Day 1: Fangs of a Ghost
It was 4:43 a.m.
Rei stood alone on the rooftop of an abandoned building on the edge of Musutafu.
His hands were wrapped in cheap tape. His breath fogged in the cold. Below him, the city had yet to wake.
System, he murmured.
Taijutsu Expansion Tree: Active. Basic Gated Training unlocked.
New Techniques Acquired:
First Gate: Gate of Opening (Locked—chakra flow insufficient)
Dynamic Entry
Leaf Whirlwind
Chakra Leg Amplification (Stage 1)
Recommended Training Path: Daily Conditioning. Goal: Full chakra muscle integration.
Rei rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Fine. Let's grind."
He threw the first punch at the air—slow and clumsy. His body wasn't ready yet. Not for the gates. Not even close.
But that didn't matter.
He dropped and began push-ups. Then squats. Then chakra control drills on the wall. Then sprinted up the fire escape and back down for three hours straight.
By sunrise, he collapsed onto the rooftop and glared at the sky.
"Stupid system," he muttered. "You sure you're not trying to kill me?"
Host is free to die. Progress will transfer to next suitable soul.
"…You're bluffing."
Try me.
---
Day 2: Chakra Control Hell
Rei sat in a lotus position, balancing a bottle of ramen broth on his head and a coin on each knee.
His task? Maintain tree-climbing chakra control on only his calves, while balancing objects, while meditating.
It was absurd.
He tried. Failed. Tried again.
By noon, he had fallen off the wall ten times.
By dusk, he could hold the pose for twenty minutes.
By night, he passed out on the ceiling, still stuck there upside down.
When he woke up the next morning, the system dinged softly:
Control milestone reached. Chakra efficiency increased by 5%.
Rei smirked. "Nice."
---
Day 3: Meet the Neighbors
He needed food.
System or not, his human stomach didn't run on chakra.
At the market, he used a Henge transformation again—this time as a teenager with messy brown hair and a shy smile.
He bumped into someone at the rice stall.
"Ah—sorry!" a bright voice said.
He turned.
Ochako Uraraka blinked at him, holding a bag of onions.
"Whoa, you look familiar. Didn't you do that demo at U.A.?"
Rei froze for half a second, then relaxed. "Maybe. I was just testing out the scene."
"You got a cool Quirk! That whole 'punch with sound' thing? Wild!"
He gave her a lazy half-smile. "Thanks. Yours is the gravity one, right?"
"Yup!" she beamed. "I'm Ochako."
"Rei," he offered.
They chatted casually, walking through the stalls. Uraraka bought sweet potatoes. Rei picked up dried noodles and eggs.
She paused.
"You ever try for U.A.?"
"I'm thinking about it."
She nodded. "You should! It's hard, but... I think you'd fit right in."
---
That Night: First Test Run
Mission alert appeared at midnight.
---
[SPECIAL MISSION: SHADOW TRIAL]
Objective: Neutralize a low-level villain without being seen or using named jutsu.
Reward: +10 Chakra, 1 Skill Point, Unlock: "Silent Step"
Time Limit: 72 hours
---
Rei crouched on a rooftop in downtown Musutafu. His target was a petty robber—nickname "Ink Fang"—wanted for assault and robbery. Armed with a Quirk that let him control ink tendrils.
Rei scouted him for two hours from the shadows.
System, he whispered. Show me his patrol pattern.
A mini-map blinked open in his vision, marking footsteps.
He waited.
Then struck like a whisper.
From above, he dropped down silently, chakra-softening his fall. A swift blow to the back of the neck—chakra-amplified—and the man dropped like a stone. No noise. No fight.
Rei bound his hands, shoved a note into the villain's jacket reading "He's done enough." Then vanished before the police arrived.
---
Mission Complete. Silent Step unlocked.
+10 Chakra. +1 Skill Point.
Rei lay on the roof again.
"I feel like Batman with a customer service hotline."
Correction: Shinobi with better customer service.
---
Day 4: Enter Eraserhead
At the public U.A. orientation day, Rei showed up quietly in his real body this time.
The moment he walked in, he felt it.
Eyes.
Aizawa stood across the hall.
And he didn't blink.
Rei played it cool. Registered his name. Received his trial ID. Found a seat in the back of the gym.
Then someone plopped into the chair beside him.
"Yo," said Bakugo. "You that quiet freak from the seminar?"
Rei raised an eyebrow. "You that walking fire hazard from the entrance video?"
Bakugo smirked.
"Don't get in my way."
"I wasn't planning on being behind you."
Their eyes locked.
System, Rei said, I think I've made a rival.
Correction: You've made two. Aizawa is still watching.
---
Day 5: Shadow Clone Struggles
Rei tried the Shadow Clone jutsu again in secret, in an alley.
He could form two now—just barely—but they were shaky.
"Focus on the chakra split," he muttered. "Keep it even."
One clone exploded in a puff of smoke.
The other kicked him in the shin before vanishing.
He sat down.
"…I hate them."
---
Night 5: Grinding Never Ends
He trained until midnight. Punches. Wind-up strikes. Silent Step on wet concrete. He forced himself to fight while exhausted. Shadow movement in back alleys. One-on-one with his own clone.
He ate plain rice. Washed with cold water. Meditated for clarity.
By the time he collapsed onto his futon again, he'd gained nothing flashy.
But something had changed.
His movements were quieter. His eyes sharper. His reflexes tighter.
He was becoming a shadow.
---
System Notification: Minor Upgrade Triggered
Chakra Reserve: 120/120
Control: 14%
Known Jutsu:
Substitution
Henge
Shadow Clone (2 max)
Chakra Pulse Strike
Silent Step
Leaf Whirlwind
Taijutsu Efficiency: Moderate
Tools Available: Kunai x5, Shuriken x8, Smoke Bombs x2
---
Rei looked up at the cracked ceiling of the old building.
"Day five," he whispered.
System.
Online.
"…You're not so bad."
Correction: I am essential. Host is barely competent.
"…Yeah, there you are."
---
End of Chapter