WebNovels

Chapter 1 - Chapter 001 – Experience Value Panel

[Ninjutsu: Clone Technique (E): Lv 4 (287 / 400)]

[Ninjutsu: Transformation Technique (E): Lv 7 (698 / 700)]

[Ninjutsu: Substitution Technique (E): Lv 6 (435 / 600)]

[Taijutsu: Hyuga Gentle Fist (C): Lv 5 (1856 / 2000)]

[Dōjutsu: Byakugan (A): Lv 2 (2023 / 3200)]

[Ninjutsu: Substitution Technique (E): Lv 10 (MAX) (Breakthrough possible)]

[Chakra Refining Technique (D): Lv 10 (MAX) (Breakthrough possible)]

[Free Experience Points: 10890]

[Evaluation: A fairly strong Genin in Taijutsu!]

"Hah…"

After completing another set of Gentle Fist strikes, Riku Hyuga slowly exhaled a stream of white breath. He looked at the glowing panel floating before his eyes, yet his face showed little satisfaction.

He grabbed a towel from the side, wiped away the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead, and sat cross-legged on the floor, catching his breath while lost in thought.

"Truly unexpected," Riku murmured. "I never imagined that after transmigrating, I'd end up in the Naruto world… and not as a Senju or Uchiha, but as a Hyuga of all things."

His palm brushed his forehead unconsciously. A bitter smile tugged at his lips.

"And to make matters worse… a Branch Family member with a Caged Bird Seal branded on my head."

If he had been reborn as a civilian, Riku thought, it might have been better. At least civilians lived free of the Hyuga clan's suffocating hierarchy.

Though he had often complained in the beginning, five years in this world had forced him to adapt. Only when he was alone, late at night, did he still curse his fate softly.

"Five years already… I've learned to use chakra—something I could never dream of in my previous life—and yet, I still feel unhappy."

He often asked himself that question, but deep down, Riku already knew the answer.

He was unwilling to accept the destiny imposed upon the Branch Family of the Hyuga Clan.

In his past life, Riku had been an ordinary young man who grew up peacefully under the red flag of modern society—a world where freedom and equality were natural rights. His very bones longed for freedom.

But this world—the world of ninja—was cruel. Peace and freedom were luxuries far beyond his reach.

Leaving aside peace, even the simplest freedom was denied to him.

As a Branch Family member, the Caged Bird Seal carved onto his forehead bound his life and death to the whim of the Main Family. A single seal could snuff out his existence instantly.

Whenever Riku remembered that his life literally belonged to someone else, his gaze would grow cold and sharp as steel.

Perhaps in the eyes of those born here, it was normal to accept one's fate—to obey the clan's hierarchy, to never question destiny.

But Riku refused.

Even if it cost him his life, he would never live as a slave to the Main Family.

Fortunately, he possessed something that gave him hope—a mysterious system that had appeared the moment he became self-aware in this world.

That glowing panel before him was the gift of transmigration—his golden finger.

The panel wasn't omnipotent; it couldn't create power out of nothing. To grow stronger, Riku still had to train the hard way—one step at a time. But the panel tracked every ounce of progress, converting it into experience points that accumulated toward tangible improvement.

Because of this, even with the same training regimen, his progress far surpassed that of ordinary ninja.

On the surface, Riku appeared to be an average Branch Family boy with nothing remarkable. Yet, in secret, he had already become a hidden genius.

The principle was simple: any skill he practiced—be it Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or even Bloodline Limit—would gain experience with use. Once its experience bar filled, it would level up.

Unlike ordinary ninja who hit invisible bottlenecks, Riku faced no such barriers. As long as he worked hard enough, every technique could eventually reach its peak.

And when a skill reached its limit, the panel allowed him to use free experience points to break through to the next rank, evolving the technique beyond its natural bounds.

He had already tested this once, upgrading his Chakra Refining Technique from E-rank to D-rank—a feat unheard of among academy-age children.

The system had even hinted that further improvements were possible if he had enough free experience.

"That means even a basic Substitution Jutsu could one day evolve into a true space-time technique… maybe something on par with Shunshin no Jutsu," he muttered, eyes shining faintly.

