Although Minato Namikaze had been shocked at first, he quickly let it go. After all, despite his precociousness, he was still just a kid.
Kaien was just... a little too good-looking. Even he occasionally got mistaken for someone else by the neighborhood aunties. So... maybe it wasn't that strange?
"Minato, what's wrong?"
Uchiha Kaien waved a hand in front of Minato's face until he finally snapped out of it.
"Ah—nothing. I was just thinking about ninjutsu."
Of course, there was no way Minato was going to admit what had really been on his mind. He had enough social sense for that. So he quickly changed the subject.
"Come on, help me practice my taijutsu again, Kaien."
[Affection from Minato Namikaze +1]
"Sure, I guess."
Kaien still looked a little puzzled, but when he glanced at the translucent screen and saw the affection score tick up again, he didn't dwell on it too much.
Was Minato just shocked that Kaien was older than him?
Though... he hadn't gotten a clear look at him from the front just now, had he?
...
After having dinner with Minato again, Kaien made his way home alone to the Uchiha compound.
The sunset stretched the trees' shadows long across the street. A few flickering old streetlamps buzzed faintly in the background. Alone, Kaien looked especially small as he turned into the street where his house was—and ran headfirst into Uchiha Fugaku rounding the corner.
"Oof—!"
Thanks to the height difference, Kaien slammed into Fugaku's waist and instinctively sucked in a sharp breath.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Fugaku looking down at him with exasperation.
"Fugaku-san…"
"Watch where you're going next time."
Fugaku sighed at the tiny kid clutching his forehead. Could this guy really take care of himself?
"Right, I actually came to find you. I already filled out your enrollment paperwork. You'll start at the academy in three days."
"Got it. Thanks."
Kaien's bright, girlish voice was music to Fugaku's ears.
Even if this little guy wasn't actually a girl, cute boys and girls looked pretty similar at this age anyway. If he just imagined Kaien as a little sister, it was... honestly kind of nice.
"Be sure to get there before 8 a.m. on enrollment day. Don't be late."
"Okay~"
...
After seeing Fugaku off and earning two more affection points, Kaien finally flopped onto his bed at home.
Time to check today's gains.
[Total Affection: 20 – Lottery Available]
A translucent blue screen popped up. Kaien tapped the "Draw" option with his mind, and the affection score reset to zero.
This time's pull was even worse than the last—just two plain white orbs.
Kaien reached out and popped them both.
[Chakra +5]
[Spirit +1]
Spirit?
Kaien's eyes lit up. That was a new stat!
Spirit should be related to mental power, right?
[Answer: Spirit determines the strength of the host's mental energy.]
So boosting Spirit would also enhance the power of his Sharingan, since it was tied to mental prowess. But... it didn't help his physical body at all.
System, you did this on purpose, didn't you? If my Spirit gets too high, won't my body be overwhelmed by the strain?
[Answer: Excessively high Spirit compared to Physique may result in unpredictable consequences.]
"So you can answer questions, huh? Then tell me—how do I cure Kekkei Genkai Syndrome?"
[...]
Silence.
Kaien narrowed his eyes.
"So, are you just a dumb AI that can only respond to basic stuff?"
[...]
Two minutes passed. Still no response.
Kaien let out a long sigh.
The pressure was definitely mounting. Hopefully, his next draw would give him some Physique to balance things out.
Plenty of people in the original series died from Kekkei Genkai Syndrome. The most notable ones were Kimimaro and Uchiha Itachi.
Kimimaro died at fifteen. Itachi only made it to twenty-one. While the manga never stated exactly when Kimimaro developed the illness, Itachi was believed to have contracted it at thirteen—right after awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Aside from awakening the Mangekyō at such a young age, the immense psychological stress from both his clan and the village had likely contributed to triggering the illness.
But hey—at least they didn't get it this early!
Kaien already had symptoms now. Who knew how long he had left?
Still, all he could do was keep living. No sense worrying about a future he hadn't reached yet. For now, he was still alive—and at this age, he still had time to grow.
Once he got into the Ninja Academy, he'd find a way to connect with the Sannin—either Orochimaru or Tsunade. One was destined to become the top scientist in the ninja world; the other, its greatest medical ninja.
If Kaien couldn't cure this himself, he'd have to rely on others.
As for Jiraiya… yeah, Kaien didn't consider him an option.
Not to brag, but with his looks, there was no way he'd be short on admirers once he grew up. He didn't need anything from Jiraiya's "school."
...
Three days later.
At the gates of the Ninja Academy, Kaien and Minato squeezed through the crowd, scanning the posted class rosters.
"I see it! First Year, Class A—Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Kaien. Awesome, Kaien, we're in the same class!"
Minato pointed excitedly at the names on the notice board.
There they were. First Year, Class A.
Kaien had actually asked Fugaku yesterday if there was some behind-the-scenes arrangement at the academy. After a bit of pestering—and flashing his best puppy-dog eyes—Fugaku finally explained the class assignment process.
Class A was mostly made up of children from ninja clans, along with a few carefully selected orphans and civilians with notable talent.
That was why Minato had received chakra extraction techniques early last year—they had been watching him.
A year of observation was enough for the academy to identify which kids had real potential.
"Let's go inside and find out where our classroom is..."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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