[Trait: Muscle Memory (White)][Requirement Fulfilled: Repeating a complicated training until it becomes instinctive.][Progress: Complete.][Effect: After repeating an action countless times, your muscles begin to change, adapting to the motions. These actions can now be performed instinctively, as a reflex. Your muscle memory has increased by 10% compared to an average person. Currently, you cannot erase incorrect muscle memory.][Note: Can be advanced further.]
Seiji felt the drain of chakra inside him as he climbed three more steps upward, finally reaching the crown of the tree.
The forest was lush and green, filled with the occasional chirping of birds.
"So it really is true… repeating a complicated process works, no matter what it is. My talent isn't that bad either," Seiji thought to himself.
Most Uchiha shinobi were elite, and he too carried Uchiha blood. His potential couldn't be low.
This tree was far shorter than the one Team 7 would one day train on; it didn't take much effort to climb to the top.
"Seiji, have you done this kind of training before in the Land of Lightning?" Rin asked softly.
"No."
Seiji exhaled as he descended from the canopy, catching his breath. He had an adult's soul, which meant he could concentrate far better than a child like Obito—but it also meant the strain was greater. His muscles ached with exhaustion.
[You have acquired the trait: Tree Climber (White).]
[Trait: Tree Climber (White).][Requirement Fulfilled: Walk up a tree trunk to the top using chakra at your feet.][Progress: Complete.][Effect: On special terrain, your chakra control improves. Chakra consumption for tree-climbing is reduced by 10%.][Note: Can be advanced further.]
Seiji blinked in mild surprise. He hadn't expected even this to qualify as a completed trait.
"So the system doesn't only react to my body—it responds to abstract achievements too."
His understanding of the panel deepened. Previously, traits like Muscle Memory, Reading Absorption, and Basic Memory had been triggered solely by changes within his body, with no connection to external actions.
"If I graduate early—or even become top of the class—would that fulfill new conditions, maybe even unlock advanced traits?" he speculated.
But he immediately shook the thought away. His current identity was already too conspicuous. Even if he could do so, showing off now would only invite trouble. Power first—only then could he reveal more talent to gain benefits.
"No way! You must be hiding something!" Obito blurted out, his eyes wide with disbelief. He couldn't accept that Seiji's talent was this high. If it was, then what would that make him? The class dunce forever?
"Believe what you want, Obito." Seiji's tone was flat.
Obito, though outwardly warm and kind, was in truth the obsessive type—the kind of person who, for the sake of his feelings, would go to any extreme.
The turning point in his life would be Rin's death. That was when he would attempt to reshape the entire world, plunging it into the Infinite Tsukuyomi, believing that illusion was the only true reality.
For that goal, he would even murder his own teacher's child.
Because of Obito, Naruto would be born an orphan. And yet, both Minato and Kushina had shown him nothing but kindness.
Someone who lashed out at the world because of his own grief… Seiji had no interest in befriending him.
"Enough, Obito," Rin interjected, noticing the hostility in his words toward Seiji. Given Seiji's circumstances, she couldn't press too much, but she tried to smooth things over.
"It's getting late. We should head back."
"Alright. See you tomorrow, Nohara Rin." Seiji replied politely, then walked toward the exit.
Rin watched his departing back and murmured, "He's nothing like the crude rumors about the Land of Lightning."
She had a good impression of him. Unlike Obito, he wasn't noisy or hot-headed. Unlike Kakashi, he wasn't cold and sharp-tongued either.
"Hey, Rin… don't you think that guy's chakra feels really dark and cold?" Obito muttered.
"Chakra alone doesn't define a person," she answered.
…
On the way back, Seiji glanced at the bustling crowd along the street.
The Land of Fire had excellent geography, and Konoha, located near its heart, enjoyed a comfortable climate. Other than the rugged mountains on the outskirts, life here was pleasant.
Compared to the Land of Lightning, it was far better.
But Seiji also knew this peace could corrode a shinobi's spirit.
He shook his head and withdrew his gaze.
The Third Great Ninja War loomed over him like a mountain. It would erupt in just a few years. And once he became a shinobi, he would inevitably be sent to the battlefield.
If he wanted to survive, he had to raise his strength to a level where he could protect himself.
Smack.
Someone suddenly bumped into him.
"Sorry," the passerby muttered quickly before hurrying off.
"It's fine."
Seiji walked on as though nothing had happened, but in his hand he quietly clenched the small foreign object that had been slipped to him. His pace quickened.
This was already the second time.
A spy from Kumogakure.
For shinobi, information was everything. All the great villages constantly infiltrated each other.
New spies would slip in, be discovered, then replaced by others—an endless cycle of espionage and counter-espionage.
…
At the Naka Shrine.
Fugaku rubbed his brow as the clan members filed out, leaving only Mikoto behind.
"The men from Root have already arrived. If Seiji proves to be no problem, I'll need you to watch over him carefully," Fugaku said, his gaze on her.
Mikoto's face carried the gentle grace of a yamato nadeshiko, though the green flak jacket lent her a sharper, more professional air.
"Don't worry, Fugaku." She nodded, understanding his meaning.
If Seiji was a spy, his fate was sealed. But if he wasn't, then the clan needed to strengthen his sense of belonging.
He was an outsider child, raised under the influence of another land. He needed ties—bonds—to the Uchiha.
…
When Seiji returned home, he didn't examine the object immediately. Instead, he tucked it into the pouch on his left hip.
His expression calm, he opened one of the books he'd brought back from the academy and began reading.
The traits Reading Absorption and Basic Memory were nearly complete—just a little more effort was needed.
Before long, he noticed his fatigue fading, the muscle soreness from earlier nearly gone.
"The Yotsuki clan's physical talent," Seiji realized.
The Uchiha already possessed vast chakra reserves. On top of that, with the inherited physical gifts of the Yotsuki bloodline, his recovery speed was astonishing.
The Land of Lightning was filled with sky-piercing mountains, always shrouded in mist.
According to the Book of Formations, that land had originally been the domain of the Yotsuki clan.