Life is like a small river: sometimes turbulent, sometimes calm, but no matter what, it always flows forward.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Taiichi's life was simple but fulfilling, with every day packed according to his schedule. When school was out, he would invite his friends for outings and picnics.
It's worth mentioning that after these few months of study, Taiichi not only mastered Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu and Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, but with the help of Nono and Tsunade, he also began studying basic medical ninjutsu knowledge and mastered his first medical jutsu: the Healing Jutsu. This unlocked both Wind and Yang Nature Transformations.
Speaking of Tsunade, she had given Taiichi quite a surprise. Ever since Taiichi treated her to a home-cooked meal as a thank you, Tsunade had been dropping by his place every few days to mooch a meal, sometimes even dragging Shizune along.
She didn't demand he make anything special; she ate whatever Taiichi ate. Her excuse? "Ensuring the safety of a business partner," claiming she was afraid someone might trouble Taiichi over the shares.
Although the excuse sounded somewhat plausible, let's be real—she was just freeloading.
However, this was indeed a good thing for Taiichi. After all, Tsunade was one of the Legendary Sannin, the student of the Third Hokage, and the granddaughter of the First Hokage. She was a top-tier figure in the Leaf Village. With such a massive backer, Taiichi could act with confidence. Not to mention, Tsunade herself was a treasure trove of knowledge.
Taiichi's current abilities were leagues ahead of where they had been:
> Name: Taiichi Matsushita
> Class: Apprentice Ninja Lv6 (547/1000)
> Talents: Diligence, Academic Genius
> Age: 6
> Constitution: 13
> Strength: 15
> Agility: 13
> Spirit: 20
> Chakra: 3000 (5350)
> Attribute Points: 9
> Skill Points: 9
> Nature Transformation:
> Fire Nature Transformation Lv2 (64/200)
> Wind Nature Transformation Lv2 (35/200)
> Yang Nature Transformation Lv2 (12/200)
> Skills: Basic Taijutsu Lv8 (1053/1400), Basic Meditation Lv8 (1148/1400), Chakra Refining Technique Lv8 (1186/1400), Ninja Tool Throwing Lv7 (647/1200), Transformation Jutsu Lv6 (515/1000), Clone Jutsu Lv7 (537/1200), Substitution Jutsu Lv6 (853/1000), Fire Style: Flame Bullet Lv6 (256/1000), Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu Lv6 (836/1000), Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Lv6 (648/1000), Healing Jutsu Lv6 (873/1000)
> Evaluation: Compared to some veteran Genin, you hold your own.
Through these four months of comparison, especially after getting to know Tsunade, Taiichi gained a solid understanding of the strength levels of different ninja ranks. He no longer had to rely on guesswork. This allowed him to accurately compare his own strength and panel data against standard ninja ranks.
First, regarding physical attributes: the average value for a normal person was 10 points. Each point increase wasn't linear; it represented roughly a 1.1x multiplier based on the current physical condition. Take Strength, for example: if 10 points meant a punching force of 100 kg, then 11 points would be 110 kg, 12 points would be 121 kg, and 13 points would be roughly 133 kg.
In other words, the higher the stat, the greater the gain from each additional point. This meant the Attribute Points Taiichi was saving would become increasingly valuable later on. Of course, attributes represented a comprehensive physical quality and couldn't be compared solely based on one aspect.
For average Chunin and Genin, the primary physical requirements were Strength and Agility. As long as these two met the standard, their physical condition was considered qualified. However, to become a Jonin, it wasn't just about Strength and Agility. A standard Jonin needed to have at least 20 points in either Constitution or Spirit.
This was the "gold standard" of a Jonin. It was also why there were so many Genin and Chunin, but the number of Jonin dropped off a cliff. Every single Jonin was a precious asset to the village.
Compared to the straightforward Attribute Points, Chakra growth was more complex. Taiichi hadn't figured out the exact growth formula yet. He could only say that increases in Constitution and Spirit played a decisive role in increasing Chakra capacity, while Strength and Agility had a relatively smaller impact. After all, Chakra was formed by blending physical and spiritual energy.
However, Taiichi was certain that Kekkei Genkai provided a massive bonus to Chakra capacity. Otherwise, how could ninjas like Hashirama Senju possess Chakra comparable to, or even exceeding, Tailed Beasts?
For Taiichi, the panel displayed two numbers. The first was his current internal Chakra reserve. The limit of this reserve depended on his Chakra Refining Technique level and his Constitution's endurance limit. The value in parentheses was the maximum safe amount of Chakra he could extract daily, which was a comprehensive reflection of his physical attributes. Naturally recovering Chakra wasn't included in this figure.
Currently, Taiichi's maximum Chakra reserve was 3000 points, exceeding the minimum Genin standard of 2000 points. His daily maximum extraction was 5350 points. For a student his age, this was exceptionally outstanding.
Next were the skills. For Taiichi, the most important ones were the two special skills: Basic Taijutsu and Basic Meditation. Both could enhance his physical attributes, and the level of Basic Taijutsu directly reflected his combat capability. Based on his current understanding, Basic Taijutsu Lv1-5 was foundational, Lv6-8 represented standard Genin combat power, and Lv9-10 represented Chunin combat power.
For other ninjutsu skills, generally speaking, the higher the level, the higher the proficiency, the faster the casting speed, and the lower the consumption. As for the power of the ninjutsu, aside from the base power of the technique itself, it was determined by the level of Nature Transformation.
This was the main reason why the same jutsu could have vastly different effects when used by different ninjas.
Overall, Taiichi's comprehensive abilities were absolutely sufficient to qualify as a Genin. What he lacked now was theoretical accumulation and practical combat experience. These things required time to build up; having a system panel wasn't enough on its own.
Thinking of this, Taiichi couldn't help but think of a specific jutsu—the Shadow Clone Jutsu, or even the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu. Compared to other clone techniques, the Shadow Clone's greatest feature was that when it dispersed, its memories returned to the original body. This cheat-like function was responsible for Naruto Uzumaki's monstrous learning speed later on.
But to Taiichi's disappointment, when he asked Nono and even Tsunade to teach him this jutsu, they both refused on the grounds that he was too young and learning it was too dangerous. Forget Multi-Shadow Clone; they wouldn't even teach him the regular Shadow Clone. Although they were doing it for his own good, it still left Taiichi feeling quite frustrated.
Without the boost from Shadow Clones, Taiichi could only rely on himself to learn and train slowly.