After seeing the three of them off, Habu Sora sat quietly on the bed, deep in thought.
If he had no other advantages, with the poor natural talent of this "bottom-of-the-class" body, his only option would've been to scrape by and survive in this perilous world.
But now, with the Gate-Gate Fruit and his foreknowledge of the plot's trajectory, he finally had the capital to become strong.
Since he'd already transmigrated here, who wouldn't want to experience what it felt like to stand at the very top of the shinobi world?
He had to become stronger, fast.
Looking long-term, the Third Great Ninja War was only a few years away. The battlefield would be a death trap; even with the Gate-Gate Fruit, he'd be in constant danger if he didn't grow stronger quickly.
Looking short-term, his duel with Uchiha Shū was in just over a month. He had no intention of getting beaten into a pulp in front of the entire academy.
He carefully began to plan his next steps. First and foremost: level up in secret. He needed to improve his basic stats and attributes, then specialize based on his affinity with ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu.
There were monsters like Madara and Zetsu outside the village, and inside… schemers like Danzo. Until he was strong enough, staying low and growing safely was the only smart move.
The original Habu Sora had poor talent. In over half a year at the Academy, all he'd managed was basic chakra extraction. His Three Basic Techniques were shaky at best, his shuriken skills were terrible… He was practically tied with Uchiha Obito for dead last.
"All right, let's start from the most basic, chakra cultivation."
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and entered a meditative state.
Chakra, as he well remembered, was a combination of physical and spiritual energy. The physical energy came from the body's 130 trillion cells, while the spiritual energy stemmed from experiences, training, and the soul's resilience.
Following his muscle memory, Sora successfully extracted chakra in no time.
To his surprise, his spiritual energy was incredibly strong, the chakra he produced now was several times more than before.
"Must be because my soul transmigrated?"
He wasn't going to hit Naruto-level chakra reserves, sure, but with a soul this powerful, as long as he built up his physical body, he could potentially generate chakra far beyond the norm.
"…Wait, why do I feel even weaker than before?"
After finishing his chakra training, Sora felt more drained than ever.
Thinking it through, he understood: his body wasn't keeping up. With that enormous spiritual boost, he'd overdrawn his physical energy, leaving his body even more depleted.
He headed to the kitchen to find something to eat and recover.
"Expired milk… instant noodles… potatoes… wild vegetables…"
Looking at the sad inventory, Sora finally understood why the original had collapsed from training.
Living off this junk, then pushing his body with intense physical exertion, not only was there no improvement, he'd just burned out faster.
His parents had passed years ago. The meager inheritance was long gone. The monthly stipend from the village barely covered basic needs, let alone the demands of high-intensity shinobi training.
"I need to make money, fast."
In the shinobi world, money wasn't everything, but without it, you couldn't take a single step forward.
After thinking for a while, a lightbulb went off in his head.
He found paper and a brush.
He was going to write a book, no, the most popular kind of book in this world.
With a bold stroke, he titled it: "The Ninja Boy's Tale."
He buried himself in writing for a day and a half, pouring all his effort into two unspeakable novels.
That very afternoon, he brought the finished manuscripts to a local bookstore in Konoha. After reading them, the shop owner slammed the desk in excitement.
"Kid, you wrote these?"
"…Not me. My uncle did. He just asked me to bring them in."
"Oh? So how much does your uncle want?"
The bookstore owner's eyes gleamed with cunning. Just a kid, this should be easy.
"My uncle said, one is for outright sale, ten thousand ryo, paid in full. The other is profit-share, 50/50 split per copy sold."
"That's… way too expensive. Your uncle clearly doesn't understand the market," the owner said with a smile, pulling a lollipop from his sleeve and handing it to Sora.
"Here, have this. Let's chat."
"Buying or revenue split, either's fine, but not at those prices," he continued. "I usually pay three thousand ryo per book. If we split royalties, it's 80/20, I get 80, you get 20. Sweet lollipop, right? And 3,000 ryo buys a lot of candy."
Sora licked the lollipop innocently and smiled just as brightly.
"My uncle also said: if the bookstore here doesn't accept it, I should try the one at the end of the street."
He said no more, happily enjoying his candy.
The store owner tried a few more angles, but seeing the boy ready to walk out any second, he grew desperate.
The manuscripts were too good. The stories were gripping and vividly imaginative, he'd never seen anything like it in all his years. He was certain it would become a massive hit.
Left with no choice, he reluctantly agreed. After all, buying the books only affected how much he'd profit, not whether he would. If the rival shop at the end of the street got their hands on these… he'd be toast.
Not long after, Sora stepped out of the shop, happily clutching ten thousand ryo.
With money in hand, the first thing he did was treat himself to a hearty meal at a nice restaurant.
After stuffing himself, Sora strolled down the road toward home.
Suddenly, a tall young man with wild white hair and face paint jumped out in front of him.
Sora stared.
Jiraiya?! One of the fabled Three Legendary Sannin?!
"Who are you?" Sora asked, clutching his bag in mock alarm.
"A fine question! I am the Mystic Toad Hermit of Mount Myōboku, known as the Toad Sage, Jiraiya-sama!" he declared while dancing flamboyantly.
"You mean the Pervy Sage?"
The words slipped out before Sora could stop himself. He vividly recalled how Naruto had said those same words when they first met.
"Huh?! Pervy Sage?!" Jiraiya froze mid-pose. "Oi, brat! Don't just make up nicknames like that!"
"Then what do you want, Pervy Sage?" Sora asked innocently.
"I just wanted to speak, writer to writer, with the author of those two amazing books, your uncle, right?" Jiraiya replied, grinning. "And stop calling me that! It doesn't match my refined image!"
"You're a writer too? What have you written? I've never heard of it."
"I published 'The Gallant Tale of Steadfast Endurance', but… it didn't sell well. Most bookstores refused to carry it." Jiraiya scratched his head, visibly embarrassed.
"A flop author dares to call himself a writer?"
Watching the boisterous Toad Sage act so bashful was unexpectedly amusing.
"Of course I'm a writer! Someday, I'll pen a bestseller that even Tsunade will respect!"
Flushed with determination, Jiraiya's voice rose.
"Enough small talk. Where do you live, brat? I want to speak directly to your guardian."
Sora fell into thought.
This man was one of the most legendary teachers in the Naruto world, the mentor of Minato Namikaze, Nagato, and Naruto Uzumaki, all future Kage-level figures.
Getting close to him? That's a win.
"I live… that way!" Sora pointed.
"Waaahhh!"
Before the sentence had even finished, Jiraiya grabbed him and bolted.
The speed of a Legendary Sannin wasn't something a normal person could comprehend. Sora felt like he was being dragged through the world's fastest rollercoaster with no seatbelt.
As Sora's screams echoed through the village, the two soared across rooftops, until, in mere minutes, they arrived at Sora's house.
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>