Brother Goldfinger, since when do you have a "Novice Period"?
Why did no one tell me?!
If there was a novice period, you should have said so earlier!
And to make matters worse, there are eight restrictions. Other systems usually start with at least ten benefits for newbies.
You're really trying to strike it rich here, aren't you?
Can't you just keep up with the industry standard? Is giving me two more slots so hard for you?
No matter how much he cursed internally, the Deduction Goldfinger remained completely unresponsive.
Though, if it actually responded, that would be terrifying.
Jin sighed helplessly.
He began to count the techniques currently in his arsenal.
Internal Cultivation, the Four Powers (Rokushiki), Cat Language, Spirit Gun (Reigan), and now this new technique.
Exactly eight.
Internal Cultivation and the Spirit Gun were essential. Internal Cultivation was his foundation—his future path to Immortality (Xianxia Cultivation) depended entirely on its development.
As for the Spirit Gun, it was his greatest long-range killer move.
Although it didn't have much potential for future development, in the early stages, his damage output relied entirely on the Spirit Gun.
Regarding the Four Powers, Soru (Shave) for movement and Kami-e (Paper Arts) for dodging were excellent. Tekkai (Iron Body) wasn't very effective for tanking damage. What kind of idiot ninja stands still to tank a ninjutsu head-on?
As for Shigan (Finger Pistol)... it could only be described as trash among trash. Even his own self-deduced Snake Life Taijutsu was stronger than Shigan.
He had only deduced it initially to complete the set of Six Powers.
And Cat Language was completely useless right now!!
"If I had known, I would have deduced stronger jutsu."
He gritted his teeth.
If he had deduced jutsu with higher skill ceilings and thrown them out for others to learn, he could have skyrocketed in power once they mastered them.
What a pity.
In his previous life, he had never heard of a Goldfinger system that didn't mention its novice period until it expired.
How did he get stuck with this one?
He looked up at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was immersed in his experiments with Hashirama Senju's cells and didn't notice Jin's distress.
Jin looked back at the update log description floating above the input box.
[1. Removed Host's Instant Mastery Ability.]
[2. Removed Ability to Level Up via Others' Progress.]
[3. Added Detailed Information to Deduction Process.]
[4. Will absorb the full knowledge base of anyone other than the Host (who learns the Host's techniques), allowing arbitrary retrieval of their knowledge.]
[5. Will use the System-absorbed knowledge base for direct deduction, eliminating the need to provide a thought process/thesis.]
[6. Increased Host's Comprehension by 10%.]
"Hss." Jin sucked in a breath of cold air, feeling a phantom ache in his back molars.
The noise was too loud.
Orochimaru cast a puzzled glance in his direction.
"It's nothing, just thought of something."
Jin quickly waved his hand to dismiss the concern, waiting until Orochimaru returned to his experiment.
Looking at the updates, he felt a mix of joy and sorrow.
It was clear that the "Novice Period" was over, and the difficulty had spiked directly.
But the functionality had also improved significantly.
Now, he simply didn't lack any ninjutsu. As long as someone cultivated the techniques he provided, the knowledge in their mind effectively belonged to him.
Jin looked at Orochimaru with a distant gaze.
For example, the future Impure World Reincarnation (Edo Tensei). Although he would need to retrieve it, it was just a slightly more troublesome process.
In other words, from today onwards, he no longer lacked jutsu. As long as he knew the name or conditions required, he could search for it directly.
Deduction wouldn't be as troublesome anymore, either. Previous deductions were based entirely on his own knowledge base. Now, the knowledge base had expanded with the number of people connected to him.
Basically, most of the ninjutsu he could think of could be deduced directly.
However, if something fell within everyone's blind spot of knowledge, it would still fail.
He no longer needed to rack his brains writing a thesis on principles or collecting jutsu scrolls.
Just inputting the desired technique name and effect would complete the deduction.
But without the ability to instantly master skills or level up through others...
Even getting started would be difficult for him!!
The only consolation was that the deduction would list the entire process in detail, plus the added 10% comprehension boost.
Learning would be relatively easy.
But it was easier before!!
"This Goldfinger was created to make people take postgraduate entrance exams, wasn't it?!"
At first, it was a beginner's tutorial. Now it was ramping up the difficulty.
It was... hard to evaluate.
He felt that he could rise using this Goldfinger, and in the future, even without relying on it, he could easily deduce things himself.
The previous stage was writing a university thesis. This stage was the test. The next stage would probably be a Ph.D. dissertation.
"Truly, live until you're old, learn until you're old."
However.
"Unawakened Uchiha fusing with Hashirama Cells."
Characters began to bounce in the input box before his eyes.
Various data and conclusions appeared on how to awaken the eyes and fuse the cells.
The summary was: First awaken the Sharingan, then awaken the Mangekyō, then improve the Hashirama Cells, and you can achieve perfect fusion.
Not a single side effect.
"Did I need you to tell me that?!"
If he could awaken his eyes, would he have needed to deduce a solution?!
The instructions for awakening the Sharingan were very clear: Awakening requires extreme emotions to birth a special Chakra. The Mangekyō requirement is extremely high.
It was like saying nothing at all.
Don't speak next time.
"This thing won't turn into an artificial retard, will it?"
But thinking about it carefully, there weren't many people connected right now. Although the jutsu data in these people's minds was substantial, they indeed couldn't find a way to fuse without awakening the eyes.
