"Flying Thunder God is already level four…"
Uchiha Kai couldn't help but sigh softly.
Among all his traits, Flying Thunder God was the one he had invested in the most.
Even without looting any additional space–time techniques, the sheer volume of chakra he poured into it made up for the lack of variety.
[Legendary Trait: Flying Thunder God Technique (gold) Lv.4]
[Instantly teleport between marked objects within 400 meters]
[Chakra cost per teleport: 90]
[Note: Placing a mark consumes 10,000 chakra]
Four hundred meters.
Compared to the initial thirty meters, this was an increase of more than tenfold.
If he marked all of Konoha…
With his current chakra reserves, that would mean true, unrestricted instant movement.
At that thought, something stirred in his mind.
A translucent map unfolded before his eyes.
Once fully expanded, it clearly depicted Konoha Village.
Green dots densely filled the screen—covering nearly every main road, as well as large stretches along the Naka River.
As for the Uchiha clan compound?
It was practically airtight.
So green it almost glowed.
Ten thousand chakra per mark sounded terrifying on paper, but to Kai now, it was nothing more than spare change.
"Big brother… are you a ninja?"
Just as Kai was lost in thought, a now well-fed Naruto suddenly looked up at him, eyes full of expectation.
"Can you teach me how to train?"
"Teach you how to train?"
Kai blinked.
For a split second, a faint crimson flickered deep within his black eyes.
Excitement.
A four-year-old Naruto asking this was basically the same as asking to get beaten up.
Truly worthy of the "prince" title—even his requests were considerate.
Kai had been wondering how to defeat Naruto without it feeling forced.
And here Naruto was, offering himself up on a silver platter.
Kai smiled and extended a hand.
"I won't teach you—but we can fight and see."
"Don't hold back. You don't need to worry about hurting me."
Fight?
Naruto's eyes instantly shone brighter.
Weren't all the stories about ninjas like this?
Fighting was the best kind of training!
After clumsily striking a basic stance, Naruto charged forward.
"Haha! Big brother, watch out!"
Not fast.
But also—not slow.
In Kai's eyes, Naruto's movements might as well have been in slow motion.
He sidestepped casually, reached out with one hand, grabbed Naruto by the ankle, and tossed him away.
Splash.
The kid fell straight into the water.
But Naruto didn't give up.
He scrambled back up and charged again.
Punching.
Kicking.
Grabbing.
Even biting.
A child that young didn't know proper combat.
He only knew how cats and dogs fought in the forest.
So he copied that.
And got thrown again.
[Target defeated: Uzumaki Naruto]
[Attempting to copy trait…]
[Copy successful. Congratulations, Host has obtained: Nine-Tails Jinchūriki (gold)]
Kai: "?"
"…???"
Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?!
There was no way he wasn't tempted by this trait.
But… shouldn't this kind of trait be uncopyable?
Was a second Nine-Tails about to grow inside him or something?
"System," Kai asked cautiously, "is this Nine-Tails Jinchūriki trait legit?"
[Confirmed.]
[Nine-Tails Jinchūriki (gold): Allows borrowing the power of the Nine-Tails]
[Current accessible power: One tail]
"So this corresponds to the maximum power Naruto can currently handle?"
"And if I copy the same trait again after he grows up, the strength would be different?"
Reading the explanation, realization dawned on Kai.
So this was essentially a growth-type trait.
The name stayed the same, but the ceiling rose with the original host.
He nodded, suppressing the surge of excitement, and continued sparring seriously with Naruto.
After all, Naruto's parents had practically gifted him something incredible the moment they met.
That favor deserved respect.
Besides, the village was currently in chaos over Kumogakure.
No one had spare attention for a blond brat and a talkative teenager fooling around by the river.
Time slipped by quickly.
2:30 a.m.
The night was pitch-black.
Even the moonlight that once lingered had completely vanished behind thick clouds.
Kai looked down at the boy in front of him and clicked his tongue.
"You actually managed to exhaust yourself unconscious… you're something else."
Naruto was out cold.
Not knocked out.
Just completely drained—collapsed from pure exhaustion.
Kai stood there for a moment, hesitating.
He should leave.
But leaving Naruto here like this didn't sit right with him.
After a brief pause, he finally bent down, hoisted Naruto onto his back, and headed toward the village.
Low Presence, activate.
Swift Lightstep, activate.
Dynamic Vision, activate.
Byakugan, activate.
Three-Tomoe Sharingan, activate.
With all traits active, the area within a hundred meters turned into a living, three-dimensional map in his mind.
Everything was clear.
He stepped forward—and vanished.
Perhaps due to the late hour, or perhaps because of the Kumogakure incident, the ANBU that usually prowled the village were nearly nonexistent.
That made Naruto's trip home… surprisingly smooth.
As for the destination—
Even without having been there before, Kai knew it well.
That oddly isolated two-story building, completely out of place from its surroundings.
Ten minutes later.
Creak—
Kai pushed open the heavy wooden door.
Inside, clothes and shoes were scattered everywhere.
Expired milk cartons cluttered the table, and instant noodle cups were piled against the wall—thick layers of them.
He sighed.
"…A child with no one looking after him."
Then, softly:
"Doesn't anyone ever tell him that expired milk shouldn't be drunk?"
He turned toward the window, his voice dropping.
"Isn't that right… Kakashi?"
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