Still, Riku was cautious. Pouring huge amounts of free experience into low-rank skills was wasteful. It was better to save them for higher-tier Ninjutsu or unique abilities.

At present, there were only two ways to obtain free experience points.

First, the system rewarded him with a chunk of points whenever a skill reached its maximum level. The higher the original rank, the greater the reward. For example, maxing out an E-rank technique usually granted between two to three thousand points, depending on its potential.

Second, free experience could be earned through combat and training.

In truth, combat was just a more efficient form of training. Each victory awarded a surge of free experience, while even defeat provided a small consolation.

During normal practice, Riku earned around a few dozen to a hundred free points daily—modest, but consistent. At the same time, his individual skills gained their own experience.

So far, his only max-level skill was the Chakra Refining Technique, which he had already evolved once to D-rank. The experience points from that advancement formed the bulk of his current reserves.

He smiled faintly at the memory.

"Even after upgrading it, the chakra I can refine isn't much—my body's still too young. I barely have the reserves of a Genin."

Physical growth was his current bottleneck. The limits of his chakra capacity slowed his progress across every field, especially the one he valued most: the Byakugan.

The Byakugan's experience increased painfully slowly, as if each point demanded weeks of effort.

He could use his accumulated free experience to hasten it, of course, but doing so felt reckless. The higher the level, the greater the cost—an exponential curve that could drain his reserves dry.

"Upgrading the Byakugan all the way to the Tenseigan…" Riku whispered, eyes narrowing. "That will be a long, exhausting road."

The thought of it stirred both excitement and dread. Theoretically, the Tenseigan could transcend the limits of the Caged Bird Seal, perhaps even destroy it outright.

But to place his faith solely in evolution was risky. A single misstep could ruin everything.

"No," he said firmly. "A safer path lies in Sealing Jutsu. The Caged Bird Seal itself is a kind of sealing art. If I can master that discipline, I might find a way to unravel my own curse."

For that, he needed to conserve as many free experience points as possible.

Riku closed his eyes and breathed deeply, feeling the faint pulse of chakra coursing through his body—warm, steady, alive.

He had come far for a child of the Branch Family, far enough that his gentle fists could already shatter stone and his chakra control surpassed most Genin. But it wasn't enough.

Not until the day he could look the Main Family in the eye without fear.

The room grew quiet. Moonlight slipped through the paper window, painting silver lines across the floor.

Riku's breathing steadied. In the stillness, he reviewed his panel again. Each line of text represented months of sweat, pain, and persistence.

"Clone Technique — Level 4," he muttered. "Transformation Technique — Level 7. Substitution Technique — Level 6… and Gentle Fist, already at Level 5."

His progress wasn't bad, but not enough to satisfy him.

The Byakugan, though, was the crown jewel. A gift of bloodline, a curse of servitude. Its evolution would be both his greatest challenge and his only hope.

"I refuse to believe fate cannot be changed."

He clenched his fists, veins pulsing faintly along his temples as his Byakugan flickered to life. His world turned translucent; the flow of chakra through the walls, the trees, the insects outside—all visible to him in exquisite detail.

"I'll climb higher, even if I have to grind every single experience point myself."

The determination in his voice was like tempered steel.

No one knew that within the silent quarters of the Hyuga compound, a boy from the Branch Family was quietly laying the foundation for something that would shake the clan itself.

A revolution built not on rebellion or bloodshed, but on unrelenting effort and the mysterious system only he could see.

When his breathing had fully calmed, Riku opened his eyes again. The floating text of his panel shimmered slightly, and a new line of faint blue appeared:

[Daily Training Completed — Free Experience + 92]

A small smile tugged at his lips.

"Slowly but surely," he whispered. "Even a river begins with drops of rain."

He rose from the floor, replaced the towel, and stepped toward the courtyard. The night wind brushed against his face, carrying the scent of blooming plum.

He looked up at the distant moon—a silent witness to his resolve.

One day, that seal on his forehead would vanish.

One day, the Hyuga's Branch Family would no longer live as slaves.

Until that day came, he would keep training, keep grinding, keep accumulating the experience that would lead him to true freedom.

Because in this world, effort itself was the only thing that could break destiny.

(End of Chapter 001 – Experience Value Panel)

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