One. Two. Three. Four.
Sasuke focused chakra into his feet and slowly climbed the wall, moving upward until he reached the ceiling. He hung upside down above his bed, just in case he slipped so he would have a safe place to land.
He stayed there for a few seconds with his eyes closed, feeling the steady flow of chakra. Then he released his hold. With a final push from the ceiling, he twisted in midair and landed on the bed with a soft thud, his back hitting the mattress.
"I'm already good enough with wood surfaces," Sasuke thought, nodding to himself with a small hint of pride. "But I should get used to rock as well. Fights can happen anywhere, on cliffs, hills, even mountains. I need to be just as skilled with every surface."
His expression hardened. "I should also start practicing water walking. I can't do it outside. Hiruzen doesn't see me as a threat yet, and I'd rather not raise suspicions. The bathroom will do. The tub is big enough, and if I leave the tap running, I can even train on moving currents, at least on a small scale."
He paused, his thoughts turning heavier. Combat experience… that was the real problem.
Techniques, training, templates. Those were tools. But tools did not fight for you. He clenched his fist, gaze sharpening as his reflection continued.
"I'm gaining skills both from hard work and from the template, and even scraps of experience from them," he admitted inwardly. "But that experience isn't truly mine. It's theirs. Their habits. Their instincts. Not mine. And in battle, that difference can kill me."
Knowing how to strike wasn't the same as striking in the middle of chaos. Knowing how to block wasn't the same as feeling the impact of a real blade threatening to split you open. A veteran fighter on the same level could still crush a novice purely through instinct and rhythm. Sasuke knew he was an exception, born with talent that outstripped most, but relying on exceptional was the same as relying on luck. And luck runs out.
The bigger problem was bridging that gap without drawing attention. Training alone wasn't enough. He would be prohibited from hunting in the forest.
Do I really have to do it? His mind conjured a method, but the very thought made him hesitate. It was too attention grabbing, even if suspicion did not point directly at him.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his mind to cool. Let's think carefully. I still have time.
With that thought, he pulled up the status screen.
Sasuke Uchiha
Character Assimilation:
Fully Assimilated:
[Adlet Mayer]
In Progress:
[Jin Mu-Won: 19%]
[Iaian: 12%]
The progress was steady, especially with Iaian, though Adlet's full assimilation had slowed the overall pace.
But numbers did not tell the full story. Nineteen percent of Jin Mu-Won did not mean he already possessed a fifth of the man's strength. Assimilation did not simply hand him power. It unraveled layers of memory, discipline, and subtle traits. From Jin Mu-Won, Sasuke had inherited a calm spirit that refused to be easily provoked, the art of masking his emotions, and even blacksmithing techniques. Skills, not raw strength.
Still, it was progress.
His eyes flickered toward the points he had accumulated after a month of patience. Without hesitation, he dumped thirty into a spin. Ten cards appeared before him.
1. Spirit Hall Token (Soul Land)
2. Eishi Tsukasa (Food Wars)
3. Assimilation Slot
4. Combat Exo (Avatar)
5. Travelling Ticket :Kong Skull Island- 1 month
6. Yubashiri (One Piece)
7. Teddy (Mr. Bean)
8. Glass Sandal (Cinderella)
9. Doctor (Akudama Drive)
10. Kunai ×17 (Naruto)
Sasuke ignored most of them, his gaze locking on the Travelling Card.
So this works like a summoning technique? he theorized. Ninja summon beasts by channeling chakra, and when the chakra runs out the beast returns. If that was the case, then this card must summon him instead, to another world. And when the time or energy ran out, he would be pulled back here.
He weighed the risks carefully. The world in those memories was nothing like his own, more advanced in technology and crawling with colossal beasts that rivaled the tailed ones. The island in particular was home to a giant ape, monstrous lizards, and deep sea creatures that dwarfed ships. There was even a tribe of humans surviving there.
Dangerous. But tempting.
If managed properly, it was the perfect testing ground. A chance to push himself against real monsters and finally gain the combat experience he lacked.
"I'll think it through properly," Sasuke muttered, though he already knew the truth. His decision was made. He would not waste the opportunity to escape Konoha's constant surveillance and the suffocating act he had to maintain every hour of every day.
His attention drifted back to the other cards. Among them, two stood out: Doctor and Eishi Tsukasa, the cook.
Without hesitation, he slotted the Doctor into the newly unlocked assimilation slot. Medical skills could prove invaluable, not only for survival, but for combat as well.
Still, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Tch… nothing powerful," he muttered under his breath, shoulders stiff. It wasn't like last time. No template that made his blood sing. Just knowledge. Useful, yes. But not the kind of strength that made his enemies tremble.
He exhaled slowly, the disappointment biting deeper than he wanted to admit. Relying on himself, that was the ideal. He knew it. He kept repeating it. But the temptation to cheat, to pull shortcuts from the system, was irresistible. Each spin, each assimilation, dangled the possibility of raw power before him, and every time he did not get it, the hunger only grew sharper.
His fingers curled into fists. No. I will use it. I will use everything. Even if the strength is not mine yet, I will make it mine. I will not just inherit their skills. I will surpass them.
*************
Iaian rank in Naruto ?