Chapter 4: Level Up
"And… begin!" The Second Elder announced with a smile, giving a gentle wave of his arm.
At the same time, his focus was entirely on the two children—or more accurately, entirely on Kyosuke. Even though he knew, deep down, that Hiroshi was no match for a boy who had awakened the Sharingan, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. What if something unexpected happened?
If Kyosuke, potentially the most talented Uchiha in history, were to be harmed under their watch, they might as well all just slit their own throats.
Kyosuke, however, had no time to worry about the elders' concerns. Hiroshi was already charging toward him.
At first, Kyosuke tested the waters, engaging Hiroshi with his own basic taijutsu. He quickly discovered he was outmatched.
With no other choice, he pushed Hiroshi back with a burst of strength, taking a step back himself. After a moment of preparation, he activated his Sharingan once more.
In an instant, the previously noisy training ground fell into a dead silence.
The Uchiha clan members who had gathered to watch all stared at Kyosuke with expressions of utter disbelief. It felt as if they had a million things to say, but none of them could manage to speak a word.
And so, in that silent arena, Kyosuke and Hiroshi began their second round.
This time, Kyosuke immediately seized the advantage. He stepped forward fearlessly, closing the distance to Hiroshi, his eyes locked onto him.
Hiroshi glanced down at the otherworldly Sharingan, let out a pained groan, and suddenly took a step back, raising his right hand.
"I… I surrender," Hiroshi said, his eyes squeezed shut and his voice trembling.
His decision was the result of several factors. The elders' disbelief, the crowd's stunned silence, and deep within him… a mixture of shame, regret, and a sliver of fear.
Though he was young, he understood what it meant to awaken the Sharingan at the age of five. All these factors combined, leading to this moment that looked like an act of cowardice.
Even though everyone present could understand his choice, this action meant that his future within the clan was likely ruined forever.
Just as Hiroshi felt his world crumbling, a small pair of hands rested on his chest.
He opened his eyes to see Kyosuke looking at him with a serious expression. Kyosuke stood on his tiptoes and gently tapped him on the chest.
"Don't lose heart. Think about how I used to be. You can do it," Kyosuke said in a gentle voice.
"I… I understand," Hiroshi managed a wry smile, his mood lifting slightly.
"YEAH!!!" Seeing this, the clan members finally snapped out of their stupor and erupted into loud cheers.
Whether they were cheering for Kyosuke's act of kindness or for the sight of the legendary Sharingan, it was impossible to say. But their opinion didn't matter. What mattered was what the elders thought.
Kyosuke nodded to the cheering crowd before turning to face the Second Elder a short distance away.
The Second Elder gave him a kind smile and said, "Follow me," before turning and walking toward a nearby courtyard.
This massive estate was the residence of the Second Elder's direct family line. In the past, someone of Kyosuke's status would never have been allowed to approach it.
As for the other clan members, seeing that the show was over, they began to disperse. But the news of a five-year-old Kyosuke awakening his Sharingan would undoubtedly spread like wildfire from their mouths.
Kyosuke sat properly in a chair, his gaze distant as he watched the Second Elder bustle about the room. He wasn't daydreaming, but rather, checking his attribute panel.
Attribute Information
Strength: 1.2
Agility: 1.1
Constitution: 0.7
Spirit: 2.7
Perception: 1.6
These were his stats at Level 1. Thanks to the fusion of two souls, not only were his Spirit and Perception stats unusually high, but he had also awakened a special talent.
Talent: Active Mind
Effect: Spirit Growth Coefficient +0.1
This was one of his awakened talents. The other, of course, was the Sharingan. The growth coefficients themselves were tied to his body's natural aptitude.
Attribute Growth Coefficients
Strength: 0.5
Agility: 0.3
Constitution: 0.5
Spirit: 0.6
Perception: 0.6
This meant that every time Kyosuke leveled up, his attributes would increase according to these coefficients.
He looked at the experience bar in his class information, which now read: Level: 1 (10/10).
Eagerly, he chose to level up.
When the level display changed to "2," he glanced at his attributes again, as well as the combat power rating at the bottom of the page.
Attribute Information
Strength: 1.7
Agility: 1.5
Constitution: 1.2
Spirit: 3.3
Perception: 2.2
Combat Power Rating: Ninja Apprentice
His stats had increased accordingly, but his combat power rating remained unchanged. According to the system's evaluation, he was still an apprentice-level ninja. Kyosuke figured this was roughly equivalent to a student at the Ninja Academy.
I wonder who the system is using as a baseline, Kakashi? he thought with a silent grumble, then moved on to examine his other skills.
Active Skills
Body Replacement Technique: LVL 1 (3/10)
Transformation Technique: LVL 1 (1/10)
Clone Technique: LVL 1 (4/10)
Kunai Throwing Technique: LVL 1 (3/10)
Shuriken Throwing Technique: LVL 1 (2/10)
All the skills he currently possessed were the lowest E-Rank, requiring only 10 experience points to level up. He could also improve them through diligent training without using experience points, though it would be much slower.
Passive Skills
Swordsmanship Training: LVL 1 (2/30)
Fire Release Nature Transformation: LVL 1 (3/40)
Chakra Extraction Technique: LVL 1 (5/10)
Chakra Control: LVL 1 (4/10)
Trap Making Technique: LVL 1 (8/10)
Next were his passive skills. Swordsmanship Training was classified as a C-Rank skill, requiring 30 experience points for its first level up. Fire Release Nature Transformation was even more demanding, classified as a B-Rank skill, putting its difficulty on par with a B-Rank ninjutsu. The others, like the somewhat helpful Trap Making, Chakra Control, and Chakra Extraction, were all considered the lowest rank.
These were all skills his predecessor had learned, which he had inherited upon transmigration. While they looked decent on paper, they were all fairly common abilities that even children from civilian families could learn through various means. Fire Release was the most impressive skill his predecessor had learned, and even then, he wasn't very good at it.
What frustrated him the most was that his predecessor had learned something as useless as swordsmanship at this early stage but hadn't mastered an essential skill like "Hand Seal Training."
Kyosuke could only sigh in resignation.
Just as he was lamenting his situation, the busy Second Elder suddenly turned to him with a smile. "What's the matter? You seem troubled."
Kyosuke straightened up and answered cautiously, "It's nothing, Second Elder."
Seeing that he didn't want to talk, the Second Elder didn't press the issue. Instead, he called toward the door. "You may enter."
"Yes, sir."