Academy routine settled quickly.
Morning drills.
Basic theory lessons.
Chakra awareness exercises beginning cautiously now that most students had reached the appropriate age.
Kaen performed consistently — never top, never bottom.
Intentional.
Low visibility was still priority.
Training outside class continued as usual.
Observation Haki refinement during walks.
Armament conditioning through controlled physical exercise.
Stamina building quietly before dawn.
No dramatic breakthroughs lately.
Just steady sharpening.
Which Kaen preferred.
Explosive growth attracted attention.
Steady growth built foundations.
Then, one ordinary morning, the system stirred again.
Not during training.
Not during stress.
Just while he sat quietly reviewing academy notes.
[New Function Unlocked]
Daily Lottery System Activated
Description:
• One free spin per day.
• Random reward: item, skill fragment, physical enhancement, or system utility.
• No point cost required.
• Rewards scale with host growth.
System Shop remains LOCKED
→ Unlock Condition unchanged: Conqueror's Haki Awakening.
Kaen didn't react outwardly.
Years of secrecy made emotional restraint instinctive.
Internally though…
Interesting.
A variable factor.
Potential advantage — if used carefully.
Also potential risk if it encouraged recklessness.
That evening, alone in a quiet training spot, he tried the first spin.
No dramatic visuals appeared externally.
Only a faint interface in his perception.
A silent wheel turning.
Then stopping.
Reward Obtained:
• Minor Physical Recovery Boost (Temporary Passive)
Effect: Slightly faster muscle recovery for 24 hours.
Kaen nodded slightly.
Practical.
Not flashy.
Useful for sustained training without overstrain.
Exactly the type of benefit he valued.
He made a rule immediately:
No dependency.
Lottery was support, not foundation.
Real strength still came from effort.
Past-life mistakes taught him that shortcuts often weakened discipline.
Academy days continued normally.
Jiraiya remained loud but improving steadily.
Tsunade showed exceptional control already.
Orochimaru observed everything — including people.
Sometimes Kaen felt that analytical gaze again.
Not hostile.
Just curious.
Which could become dangerous later.
So Kaen maintained his neutral persona:
Polite.
Capable.
Unremarkable.
Hitomi noticed his slightly improved recovery first.
"You don't look as tired after training lately."
"Better pacing," Kaen replied.
Not entirely false.
Just incomplete.
She accepted it without probing further — one of the reasons Kaen trusted her more than anyone else.
Politically, nothing major shifted.
Clan still distant.
Village still cautious.
Allowance still minimal but consistent.
Kaen still considered long-term options quietly.
No rush.
Strength first.
Always.
That night, after his second lottery spin yielded a simple grip-strength enhancement, Kaen lay awake thinking.
Fate, randomness, opportunity.
Interesting concepts.
But ultimately…
Control mattered more.
And Kaen intended to remain in control — even of luck itself.
Outside, wind rustled autumn leaves again.
Inside, two war orphans slept in a house they'd rebuilt with their own hands.
And slowly, quietly…
Their future was beginning to take shape.