Ken and his team returned to Konoha safely.
Minato headed straight for the Hokage Tower to deliver his report, while Ken and Kakashi parted ways at the village entrance.
After reaching home, Ken immediately pulled out his diary.
When Minato said that real combat was the fastest way to grow, he hadn't been exaggerating. After this mission, Ken finally had a clear understanding of his own level.
Now it was time to choose a direction.
He spent some time reviewing his condition, adjusting and rechecking his records, until he finally nodded in satisfaction.
Name: Ken
Age: 11
Chakra: C+
Chakra Control: Adept +
Taijutsu:
– Konoha Basic Style (Adept)
– Ninja Tool Throwing (Adept)
Ninjutsu:
– Three Basic Ninjutsu (Adept)
– Mud Wall (Master) [Instant]
– Mud Ball (Master) [Instant]
– Earth Spikes (Master) [Instant]
– Earth Ear Technique (Master) [Instant]
– Body Flicker (Master) [Instant]
– Subterranean Voyage (Proficient)
– Earth Skin (Proficient)
– Rasengan (Adept) [Instant]
– Chakra Spinning Disc (Incomplete)
Genjutsu: None
Combat Strength: Chūnin
Most of his techniques were only C-rank.
That wasn't a problem.
With his level of mastery, their practical power could easily rival standard B-rank ninjutsu. His chakra reserves had also reached the upper chūnin range, but there was no reason to waste it recklessly.
At this point, his fighting style had completely shifted toward that of an Earth Release specialist.
The question was whether he should branch out into other elements.
Relying on a single nature was dangerous. Any style could be countered.
There was fuinjutsu too.
Its utility was undeniable, especially in high-level battles.
But—
No.
At least not now.
The learning curve was too steep, and the returns too slow. It would be better to postpone it until after Naruto's birth, when Konoha would enter a period of relative peace.
Afterall without sufficient strength, even mastering fuinjutsu would only turn him into battlefield support.
Cleanup crew.
"So what did he actually need in the short term?"
Ken muttered quietly as he reviewed and discarded idea after idea.
Eventually, he began writing again.
If he didn't plan now, he might miss opportunities. And if he focuses only on the long term, then he might not survive long enough to reach the future.
After several revisions, his final draft looked like this.
Primary Objectives
1. Earth Release
This was his foundation.
By now, he was confident that with enough refinement, reaching the level Tobirama had achieved with Water Release was possible—this time through Earth.
That didn't mean he would match the Second Hokage's combat power.
Without Senju-level chakra or forbidden techniques, that was unrealistic.
But mastery was still mastery.
2. Sage Mode
His second major goal.
This was also why he maintained a good relationship with Minato.
He doubted that only three sage regions existed, but one thing he knew was—finding alternatives would be far more difficult than reaching the known ones.
3. Flying Thunder God
A true cheat technique.
Though it won't turn him into a power house instantly, but even a crude version would drastically increase his survivability.
4. Chakra
The medicine he used only solved his chakra problem temporarily.
Eventually, it would resurface.
He would need something more permanent.
A tailed beast.
The Dragon Vein.
There was also a method to create artificial tail beast something name zero tail probably the most viable option.
Basically any method that could increase his reserves was worth considering.
5. Fuinjutsu
If the theories from other transmigrators were true—comparing fuinjutsu to advanced mathematics or coding—then he wasn't confident at all.
Still, it was unavoidable.
Both the Flying Thunder God and any method of sealing chakra required it.
At the very least, he would have to try.
Those were all the viable paths he could see for now.
Until his strength increased further, his focus would remain on Earth Release—and on squeezing as much knowledge as possible from Minato.
After all, nearly everything depended on him.
But improving Earth Release required more than just learning techniques.
He needed testing.
…Cough.
Sparring partners.
Kakashi wasn't an option. Cooperation during missions was one thing, but expecting anything more was unrealistic.
Gai wouldn't work either.
The man couldn't use ninjutsu at all.
Then who—
A name almost surfaced.
…No. He didn't even know it yet.
Still, that Uchiha girl seemed like a viable option.
She was strong.
And she looked like someone who genuinely enjoyed combat.
More importantly—
He still owed her a loss.
The only concern was whether it was safe to involve himself with the Uchiha clan.
He hesitated briefly.
Then shook his head.
The isolation had begun, but things weren't that bad yet.
And with his intervention, maybe they wouldn't be annihilated at all.
No need for needless worry.