Teacher Nishimura quickly adjusted the desk, and the class passed by in a blur.
Uchiha Hayashi glanced at his system interface while pretending to read a book on ninjutsu.
He had gone to bed early the previous night and hadn't had the chance to carefully check his interface. Now, as he looked, he saw his remaining ninja points—13,500 in total.
These were the result of the intense training sessions he had been enduring under Tsunade's strict guidance.
Without hesitation, he poured all of those points into Taijutsu.
[Congratulations to the host for increasing Taijutsu to Level 8. The host's speed, endurance, strength, and combat comprehension have been greatly enhanced compared to Level 7.]
The system didn't stop there.
[Congratulations to the host for reaching Level 8 in one attribute before graduating from the Academy.]
Hayashi opened his panel. It now displayed:
Host: Uchiha Hayashi
Land of Fire
Age: 6 years old
Comprehensive Strength Index: Comparable to a mid-level Chunin
Chakra Level: 4 (0/4000)
Taijutsu Level: 8 (0/16000)
Shuriken Level: 5 (0/6000)
Hand Seals Level: 4 (0/4000)
Ninjutsu Level: 4 (0/4000)
Genjutsu Level: 5 (0/6000)
Wind Release: 4 (0/4000)
Fire Release: 4 (0/4000)
Lightning Release: 4 (0/4000)
Water Release: 0 (0/100)
Earth Release: 0 (0/100)
Yang Release: 0 (0/100)
Yin Release: 0 (0/100)
Remaining Points: 1500
[Because the host has completed the required task, the panel will be upgraded. Upgrade time: twelve hours.]
"The panel can upgrade?" Hayashi muttered, surprised. "System, you can actually do that?"
[Yes. As long as the host completes objectives, the system will continue to evolve.]
"What changes will the upgrade bring?"
[More attribute panels will unlock. Attribute fusion will also become available. The host must discover the details personally.]
"Attribute fusion?" Hayashi's eyes lit up. "Doesn't that mean I could one day use Wood Release? Earth plus Water plus Yang. Or even Dust Release, like the Third Tsuchikage… maybe even Bloodline techniques beyond that!"
[Host, wake up. You're still cannon fodder in the shinobi world.]
"Tch. Thanks for the encouragement…"
Though disappointed by the system's harsh reply, Hayashi now had a clearer direction forward. The path to power was open—it was simply a matter of how far he could walk it.
During the break, Hayashi struck up a conversation with Minato, exchanging what they had learned during the week.
"Honestly, Jiraiya-sensei hasn't taught me much elemental ninjutsu yet," Minato admitted. "Just some training methods and insights."
"But," Minato added with a proud smile, "he did teach me something incredible…"
Hayashi narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me… the Summoning Technique?"
"You already guessed, so why even ask?" Minato smirked before suddenly lunging and putting Hayashi in a playful headlock.
"Hey, not so rough! That's my neck, not a log!" Hayashi protested, half choking.
...
For Jiraiya, the toads of Mount Myōboku were his pride. Of course it would be the Summoning Technique. Tsunade, too, had promised to one day entrust her summoning scroll to Hayashi.
But honestly, to him, summoning beasts felt like chicken ribs—useful in theory, but not truly his style. Unless, of course, it was a legendary creature like the Nine-Tails. That would be another story.
After all, the Summoning Technique was a space-time ninjutsu. Perhaps even Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Technique had drawn inspiration from it.
The difficulty of the summoning wasn't fixed—it depended on the chakra used and the contract beast. For a student like Minato, success was not guaranteed.
"I can summon a powerful toad now," Minato said proudly, his voice brimming with excitement.
"Oh? You're sure it won't just be a tadpole again?" Hayashi teased.
"It was a tadpole before," Minato admitted. "But I know this time, if I push my chakra to the limit, I'll bring out a real toad."
Eager to prove himself, Minato pricked his finger, began forming hand seals, and slammed his palm on the desk. A puff of smoke filled the air.
When it cleared… a small, awkward creature appeared.
It had legs like a toad, but half its body was still that of a tadpole, complete with a dangling tail. Barely the size of a hand, it wriggled weakly.
Hayashi's lips twitched. "Minato… is this really the mighty toad you were talking about?"
He stifled his laughter with all his might.
"…Hayashi." Minato's voice was low and calm, but the smile on his face radiated danger.
"W-what is it, Minato?"
"Looking at this summoning beast… don't you have something you'd like to say?"
Hayashi glanced desperately at Mikoto and Kushina for help, but both girls turned away, pretending not to notice. Betrayal.
His mind spun frantically. Think. Say something safe.
"R-right! This toad is… cute?"
It was over. He knew the moment the words left his mouth that there was no safe answer.
"Actually… Minato, that's not a toad at all. It's a—ack, my neck!"
...
The tadpole-creature hopped onto the desk and puffed out its tiny chest.
"Who dares summon me while I was bathing! Do you know who I—mmph!"
"Lord Toad, please be quiet!" Minato panicked, clamping its mouth shut before anyone else noticed.
Unfortunately, Nawaki had already spotted it. His grin was wicked.
"Hey, hey, Minato. Can we eat it?"
Before Hayashi could intervene, he launched a Great Fireball Technique at the desk.
"Pffft!" The tadpole-toad spat a stream of water in retaliation, splashing Nawaki's face before vanishing in another puff of smoke.
...
The classroom fell back into its usual chatter, but Hayashi could only rub his sore neck, silently promising himself that teasing Minato came with a heavy price.
---
Support me on Patreon,
Patreon.com/Zphyr
Thank you.