Souji had a few things he wanted to say to Hiruzen, but unfortunately, he forgot that. For example, he wanted to punish those who refused to sell their goods to Naruto, as well as those who openly insulted him.
However, given Hiruzen's current nature, he might not be able to do it. He was too dependent on his reputation among civilians.
Souji didn't blame him. If Hiruzen had Hashirama's power, maybe he wouldn't care so much about what civilians thought.
But even though Hashirama was overpowered, he still became a clown during the Five Kage Meeting.
Souji sighed.
No one is perfect, not even him.
"..."
Hokage, huh?
If I want to become Hokage, I have to be at least at the Kage level in terms of strength.
But Souji was curious. Would ninjutsu be included in the skill category? What about chakra control? Does that count as a skill?
Souji tried it. He took a leaf that happened to be near the window and put it on his finger.
'Channel chakra to my finger and make the leaf stick like it's been glued.'
"..."
Souji could feel it. He channeled enough chakra to his finger and connected it to the leaf.
[Ding.]
[Extra Skill Obtained.]
[Chakra Control LV1]
"..."
'Oh, success.' Souji thought happily to himself.
'System, display status only for skills.'
"..."
[Status]
Name: Souji
Race: Human
Exclusive Skill: Master Key.
Skill: None
Extra Skill: Chakra Control LV1.
Inventory: [Only items from the system.]
Skill Points: None
"..."
'What about the explanation?'
[Extra Skill]
[Chakra Control LV1]
"..."
Nothing, huh?
Souji was curious if he could upgrade it. However, since he still didn't have any skill points, he couldn't do anything about it.
[+1]
'Hm?'
Souji saw his system notification and was surprised to see a progress bar next to his skill.
[Chakra Control LV1] (2/100)
'So, is it because I'm training my chakra control?'
Souji used the leaf again to keep it from falling.
[+1]
"..."
What if he did it without stopping?
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
"..."
What if he used ten leaves on his ten fingers?
He went outside to gather some leaves, then returned inside, of course not forgetting to close and lock the door.
He placed one leaf on each finger and made them stick so they wouldn't fall off.
[+10]
'Ah?'
"..."
And now, without stopping.
[+10]
[+10]
[+10]
"..."
[Ding.]
[Level up.]
"..."
[Chakra Control LV2] (6/100)
"..."
'Isn't this too easy?' Souji thought in disbelief.
If leveling up was this easy, what were skill points for?
Are there skills that can only be upgraded using skill points?
If leveling up was this easy, he thought, wouldn't the system be overpowered?
Or was it just because his skill was still low, making leveling up easy?
'Could the level limit reach a hundred?'
Souji wondered how high the level limit could be.
[+10]
[+10]
"..."
[Chakra Control LV10] (MAX).
"..."
Souji couldn't believe what he saw. It hadn't even been an hour, no, not even thirty minutes!
Yet here he was, having reached the maximum level of chakra control.
Souji could really feel the effects of his chakra control. He could easily channel and adjust how much chakra he used. He tried walking on the walls of his house and succeeded on the first try. He tried it on a tree and succeeded.
Walking on a tree's surface came naturally to Souji, it was as if he were controlling his chakra as easily as breathing.
It was like something very natural to him.
"..."
'What about the shuriken-throwing technique?'
Souji wanted to try it but remembered that he didn't have a shuriken. He tried something else instead.
He threw stones, wood, and even a knife. But he didn't receive any notifications.
'Could it only be certain skills?' Souji thought.
He was still curious about skill points, but he decided not to think about it too much for now, considering that he would definitely know its use sooner or later.
Then, Souji had an idea. Could he create a Rasengan with his current chakra control?
He stood in an open space outside the house.
He opened his palm, closed his eyes, and imagined how the Rasengan worked.
'Rotation. The shape is round, like threads joined together to form a ball. There are several layers that rotate separately. The outer layer rotates clockwise, thickening the outer layer so that the inner layer doesn't break.'
"..."
He still didn't feel anything in his hand.