"It seems the underlying knowledge is insufficient."
"If only I could connect to Uchiha Madara."
The current Uchiha Madara was still hiding somewhere in the ninja world, waiting for an Uchiha capable of awakening the Mangekyō to appear.
The ninjutsu data in his mind, and especially his research on the Sharingan, would definitely be top-tier in the ninja world.
Unfortunately, he couldn't connect to him.
"This goddamn Goldfinger."
Jin roared internally.
...
Daytime.
Jin rolled up his sleeves and was picking rice in a paddy field.
He watched Minato and Kushina, who were already covered in mud.
Whoever said ninjas don't farm was lying. There was indeed farmland to be tended, but unfortunately, it was all work for Genin.
These were all D-Rank missions. Time-consuming and exhausting, with pitiful pay. Naturally, no one liked taking these missions.
"Teacher Jiraiya, when can we take on some high-level missions?"
Kushina shouted with a face full of dissatisfaction at Jiraiya, who was writing and drawing over on the sidelines.
"High-level missions, huh." Jiraiya stopped his pen. The strength of this squad naturally qualified them for higher-level missions.
But generally, formal Genin squads needed to do these basic missions to cultivate teamwork.
Although ostensibly it was to increase mission proficiency...
But these three disciples of his... were already so familiar with each other.
He looked at Jin and Minato, who were still working hard.
And at Kushina, who wanted to slack off.
The bonds already existed. The tacit understanding cultivated during this period should be fine.
"Alright, today I'll take you to accept a high-level mission."
Jiraiya put away his book and pen.
"Then hurry up!!" Kushina got excited.
She had had enough of harvesting wheat and cleaning up trash!
And taking care of old people, babysitting kids, moving cargo...
They were ninjas!! Not servants!!
"You guys had better get changed." Jiraiya looked at their muddy clothes with disdain.
"Right away!"
Kushina hooked one arm around Minato's neck and the other around Jin's, dragging them off into the distance in a cloud of dust.
"Truly swift." Jiraiya scratched his head, looking at the relatively abundant rice field.
These agricultural products were to meet the basic needs of Konoha.
But ninja expenses came from the funds allocated by the Daimyo.
After all, ninjas were big spenders. Just eating and drinking wasn't enough.
Soon, Kushina came sprinting back, literally dragging the two boys so fast their feet were off the ground.
Jiraiya helplessly covered his forehead. She really was just like Tsunade.
"Teacher Jiraiya, let's go." Kushina released the two upon reaching the destination, her eyes shining.
Jin and Minato exchanged a glance.
Jin: Maybe you should swap her out. This girl is too tiger-ish (wild). She'll definitely beat her husband in the future.
Minato turned his head slightly.
Did this guy understand my look or not?
Seeing the blush rising on Minato's face...
"Forget it. Let the world be destroyed."
...
Konoha Mission Hall.
Jiraiya walked in with the trio.
"Jiraiya." Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind a long table, adjusting his Hokage hat.
Jiraiya stepped forward and slammed his hand on the table.
"Teacher Sarutobi, give us a B-Rank mission."
"Hmm." Hiruzen glanced at the three behind Jiraiya.
Except for Jin, he was very familiar with them.
The genius civilian boy who dominated the Academy rankings, Namikaze Minato. And the Jinchūriki, Kushina.
One gentle, one explosive.
His gaze stopped on Jin. Jin stared back.
Who do you think you're looking at?
He had just roasted Uchiha Hikaku (Fire Core) a while ago. Roasting Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be an issue either.
Hiruzen shifted his gaze back to Jiraiya.
This one clearly wasn't a fuel-efficient lamp (easy to deal with). But he didn't seem like the type to hide his thoughts, and he certainly didn't look like someone silently cultivating secret techniques.
An Uchiha with deep thoughts was too dangerous.
Everything was still up for debate.
"Jiraiya, it seems you have a lot of confidence in them."
"This is my, the great Jiraiya's, first time leading a team. Let's go straight for a B-Rank mission."
Jiraiya proudly patted his chest. Although he wanted to say some bold words, it was better to start with a B-Rank mission for practice.
If it involved Chunin, his three disciples could handle it easily.
"If it's a B-Rank mission, there actually is one here."
Hiruzen took out a scroll and placed it in front.
"A mission to investigate a spy within the village. Confirm if the target is a spy. If they are, assassinate them without alerting others."
This wasn't a time of peace. There were no bandits outside for them to practice on.
In these times, ninja wars could break out anywhere. Bandits were scared too. Those who could hide hid, or they fled to remote areas.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he looked at Hiruzen.
"Old man, this mission... isn't easy."
Spy missions were among the hardest of B-Rank missions. Because it was a mission issued directly by the village, the difficulty could be imagined.
The mission was divided into three steps: Reconnaissance, Evidence Collection, Assassination.
Troublesome aside...
The most fatal part was that it was impossible to determine the spy's strength. There was a high probability of them being a Chunin, but there was also a chance of them being a Jonin or a Special Jonin.
A B-Rank mission could turn into an A-Rank mission in the blink of an eye. That was something even Jiraiya had to face with caution.
However.
If it were Orochimaru or Tsunade, they might hesitate and give up after careful consideration.
But Jiraiya...
"Then let me show you the power of Team Jiraiya! We'll take this mission!"
Jiraiya picked up the scroll directly.
With him, Lord Jiraiya, present, a mission like this was just a piece of cake.