Chapter 2: The Genius Plan!
"The future is not set in stone. The present determines the future?"
Kinoshita Genichi sank into deep thought. "So, what I overdrafted was a future anchored to my current self... possibly even the future of the 'me' who hadn't awakened his past-life memories?"
"In other words, although I've awakened now, possessing a vast amount of information about the Naruto world, and my way of thinking is different than before..."
"I haven't taken any concrete action. Even if I have a lot of ideas, if they aren't put into practice, they won't affect the future at all."
"Just having ideas, just thinking, without grounding them in reality, has no effect on the present. Therefore, it can't be said to change the future."
Genichi was slowly starting to grasp something. He would have to experiment to see if his thoughts were correct.
However...
Genichi frowned. "It seems my body's natural aptitude is quite poor. The absolute peak of my life was destined to be a Chunin."
"This is troublesome..."
Genichi considered himself a smart person, but in the world of Naruto, physical aptitude was far too important. After all, this was the legend of powerful eyes, the great family drama of the Otsutsuki. Having a good bloodline was more important than anything else.
Even a brilliant mind like Orochimaru's couldn't compete with the cheats that Naruto and Sasuke were given.
Thinking of this, Genichi couldn't help but sigh. "I originally thought I could just lie back and coast through this life, but it looks like I still have to work hard. Didn't I get reincarnated for nothing?"
"This cheat ability isn't all that great either!"
He looked at the overdraft panel. The "[Overdraft: Ten Years into the Future]" option had also turned gray. He would have to wait one year before he could use it again.
"This means I have one year to put my plans into practice and use that as a foundation to change my future."
"Looks like I have to make a plan."
"Mm, let's call it the 'One-Year Plan'."
Withdrawing his gaze, Genichi got off the bed and focused his attention back on his own body.
Previously, he had been most concerned about his ninjutsu. This time, besides gaining the ninjutsu his future self had mastered, he also acquired experience with shuriken-jutsu, basic taijutsu, physical strength, and, to his surprise, chakra.
No, it shouldn't be defined as just chakra, but physical stamina.
In short, the current Kinoshita Genichi was essentially loaded with the data of his future self at his peak state ten years from now. This included everything from stamina, ninjutsu, and taijutsu to combat experience.
Aside from his memories, it was almost as if he had fused with his future self.
After carefully sensing the changes, Genichi's face broke into a wide grin.
Although his future self was still just a Genin, was the body of a five-year-old the same as a fifteen-year-old's? Despite his appearance not changing, and the fact that he hadn't physically aged, his strength alone was on a completely different level.
"Excellent!"
"From now on, I will fight for my future!"
Cracking his knuckles, Genichi found his piggy bank, smashed it open, and counted the savings inside. It was a little over one Thousand ryo—not a small amount.
"I wonder if I can buy a tantō... I don't need a high-quality one for now. It's just for training. I could even consider a wooden sword."
Tucking the money into his wallet, Genichi went downstairs.
"Dad, Mom, I'm going out to train!" Genichi waved to his parents.
His mother looked up and reminded him, "Remember to come back for lunch! And be careful, don't get hurt!"
"Got it!"
With that, Genichi was already out the door.
In the shop, his father smiled at his wife. "Genichi is training so hard. We have to work hard too!"
His mother nodded, the movements of her hands becoming crisper and more efficient.
...
Genichi visited several ninja tool shops before finally choosing a tantō. It cost 500 ryo, much cheaper than he had expected. Of course, the quality was just as average. Genichi wasn't particularly satisfied, as it felt a bit too light for him. But there were no better options unless he had one custom-made.
"It'll have to do for now."
After paying, Genichi bought a sheath and a sword belt. The former was for carrying the blade on his back, while the latter was for securing it to his waist. In the ninja world, blades and swords were often grouped together; one could say the term "sword arts" included blade techniques. Kenjutsu and tōjutsu could be understood as the same discipline.
After buying the blade, Genichi went to buy some balloons.
Once he had everything, he found a spot by a small river, choosing a large tree as his temporary training ground.
Placing the balloons under the tree, Genichi first took the tantō from his back and hung it at his waist.
Swordsmanship and the Rasengan. These were the two training paths Genichi had temporarily set for himself.
He still remembered how to train for the Rasengan, so he could start practicing. He didn't necessarily have to master it within a year. If one year wasn't enough, how could ten years not be?
As for swordsmanship, his ten-year overdraft didn't include any blade techniques. Without a teacher or a specific style to follow, Genichi knew it would be difficult to achieve anything significant with unstructured training.
But that was fine. For now, Genichi didn't have high expectations for his swordsmanship. He would just practice a few basic swinging motions and... the drawing cut!
The most important thing was the drawing cut—the battōzan!
He would train his speed, power, and reaction time... if not in one year, then in ten. He might not succeed even then, but it was worth trying to see where his potential, his talent, truly lay.
"I'm only five years old right now, so I have plenty of chances for trial and error... This overdraft panel might not let me reach the heavens in a single step, but it gives me the opportunity to make many, many choices."
Genichi gripped the handle of his blade with his right hand, lowered his stance, and focused his mind.
Zing!
Genichi drew the tantō with a motion that was both fast and powerful.
"The form was sloppy, not stable enough... Continue!"
Genichi sheathed his blade and continued.
If he hadn't overdrafted his future ten years, he might have been fumbling around blindly, relying on the vague ideas from his previous life. But having overdrafted, he was, at the very least, a Genin with considerable experience. His control over his strength and his understanding of power dynamics were far beyond that of a complete novice.
And as it happened, the fundamental movements of the drawing cut were extremely simple.
Repeat, repeat, and repeat again!
Genichi continuously drew and sheathed his blade, constantly correcting his form, trying to make his draw faster and more powerful.
When his arm grew sore and his stamina was depleted, he would stop to rest, taking the balloons to the river to fill them with water.
"According to the timeline, Namikaze Minato died in Konoha Year 50 at the age of 24. That means he's fifteen right now."
"According to Jiraiya, it took Minato three years to develop the Rasengan."
"After that, Jiraiya also mastered the Rasengan in a short amount of time, I remember..."
Genichi pondered deeply.
He remembered a scene in the anime where Jiraiya boasted to Minato about mastering the Rasengan, only to be flustered by Minato's calm reaction. At that time, Minato was already leading Kakashi on missions.
Although that was from a movie and its place in the timeline was questionable, it could still be used as a rough reference. Uchiha Obito graduated at age nine, which was when Minato officially became the jonin leader for his three-person squad. That would be around Konoha Year 45, four years from now.
Kakashi would even be graduating this year.
Genichi vaguely recalled that Kakashi had other squad leaders after graduating. Furthermore, at age seven, Hatake Sakumo committed suicide, causing a drastic change in Kakashi's personality that led to repeated conflicts with his teammates and several team reassignments.
Genichi calculated the time.
Two years from now would be Konoha Year 43, when Hatake Sakumo would commit suicide and Kakashi's personality would change. Assuming Minato started leading Kakashi on missions in Konoha Year 44, he would have already mastered the Rasengan by then.
Counting back three years from that point...
"Which means, it's very likely that Minato has already started developing this jutsu right now..."
After filling four balloons with water, Genichi returned to the large tree. "So we had the same idea. But who finishes first remains to be seen."
"Minato developed the Rasengan because of the Tailed Beast Bomb. As for me..."
Genichi sat on the ground, his eyes darting around as he quickly came up with a reason. This reason was a cover story for others.
The reason he wanted to train the Rasengan, besides his lack of access to other ninjutsu resources, was largely to build a certain image for himself.
The genius persona!
(End of Chapter)