"Oh, that's good," Ino said, glancing at the pouch on Sasuke's head. The outcome of Sharly's match didn't matter too much—what mattered was the relationship between him and Sasuke.
"By the way, this is for you. I've already used it," Sharly said, handing Ino the kunai he had borrowed earlier.
"Oh, this kunai! I almost forgot about it," Ino said after a moment, taking it. After all, it wasn't really hers—it was her father's weapon—but she still accepted it politely.
"Sharly, do you want one? If you do, I can go to my dad and bring one over. I saw he has a few more, and it won't affect him using them," Ino offered.
"No, thank you. It's not necessary," Sharly replied. Before their relationship was truly established, he didn't want to take anything from someone else's home—especially something so valuable.
He knew that if he really wanted it, Yamanaka Kaiji would likely give it to him anyway, and he might not even ask for it back.
Still, Sharly couldn't help feeling that Ino offering it was just a way to "feed" him, which didn't feel quite right—especially for a little girl.
As for Sharly's study of the lightning-nature chakra, the first stage had already ended. Since he was already familiar with it, the kunai hadn't been returned.
By now, Sharly was extremely accustomed to channeling chakra through ordinary kunai, so the ones made of chakra-conductive metal were no longer necessary.
For the next few days, he would continue practicing with ordinary kunai and gather some charcoal. He remembered that charcoal's inherent transmission ability was weak. If he could succeed this time, it would almost prove that the transmission relied on lightning-nature chakra. And he succeeded.
Regarding lightning-nature acceleration, Sharly's speed was indeed increasing thanks to lightning chakra, but transferring that speed from his body to an external object—even a thrown kunai—only produced limited results.
Altering the nature of the attack was still difficult. As for wind-nature cutting ability, he could already apply wind-nature chakra to ordinary kunai, allowing them to meet cutting requirements after being thrown.
Moreover, he could study the properties of the Rasengan kunai. Unfortunately, the Rasengan kunai consumed too much chakra, and his current reserves were insufficient.
He could only continue refining his skills. Once his chakra reached its limit, he would be able to wield the Rasengan kunai with the same ease as snapping bamboo.
In short, referencing the original series, learning wind-nature transformation was indeed faster than learning lightning-nature techniques.
"Dad."
That day, Yamanaka Kaiji returned home and was immediately greeted by his daughter.
"What's the matter?" Kaiji wondered. If she had nothing to do, she wouldn't be this thoughtful.
"Dad, I want to learn ninjutsu. I want to practice our family's ninjutsu and taijutsu," Ino said earnestly.
"Huh? Didn't you previously have no interest in learning?" Kaiji asked, surprised. When he had tried to teach her before, she only learned a little under pressure. Why was she now voluntarily asking to learn?
"Because I realized Sharly is really strong, and I don't want him to leave me too far behind," Ino explained. Previously, she hadn't thought much of it, but after seeing Sharly defeat Sasuke so easily, she suddenly became clear-minded.
"That's true. But training and ninjutsu both require hard work," Kaiji said, wanting to see his daughter's determination.
"I'll work hard!" Ino said, pumping her fist.
"All right, then. Let's get started." The usually tired Kaiji now felt energized. Seeing his daughter finally willing to learn warmed his heart.
Though she had started studying because of some annoying kid, wanting to learn was still a good thing.
However, Kaiji's eyes held a hint of worry. He knew something about Sharly's abilities—could Ino really keep up with Sharly's talent?
At this point, Ino's progress was indeed lagging. Kaiji sighed, hoping she could accept reality in the future without being too disappointed. For now, it was too late to dampen her enthusiasm for learning.
Time passed, and the first grade finally ended.
Sharly's life remained monotonous: he practiced, studied, spent time with Ino, and defeated Naruto and Sasuke.
Still, his skills steadily improved.
In the end, Sharly remained first in all areas, accumulating a basic set of ninja tools, including two special kunai and a set of shuriken.
His family was poor, so he relied on his achievements for rewards.
Ultimately, his grades didn't affect his daily life. Classmates, teachers, and even his mother all expected him to take first place—it seemed natural.
Sharly felt excited.
Today was the day he would meet the Third Hokage, the key moment for acquiring the Flying Thunder God technique!
Chapter 54 – Words on Launching
Unknowingly, the time had come to release the book tomorrow, and Sharly let out a small sigh.
He began writing this story because he had been addicted to Pokémon and Naruto fanfiction, but then wanted to write something of his own. Pokémon strategy was too complicated, so he chose Naruto. That was the reason.
Readers raised some issues, one being that the text was too long. Sharly believed this was unchangeable.
He had developed a habit of writing long passages since middle and high school. His essays weren't highly scored, but he wrote fast.
Still, habits like sighing could be controlled. Without reader feedback, he probably wouldn't have noticed. Now that he had, he tried to control it.
Another point was analysis. He wanted to write down all his thoughts out of personal interest.
