The trio didn't stay too long at Ichiraku Ramen.
Night's massive lunch of grilled meat still hadn't fully digested, and Minato never ate much to begin with. Kushina seemed to want more, but she was too shy to ask for a second bowl, even though Night kept telling her it was fine.
After paying the bill, Night told Minato to walk Kushina home. He claimed he needed to walk off his meal and started wandering slowly through the village.
In reality, he had secretly activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura. His sensory perception spread out like invisible ripples, scanning the village for any chakra anomalies or areas shielded by barriers.
He silently noted the locations where his senses were blocked or where sealing jutsus were active. Once he had a mental map, he finished his "walk" and headed home.
Back in his room, Night pulled out the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu scroll and started training.
The basic Shadow Clone Jutsu wasn't hard. After a few tries, he mastered the chakra flow.
The section on the Multi-Shadow Clone, however, was filled with warnings. It screamed "DANGER" and advised caution.
Night skimmed past the warnings. Naruto uses this like a basic attack. As his future 'uncle,' how could I fail?
He followed the instructions, circulating his chakra and forming the hand seal. Even though he tried to limit the output, POOF—over a dozen clones appeared instantly.
At the same time, Night felt a sudden emptiness. His chakra reserves bottomed out. The sensation of being drained in an instant wasn't pleasant.
Since acquiring the Uzumaki Sage Body, he had felt like his chakra was limitless. But splitting it evenly among so many clones was still a heavy burden. Plus, having over a dozen of himself crammed into his small room was claustrophobic.
He dispelled the clones. Boom. Memories from over a dozen different perspectives flooded his brain simultaneously. Night's head throbbed.
No wonder the scroll warned that excessive use could cause mental instability or schizophrenia. It emphasized that only those with strong mental fortitude should attempt it.
"My nephew's 'Main Character Halo' is really something. It's not just his stamina; he must have inherited Minato's nerves of steel too."
For the other ninjutsu scrolls, Night decided to take a shortcut. Why grind when you can pay to win?
"Pawn."
[Scan Complete. Pawnable Items Discovered:]
[Ding! Unrecorded Ninjutsu x4 ... Valuation: 5 Points/each]
[Ding! Unrecorded Advanced Ninjutsu x1 ... Valuation: 40 Points]
"Pawn all."
[Current Pawn Points: 2130]
[Redeemable Items:]
[Uzumaki Clan Sealing Techniques — Cost: 4000 Points (Purchasable individually)]
[Yuki Clan Bloodline — Cost: 600 Points]
[Basic Kaguya Bloodline — Cost: 100 Points]
[Rapid Body Repair — Cost: 500 Points/Use]
[Kenjutsu (Mastery) — Cost: 200 Points]
[Longsword Ninja Art (Nuibari) — Cost: 200 Points]
[Forbidden Jutsu: Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu — Cost: 80 Points]
[Wind Style: Great Breakthrough — Cost: 10 Points]
[Lightning Style: Earth Flash — Cost: 10 Points]
[Earth Style: Underground Projection Fish — Cost: 10 Points]
[Genjutsu: Sly Mind Affect Technique — Cost: 10 Points]
"All good stuff!" Night sighed.
If he hadn't made that "windfall" in the Land of Whirlpools, he would just be staring at this list and crying.
He bought back the four jutsus he had just pawned, plus the Kenjutsu Mastery he got from Kushimaru. The system deducted 240 points. Memories of rigorous training flowed into his mind, and he instantly mastered the techniques.
"All set. I've got all five elemental affinities now. Once I figure out how to copy Chidori, Kakashi's going to have to change his name to 'Little Night'."
After finishing his prep, it was late. The chakra drain from his earlier experiment caught up with him, and Night fell into a deep sleep.
---
The Next Day.
Night slept until noon again. Staring at the bright sun outside, he felt a pang of guilt. Did getting a System make me lazy?
Then he mentally slapped himself. Don't think like that. If I have a System and still have to work hard, what's the point of the System?
Maybe out of consideration for his ordeal, or maybe because the front lines were chaotic, Night hadn't been assigned a new Jonin leader yet.
According to regulations, a Genin couldn't take missions without a leader. So, ironically, Night had free time.
He decided to use this opportunity to execute his plan. After a quick lunch, he started searching the village for a certain "Rare Beast."
"497, 498, 499..."
Deep in the forest, he heard the familiar counting and heavy breathing. Night perked up and walked toward the sound.
There, he saw a man in a green spandex suit and a bowl cut, training desperately. Every time he was about to collapse, he would mutter things like "Youth!" and "Burn!" to keep going.
Night's eyes lit up. The man matched his memories perfectly.
Might Duy. The Legend of Konoha. The "Eternal Genin" you absolutely should not mess with. The man who would trade his one life to speedrun the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, kicking them out of the "elite" tier permanently with all Eight Gates open.
This Might Duy was still young, his signature stubble not as prominent yet. He was currently doing push-ups.
Night quietly walked to a spot nearby and started training on his own.
Duy noticed the newcomer and was about to move away, but seeing that it was a young boy doing basic exercises just like him, his competitive spirit flared. He started training even harder.
The two of them, one big and one small, began a silent competition in the woods. Night relied on his Uzumaki recovery speed to bounce back quickly after short breaks.
Duy, lacking ninjutsu talent, relied on the monstrous stamina he had built up over years of physical conditioning.
They didn't speak a word, but a strange understanding formed between them. They trained until the sun went down.
Night reached his limit. Sweat dripped off him like rain.
Originally, he had planned to stop halfway and strike up a conversation. But he realized that pushing his body to the limit made it absorb the Sage Body's power like a sponge. His chakra flow and refinement speed increased noticeably.
Night got into the zone, following Duy's rhythm with single-minded focus. Even simple exercises felt profound.
It wasn't until hunger gnawed at his stomach and his muscles screamed in agony that he snapped out of it.
They stopped at the same time and looked at each other.
Duy, already seeing Night as a kindred spirit, flashed a blindingly white smile and gave a thumbs-up.
"YOUTH! Can you feel it burning, young man?!"
"I feel... my stomach acid burning."