"I..."
Namikaze Minato couldn't come up with a retort. It was true—he did often sneak glances at Kushina. That fiery red hair was something he genuinely liked. Plus, from his seat by the window, he had the perfect view of both red and black hair.
"Heh, just as I thought. Don't worry! As your best bro, I've got your back!"
Uchiha Kaien gave Minato a firm pat on the shoulder, his face full of confidence as he promised to help his friend win the girl.
Faced with Kaien's enthusiasm, Minato could only go along with it. Honestly, Kushina was adorable. That round face paired with her red hair? It was exactly his type.
Still… if only her personality were a bit more gentle...
Watching Kaien get all fired up, Minato couldn't bring himself to dampen the mood.
...
After breakfast, their second day as Genin officially began.
The meeting place was the mission hall, where Uchiha Kagami had already been waiting for some time.
"Today, we'll stick to basic training again. Tomorrow, we'll take on a higher-tier mission that'll let you leave the village."
"Of course, if you both do well this morning, we'll jump into live combat this afternoon."
Kagami spoke with a calm yet encouraging tone, trying to fire up the motivation of these two talented kids.
Just a bit more mission experience, and it'd be time for them to become true shinobi, he thought.
A ninja who hasn't shed blood can never fully awaken.
No matter how great someone's trait might be, without real combat, it's impossible to gauge their true potential.
For some shinobi, their true talents only emerge on the battlefield—and the Uchiha are a prime example of that.
Only through battle can the Uchiha grow stronger.
Though Uchiha Kagami was known as the gentle type within the clan, that didn't mean he shied away from combat. Especially now, when the Uchiha had no ongoing conflict with Konoha.
He served as the bridge between the village and the clan—and he had the strength to command the clan's respect.
He wasn't short on loyal followers either.
At the same time, Kagami was curious—just how far could these two gifted boys go in a real fight?
...
Afternoon
The cicadas buzzed loudly from the treetops, while a soft summer breeze blew in from the distance, bringing with it a faint chill that eased the mind.
After lunch, Team Kagami received permission to take on a C-rank mission!
[C-Rank Mission: Eliminate Bandits]
Recently, a gang of bandits has been terrorizing villages on the outskirts of Konoha. In desperation, the village leaders have submitted a mission request: eliminate the bandits who have been burning, looting, and killing.
Reward: 50,000 ryō
"Eliminating bandits? That's a top-tier C-rank mission!"
"Exactly. This will be your first real battle. I'll remain hidden in the shadows. The mission is yours to complete—together."
...
"Honestly? I don't feel anything special."
After incinerating the final bandit, Uchiha Kaien exhaled, his voice tinged with mild disappointment.
"Same here," Minato nodded. "My arm's trembling a bit, but these kinds of people... they don't deserve sympathy. Evil must be punished."
Minato felt the same. People who abandoned their humanity, who survived by plundering others, were beyond saving.
The gap between a regular person and a ninja was as vast as a canyon. Even a kid who's just awakened their chakra can lift a grown man with ease.
Let alone someone like Minato—a prodigy who graduated early.
Together, Kaien and Minato completed the mission flawlessly, earning high praise from Uchiha Kagami.
"Natural-born shinobi."
That was Kagami's assessment.
Minato, who had already accepted the harsh truths of a ninja's life, didn't enjoy killing—but he didn't shy away from combat either.
After all, it's in battle that a shinobi truly sees themselves clearly.
"You're pretty ruthless, Minato. For someone as kind as you, you sure didn't hesitate to take those guys out with your Wind Style."
Kaien teased, a grin playing on his lips.
"You're one to talk, Kaien."
Minato scratched his head sheepishly, clearly not feeling any guilt about it.
"Me?"
"I just think those guys were too disgusting to live."
Kaien had long since understood how twisted the shinobi world was. That's why he didn't care about the lives of scum like that.
It was like a video game—who would mourn an NPC you were sent to eliminate in a side quest?
If anything, getting loot and leveling up was way more satisfying.
...
"System, draw."
Lying on his bed after another full day, Kaien casually triggered his gacha pulls, bored out of his mind.
He'd saved up ten draws.
Ever since the cost of each draw in [affection] increased, Kaien developed a habit of saving for ten-pulls—it saved him a hundred points each time.
The spinning wheel of light flashed as usual... but the first nine items were all white, making Kaien frown.
Seriously? A full ten-pull with no guarantee? That's just rude.
But just as he was about to click out, a flash of gold exploded on the screen.
Kaien's frown disappeared instantly, replaced by a dazzling smile.
A golden legend!
His first-ever gold pull!
He didn't waste a second before tapping open the golden orb.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the gold-tier trait: [Summon: Phantom Beast]]
[Summon: Phantom Beast] – Summons a phantom beast that can move independently and imitate other beings. Imitation requires information material from the target. Targets may include, but are not limited to, summoned beasts, humans, or tailed beasts. The phantom beast has 50% of the user's strength and is fully under the user's control.
After reading through the details, Kaien couldn't stop grinning.
It could even imitate tailed beasts?
That meant… even without becoming a jinchūriki, he could still use the power of the tailed beasts?
And because the phantom beast was completely under his control, imitating a tailed beast would make him a perfect jinchūriki from the start.
Its power scales with his own, meaning—the stronger he became, the stronger his beast would be.
Which also meant... their combined power would only grow more terrifying!
If he mimicked the Nine-Tails, could he use Kurama Mode?
And if he mimicked the Ten-Tails... wouldn't that make him the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki?
In other words—he could become a Sage of Six Paths-level existence?
Sure, the imitations might not match the originals right away, but as his strength grew, his phantom beast would eventually surpass the real deal. It was practically guaranteed!
Especially since he could easily get the information material for the Gedo Statue...
His arsenal of trump cards just got a serious upgrade.
Now that's what a gold-tier trait should look like.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo