"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"Nara Kazuki expelled a searing blast of flames, feeling his throat scorch raw with the intensity.
But compared to the completely maxed-out [Fireball Jutsu] proficiency bar, that burning sensation was meaningless.
"Deep Blue Bonus Point!" Kazuki grinned excitedly.
His chakra nature was simple — pure Fire Release.It didn't mean he could only use fire techniques, but it certainly skewed his affinity and training toward that path.
[Diligence Overcomes Mediocrity: Every time you cast Fireball Jutsu, its power increases slightly.][Flame of Yin Release: Infuses Yin Release into your fire, restricting enemy mobility and making them easier to hit.][Caliber Is Truth: Doubles the effective area of your Fireball Jutsu.]
"This one..."Without hesitation, Kazuki selected [Diligence Overcomes Mediocrity].
Every cast increased its power — even if only a little — and with no cap, it was absurdly powerful.In terms of practical value, it was easily the best choice.
To hesitate even a second would have been disrespectful to the art of growth-based skills.
"From today forward, call me Nara 'Nasus' Kazuki!"Kazuki was practically trembling with excitement.
A growth skill!Before transmigrating, when he played League of Legends, his favorite champion had been Nasus — stacking endlessly into a late-game monster.
While other players worried about ganks, CS, kill pressure, Kazuki's joy came from stacking.The higher the stack count, the stronger he became.In the late game, one Q to delete squishies.
Of course, in reality, opponents often tried to shut down Nasus before he grew unstoppable.But here, Kazuki had no such constraint.
No one else knew about his hidden system.No one could stop him.
Every single cast made him a little stronger.If it weren't for the need to maintain balance with other jutsu training, Kazuki would've spent 24/7 spamming Fireball Jutsu.
Even so, he poured the majority of his chakra into stacking Fireball mastery.
Thus, the next day, when Nara Suzaku came looking for him to discuss matters, he found Kazuki in the training grounds — blazingly fast with hand seals, spitting out a massive Fireball that turned a practice dummy into pure black charcoal.
Kazuki exhaled deeply.Since yesterday, he had fired off fifty-seven Fireballs.If not for his chakra running low, he would've fired even more.
"Suzaku-ojisan? What brings you here?" Kazuki finally noticed his uncle standing nearby and asked, tilting his head.
Surely he wasn't about to be dragged into babysitting Kakashi again?
Because right now?Nobody — and he meant nobody — was interrupting his stacking.
Suzaku glanced at the ruined dummy, noting its fragile state without much concern.
"The dummy's getting old," Suzaku thought.One Fireball and it was roasted like brittle tinder.
He didn't dwell on it.
"Kazuki, this is your parents' compensation money," Suzaku said seriously, pulling out a sealed envelope.
Kazuki blinked in surprise before accepting it.
Truthfully, he had no emotional memory of his predecessor's parents.Hell, he barely even felt connected to his own reflection — when he first arrived in this world and looked in the mirror, he had seen the face of his own younger self staring back.
No explanation.No logic.
Just... reincarnation.
Still, having a familiar face made blending into Konoha infinitely easier.
"Thank you, Suzaku-ojisan," Kazuki said, slipping the envelope into his pouch.It didn't feel particularly heavy.
Not surprising.
Konoha was still staggering from the aftermath of the Third Great Ninja War.
Thousands dead.Each fallen ninja's family needed reparations — some more, some less — but when added together, it was a heavy burden.
The envelope likely contained both village and clan compensations.
Suzaku nodded, watching Kazuki with an unreadable expression, as if wanting to say something... but ultimately just patted his shoulder and left.
Kazuki stared at the envelope.
"So even the nobodies in anime have their own lives, huh?"
Naruto as a story focused heavily on its main cast.Secondary and tertiary characters?Their lives were usually only ever depicted in service to the heroes.
But standing here, in this breathing, bloody real Konoha, Kazuki realized:Even background characters lived, struggled, and mattered — if only to themselves.
Suzaku, a random name lost in canon's cluttered crowd scenes, now felt real.
Kazuki tucked away the money.He didn't need much right now.
Sure, ninja made a lot.But they also spent a lot — equipment, missions, supplies.Without current missions, Kazuki had very little expense.
He returned to his meditation, refining his chakra again.
[Chakra Refinement: 985/1000]
The progress bar floated into view.Kazuki glanced at it once, then closed his eyes.
To properly level it up, he had to drain his chakra to its minimal usable threshold — no quick hacks.
Real refinement demanded discipline.
He had no idea what kind of upgrades he'd unlock when it maxed out...But he burned with anticipation.
Once his chakra reserves stabilized, Kazuki threw himself back into stacking Fireballs with mad determination.
But before he could finish another cycle, he was interrupted.
"Huh? The Fourth Hokage himself assigned me and Kakashi to a mission?"Kazuki's expression twisted into something... complicated.
In front of him, Suzaku looked positively thrilled.
From Suzaku's perspective, Kazuki wasn't a genius.His ceiling wasn't high.But if he got close to Kakashi — a future powerhouse — he'd carve out a decent place for himself in Konoha's hierarchy.
"Kazuki, this is a great opportunity! The Fourth Hokage sees your potential!"Suzaku said, clapping him hard on the shoulder.
Really hard.
Kazuki winced.Jesus, he thought.Is Uncle Suzaku secretly a taijutsu specialist?What is with that grip strength?!