System!
Saiki's eyes lit up.
"Bind!"
There was no need to hesitate about this kind of thing.
[Binding successful.]
[Detected that the host has one chance to simplify an ability.]
[Do you wish to simplify the Chakra Cultivation Method?]
'What does this mean?'
Having just bound the system, Saiki didn't fully understand its abilities yet.
But hey—when a system offers you something, you say yes.
He chose to agree.
[Chakra Cultivation Method — Beginning Simplification...]
[Simplification Complete: Breathing!]
'...'
'Breathing?'
'Does that mean... becoming stronger just by breathing?'
Only one way to find out.
Saiki breathed.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
A special kind of energy suddenly surged through his body.
Chakra.
"Hiss!"
'Holy shit.'
He originally thought this was just an auxiliary cultivation system.
Something to make training a bit easier.
But looking at it now?
His perspective was way too narrow.
This was simply broken.
Not only that—along with his breathing, images of him "working hard to cultivate chakra" appeared in his memory.
As if he'd painstakingly trained for years.
His body became even more compatible with this power.
'The system is literally gaslight-gatekeep-girlbossing my own memories.'
'I love it.'
"Everyone should have tried it by now!"
On the podium, Iruka smiled.
Standard classroom encouragement incoming.
"Don't be discouraged if you fail! Under normal circumstances, an ordinary person needs seven days to cultivate chakra."
Pause for dramatic effect.
"Even some geniuses need about three days!"
How could chakra be so easy to cultivate?
The reason he let students try was to teach them that cultivation wasn't simple.
'Even geniuses need three days?'
Sitting in the back seat, Saiki tilted his head.
'Then what about me? Who cultivated chakra just by... breathing for a bit?'
However, he had no intention of making it public.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
And the current Konoha?
Not as peaceful as the anime made it seem.
'Low profile. Low profile is king.'
After school.
Saiki rejected his friends' invitation to play the ninja game.
Hurried home without stopping.
Quickly closed his door.
Time to examine this system properly.
'Alright. Show me what you've got.'
The system didn't have many functions.
Only one, actually.
Simplifying cultivation skills.
Every seven days, he'd automatically gain one chance to simplify.
No missions.
No daily check-ins.
No annoying pop-ups begging him to share on social media.
Just skill simplification.
'Simple. Clean. Effective.'
Although the function seemed singular, it undoubtedly satisfied Saiki's expectations.
"System! Is there a character status panel?"
A virtual panel appeared before his eyes.
Only he could see it.
[Status Panel]
Host: Saiki
Nin: 2
Tai: 1
Gen: 0
Simplified Abilities: Chakra Cultivation Method (LV: 2)
A simple panel.
Nin represented Ninjutsu and Chakra.
Tai represented Taijutsu and physical strength.
Gen represented Genjutsu and spiritual power.
'The average value for a Genin is ten points...'
'And I haven't even reached Genin level yet.'
'Cool. Cool cool cool.'
"But what does a level two Chakra Cultivation Method mean?"
No need to rush Nin, Tai, and Gen.
Those would slowly accumulate over time.
The most important thing right now was understanding the cultivation method.
Fortunately, the system wasn't too rigid.
It provided an explanation.
[Levels 1-30: Genin]
[Levels 31-60: Chunin]
[Levels 61-90: Jonin]
[Level 90+: Kage-level]
Easy to understand.
Saiki grasped it quickly.
Not only that—behind the Chakra Cultivation Method, there was an experience bar.
[(652/1000)]
'So it's like an RPG.'
Saiki figured it out.
Roughly every three or four breaths, the experience bar increased by one point.
He kept breathing.
Obviously.
When the bar filled up, the Chakra Cultivation Method became level three.
And the experience bar changed.
[(0/2000)]
'It leveled up!'
'Just like an online game!'
A normal person's breathing rate is 12 to 20 times per minute.
Accumulated over a day?
That would be considerable.
After examining everything for a while, Saiki closed the character panel in satisfaction.
"The path to becoming stronger begins now!"
The ninja world was dangerous.
But equally—it was magnificent.
Having transmigrated for a lifetime, he wouldn't act recklessly.
But he would absolutely not let down the brilliance of this life.
[The Next Day]
When Saiki woke up, the Chakra Cultivation Method had reached level five.
'Even while sleeping. Beautiful.'
But he noticed something.
The experience bar that previously increased with four or five breaths now required seven or eight.
'The higher the level, the harder it is to cultivate?'
For someone who frequently played games, this situation wasn't hard to understand.
Standard RPG mechanics.
Early levels were fast.
Later levels were a grind.
'Well, since the Chakra Cultivation Method can be cultivated through breathing...'
'Next, I need to find other skills to simplify.'
With this in mind, Saiki walked toward the Ninja Academy full of anticipation.
[One Month Later]
A month passed.
The Ninja Academy's teaching got on track.
Most civilian students had cultivated at least some chakra by now.
But up until now, the only skill Saiki had simplified was the Chakra Cultivation Method.
He'd accumulated three or four simplification points.
Couldn't find any skills to use them on.
'There must be complete teaching before it can be simplified.'
Helpless.
Skills couldn't be simplified just like that.
Complete knowledge was required.
The vague abilities in Saiki's anime memories? Couldn't be simplified at all.
'I need proper instruction. Official curriculum.'
'This system is surprisingly strict about its requirements.'
"Today we will be teaching the Shuriken Throwing Technique!"
Iruka's voice rang out.
"Everyone, follow me to the training ground!"
'Shuriken Throwing Technique?'
Saiki's spirits instantly revived.
Finally!
A skill to simplify!
He immediately followed his classmates out of the classroom.
It was the first outdoor class.
Some students appeared very excited.
Especially Uzumaki Naruto.
Who shouted at the top of his lungs.
Because of course he did.
"Great! Let me show you how amazing I, Uzumaki Naruto, am!"
'Here we go.'