Konoha.
Inside a house, the night was quiet. Yagyu Masahiko lay on his bed, holding a book in his hand, though his gaze was actually fixed on a glowing screen hovering before his eyes.
The screen displayed a recap of the recent events: Naruto's graffiti prank, his game of tag with the pursuing ninja, and his eventual capture by the Uchiha Police Force.
As for what happened next...
Contrary to Masahiko's expectations, the person who brought Naruto out of the station was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.
The moment the final scene of the broadcast concluded—
[Popularity Rating: S]
[Comprehensive Assessment...]
[Congratulations! You have been promoted to: S-Rank Golden Supporting Actor.]
[Reward Received: Actor's Basic Advancement – Ninjutsu Edition.]
[Ninjutsu Training Module Unlocked.]
In the next instant, the familiar system interface floated into view.
[Ability Advancement]
[Status: Unlocked — Actor's Basic Advancement: Ninjutsu Edition]
[Duration: Permanent]
'Ninjutsu Advancement!'
Masahiko's eyes lit up, his heart pounding with ecstasy.
This was exactly what he needed!
The so-called "Ninjutsu Advancement" was likely similar to the Taijutsu module—comprised only of fundamental techniques and knowledge. However, for him, even these basics were a wealth of information usually beyond his reach.
This was far more valuable than a single [Ninjutsu Proficiency Boost Card]!
Suppressing his excitement, Masahiko recited the command in his mind and was instantly transported to that familiar mental space.
He had already more or less completed the Taijutsu edition. Although he still couldn't defeat the Young Might Guy projection, he had—as the Young Beast himself admitted—learned almost all the technical aspects. What remained was the long grind of fusion, digestion, and physically enhancing his body's strength and speed.
Entering the Taijutsu space now would, at best, serve as combat sparring.
But the Ninjutsu Advancement was different.
While it was also "basic" training, Masahiko was destitute in the department of Ninjutsu, relying entirely on self-study until now. With "Basic Advancement," he would achieve twice the results with half the effort!
Masahiko waited with bated breath.
Moments later, lines of text surfaced within the blank white void.
[Scanning...]
[Detected Trainable Ninjutsu: Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.]
Soon, a projection materialized before him.
The Copy Ninja of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi.
"Hello. I will be responsible for your Ninjutsu Advancement."
"Can I train all my Ninjutsu here?" Masahiko asked in surprise.
The projection of Kakashi shook his head. "I am limited to basic elemental Ninjutsu. Furthermore, I will only teach you theory and fundamental techniques. Anything deeper requires your own research and development."
Kakashi glanced around the white void. "However, you may practice your Ninjutsu here freely."
"Understood."
Masahiko nodded, the situation clear to him.
It was similar to the Taijutsu module, but arguably more useful. In reality, releasing a Ninjutsu consumed a significant amount of chakra. Physical stamina could be recovered with soldier pills, but spiritual energy—the other half of chakra—required rest.
Not everyone was Uzumaki Naruto.
But this space changed everything. Here, he could unleash Ninjutsu recklessly without worrying about exhaustion.
"The Fireball Jutsu is C-Rank difficulty," the projection of Kakashi began. "The difficulty itself isn't high. The key points to focus on are the continuous extraction and output of chakra..."
Kakashi began explaining the theory. Masahiko listened intently.
When the explanation concluded, Kakashi said, "Try using it once so I can see."
"Alright."
Masahiko nodded and wove the hand signs.
A moment later, a wave of flames surged from his mouth, rolling and expanding into a massive fireball that roared through the air.
Kakashi nodded in assessment. "You are very familiar with the execution. However, your chakra refining, control, and hand seals are all suboptimal. These are the basic fundamentals of Ninjutsu; you need to bring them up to standard."
As he spoke, Kakashi's hands moved, his fingers forming a blur of afterimages.
In the blink of an eye, the seals were complete. A massive torrent of fire spewed from his mouth, forming a colossal fireball. It was the same Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, and the same scale, but his casting speed was leagues ahead of Masahiko's.
In actual combat, a fraction of a second could be the difference between life and death.
Masahiko's expression turned solemn. "Can I use the Shadow Clone Jutsu to practice here?"
"You can." Kakashi nodded.
For his first attempt, to avoid accidents, Masahiko created only a single Shadow Clone.
While Kakashi explained the nuances of hand seals and chakra control to the main body, Masahiko practiced the movements repeatedly. Meanwhile, his Shadow Clone stood to the side, endlessly firing off Fireball Jutsu.
The training was dry and tedious, but when it came to Ninjutsu technique, there were no shortcuts.
After a long while, Masahiko dispelled the Shadow Clone.
A momentary shock made him dizzy, but compared to his first time using the technique, the backlash was significantly milder, despite the longer duration and larger volume of information.
He seemed to be adapting to the mental feedback!
This meant he didn't need to worry about chakra consumption—only the mental side effects of dispelling the clones.
'If my Shadow Clone Jutsu hadn't already reached the Mastery level, the feedback from even a single clone's training might have knocked me unconscious.'
'But now...'
'Two clones shouldn't be a problem.'
Masahiko's eyes shone.
Triple the training efficiency. Even with average talent, under these conditions, he could improve rapidly!
The Next Morning.
Masahiko woke up with a lingering headache.
He didn't know how late he had trained the previous night; he only remembered exiting the space when he was utterly exhausted.
But now...
He summoned his system panel, his eyes lighting up instantly.
[Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu: Mastery]
In just one night, he had elevated the Fireball Jutsu to the Mastery level.
Of course, that was secondary.
The most important gain was the foundational Ninjutsu knowledge taught by the Kakashi projection. Hand seals, chakra refinement, and activation mechanics.
Without a dedicated instructor, these tricks and knacks would have taken Masahiko ages to figure out on his own, even with his memories of the anime.
'It seems this kind of module unlock is a reward exclusive to S-Rank ratings,' Masahiko realized.
He then fell into deep thought.
Compared to the second episode, his attitude toward Naruto in the third episode had shifted. This proved his hypothesis was correct.
Now that his identity as a "Villain" was solidified in Naruto: The Prequel, the surface-level distinction between good and evil no longer mattered as much.
A profound, high-tier villain doesn't walk around looking like a bad guy. Instead, they engage in deep-cover camouflage.
Like Yakushi Kabuto. Like Aizen Sōsuke.
Furthermore, he shouldn't be purely "evil." He needed a great pursuit, a noble goal.
As Masahiko constructed the persona in his mind, he tapped his finger lightly against his desk, his eyes growing brighter.
He then took down the notebook gifted to him by the Third Hokage from the shelf and began to study it earnestly.
After reading through it once, Masahiko understood.
It was indeed a training journal. However, it wasn't for Ninjutsu, but a collection of notes on Taijutsu and Kenjutsu (Sword Techniques).
He grabbed his own notebook and began reading through the Hokage's notes again from the beginning, recording his own inspirations and insights as he went.
In just over an hour, he had filled an entire page.
Just as Masahiko was immersing himself in study, a soft voice called out from below.
"Sensei, are you home?"
Hm?
Hearing the voice, he paused for a second.
Then, the owner of the voice surfaced in his memory.
Yamanaka Ino.
The little girl often circled around him, so she had left a strong impression.
He poked his head out the window.
"Ino? Is something the matter?"
Ino looked up, her expression brightening instantly, adding a touch of radiance to her face. She lifted a basket in her hand.
"Sensei, my mom taught me how to make Cherry Blossom Dumplings this morning. I made a few really pretty ones and thought I'd bring them over for you to taste!"
"You..."
Masahiko paused for a second, then smiled warmly.
"Wait a moment, let me wash up."