'Already this fast?'
Shinichi's heart skipped a beat. He knew that the generation of the [Swordsmanship Apprentice] entry had not happened overnight.
After he had joined the sword dojo, over the course of several months, through conversations at the orphanage, the blacksmith's shop, and the restaurant—time and again casually mentioning it and displaying the results of his training—the perception had gradually solidified.
But this [Ninja Academy Student] entry—how long had it been?
It had formed right after he finished the enrollment procedures.
Shinichi's thoughts raced.
The key difference might lie with the perceivers.
Today, a crowd had gathered at the academy gates—parents, teachers, new students—the base number was already considerable.
But more important was the "weight" of certain individuals among them.
Kakashi was present.
His father—the Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, whose name shook the entire shinobi world—was also there.
And even…
Shinichi recalled that when he had quickly swept his gaze over the Hatake father and son upon arriving at the school, the Konoha's White Fang, who had originally been observing him, suddenly glanced upward.
That was it. The Third Hokage—the ninja who habitually overlooked Konohagakure using the "Telescope Technique"—was very likely also watching the opening-day proceedings.
These figures who stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world or of Konohagakure—no matter how fleeting their awareness or how little they cared—their influence was far beyond that of ordinary people.
The speed at which entries were generated was indeed closely tied to the "strength and status of the perceivers."
Shinichi's gaze fell on the two coexisting profession entries on the panel: [Swordsmanship Apprentice] and [Ninja Academy Student].
Just as he had previously guessed, before a profession entry could be generated through "perception," it first needed to be "recognized" and "accepted" by a certain system, tradition, or authority.
The teacher who taught him swordsmanship, Yamashita Shūji, although he had settled in Konoha from its early days, was originally from the Land of Iron—a formally acknowledged samurai. He represented a lineage of "samurai" and "swordsmanship" that was even older than the ninja system itself.
Gaining his approval and formally entering training was equivalent to receiving official endorsement for the profession of "swordsman" within that system.
As for the Konoha Ninja Academy, it was the orthodox, officially recognized starting point for cultivating ninja—not only acknowledged by the entire village, but by the entire shinobi world. At the moment he completed the registration procedures and officially enrolled, he was incorporated into the vast professional system of "ninja" at its very lowest level, obtaining the most basic form of official identity certification.
'Then why don't blacksmiths and cooks count?'
A new doubt surfaced in Shinichi's mind. Blacksmiths and cooks were also stable, inherited professional systems, and they had existed far earlier than ninja.
Could it be that this inherited system had to involve extraordinary power, or rather the application of chakra, in order to form a corresponding profession?
But as far as he knew, there did exist "craft ninja" and "cooking ninja" in the shinobi world who used chakra for forging and cooking.
'Is it because I haven't obtained recognition from the corresponding authority? Or is it that…'
His gaze narrowed slightly as he seized the key difference. His train of thought became clearer, but Shinichi did not probe further—right now, there were more practical things to do.
Perhaps the answer would be revealed when he entered the Konoha Hospital and formally studied pharmacology, medicine, and medical ninjutsu.
He walked out of the academy gates, slung that conspicuous huge stone back onto his back, and began a weighted run around Konoha. The heavy footsteps struck the ground again, drawing along the way looks of curiosity or astonishment.
'I must level up as soon as possible.'
As he ran, his thoughts swept over the row of white entries on his personal panel: [Diligence (White)], [Robust (White)]. They were the result of years of effort, and also the cornerstone for prying loose greater power in the future. Every time he sweated like rain, every time he pushed past his limits under other people's gaze, he was solidifying and strengthening those impressions.
...
An hour later, an utterly exhausted Shinichi returned to his new residence.
A week earlier, he had already moved out of the orphanage and rented this somewhat dilapidated small apartment.
Moving out was not only for the convenience of his movements—it also meant that the stage on which he "built a persona" formally expanded, shifting from the area around the orphanage to the area around the ninja academy, and even radiating across the entirety of Konoha.
He closed the door, cutting off the outside line of sight. Leaning against the wall, he slowly steadied his breathing. Only then did the deliberately maintained calm expression on his face loosen, revealing his real fatigue, though his eyes were still clear.
He walked into the cramped kitchen. Years of helping in the orphanage kitchen, plus a solid year of work later in a restaurant, had given him decent cooking skills.
He handled the ingredients briskly, and before long, the aroma of a simple meal filled the room.
Sitting at the table and lifting his rice bowl, Shinichi ate quickly, yet his body seemed, as if by instinct, to know how to absorb every bit of the calories and nutrients within more fully and more efficiently.
After finishing the meal, the time spent was short, yet some of his previously overdrawn stamina had actually recovered, and even his mental fatigue had eased considerably.
[Foodie (White): You possess an enthusiasm for food and a capacity for discernment far beyond ordinary people, allowing you to absorb nutrients from food more efficiently and to gain a small amount of additional satisfaction and stamina recovery from it.]
...
That night, after returning from another round of training, Shinichi carefully washed up and changed into clean clothes before once again directing his attention to the personal panel deep within his consciousness.
His gaze settled on the [Draws Remaining] field.
[Draws Remaining: 1 time (White)]
Beyond granting training-related bonuses tied to that profession, the generation of a profession entry also awarded an additional opportunity to draw a completely random talent entry, one that did not rely on external perception.
Two months earlier, when the [Swordsmanship Apprentice] entry had condensed, he had obtained his first draw opportunity and had gained the [Calm] entry from it.
[Calm (White): When faced with crises, combat, or sudden situations, you are more likely to remain calm, allowing you to think through countermeasures without being affected by external interference.]
As for that result, Shinichi's feelings at the time had been somewhat complicated. The value of this entry itself was beyond doubt—being able to remain composed and think clearly in moments of danger was an extremely important quality for a ninja.
However, he believed that he could have generated this entry through persona construction alone.
It was just that he had too little time. Earlier on, in order to quickly trigger entries like [Diligence], [Robust], [Tenacity], and [Agility], he had been forced to engage in certain behaviors that seemed excessive, even worrying, to others.
Especially [Tenacity]—to generate it as quickly as possible, he had even chosen to endure beatings at street intersections, solely so that more people could see it and leave an impression. Such overly extreme behavior was naturally incompatible with a calm persona.
And now, the second draw opportunity had arrived, its source precisely being this morning's [Ninja Academy Student] entry.
"What will it be this time?"
Shinichi took a deep breath, steadying his slightly quickened heartbeat, and focused his intent on the softly glowing "1 time (White)" text.
There were no flashy effects, nor any prolonged waiting.
It was as if a faint ripple passed through his field of vision; the text on the panel had already changed.
[Draws Remaining: 0 times (White)]
And in the column of talent entries, following closely after [Calm (White)], a new line of text quietly emerged amid a white glow.