Back home, Uchiha Gen sat at his desk with a small notebook open in front of him. He wrote while thinking, line after line filling the page as he took stock of every resource he currently had.
Of all the things at his disposal, Fire Release was the least of his worries.
Before a ninja reached the jonin stage and began involving deeper levels of nature transformation, the differences between one fire technique and another were real, but not insurmountable. Once someone truly understood one Fire Release ninjutsu, learning the rest became much easier. There were simply too many overlapping principles between them.
That was exactly how it had gone for him.
After the system helped raise his proficiency with the Great Fireball Technique, his understanding of Fire Release deepened as a whole. From there, other fire techniques stopped feeling unfamiliar and started feeling like variations on a language he already knew.
In that respect, all he needed to do was walk the road the Uchiha clan had already paved over generations.
When it came to Fire Release, the Uchiha were experts among experts. Even the Sarutobi clan, famous in Konoha for their mastery of fire techniques, still fell a little short of the Uchiha when it came to heritage and accumulated experience in that field.
What he truly needed to strengthen were the parts outside that advantage.
Gen laid several scrolls out across the table and arranged them in the order he had already decided on.
At the front were two scrolls and a booklet.
One held the C-rank Wind Release: Gale Palm. Another contained the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. The last was a manual with a bold title brushed across the cover: Uchiha Style Swordsmanship - Volume One.
Underneath, in smaller characters, was a note: Compiled in the Fourteenth Year of Konoha.
According to the Grand Elder, Uchiha-style swordsmanship had already taken shape more than a century earlier. During the Warring States era, it had been sorted and refined by Uchiha Izuna, the greatest swordsmanship genius the clan had produced in the last hundred years. Later, in the fourteenth year of Konoha, Uchiha Kagami reorganized and reclassified it again.
Volume One was for Uchiha who had not yet awakened the Sharingan. Its purpose was to lay the foundation. The later volumes were for those who had already awakened their eyes.
Whether or not an Uchiha possessed the Sharingan drastically changed the way they fought.
With the Sharingan's extraordinary insight, reflexes, and support for genjutsu, the Uchiha clan's swordsmanship was fundamentally different from that of other ninja clans. Their style was built to exploit advantages that ordinary swordsmen simply did not possess.
But that did not mean the first volume, the foundation chapter, was useless in real combat.
Even without the Sharingan, the opening stage of Uchiha-style swordsmanship was still a first-rate sword art in the ninja world. Its killing power was real, its structure was mature, and it could be trained and used just like the swordsmanship of any other strong clan. It was more than enough to carry someone even into the jonin level.
No top-tier expert was necessarily perfect in every category, but none of them could afford a glaring weakness either. Even if they did possess one, they would have other methods to compensate for it.
Otherwise, they would have died long before making a name for themselves.
Enemies always attacked where you were weakest.
The longer a clan endured, and the more powerful ninja it produced over the centuries, the more it came to value balanced development in its younger members. Over time, that philosophy became a series of combat systems forged and proven in blood across countless battles.
At last, Gen pulled out the final two scrolls.
He had no intention of spending his green Skill Learning Card on any of the ordinary techniques.
With his foundation and talent, learning normal C-rank ninjutsu was not especially difficult for him.
Five-year-old Itachi had learned the Great Fireball Technique from Fugaku after seeing it only once. Sasuke's talent was a little below his brother's, but he was still a genius acknowledged by Kakashi. After watching Fugaku perform the technique once, he could already spit out fire, and after an afternoon of practice, he had basically mastered it. Even the A-rank Lightning Blade, which involved lightning-nature transformation, had only taken him a month before he could use it in real combat.
Compared to monsters like those, Uchiha Gen knew his own talent was only above average among the elite. Measured against Sarutobi Enjun and Uchiha Inahisa, he was actually a little inferior. Even Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi were ahead of him by a couple points in raw aptitude. The only reason he had managed to stay above them was because of the rewards from the system's gacha.
Still, that did not mean he was lacking.
At the very least, during the early period when his level was low and the system provided almost no help, he had still entered the elite class through his own hard work and ability. That meant the people in charge of selecting students believed he possessed at least the potential to become a jonin.
