The day's lessons ended in a flash.
As the sun dipped low over Konoha, Seikyū Hikaru made his way toward the orphanage.
It sat in the outskirts of the village—far from the central districts where the Ninja Academy stood. On foot, it would take nearly an hour to get back.
But he wasn't some average civilian.
He was a shinobi.
With chakra reinforcement, his running speed easily outpaced most adults. Jogging lightly, he reached the orphanage in under ten minutes.
"I'm back, Director," Hikaru called as he stepped through the gate.
"You're in a damn good mood today, Hikaru," came the reply.
The orphanage's head caretaker was a man named Yakushi Ten, a name that immediately made Hikaru's brow lift the first time he heard it.
Same surname as Yakushi Nono, the future caretaker of this very place.
It had surprised him at first. But after getting to know an older sister figure named Nono living here, the connection became clear.
Before becoming the orphanage's head, Yakushi Ten had been a full-fledged jōnin. On one mission to eliminate bandits, he arrived at a burned village—everyone slaughtered… except one infant, shielded by their dead parents.
Ten couldn't leave the child to die.
So he brought her back to Konoha, placing her in the orphanage. That child… was Yakushi Nono.
As for the surname "Yakushi"?
It wasn't blood-related. Nono had taken the name out of gratitude. Just like Kabuto Yakushi would, years later.
And once Hikaru figured that out, he couldn't help but laugh.
This orphanage really had a legacy.
No "Yakushi," no promotion to director?
He half-suspected the last head of the orphanage was also a Yakushi… maybe Ten was an orphan too and inherited the title like some weird bloodline tradition.
"Ah?" Hikaru blinked.
"You're grinning like a fool. If it's not a good thing, don't tell me you got cursed," Ten chuckled.
It clicked for Hikaru—he was grinning.
After all, the system he'd waited years for had finally activated. His whole life was about to take off.
"Let's just say something good happened," he replied vaguely.
No way was he about to tell anyone about the system. That was his alone. If word got out, who knew what people would do? Kidnap, dissect, mind-control—he wasn't about to gamble on the kindness of others.
Best to keep it buried deep.
"Oh-ho?" Ten grinned. "Don't tell me you've got your eye on a girl."
Hikaru's heart skipped.
Damn it, how did he guess that?
But he played along, flashing a sheepish smile. "Something like that. Red hair, pretty cute."
It wasn't a lie. Besides, after sticking up for Kushina in class, anyone watching—especially from Konoha's higher-ups—would already have their suspicions.
Whether he clarified or denied didn't matter anymore.
Unless he cut all ties with Kushina going forward—and that wasn't happening.
System or not, he liked her. And he wasn't about to deny himself just to avoid ruffling feathers.
"What?! I was joking!" Ten looked genuinely shocked.
Back in his day, shinobi students were too busy training to even think about dating. But now? Kids were barely out of diapers and already talking about love.
"Director, it's not that big a dea—" Hikaru paused, remembering something.
Yakushi Ten was in his mid-thirties… and still single.
Ah. No wonder he's so surprised.
"My bad. Forgot you're still single at your age. I guess this kind of thing's hard for you to relate to."
He shot Ten a sympathetic look.
So pitiful. All those years, not a single partner.
"You little brat! Back in my day, I was the hottest thing in the academy! Girls lined up around the whole village to chase me!"
Ten's face turned red with indignation.
Hikaru didn't argue. Let the man have his delusions.
Whole village, huh? The academy barely has enough girls for a triangle, let alone a ring.
Still, out of respect for his lifelong bachelorhood, Hikaru didn't rub it in. He just sighed dramatically as he walked past—earning him a crimson-faced glare from Ten.
Back inside, the orphanage felt like home.
Which, at this point, it was.
As he entered, several younger kids rushed over to greet him. Being a year or two older than most made him a bit of a big brother figure—and he was popular around here.
After playing with them for a bit, Hikaru slipped away using the age-old excuse of "needing to pee."
Bathroom.
Door shut. Locked.
Hikaru reached into his system space and pulled out his prize:
Chakra Fruit (Green).
It pulsed with soft white light, its shape hard to define—almost like the glow distorted his vision.
By feel alone, it was smooth and rounded… maybe like a plum?
Didn't matter.
What mattered was what it did.
Chakra Fruit (Green): Upon consumption, refines chakra quality and slightly increases chakra quantity.
Hikaru didn't hesitate.
Bottoms up.
The fruit was surprisingly sweet—almost like honey mixed with mint.
And then it hit.
A warm current surged through his body, flowing through his chakra network like a gentle flame.
He felt it—his chakra, once rough and unrefined, was being tempered. Hardened. Enhanced. It was like the difference between dull iron and forged steel.
More than that, his chakra reserves were growing.
In mere seconds, his chakra capacity had increased nearly fourfold.
And that's when it hit him.
He'd spent a month—two weeks before school, two weeks after—painstakingly refining chakra each day.
This one fruit?
Was worth three months of intense training.
All at once.
He clenched his fists.
"This… this is the power of a system!"
He grinned.
"Goddamn, it feels good to cheat."
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