He added, 'Rotation and power combined into one. Enclose it by adding an outer layer so that everything is in a swirling ball.'
Swirl
[Ding.]
[Extra skill obtained.]
[Rasengan LV1]
"..."
'RASENGAN!'
"..."
He stared in disbelief at what he saw.
A spinning blue ball appeared in his hand.
"..."
'So, how do I stop it?'
He couldn't just slam it into the ground.
Besides, an explosion might attract people's attention, and he didn't want that.
'Ah, this is my fault. I was too careless.'
Souji tried to slow down its rotation.
Swish Swirl
He could see the Rasengan's rotation slowing down.
Soon, the glowing blue ball slowly faded, shrinking and then disappearing.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"..."
[Rasengan LV1] (1/100)
"..."
He didn't want to level up his Rasengan unless he was far from the settlement and surveillance.
'But wasn't Naruto being watched by the Anbu?'
"..."
'I am not being watched, right?'
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
In the afternoon, we can see people walking back and forth in the Uchiha settlement, those returning from patrol duty, those going on patrol, and merchants closing their shops.
Yes, the Uchiha settlement has stalls and shops, just not as many as the market. Most Uchiha shop in their own area, only a few people to go shopping outside the settlement.
For example, Mikoto.
She sometimes shopping at the market because it's complete and she can see what's new.
Sometimes, people deliberately go to the shops in the Uchiha Clan area because the senbei they sell are famous for their taste. Before the Uchiha clan was relocated, many people passed through the Uchiha clan area.
But now? Everything has changed.
"..."
Mikoto's reason for shopping outside the settlement isn't just because of that. She sometimes feels uncomfortable with the gloomy atmosphere of her clan, coupled with her repetitive daily life, which makes her feel suffocated.
Fortunately, she still has a harmonious family. However, when they are busy, Mikoto can't deny that she feels lonely. Even her youngest child, Sasuke, prefers to go to training.
But... Mikoto can't stop them just because she's selfish, can she?
They aren't just playing around.
Fugaku is the head of the clan and captain of the police force. Itachi is busy with his mission, and Sasuke goes to training, as Mikoto said before.
Maybe she should be proud as a wife and mother, seeing her husband and children work hard.
Maybe she should be more honest about her feelings. She doesn't want to fall into this strange feeling.
Just thinking about her "date" with Souji makes her feel uneasy.
Mikoto plans to invite Fugaku to take a break and enjoy spending time together for at least a day.
'Yes, I'll ask him when Fugaku comes home later.' Mikoto thought.
"..."
'This feeling... I have to get rid of it.'
"..."
Not long after, the sound of a door opening could be heard.
'I'm home.' a man said in a flat tone.
Mikoto, who had heard it, went to greet him.
"Welcome home."
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
"..."
Bang
Hiruzen slammed his desk enthusiastically.
He could hardly believe what he had heard.
'Walking on trees at a young age?'
Pfft, come on. Hiruzen had often seen it with Kakashi, Shisui, and Itachi, for example.
Not to mention those who were trained from a young age by their clan, they could do it, too.
But what excited and disbelieving Hiruzen was the spinning blue ball that Souji made.
He had just returned from Naruto's house when one of the Anbu who was watching Naruto came to report the strange occurrence to him. The Anbu reported everything he had seen Souji do.
'Rasengan?' Hiruzen thought.
'But how could it be?'
He had to make sure. If it was really the Rasengan, or something close to it, he would make Souji his student.
"You may go." Hiruzen said.
Swish
Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction. That's how the Anbu should leave, not with thick smoke.
Who does he think he is?
A smoke-sucker?
(Kakashi: ...)
(The tobacco: ...)
'I can't go back empty-handed, right?' Hiruzen thought.
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
"You haven't forgotten anything for tomorrow, have you?" Souji asked Naruto.
"No, I've prepared everything." Naruto replied, neatly arranging his books.
"Good boy," Souji said, gently patting Naruto on the head.
"Hehehe."
