Tatsuya trained in the middle of his modest one-room apartment, a single leaf gently stuck to his forehead, unmoving despite the occasional draft sneaking through the window.
His muscles tensed, relaxed, moved precisely—and never broke the invisible thread of chakra keeping the leaf affixed.
He punched. Kicked. Spun low and shot forward in a shoulder slam motion—silent, steady, deadly.
The HUD flashed quietly in his peripheral vision.
[Basic Taijutsu has leveled up to 58!]
[Leaf Concentration Practice has leveled up to 81!]
Tatsuya grinned faintly. "Nice."
This combo was the best grind method he'd discovered so far—maintain Leaf Concentration while running through his Taijutsu routine nonstop. But that wasn't the only thing leveling up anymore.
[Controlled Breathing has leveled up to 27!]
[Skill: Controlled Breathing (Passive)]
[Level 27 (Exp 0 / 119,670)]
[You can control your breath appropriately, thus avoiding unnecessary energy waste.
Effect: -13.5% Stamina consumption for all physical activities.]
"Hell yeah," he muttered, throwing another jab, followed by a kick and a twist that ended with him back in perfect posture, still breathing steadily.
The skill practically trained itself. Every breath added EXP. And he breathed a lot.
"Free stamina reduction, and all I have to do is live? Broken," he said with a smirk. "Just gotta keep breathing. Literally."
He checked the time. The moonlight was slipping through the slats now. Midnight.
Tomorrow was the final exam.
Was he nervous?
Not even a little.
He'd grinded every single day this week, nearly non-stop.
[Clone Jutsu – Lv. 43]
[Transformation Jutsu – Lv. 47]
[Substitution Jutsu – Lv. 40]
Every one of the basic jutsu was comfortably over level 40. His chakra control had skyrocketed thanks to his Leaf Concentration Practice skill, and with his Basic Taijutsu at level 58?
He grinned to himself.
"I'm so getting into one of the important teams."
After all, he'd already beaten Sasuke Uchiha in a taijutsu match in front of everyone. That wasn't something any random background character could do.
And tomorrow, he'd prove it wasn't a fluke.
He would make sure he couldn't be ignored.
He stretched, arms wide, spine cracking satisfyingly.
"Alright, a few more thousand reps before bed. Let's pump that Taijutsu to 60."
And with that, he continued training under the moonlight—leaf still stuck to his forehead, breath still calm, fists still flying.
...
The next morning arrived in a quiet hum of anticipation.
Inside the Academy halls, the tension was thick. Students sat in rows or paced nervously near the classroom entrance, waiting for their names to be called.
The written exams had already been finished.
For Tatsuya, they had been laughably easy. Acing them had taken no effort. Not only had he been a diligent student in his past life, but with the help of his Leaf Concentration Practice skill constantly boosting his focus, even the dullest textbook material turned into efficient data input.
[Leaf Concentration Practice (active) – Lv. 81]
[Effect: +40.5% concentration, +20.3% fine chakra control, -20.3% chakra waste.]
"Honestly," Tatsuya muttered under his breath, "I should've asked for bonus questions."
Now, however, came the real test: the practical.
Sasuke and Naruto had already gone through. No surprise, both had passed without breaking a sweat. The two golden boys of the Academy, bathed in praise.
Tatsuya rolled his eyes. "Plot armor must be heavy."
Next, Shikamane had gone in. She returned after a few minutes, yawning. Without a word, she walked over and plopped herself beside Tatsuya.
Then... onto his shoulder.
He blinked.
She shifted a little, found a good angle, and promptly fell asleep. "Tch... heavy sleeper," Tatsuya muttered, not bothering to push her off.
Moments later, Choji stepped out of the classroom looking relieved, and Iruka followed.
"Aoki Tatsuya," Iruka called. "It's your turn."
"Coming," Tatsuya said, flicking Shikamane's forehead lightly.
"Ahh... mean," she grumbled, eyes fluttering. "Is it your turn already?"
"Yup." He stood, stretching his arms.
"Such a bother..." she mumbled again, leaning against the wall and slowly dozing off—standing upright.
Tatsuya heard her last sleepy "Good luck..." and smiled faintly before stepping through the classroom door.
Inside, Iruka stood beside Mizuki, both of them upright, clipboard in hand.
"Ah, Tatsuya," Mizuki said with a warm smile.
Tatsuya smiled back, but his thoughts were sharp. Look at him… all smiles. I wonder who he'll use to get the Scroll of Seals now that Naruto's off-limits...
There was no guarantee Mizuki would fall into the same trap in this world—but better safe than sorry.
Iruka stepped forward. "Just show us the Clone Jutsu."
"Alright, Iruka-sensei."
Tatsuya formed the hand signs in a flash.
"Bunshin no Jutsu!"
In an instant—pop, pop, pop, pop...
Nine identical clones filled the classroom in a puff of smoke. Perfect in posture, symmetrical, chakra cleanly balanced.
Iruka and Mizuki both took a stunned half-step back.
[Clone Jutsu (Active)]
[Level 43 (Exp: 7,930 / 12,740)]
You can create illusory clones with your chakra.
Current Limit: 9 clones (1 per 5 levels)]
Having the Clone Jutsu as a skill instead of a simple technique made a world of difference. It no longer depended solely on his chakra control. Once it was learned, the execution became perfect—its power and efficiency scaled with the level.
Of course, chakra control wasn't useless—it still:
Boosted chakra efficiency; reduced chakra cost of all techniques; increased the leveling speed of chakra-based skills; unlocked new techniques or hybrid uses; helped with medical, sealing, and elemental applications and prevented chakra leakage and fatigue buildup.
Even with the skill doing the heavy lifting, without Tatsuya's sharp chakra control—granted by his high-leveled Leaf Concentration—this would have cost him far too much.
But even now...
A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
"Haa... That's... my limit," he muttered.
With a single mental command, all nine clones dispelled at once, vanishing in a clean sweep of smoke.
Iruka stared at him. "N-Nine...?"
Mizuki narrowed his eyes slightly. "Most students can barely manage three... at best five."
'His chakra pool is small, but that level of control...' Iruka thought. 'This is already on par with elite ninjas.'
"Y-You've passed, Tatsuya," Iruka finally said, forcing a smile. "Excellent job."
Tatsuya bowed slightly. "Thank you, sensei."
He left the room with a confident stride.
Outside, Shikamane was still asleep against the wall.
He sighed. "Unbelievable," he muttered, gently shaking her awake.
"Uhnn... Done already?" she asked groggily.
"Yeah." He grinned. "Passed with style."
To be continued...
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How did you find this chapter? Liking the novel so far?
Also, am I keeping true to the Gamer System?