He had not encountered truly high-level ninjutsu yet, so he could not say how far that potential would take him. But given enough time, proper annotations, and the right training path, learning regular C-rank techniques was not hard for him.
Still, some techniques in this world were exceptions.
Space-time ninjutsu. Sensory ninjutsu. Medical ninjutsu. Sealing arts.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was the clearest example. No matter how talented you were, if you did not have the required aptitude, then you simply could not learn it. Medical ninjutsu and sealing techniques were not quite that extreme, but the same principle applied. Talent mattered.
That was why he had specifically chosen a sensory ninjutsu from the clan archives this time. Its technical difficulty was rated at C-rank, but that rating clearly assumed the learner already possessed the talent for sensory techniques.
Originally, Gen had wanted to study medical ninjutsu to improve his ability to survive.
He had Sakura Haruno's character card, even if it was only the Ninja Academy version. If Sakura could grow into the greatest medical ninja under Tsunade, then her foundation in the field had to be excellent.
Unfortunately, there was nothing suitable for him to use.
At this point in time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's three disciples had not yet become the Legendary Sannin, and the medical ninja system had not yet been built by Tsunade. In other words, the specialized profession of medical ninja had not truly appeared yet.
Konoha certainly had a small number of people who knew medical ninjutsu, but aside from Tsunade, most of them were half-trained at best.
Current medical ninjutsu lacked a unified system. The knowledge was fragmented, the methods were scattered, and the techniques were all over the place. It was only later, when Tsunade used her astonishing vision and ability to integrate the knowledge of generations before her, that a real medical ninja system would be born and become one of Konoha's greatest strengths in future wars.
The Uchiha clan must have accumulated its own healing methods across centuries of conflict, but there was no way they could compare to the mature system Tsunade would eventually create.
After realizing it did not meet his expectations, Gen had no choice but to shift his attention elsewhere.
Sealing techniques were difficult to learn and even harder to master. Worse, before reaching a high enough level, they were not especially practical in a real fight. Compared to that, sensory ninjutsu and space-time ninjutsu were much more attractive options.
For Gen, the best choices right now were either sensory techniques or space-time techniques.
The only space-time ninjutsu currently within his reach was the Summoning Jutsu.
The function of summoning was not limited to summoning beasts. Ninja tools, puppets, and even corpses could all be brought forth with summoning techniques. Even the forbidden art Impure World Reincarnation could, in a broad sense, be classified under that category.
The Uchiha clan itself also excelled at using summoning to assist in combat. One of their more important techniques was a B-rank summoning art called Lightning Sword Transformation, which could instantly call forth large quantities of ninja tools. For a clan that specialized in ninja tools the way the Uchiha did, almost no one was more suited to that sort of technique.
The most basic Summoning Jutsu was rated C-rank. For those with aptitude in that area, it was not hard to learn. As long as chakra control was sufficient, the rest could be taught.
"First, I'll test whether I have any talent for space-time ninjutsu," Gen muttered. "If not, I'll use the Skill Learning Card on that. If I can learn it normally, then I'll use the card on the sensory technique instead."
He opened a black scroll, thought for a moment, then bit his index finger and signed his name with blood.
The purpose of the scroll was to let him establish a contract with a crow clan that the Uchiha kept.
Once he signed the contract and successfully summoned the leader of that crow clan, those ninja crows would belong to him. Technically there was a fee involved, but fortunately the Grand Elder had already waived it for him.
If new ninja crows were added in the future, he would only need to smear a little of their blood onto the back of the scroll.
"Hai - Xu - You - Shen - Wei."
After writing his name, Gen immediately formed hand seals and used the remaining blood on his finger to perform the jutsu, slamming his palm against the floor.
Black lines spread out in an instant. A plume of smoke burst into the room.
A dozen or so crows appeared in his house at once, cawing as they circled overhead.
The strongest of them, a sleek crow with glossy feathers, flapped down toward him.
A smile appeared on Gen's face. He extended his arm and let the ninja crow land there, then pulled a bag of jerky from the drawer with his other hand.
The crow lifted its head and let out a sharp cry. The other crows immediately responded, dropping to the floor in front of him and lining up in an orderly row.
Gen tore open the jerky and began feeding them piece by piece.
