[You have awakened the Conan Template.]
What does that mean?
I'm not opening my eyes. Please let this be a hallucination.
Natsuki's expression froze.
What use was Conan in the Naruto world? Did his father teach him ninjutsu in Hawaii or something?
[Name: Edogawa Conan]
[Era: Final]
[World: Detective Conan]
[Rank: D-Rank]
[Ability 1: There Is Only One Truth — Unlocked]
[Effect: Exceptional deductive and observational skills. Capable of detecting anomalies within line of sight.]
[Ability 2: Tranquilizer Dart — Locked]
[Effect: When using a ninja tool coated with anesthetic, guaranteed 100% accuracy on target.]
[Unlock Condition: Successfully concoct an anesthetic.]
[Ability 3: Golden Right Foot — Locked]
[Effect: Extraordinary kicking ability. Train to deliver strikes of devastating power.]
[Unlock Condition: Finish in the top ten of the physical fitness test.]
Natsuki fell into deep thought.
Although the abilities were drawn from Detective Conan, they had clearly been adapted to function within the Naruto world.
After he and Yakushi Nonou found two empty seats and sat down, he began studying the system in earnest.
"Era" referred to the character's timeline within their original work.
Different eras meant different power levels. Take a gacha game as an example—someone like Namikaze Minato could be split into his "youth" version and his "Reanimation" version, each with vastly different stats.
Conan's template was marked as "Final," meaning there wouldn't be any upgrades. This was the complete package.
Template ranks were divided into D, C, B, A, and S.
The higher the rank, the more formidable the abilities.
In the Naruto world, ninjutsu ranks represented learning difficulty rather than raw power—but generally speaking, the harder a technique was to master, the greater its effect.
A D-Rank template meant his abilities fell somewhere between D-Rank and C-Rank ninjutsu.
Ability 1, There Is Only One Truth, seemed equivalent to a C-Rank sensory technique based on its description.
Ability 2, Tranquilizer Dart, was a ninja tool throwing technique—probably D-Rank. The 100% accuracy was impressive, but the restriction of requiring anesthetic-coated tools limited its usefulness.
Ability 3, Golden Right Foot, should be C-Rank like the first ability, but classified as taijutsu.
Natsuki couldn't help but shake his head.
If you asked him, the system was being far too conservative. It didn't respect the laws of Conan-science at all.
After all, the kid could kick soccer balls hard enough to knock satellites out of orbit.
To awaken a template, one had to complete specific actions.
The condition to awaken the Conan template had been joining the Ninja Academy.
He was an elementary school student. The Ninja Academy was an elementary school.
Makes sense.
Natsuki was starting to understand how these "specific actions" were triggered. The key was to imitate a character's signature behaviors or undergo experiences similar to theirs.
The question was: could he awaken templates from Naruto characters?
He was currently in the Naruto world, so imitating characters here would be the easiest path.
Based on the system's rules, it should theoretically be possible.
He'd have to test it when he got the chance.
Thinking this far, Natsuki let out a long breath.
He had transmigrated six years ago and survived every day since.
This year was undoubtedly his most hopeful yet—because now he had a cheat.
He finally didn't have to plan for his next reincarnation anymore.
Just by fully integrating the Conan template, he could be considered half a Chunin.
After all, the vast majority of Genin struggled to master even two C-Rank techniques.
Natsuki composed himself and examined the Conan template again.
Ability 1 was already unlocked, but two abilities remained locked.
He had seen the first-year schedule. The physical fitness test was on it.
Finishing in the top ten would be difficult, but not impossible.
In this era, there weren't many prodigies. Probably just Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.
Nawaki counted too, but he was in a different grade—no direct competition there.
This wasn't like Uzumaki Naruto's generation, where geniuses were everywhere. That class alone had produced nine of the Konoha Twelve, with future Sage-level fighters around every corner.
The trickier problem was concocting the anesthetic.
This was the period before the Second Shinobi World War. The medical ninja system hadn't been established yet.
