and finishing up all the Konoha quests in a year, hopefully. "I shall look into it as soon as possible."
"The Academy is closed for a month or so." The Jonin cautioned. "Your best bet would be applying immediately after." Then his eyes took the chance to glance around. "And you'd best get going. We still have a lot of work to do."
Kotetsu groaned.
I bowed again, in gratitude and courteousness. "Thank you, Jonin-san, Genin-san, Genin-san. Have a pleasant day." I then swiftly left, but I could swear I heard Hito tell his students to be more like me. Ouch.
I took the chance to glance at the notifications that popped up.
[Chakra Control has levelled up to MAX level!
Chakra Control (Passive) Lv MAX (0.00%)
Allows stricter control over chakra flow, allowing the user to lower the cost for jutsu. Additionally, it also allows for finely tuning chakra movement throughout the body.
-50% CP cost for chakra-imbued skills.
Exercises Discovered – Leaf Balancing (5 CP/min), Tree Climbing (10 CP/min), Water Walking (15 CP/min)
Choose an evolution path-
Chakra Pool Mastery Chakra Cost Mastery]Holy hell! Skill evolutions! That's amazing! I wonder what I'd get as choices when I finish levelling the Shunshin? Or the Henge? God, the possibilities!
Wait, I maxed it out right? Was this what perfect chakra control meant? Or did it imply an even better grasp which I will undoubtedly have acer maxing out the evolution?
For now, though, I have to choose. Do I enlarge my chakra pool, probably, or improve my control even further? Not having the [Hints] perk means I can't see the descriptions yet, but the names are pretty straight forward.
I weighed my options. Enlarging my pool will probably be a percentage increase, like my control cost reductions. Should I really go for it, though? I mean, if I only enlarge my chakra pool, I'll eventually get a skill that I just won't have enough chakra for. It's inevitable when I'm not even going to focus much on the mage side of things. Even though I don't wanna be a comet-crasher, having some good jutsu in my arsenal that I can utilize will be nice to use in a pinch, and contribute to my survival without resorting to checkpoints.
So, it's cost mastery, then. Could I eventually level it to a 99% reduction? That would be sweet! Maybe I can finally use the Kagebunshin too!
My choice was obvious.
PING!
[Skill evolved!
Chakra Cost Mastery (Passive) Lv 51
Allows extremely strict control over chakra flow, allowing the user to lower the cost for jutsu by a large margin. Finely tuning chakra movement throughout the body is now second nature.
-51% CP cost for chakra-imbued skills.
Exercises Discovered – Leaf Balancing (5 CP/min), Tree Climbing (10 CP/min), Water Walking (15 CP/min)]
That eases my mind. Eventually, it's going to reach 99%, since a 100% cost would make my afterlife too damn easy. It's only rational.
I don't think I'll progress much with the run-of-the-mill exercises, though. That worked fine when it was simple control; now I'm going to need more intensive ones… and there's only one place I know that may have instructions regarding them. I'm going to have to sneak in, though, since I'm sure that asking for them upfront will only get me drafted into a program I don't have time for.
I dismissed the screen and looked at the next, short one.
[Wordplay has failed!]
Okay, that doesn't really have a lot of impact. I'm too young to have been a spy, so the man probably thought I learned whatever I did by sneaking around. The worst I can expect is being tailed for the rest of the month or something, but I doubt it, seeing that Konoha needs all its ninja right now.
I waved it away and stretched my hands over my head, sighing for the hell of it. Let's get back to Teuchi... the man with a hidden level just like a Jonin...
Wait... oh no.