But later sections wouldn't be as verbose. Any analysis would relate to the protagonist's actions.
For example, the Uchiha clan massacre might seem like mere analysis, but it was necessary for shaping the protagonist's thoughts. Though long, it was crucial for character development.
Frankly, while he wanted to grow stronger, the protagonist was arrogant and valued his own life first. He would think, but wouldn't risk himself unnecessarily.
How to survive four battles… The protagonist had studied Naruto, had motivational artwork on his walls, and practiced to survive. Life-threatening risks like kekkei genkai fusions were beyond his consideration. Previous protagonists wouldn't attempt them.
Lastly, the most discussed point: replacing Sakura Haruno. Sharly had reasons. Readers might disagree, and that was fine.
First, three-person teams were typically two males and one female, but there were no strict rules. Past teams and class setups confirmed this. He even remembered two-female, one-male teams.
Second, talent mattered. Sakura hadn't been exceptional early on, so even if the protagonist wasn't talented, he could outperform her—though if truly untalented, chances would be slim.
Third, bonds. At six years old, the protagonist shared a class with Naruto and Sasuke. Did only Sakura qualify for bonds? No.
Thus, he argued Sakura could be replaced. If a newcomer had greater talent, the possibility wasn't low.
Ultimately, grades mattered less than writing what he wanted. Minor logical contradictions could be adjusted, but the main story remained intact.
He aimed to create better content, relying on voluntary subscriptions, though he didn't force readers. Writing was a hobby, balanced with work, limiting daily word count to 4000 words—sometimes 6000.
Despite the constraints, the story exceeded expectations. Now, it awaited its reception on the bookshelf.
Chapter 55 – Jiraiya and the Trial
Unlike before, the Hokage's office guard didn't stop Sharly from entering. Someone must have given prior instructions.
As Sharly stepped in, a voice rang out:
"What, old man? You issued ten summons just because of this kid? He doesn't look too bad," said a man's voice, warm and uncle-like, yet mature.
Sharly looked toward the voice. He had guessed who it might be, but seeing him in person made his eyes widen.
A tall middle-aged ninja stood there, wearing a forehead protector with the kanji for "oil," long messy white hair reaching his waist, red markings under his eyes, and a red coat.
Without a doubt, this was Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin!
Sharly hadn't expected to see Jiraiya here, though he knew his presence meant something significant. Excited, he couldn't help smiling wryly.
As expected, the Flying Thunder God technique granted by the Third Hokage wasn't easily obtained. Even with his pure life and strong bonds with family and friends, the Third Hokage still saw that as insufficient.
Of course, Sharly wasn't about to give up on learning from such a master. Jiraiya was one of the Sannin, the shared teacher of the Fourth and Seventh Hokage.
"Third Hokage," Sharly said, bowing respectfully despite his shock.
"Sharly, judging by your expression, do you know this person beside me?" the Third asked gently.
"Yes. Master Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin. I didn't expect to see him here. I heard he hasn't been active in the village for a long time," Sharly replied truthfully.
"Haha, seems my reputation in Konoha still precedes me," Jiraiya chuckled, unrestrained, causing even the Third Hokage some trouble.
Sharly could see that though the Third Hokage was slightly annoyed, he was more relaxed than usual. Jiraiya's presence eased some worries.
"All right, Sharly, you're ready, yes?" the Third asked, interrupting Jiraiya's laughter.
"Yes," Sharly said, handing over the Flying Thunder God kunai.
Seeing it, Jiraiya smiled nostalgically, recalling a golden-haired figure, then looked at Sharly.
Appearance-wise, they were similar, though the golden-haired one seemed sunnier.
While Jiraiya reminisced, the Third Hokage took the kunai and said, smiling:
"Sharly, you've always been mature. You can probably guess why Jiraiya is here, right?"
"Of course! I want to be Master Jiraiya's student!" Sharly's eyes shone brightly as he spoke with sheer joy.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage nodded in satisfaction.
"Kid, becoming my disciple isn't easy. I returned because I heard about your talent. If you fail this test, it proves your talent is just potential. I won't accept you as a student," Jiraiya said seriously.
He had no real intention of taking a student. He preferred traveling, gathering information, and seeking the Child of Destiny. But the Third Hokage kept contacting him, and he was curious about Sharly, especially since the Third claimed his skills rivaled Minato Namikaze.
"I will pass the test," Sharly said firmly.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, then smiled.
"Then I hope to take one more student!"
"Sir Third Hokage, Master Jiraiya, may I ask what this test entails?" Sharly asked after waiting, noticing neither of them had explained.
"The test is simple. Sharly, use the mental control techniques I taught you to guide the Flying Thunder God kunai," the Third Hokage said with a smile.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes. His teacher was teasing him? But this was just a brief description—the real requirements were far higher.
Sharly froze. Mental control to guide the kunai… was that difficult?
He didn't understand yet, but if that was all it took, the Flying Thunder God would return…
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