It wouldn't be until Tsunade proposed the mandatory inclusion of medical ninjas in every squad that Konoha would start taking medical training seriously.
Without formal medical classes, anyone who wanted to become a medical ninja during this era had to find... alternative routes.
Like establishing a connection with someone like Tsunade.
There were more obstacles than solutions. But Natsuki had thought of one approach: money.
Being a ninja sounded noble and prestigious, but in reality? They were mercenaries working for pay.
Even the infamous Akatsuki organization had to scramble for funds before they could start collecting Tailed Beasts.
Money talks. Money gets things done.
Natsuki could commission someone to teach him how to concoct anesthetics. Issue a mission, pay the fee, learn the skill.
Right at that moment, a boy with bright blond hair walked into the classroom.
He took the seat directly in front of Natsuki and Yakushi Nonou.
"Hello! I'm Namikaze Minato. Nice to meet you."
After glancing around the room, the blond boy turned to face them, a warm and genuine smile on his face.
"I'm Yakushi Nonou," Nonou replied softly.
"Natsuki," Natsuki said, suppressing the surge of emotion in his chest.
This boy sitting in front of him was the future Fourth Hokage. The fastest man in the ninja world. The legendary Yellow Flash.
So does that mean Uzumaki Kushina will be my classmate too?
Probably not yet. At this point in the timeline, she likely hadn't been sent to Konoha.
Namikaze Minato was easy to talk to.
Natsuki found himself chatting with him naturally.
Part of it was just his personality.
But more importantly, Minato was the kind of person who was easy to befriend—and having him as an ally could only be a good thing.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was nine in the morning.
All the students had arrived.
"Good morning, everyone."
A young man walked in, smiling warmly. "I'm your teacher, Ishida Yu."
He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the blackboard.
"Before we begin class, let's introduce ourselves." Ishida Yu stepped aside. "Starting from the first student on the left in the front row."
A classic segment.
It wasn't long before it was Minato's turn.
"My name is Namikaze Minato. I like reading, and my dream is to be acknowledged by everyone and become Hokage."
His words didn't cause much of a stir.
Nine out of ten kids in this room probably had the same dream.
"My name is Yakushi Nonou."
Nonou paused thoughtfully. "I want to become a medical ninja."
Several students looked surprised.
Medical ninjas weren't exactly valued in this era. Besides, compared to support roles, a bunch of six and seven-year-olds naturally preferred the idea of fighting their way through everything.
Natsuki smiled.
That answer was his influence.
After Nonou finished, it was his turn.
"My name is Natsuki."
He spoke without hesitation. "My dream is to become a great ninja like Lord Hokage."
It was a lie.
But in Konoha, wanting to become Hokage was the politically correct answer.
Besides, he was fairly certain that old man Sarutobi Hiruzen was watching them through his crystal ball right now.
Namikaze Minato glanced at Natsuki, thinking privately that the competition was fierce.
But he still had confidence in his dream. Before enrollment, there had been a placement test—and he had ranked first among all the incoming students.
Still, he understood that entrance exams didn't tell the whole story.
"We will now begin class."
Ishida Yu spoke once the introductions were finished.
The first lesson was The Successive Hokage and the Will of Fire.
Natsuki had heard plenty about this in his previous life.
Wherever tree leaves dance, fire will continue to burn. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and new leaves will sprout.
How should he put it?
In a world where strength was everything, this philosophy didn't have much practical use.
But Natsuki wasn't strong right now. So he had to learn it.
Not just learn it—he had to excel at it.
Because in Konoha, the Will of Fire served as an excellent protective charm.
If his devotion to the Will of Fire was impressive enough, then when Shimura Danzo eventually turned his attention toward him, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have reason to intervene.
With that in mind, Natsuki opened his copy of The Successive Hokage and the Will of Fire.
The content was straightforward—various short stories about the three Hokage, all illustrating the philosophy of the Will of Fire.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took up more than half the pages.
Natsuki read through it once.
At the very least, there were no outrageous tales—like Sarutobi Hiruzen using a pebble to shoot down the moon.