Yamanaka Kei was absolutely dissatisfied with this round of skill listing draws.
If it weren't for still having one 'Keyword Copy' chance left, he would've given the system a piece of his mind right then and there.
Compared to previous attempts at drawing skill listings,
this time he didn't get even a single keyword that could directly improve his strength.
Was he being toyed with on purpose?
"...Looks like I can't rely on skill listing draws anymore!"
Kei sighed inwardly, temporarily pushing aside these frustrating thoughts about keywords.
Listening to Kushina and Tsunade whispering in the living room, he quickly prepared the ingredients in his hands.
He had always been well aware of his own shortcomings.
Right now, he wasn't lacking powerful attack techniques.
His Mastery-Level Yin Release and Water Release techniques enabled him to take down most ordinary Jonin in an instant.
Even if he encountered several well-coordinated Jonin squads,
with the incredible mobility provided by the Flying Thunder God Technique, he could easily defeat them as well.
The only real consideration was whether his chakra would be sufficient.
So, which type of skill listing to copy was already self-evident.
He had seen quite a few chakra-enhancing skills so far.
[Nine-Tails Jinchuriki], [Ku no Maho], [Abundant Energy], [Overflowing Energy], [Chakra Reservoir]...
Among these, naturally the strongest was [Nine-Tails Jinchuriki].
As the strongest tailed beast, the Nine-Tails could accomplish far too many things.
Even without referencing characters' Baryon Mode from other universes, simply achieving Perfect Jinchuriki Mode alone was enough to make others drool with envy!
However, he had personally witnessed the corrosive nature of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Without the Uzumaki clan's tremendous vitality, an ordinary person becoming a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was basically equivalent to suicide!
And to become a perfect Jinchuriki, one needed not only overwhelming strength but also complete emotional acceptance of the tailed beast.
Considering how he'd reset his phone to factory settings even at death,
he already knew this was impossible.
Especially considering he was currently a World Traveler.
Open his heart to a tailed beast? Not happening. Cut the jokes.
Then there was [Ku no Maho].
The Nine-Tails is a special chakra being.
If Yamanaka Kei dared to copy this keyword, he'd become a chakra being in seconds.
Was he really going to shout like Dio, "I'm not a man anymore, JoJo!"?
Absolutely not—he still had his whole life ahead of him, after all!
What remained was the purple-ranked skill listing [Abundant Energy]...
Hmm...
Better copy this from Honoka instead!
[Abundant Energy (Purple)]: The powerful bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan brings vigorous vitality and vast quantities of chakra, significantly enhancing cellular activity, life force, and chakra reserves. Lifespan increases while physical durability receives a minor boost.
There was no doubt about the power of the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline.
Obtaining this keyword essentially meant obtaining the Uzumaki bloodline itself.
Whether or not his hair would turn red remained uncertain,
but there would definitely be changes in his bloodline.
If his girlfriend hadn't been Kushina Uzumaki herself, he wouldn't have hesitated to copy the ability directly from her.
Unfortunately, his cloning target could only be Honoka.
The good news was that Honoka and Kushina had long since lost any familial ties.
Otherwise… Unbreakable body? Indomitable will?
That'd be pretty hard to pull off.
Damn it! Tsunade, you slacker punk, couldn't you have inherited your grandfather's Sage Transformation instead? He was your grandfather for crying out loud—why didn't you pick up something actually useful from him?
While stir-frying vegetables, Kei Yamanaka grumbled inwardly.
Why would he want to inherit anything from Hashirama Senju besides his gambling habits—especially ones he always loses at?
Unbelievable!
If Tsunade had actually inherited the Sage Transformation, Kei wouldn't even spare Abundant Energy a second thought!
After venting for a while, Kei still couldn't shake a hint of regret.
Based on the original story's timeline and Orochimaru's progress in researching the Impure World Reincarnation technique, if he wanted to meet Hashirama Senju, he'd have to wait at least a decade.
And who knows whether Hashirama would still retain that skill after being reincarnated via the Impure World Reincarnation technique?
After all, those brought back by the Impure World Reincarnation technique weren't flesh-and-blood beings, but rather bodies formed from lifeless earth.
At this point, the only way to obtain the Sage Transformation seemed to be...
Madara Uchiha?
Forget about whatever influence Arjuna or Indra might have had.
Madara awakened the Rinnegan only after obtaining Hashirama's power.
This meant that there was a high chance Madara already possessed the Sage Transformation right now.
Who the heck knows where that arrogant old bastard is!
Muttering under his breath, Kei quickly scooped the cooked dish from the wok into a plate.
Just as he was about to start cooking the next one, a sudden thought popped into his mind.
Yamato!
Although in the original story, Yamato's Wood Release abilities failed to live up to Hashirama's reputation as "God of Ninja."
However, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, when controlled by White Zetsu Tobi, he displayed terrifying skill.
His Wood Figure Technique, capable of firing techniques of all five nature transformations, was absolutely terrifying.
Could he possibly...
Probably not though.
Otherwise, how did people say it back in his past life: "Senju's Wood Release ruled the world, while Yamato's Wood Release was only good for landscaping?"
The one with unique physiological characteristics should've been that White Zetsu called Tobi.
But then again, hadn't Yamato already undergone the cell implantation process by now?
Kei recalled the timeline from the original story.
Danzo Shimura and Orochimaru secretly selected 60 infants to implant with Hashirama's cells, but abandoned the project after most test subjects died.
Yamato, labeled as a 'failed product,' survived against the odds and was discovered by Danzo Shimura.
At age ten, after completing training within Root, he became Root member code-named Kinoto.
Later, Danzo assigned him to assist Orochimaru's defection.
Ten years old—Orochimaru defected when Yamato was ten. Working backward from that timeline, Yamato should be around three or four years old right now.
I wonder if Danzo has already recruited him yet.
Kei's eyes flickered.
According to his reasoning, Wood Release and Sage Transformation were likely two distinct abilities.
Regardless of whether Yamato had the Sage Transformation or not, he definitely had Wood Release.
If he could get his hands on Yamato before schedule...
If he ever gets another chance to use Keyword Copy, maybe he could try obtaining Wood Release?
Kukukuku!
Madara, wouldn't you *love* to see the [Sage Art Wood Release: True Thousand Hands Manipulation Force – Summit Enlightened Thousand-Armed Cannon] again?
"After we visit the scroll archives tomorrow, let's head to the intelligence division and the old book hall first..."
A faint smile curved Kei Yamanaka's lips.
Imagination may be beautiful, but reality is often harsh.
But people need dreams too, don't they?
After selecting two ninjutsu techniques promised earlier by the Third in the Hokage Tower's scroll archives tomorrow,
he could swing by the intelligence division and the old book hall.
Who knows? Maybe he'll uncover something like Madara Uchiha's secret hideout—the mountainous grave site.
As for Yamato,
the location of the former Wood Release research base is probably known by very few people nowadays.
And those who do know won't possibly tell him.
Kei Yamanaka sifted through the details stored in his Memory Palace.
Remembering how the Third had confronted Danzo Shimura with an investigative report and forcibly halted the Wood Release research made his heart leap with excitement!
Such a document would surely be classified as top secret afterward.
Others might never get near it—but he had someone on the inside!
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