Knock knock knock
"Hm?" They both heard the sound of a knock on the door and looked at each other.
"Let me." Souji said. "Naruto, please set the plates on the dining table. I'll cook dinner later."
Naruto nodded.
"..."
'Who could it be?' Souji thought.
Souji opened the door and saw someone he knew.
"Huh? Old man? You came again? What's up?"
Twitch
Hiruzen's face twitched upon hearing that.
'If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come back.' Hiruzen smiled kindly.
"Oh, I forgot something." He took something out of his pocket and said, "Here's your money from last month. I forgot to bring it earlier."
"Oho? Thank you, old man." Souji said happily.
Hiruzen nodded upon hearing that.
"... "
"..."
"Hm, I smell something. Are you cooking?" Hiruzen asked.
Souji raised an eyebrow and replied, "Yes, I'm cooking rice."
"Really? What about the side dishes? What are you eating?"
"I plan to make onigiri."
"Hm, that sounds delicious." Hiruzen said.
"..."
"..."
'This old man...' Souji thought.
"Old man, would you like to join us for dinner?" Souji asked.
"If you insist." the old man replied. Hiruzen said happily, and then he entered the house.
Souji sighed. 'What did I expect from the person who ate the fish Naruto caught?'
"..."
"Oh?! Old man!" Naruto's voice was heard from inside.
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
Uchiha Residence.
The Uchiha family dinner was calm. They ate with rules and etiquette.
Once they had finished eating, Fugaku asked Itachi,
"How about your mission, Itachi? Did everything go smoothly?"
"Yes, Father. Everything went smoothly."
Fugaku nodded. "Good. You are indeed the pride of the Uchiha clan." He said this proudly, even though his face remained expressionless.
Itachi remained silent upon hearing that.
"Itachi, are you tired? You shouldn't push yourself." Mikoto said, worried about her eldest son.
"No, Mother, I'm fine." Itachi replied. "I still have a mission tomorrow." Mikoto could only smile and nod.
"Eh? Nii-chan, didn't you promise to teach me the shuriken-throwing technique?" Sasuke asked.
"Aha?" Sorry, Sasuke. Itachi said with a smile, "Maybe some other time."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Nii-chan, you always say 'some other time.' When is 'some other time'?"
"Hm...when? Some other time." Itachi said again to Sasuke.
"Mou... Nii-chan..." Before Sasuke could protest further, Fugaku stopped him.
"Enough, Sasuke." Fugaku said firmly.
Sasuke, upon hearing this, could only bow his head in silence.
Itachi, who saw this, stroked Sasuke's hair and said, "Some other time, okay, Sasuke? I promise."
Even though Sasuke knew his Onii-chan would definitely break his promise again, he nodded in agreement.
...
...
After Itachi and Sasuke went to their rooms, Mikoto cleaned and tidied the dining utensils, while Fugaku sat reading reports.
...
After Mikoto finished tidying up, she approached Fugaku.
"Hey, dear." Mikoto called out.
"Hm?" Fugaku replied, still reading his report.
"Do you have free time tomorrow?" Mikoto asked.
"Hm... None. What's wrong?" Fugaku asked, still reading his report. Fugaku asked.
"Oh, nothing. I just want us to spend time together, you know? Just the two of us." Mikoto explained. Mikoto explained.
Fugaku closed his report and looked at Mikoto. "Sorry, I can't." I'm very busy. You know how our clan is doing, right?"
Mikoto nodded weakly, saying, "It's okay. I understand."
Fugaku nodded, then continued reading his report. "You can go alone if you're bored at home."
...
Mikoto blinked. "Huh? Really?"
"Hn..." Fugaku replied.
...
Mikoto, who had heard Fugaku agree, felt happy for some reason and started to remember the dates she had been on.
...
Fugaku accidentally saw Mikoto's expression, and for some reason, his gaze turned green before quickly returning to normal.
He rubbed his eyes and looked at Mikoto again.
"..."
'Nothing has changed. How strange...: Fugaku thought. Then he continued his activity.
"..."
"..."