Konoha Year 53.
After five years of recovery and rebuilding, the village had finally begun to heal from the devastation of the Nine-Tails' rampage.
The scars of destruction were no longer visible.
Peace gradually returned, and the village thrived once more.
People lived and worked in contentment, businesses flourished, and everything was steadily regaining its former prosperity.
…
After a full day of rest, Kazama Shin, now calm and composed, stopped his meager chakra extraction training early the next morning.
Instead, he wandered through the streets and alleys of Konoha.
He wanted to properly take in this village.
Of course, more importantly—
He needed to find someone to test his Copy Technique on.
…
"Don't run!"
"Haha, come catch me!"
As he walked along the streets, Kazama Shin occasionally saw children younger than himself chasing and playing, their laughter echoing brightly.
The passersby also wore peaceful smiles on their faces.
Various shops lined the streets, displaying the village's prosperity.
"A peaceful village…"
Kazama Shin couldn't help but murmur softly.
Though he knew deep down that this peace was only superficial, for those who were unaware of the truth, life as it was now was more than satisfying.
…
"Who should I use it on?"
As he walked, Kazama Shin pondered.
During this time, he had already seen quite a few ninjas on the streets—some even at the level of Chunin.
But he hadn't made up his mind yet.
He wanted to find someone familiar before deciding.
Unfortunately, while Konoha was called a village, it was actually larger than many towns.
Running into known characters from the original story in a short time wasn't easy.
"Forget it… I'll just pick someone random as a test subject."
After walking for a while longer, he made his decision.
"Then it's you!"
His gaze landed on a ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector, just about to pass by him.
A subtle, undetectable ripple passed through Kazama Shin's mind.
At the same time, a mechanical notification sounded in his head.
"Ding. Successfully copied Kobara Taro's Substitution Technique. Fuse?"
Without hesitation, he responded inwardly.
"Fuse!"
A stream of information surged from deep within his soul, flooding his mind with everything related to the Substitution Technique.
In an instant, the process was complete.
But its effects lingered.
"How incredible…"
A trace of shock flashed through Kazama Shin's eyes.
He realized that his understanding of the Substitution Technique had immediately reached the same level as Kobara Taro's.
Not only did he fully grasp it—
His body seemed to have mastered it as well, as if he had practiced it countless times.
"With this, I can rapidly improve my ninjutsu…"
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Abilities that others spent years learning—
He could reach that level instantly.
And with a bit more practice afterward, wouldn't surpassing them be effortless?
Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
Without hesitation, Kazama Shin used his Copy Technique on another ninja who seemed decent.
"Ding. Successfully copied ***'s Transformation Technique!"
Another surge of knowledge flowed into his mind, and he immediately comprehended the essence of the Transformation Technique.
Both times, he had obtained basic ninjutsu.
Kazama Shin wasn't disappointed.
After all, he hadn't even started learning these techniques yet—saving so much time was already a huge benefit.
"There's only one use left today…"
Remembering the daily limit of his ability, he began searching more carefully.
…
As he turned onto another street, he suddenly heard voices of discussion nearby.
"So amazing! Becoming a proper Genin at such a young age!"
"Yeah, incredible. He might even become a Chunin in the future…"
People were praising a young boy of about eleven or twelve, who wore a ninja forehead protector.
It seemed that, in the eyes of most people, becoming a ninja was indeed an extraordinary achievement.
Looking at the approaching ninja, a sharp glint flashed in Kazama Shin's eyes.
"A graduate from the Ninja Academy?"
A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Then it's you. You'd better obediently contribute your talent."
A mischievous thought crossed his mind as he activated his ability.
Almost instantly, the familiar mechanical voice rang out.
"Ding. Successfully copied *** Genin's Chakra. Fuse?"
Finally—
On his last attempt of the day, he had obtained the thing he wanted most.