Chapter 20: One Month Later
Dawn had just broken, the sky tinged with pale light.
Seiji quickly got out of bed, washed up, and ate some bread for breakfast.
If it were up to him, he'd prefer to just eat a soldier pill and save the hassle.
Despite their reputation, soldier pills actually tasted pretty good.
The only reason people said they tasted awful was because of Sakura's special homemade versions—which were a horror all their own. The standard, store-bought ones were nothing like that.
Soldier pills were a great time-saver—no need to cook or wash dishes.
Unfortunately, they weren't exactly cheap, and Seiji couldn't afford to make them a daily meal.
After finishing breakfast, he made his way to his usual training spot and began his routine.
About an hour passed before a familiar sound echoed in his mind.
"You have unlocked the trait: [Water Walker (White)]."
[Trait: Water Walker (White)]
Condition Fulfilled: Walk steadily on water using chakra control through both feet.
Progress: 100%
Effect: Your chakra control becomes more refined in special terrains. Chakra stamina increases by 5% over baseline.
Note: Can be upgraded.
Path A: Combine with [Tree Climber (White)] to evolve into [Solid Foundations (White)]
Path B: Combine with [Tree Climber (White)] and [Three Basic Techniques (White)] to evolve into [Master of Basics (Green)]
"Two evolution paths, huh…"
Seiji stared at the system panel.
Whenever he had spare time, he would train by the river near Training Ground Three.
With his natural talent and quickly developing muscle memory, he picked things up fast.
Of course, that only applied on calm waters.
Fighting while walking on turbulent water required even more control.
Some chunin, when suddenly forced onto a water battlefield, would have to quickly form hand seals just to stay afloat.
That's where a ninja's understanding of seals (hand signs) came into play.
Almost every ninjutsu required seals.
To cast a jutsu, one had to first refine chakra, then control it, and finally release it.
Hand seals weren't just about speed—they were about guiding that transformation of energy.
From the first databook "Book of Meetings" to the final "Book of Battle" during Shippuden, the official lore had undergone many revisions.
Once, even "potential" and "luck" were attributes used to evaluate ninja—but those were removed in later editions.
However, the eight core ninja stats had always remained—further proving how vital seals were.
That's also why any jutsu that could be performed without hand seals was considered high-level.
"I'll go with the second path."
Seiji decided not to advance the trait just yet.
Evolving now would only grant him another white trait.
But if he waited and learned the Three Basic Techniques, he could synthesize them into a green trait instead.
He wouldn't need much time to learn those techniques either.
His progress with tree-walking and water-walking, combined with the bonus from the unlocked traits, had already boosted his sealing skill significantly.
With that in mind, Seiji resumed his training.
Now that the [Water Walker] trait was unlocked, the next goal was to master the Three Basic Techniques.
Recently, he had already learned two foundational E-rank ninjutsu from Rin Nohara—Transformation Jutsu and Substitution Jutsu.
Transformation Jutsu was actually the very first technique taught at the Ninja Academy.
Afterward, Rin Nohara explained the key points of the Clone Technique, the final piece of the Three Basic Techniques. All that remained was for Seiji to practice it.
After a short while of training, a prompt appeared on his trait panel.
"You have acquired the trait: [Three Basic Techniques (White)]."
[Trait: Three Basic Techniques (White)]
Condition: Learn the Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Substitution Technique.
Progress: 1%
Effect: Your understanding of the Three Basic Techniques surpasses the average. Their effectiveness is increased by 5%.
Note: Can be upgraded.
"Not bad."
Seiji kept weaving the hand seals for the Clone Technique, refining and channeling chakra again and again to cast the jutsu.
A 5% boost in effectiveness may not seem like much now—but if he kept advancing the trait, maybe his Transformation Technique could even deceive sensory-type ninja.
Normally, Transformation Techniques were easily seen through by those with strong sensory skills.
According to the Book of Battle, White Zetsu's transformation was considered the most advanced in the ninja world—so flawless that it could barely be detected, even by seasoned shinobi.
Only Naruto's malicious intent sensing was able to see through it consistently.
As the soft morning light filtered through the forest canopy, a few curious birds chirped atop the branches, watching the lone figure training below.
"Huh? There's someone here?"
Hyūga Natsu noticed a silhouette, seemingly immersed in training.
"Isn't that Uchiha Seiji from our class?"
Natsu's moss-green short hair swayed gently in the breeze. About fifty meters away, a boy in a Uchiha robe was practicing hand seals.
"Ignore him. Let's keep looking for a place to train our Byakugan."
Hyūga Tetsu, who stood beside her, spoke up.
Every member of the Hyūga clan possessed white eyes, but activating the Byakugan's true abilities still required intense training.
"Okay."
Natsu nodded and withdrew her gaze.
The Byakugan could see up to a kilometer in any direction, and this range could improve with practice.
However, training such abilities within the village or the clan compound was frowned upon—it risked invasions of privacy, something considered extremely disrespectful, and sharp-sensed ninja could detect it quickly.
More importantly, the relationship between the Hyūga and Uchiha clans was complicated. It was best to avoid unnecessary contact.
The two quietly left.
Seiji furrowed his brow. He had felt someone watching him.
When he turned around, he saw the two Hyūga just as they were walking away.
"Hyūga Natsu and Hyūga Tetsu…"
Both were minor characters from the original story.
Hyūga Natsu was part of the branch family and would eventually become Hinata's servant.
"Forget it."
Seiji shook his head and continued his training.
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A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Seiji had now fully adapted to life at the Ninja Academy.
Late autumn had arrived. The days grew colder, and winter loomed on the horizon.
At Seiji's home...
"Finally mastered it."
A faint electric current coursed through Seiji's body, pulsing gently beneath his skin and stimulating his cells.
He looked at himself in the mirror.
He had shed his once-slender frame, now showing the beginnings of a muscular build that filled out his broad Uchiha bones.
Perhaps due to his Yotsuki bloodline, his physical development was faster than most Uchiha.
He looked noticeably taller too.
"At this rate, I might end up looking like a typical Cloud ninja…"
He shook his head and stepped away from the mirror.
His skin wasn't dark—in fact, it was closer to the pale tones found among the paler-skinned Cloud ninja.
But unlike most of them, his hair was jet black, not blonde.
"Clone Technique is fully mastered. Substitution Technique is about halfway done."
Seiji pulled up the trait panel for Three Basic Techniques to check his progress.
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