[Ding! Mission Post: Clay (1000g)]
[System Reward: Primary Forging Blueprint - Substitution Kunai]
On the fourth day of Ren's forging Clone Kunai, the familiar sound of the system releasing a new task echoed in his mind.
Substitution Kunai? Ren guessed. He figured this kunai would likely function similarly to the Clone Kunai, producing an effect akin to the Substitution Jutsu (Kawarimi no Jutsu). This task was also quite simple. Clay was readily available everywhere. Ren quickly dug up a small pile of dark brown clay from the backyard garden.
[Ding! Mission completed! ]
[System Reward: Elementary Forging Blueprint - Substitution Kunai has been issued! ]
Immediately, another method for creating a kunai appeared in Ren's mind:
[Substitution Kunai:]
[Forging Difficulty: ☆]
[Skill: Instant Release Substitution Technique]
The creation process was somewhat similar to the Clone Kunai. With his current understanding of forging the Clone Kunai, forging this new one seemed much easier. After comprehending the structure of the Substitution Kunai, he immediately began trying to forge it.
However, this time, he didn't seem to have the same luck as before.
The first Substitution Kunai failed... The second kunai failed... The third kunai, success!
On his third forging attempt, he finally succeeded! Information about the use of the Substitution Kunai instantly flowed into Ren's mind.
[Substitution Kunai: After injecting chakra into the kunai, you can swap positions with the kunai to avoid attacks.]
Ren nodded secretly. It was exactly as he had guessed. The effect of the Substitution Kunai was identical to the Substitution Jutsu. The Substitution Jutsu, part of the basic three-body ninjutsu, was arguably the most practical ninjutsu in combat. It was widely used by Genin and Chunin in ninja battles and was one of the most commonly employed basic techniques.
And just like the Clone Kunai, he simply needed to inject his chakra into the Substitution Kunai to release its effect instantly, without needing any hand signs. "It seems this kind of Substitution Kunai is hard to come by; I'll have to forge a few more!" Ren's heart was suddenly full of renewed energy, and he began to forge.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The rhythmic percussive sounds of metal in the forging shed echoed continuously. In a blink of an eye, another five days passed. Ren looked at the 15 Clone Kunai and 10 Substitution Kunai he had successfully created in front of him, highly satisfied with the results. His forging proficiency for the Clone Kunai and Substitution Kunai had also risen to 77% and 45%, respectively.
[Ding! Mission Release: Fine Sand (1000g)]
[System Reward: Primary Forging Blueprint - Transformation Kunai]
The system's voice reached his ears again. This new task was also very simple. Ren quickly completed the task and received his reward: the blueprint for forging the Transformation Kunai. In this way, he had now gathered all three types of ninja tools that could achieve the effects of the three basic ninja techniques.
Another ten days passed quietly. Apart from eating and sleeping, Ren spent the rest of his time immersed in the forging shed, crafting kunai tirelessly, almost as if he were sleepless. Although forging was a very boring and tedious practice, Ren had no complaints. Instead, he embraced it as a form of exercise for his body. The effect of this exercise was, of course, very obvious. His physical strength and chakra were repeatedly consumed and recovered. In just half a month, Ren felt that his muscle strength had significantly increased. His chakra recovery speed had also become faster.
Ren secretly estimated that if he were in actual combat, the power of his fists combined with the use of these three types of kunai should be comparable to that of an ordinary ninja. Of course, in the past half-month, his ninja tool production had also been quite fruitful: 30 Clone Kunai, 20 Substitution Kunai, and 15 Transformation Kunai. At the same time, his proficiency in creating Clone Kunai, Substitution Kunai, and Transformation Kunai had reached 100%, 85%, and 55% respectively. Now, his success rate for forging the Clone Kunai was 100%, meaning there would be no more defective products during its forging process.
Moreover, he also discovered that his speed in creating kunai increased as his proficiency grew. Initially, forging one kunai took him three hours. Now, he only needed half an hour to complete one.
At this time, his system panel data had transformed as follows:
[Host: Ren]
[Age: 6 years old]
[Forging Level: Beginner]
[Unlocked Weapons: Clone Kunai (100%), Substitution Kunai (85%), Transformation Kunai (55%)]
[Self-Created Weapons: None]
This day, after finishing his practice, Ren had dinner with TenTen. After dinner, Ren wasn't in a hurry to leave. He asked TenTen, "Sister, I taught you how to extract chakra before. How are you doing?"
TenTen stuck out her tongue, sighing helplessly. "Big brother, that method is so difficult. I've been practicing for more than ten days, and I can only extract a little chakra occasionally, and it's not very stable."
Ren nodded, not surprised. He patted her on the shoulder and comforted her, "Don't worry, if you can sense chakra, you're already a beginner. Just keep practicing slowly after that." TenTen's talent in ninjutsu practice wasn't outstanding. However, as her older brother, he would try his best to help his younger sister improve her strength.
Refining chakra wasn't easy for a six-year-old child. In the ninja academy, the main courses for students in the first two years were almost entirely focused on chakra refinement training. TenTen's current practice speed was actually quite good in Ren's eyes.
Ren took out three Clone Kunai and handed them to TenTen. "Here, something for you to play with." It was a reward for her hard work cooking and helping him with laundry.
"What is this?" TenTen asked, looking bewildered.
"Inject your own chakra into this kunai, then throw the kunai out and try it."
"?" TenTen tilted her head, a hint of doubt in her big, round eyes. But she still obediently followed her brother's instructions.
She refined chakra, infused it into the kunai, and threw it in front of her...
Suddenly, "Bang!" A sound echoed as the kunai, in mid-air, transformed into a puff of white smoke. As the white smoke dissipated, a little girl who looked exactly like TenTen appeared before her.
"It's a clone technique!" TenTen exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands, an unconcealed look of surprise in her eyes. "How is this happening? Did I just cast the Clone Jutsu myself? But... I don't even know how to make hand signs, and I don't know how to use the Clone Jutsu?!"
"This is a special kunai I created in the past couple of days; it can produce the same effect as the Clone Jutsu," Ren explained with a smile, patting TenTen's shoulder. "With ninja gear like this, our strength will never be weaker than those from the great ninja clans once we enter the ninja academy."
"Wow!" After listening to her brother's explanation, TenTen's eyes immediately lit up, shining like stars. The way she looked at Ren was filled with extreme adoration. "Big brother, you're truly amazing!"
"Then you should practice hard during this time." Although he had forged a total of three types of ninja tools, he didn't give all three to TenTen at once. Her chakra control was far inferior to his. So, Ren decided to only give her the Clone Kunai for now, letting her concentrate on practicing with it. After she mastered the Clone Kunai, he would teach her about the other types.