The real purpose of this step was to build familiarity, letting the crows become accustomed to his scent and presence. In the future, a few packets of food would be enough to keep the relationship smooth.
So I do have some talent for space-time ninjutsu, he thought.
These ninja crows had all been specially raised by the Uchiha clan. They carried a small amount of chakra in their bodies, were physically stronger than ordinary birds, could understand human language to a certain extent, and were trained in simple tactical instructions.
Their combat ability was not especially high.
If he wanted to reach the level of Itachi or Shisui, using crows in combination with ninjutsu and genjutsu, then both the summoner and the birds would need special training. That was no easier than mastering a high-level ninjutsu.
At present, there were not many of these crows. Though the clan had given them basic training, their main purpose was still reconnaissance at fixed medium and long ranges.
Along with the recon training came a set of communication methods for the summoner, allowing information to be distinguished by the loudness, frequency, and tone of the crows' calls. Enemy position, distance, numbers, distinguishing traits - all of it could be relayed that way.
After feeding the crows, Gen released the summoning and picked up the final scroll.
This one held the sensory ninjutsu.
It did not even have a special name. It was simply called the Chakra Sensing Technique. At close to medium range, it allowed the user to vaguely perceive the chakra signatures around them and judge the number and approximate strength of nearby enemies.
Gen slowly laid his hand on the scroll.
Use the Skill Learning Card (Green).
***
One day later.
With the boost from the Skill Learning Card, he had already learned the basics of chakra sensing after just one full day of study.
At his current level, when he activated his perception, he could only detect a range of roughly ten meters around him. If he wanted to stretch it farther, he would either have to improve his proficiency in the technique or strengthen his spirit enough to force the range outward through sheer power.
As dawn arrived, the sky gradually brightened.
After a full day of rigorous ninjutsu training and a night's rest, Uchiha Gen once again checked his gear and made his way toward the Ninja Academy.
He had already graduated, so of course he was not going there to attend class.
The day after the graduation exam was when all newly promoted genin would meet their assigned team instructors.
And, while he was at it, he would also be collecting his own ninja identification number.
Ninja ID: 005486.
That was Uchiha Gen's official number.
It meant he was the 5,486th graduate of the Ninja Academy.
Other members of his class, like Sarutobi Enjun, Aburame Shibi, and Nara Shikaku, had numbers that also began with 54.
It was worth noting, however, that a large portion of Konoha's ninja had never graduated from the academy at all.
The newest batch of graduates having numbers above five thousand did not mean Konoha only had a little over five thousand ninja. In fact, the academy had been quite small in its early days. The very first class contained only thirty-six students. For a long time after that, most of Konoha's ninja were still trained through their clans' own methods.
That remained the case until the Third Hokage expanded the academy several times and increased enrollment, gradually turning it into the main route by which Konoha trained ninja - and the only route for ordinary civilians to become one.
In other words, a huge proportion of Konoha's strength still came from bloodline inheritance, clan systems, and master-disciple lineages. That was how the village maintained a force of well over ten thousand ninja.
"We'll now begin announcing squad assignments."
The person presiding over the team placements was still Mengna, the same chunin examiner from the graduation test.
"Team One: Akimichi Choza, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi. Jonin instructor: Sarutobi Biwako."
"Team Two: Shibi Aburame, Tetsuka Uchiha, Sanae Kazamatsuri. Jonin instructor: Jaku Inuzuka."
One squad after another was called.
Then, at last—
"Team Seven: Sarutobi Enjun, Uchiha Gen, Uzuki Ruri. Jonin instructor: Orochimaru."
Gen finally heard his own name.
Why is Orochimaru my jonin instructor?
A faint ripple passed through his heart.
Was this a butterfly effect caused by him?
As far as he remembered, Orochimaru's known disciples should only have included two people. One was Nawaki, the First Hokage's grandson and Tsunade's younger brother, who had died in battle three years ago after stepping into a trap. The other was Mitarashi Anko - and she had not even been born yet.
And this squad lineup...
Gen glanced at Sarutobi Enjun and Uzuki Ruri.
Enjun was already grinning at Ruri like a fool, looking absurdly pleased that he'd ended up on the same team as the girl he liked.
Gen narrowed his eyes slightly.
No matter how he looked at it, this arrangement was not simple at all.