Uchiha Mai carefully shut every door and window. Only after bathing and changing clothes did he open the system interface. Draws like this required sincerity.
Superstition? Maybe. But after crossing worlds and ending up in the Naruto universe, it didn't feel right not to believe in a little mysticism.
The damn system's interface was extremely simple and crude, with no intelligence whatsoever. Only when Mai had questions would it respond, presenting explanations in the form of plain text.
[Host: Uchiha Mai]
[Style Points: 304]
Below was the draw screen. For now, only the half-star pool and the one-star pool were unlocked. Previously, from the half-star pool, Mai had obtained Mayweather's shoulder-roll defense and the flying arm-cross lock.
A person's fate, of course, depends on personal effort - but it also depends on the course of history. Those two skills were exactly that: the "historical process."
Building on them, Mai had used his own diligence and perseverance as a foundation, delving deeply into the concepts, philosophies, and tactical systems of boxing and jiu-jitsu.
The benefits had been enormous. Not only would they be useful for future training, they would also serve as a solid base for learning - and even developing - other taijutsu styles. After all, this was distilled wisdom from decades of professional evolution.
They were skills with tremendous room for growth. As long as one worked hard enough - and wasn't too stupid - it was entirely possible to become a genius forged through effort alone.
If half-star skills were already this outrageous… then a one-star skill…
Hehehe.
Mai rubbed his hands together, summoned the draw interface in his mind, and entered the one-star skill pool. Spending 300 points, he went for a single pull.
The system might be crude, but at least it was fair: a one-star pool always guaranteed a one-star reward.
If this were some greedy company, the pool would probably be designed like this:
1% chance to get a one-star skill;
9% chance to get one-star fragments (collect ten to exchange for one skill);
9% chance to get a half-star reward;
81% chance to get half-star fragments…
Compared to that, this plain system felt shockingly generous. Having been deeply scarred by gacha games in his previous life, Mai was almost moved to tears.
A flash of light swept across the pool. Then, accompanied by bargain-bin visual effects, a card appeared at the center of the screen, engraved with a five-pointed star at the top.
Mai tapped the card with his mind to view its details.
[Lightning Five-Strike Whip · One Star
Said to be a boxing style created by a certain traditional martial artist surnamed Ma. Swift as the wind, fierce as thunder. When mastered, it allows the user to unleash five punches simultaneously in five different directions.]
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Mai cursed loudly, nearly spitting blood. Overcome with rage, he kicked the chair in front of him, sending it tumbling across the room.
What kind of trash skill was this?!
Did they really think he hadn't watched videos in his previous life?
He knew that so-called "Master Ma" all too well - the endless clips about 'traditional martial arts pulling punches', 'no martial ethics', 'watch out for the rat', 'left straight kick'…
Summed up in eight words: a fraud, a con artist, and an attention seeker.
Mayweather's shoulder-roll defense and the flying arm-cross lock - skills with real practicality, lethality, and room for growth - were only rated half a star.
And some nonsense invented by a street charlatan was rated a full star?!
This damn system should manifest as a refrigerator, get smashed to pieces, stuffed into a concrete barrel, and dumped into the sea.
After venting his anger, Mai still chose to accept the skill.
Even a mosquito's leg is still meat.
- Let's see what kind of crap you're actually packing.
The card dissolved into countless points of starlight, which flowed into Mai's limbs and organs. At the same time, a flood of knowledge poured directly into his mind.
He froze in place.
A few minutes later, Mai suddenly raised his arms and threw several rapid punches, then brought his hands together before his chest and formed a series of hand seals at lightning speed.
"This… this is actually amazing?"
He muttered in disbelief.
The Lightning Five-Strike Whip provided by the system was not the ridiculous version demonstrated by that fake Master Ma. Instead, it was the version Master Ma loved to brag about - the one that had never actually existed.
This version wasn't really a combat technique so much as a training method, or even a kind of innate talent.
In some novels, boxing techniques are divided into three categories: performance forms, training forms, and combat forms. Mayweather's techniques and the flying arm lock belonged to the combat form.
The Lightning Five-Strike Whip, despite being a one-star skill, belonged to the training form. Its offensive power wasn't particularly strong.
However, once mastered, it could greatly increase the speed and flexibility of the user's upper limbs. And the more proficient one became, the greater the improvement.
Mai could clearly feel it - his punching speed had increased slightly. His hand seal speed had also jumped, from about two seals per second to roughly seven seals in three seconds.
It didn't sound like much. But he had just obtained the skill and hadn't even practiced it properly yet.
Attack speed, upper-body agility, and hand seal speed were all crucial qualities for a ninja.
Ninjas generally had strong offense but weak defense. Being able to strike first often meant severely injuring - or outright killing - the enemy before they could respond, while remaining unharmed oneself.
A god-tier skill!
Damn system… I misjudged you!
Mai's face instantly split into a wide grin - a true shameless mood reversal.
At the genin stage, aside from kekkei genkai, nothing boosted real combat power more than taijutsu. This upgrade had come at exactly the right time.
Mai withdrew his consciousness from the system, hastily cooked a bowl of noodles for dinner, and after eating, went out into the courtyard to practice the Lightning Five-Strike Whip.
Those flashy Uchiha throwing techniques with ninja tools were all side paths - completely useless.
In the late game, kekkei genkai reigned supreme, followed by ninjutsu and taijutsu.
After running through the form several times, Mai could clearly feel his strength increase - just a little, but undeniably so.
That sense of positive feedback was like watching an experience bar steadily fill in a game. When effort brought visible rewards, most people were more than willing to keep working.
Just as Mai was about to practice a few more rounds, a series of urgent knocks suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard.
"Who is it?" he asked instinctively.
He lowered his fists, walked over, and opened the gate. He looked around - but didn't see anyone.
"No one again?" Mai muttered.
"Brother Mai, I'm down here."
A childish voice came from below.
Mai looked down and saw a small boy around four or five years old, with a button nose and a skewer of red-bean dango in his mouth, looking up at him.
Uchiha Shisui.
The prodigy who never appeared directly in Shippuden, existing only in others' memories - and who was now just four years old.
Shisui's age had always been a point of debate. Japanese manga often overflowed with creativity but lacked consistency, full of contradictory details.
But in the world Mai had transmigrated into, Shisui was four years old. End of story.
"Oh, Shisui. What's up?" Mai asked with a smile.
Shisui took another bite of dango, sucked the sugar from his fingers, and said,
"I just passed by Uncle Fugaku's house.
The clan head gave me this dango and told me to call you over. He wants to see you."
(End of Chapter)