New Skills
"See you at school!"
Tsuruma Nobuyuki waved goodbye to Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji before heading home, a massive Great Horned Deer leisurely following behind him.
The streets of Konoha were bustling as usual, with merchants calling out their wares, children playing along the pathways, and shinobi moving about with quiet purpose. Despite the unusual sight of a boy leading a deer that towered over most grown men, the villagers of Konoha—renowned as the residents of the most powerful ninja village—were not easily fazed.
Apart from a few wide-eyed children pointing excitedly, most people simply gave the creature a brief glance before continuing with their day. That was, until Nobuyuki neared his neighborhood.
The Neighborhood's Reaction
In Konoha, ordinary families were grouped into neighborhood units of five to ten households. These units functioned almost like small communities, with an elected leader who oversaw minor maintenance projects—like fixing sewers or trimming roadside trees—and reported any suspicious activity to the Hokage's office.
Because of this, the people within each neighborhood unit knew each other well.
So when the residents saw Tsuruma Nobuyuki leading a massive Great Horned Deer through the streets, their expressions shifted from mild curiosity to alarm.
"Nobuyuki, is that deer yours?" a middle-aged woman asked, her brow furrowing with concern.
"It's enormous! If it gets out of control, someone could get hurt," another woman chimed in.
Nobuyuki sighed inwardly, expecting this reaction. Before they could get more worked up, he spoke with a confident smile.
"Don't worry. This isn't an ordinary deer—it's a Great Horned Deer from the Nara Clan's Deer Forest. It has intelligence comparable to a human and will be my summoning beast from now on."
He paused for a moment, letting that sink in before adding, "I plan to train it to pull carts. If anyone in the neighborhood ever needs help transporting goods, you'll be able to borrow it—just provide some fodder in return."
The moment he mentioned the practical benefits, the skeptical expressions disappeared, replaced by eager smiles.
"Oh! A summoning beast? That explains why it's so well-behaved!"
"As expected of Nobuyuki, he's always thinking ahead."
"If it can help with moving heavy things, that would be wonderful!"
Nobuyuki hid his amusement. The same people who had been worried just moments ago were now showering him with praise. It was a common trait in Konoha—practicality often won out over fear.
Life in the Neighborhood
The neighborhood Nobuyuki lived in consisted mostly of ninja families. Some of them, like his own, had lost members on missions. Others had shinobi who were injured or frequently away on assignments.
In two of the households, the fathers had died in action, while another had a husband who had been severely wounded and was now bedridden. Of the three remaining families, two had active-duty shinobi who were rarely home. Only one family had a man present, but they were merchants rather than ninja.
This meant that many of the daily burdens—cooking, cleaning, and even heavy labor—fell on the women of the household.
Simple tasks like carrying bags of rice, transporting firewood, or preparing for festivals were difficult without male help. Hiring workers was expensive, so sometimes multiple families would pool their money to request a D-rank mission for a team of genin to assist.
By offering his summoning beast as a draft animal, Nobuyuki knew he was making himself an invaluable part of the community.
A New Project
Once he returned home, Nobuyuki explained everything to his mother, Ryoko. He then had the Great Horned Deer lower its head so she could pet it, helping establish a sense of familiarity.
After that, he got to work on his next experiment.
"Mom, I need some chaff and the wood shavings left over from winter. Also, some manure."
Ryoko, who had long since grown used to her son's unusual requests, raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you planning?"
"I'm going to try growing mushrooms."
"Mushrooms? Like the kind we eat?"
"Yep. But I want to see if I can make them grow faster."
Ryoko shook her head but helped gather the materials. Soon, Nobuyuki had a pile of organic matter fermenting in the storage shed behind the main house.
For the next few days, he monitored it closely, checking the decomposition process every morning and evening.
Using his chakra, he enhanced his perception, carefully observing the fermentation process. Once he judged the conditions to be ideal, he added the mycelium.
To test a theory, he split the sample into two groups—one infused with chakra, and one left alone.
"If people can use chakra to perform incredible feats, like walking on water or molding nature transformation jutsu, there's no reason I can't use it to enhance crops."
Surprising Discoveries
Over the next few days, he diligently observed the progress. The results were staggering.
The mycelium exposed to chakra exploded in growth, forming visible white grains within three days. Meanwhile, the normal control sample had only barely spread across half of the substrate.
However, an even greater discovery awaited him.
As he continued his chakra-infused observations, he noticed something unusual in his system panel.
[New Skill Acquired: Chakra Perception – Level 1 (1/100)]
Nobuyuki's eyes widened. Chakra Perception!
For most shinobi, the ability to sense chakra was incredibly rare and valuable. It allowed them to detect enemies, anticipate attacks, and even sense emotions through chakra fluctuations.
It was no exaggeration to say that many ninja were "blind" in combat without sensory abilities.
Take Kakashi Hatake, for example. A genius who had created Chidori at just thirteen, but due to his poor dynamic vision, he had almost killed himself when he first used it in battle. Only after receiving Obito Uchiha's Sharingan did he truly master it.
"If Kakashi had developed strong Chakra Perception instead of relying on the Sharingan, he might not have been stuck with such a limited chakra pool..."
Nobuyuki clenched his fists. He was onto something big.
The Path to the Flying Thunder God
With Chakra Perception unlocked, he realized he now had the prerequisites for something even greater—Space-Time Ninjutsu.
There were four supreme power paths in the ninja world:
1. Taijutsu – The mastery of physical combat, epitomized by figures like Might Guy.
2. Sage Mode – A powerful enhancement utilizing natural energy.
3. Space-Time Ninjutsu – Techniques that manipulate teleportation and dimensions, like the Flying Thunder God.
4. The Rinnegan – The legendary dojutsu possessed by figures like Nagato and Sasuke.
The Rinnegan was out of reach. Sage Mode had no clear path forward. But Space-Time Ninjutsu? That was achievable.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, once used by the legendary Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, required two key skills:
Sealing Techniques (which Nobuyuki had already begun learning).
Chakra Perception (which he had just unlocked).
A slow grin spread across his face.
"I might not have the Sharingan or limitless chakra, but if I can master Space-Time Ninjutsu, I can become untouchable."
His journey was just beginning.