Chapter 6: The Yotsuki Clan's Gift – A Powerful Body
[Trait: Muscle Memory (White)]
Condition Fulfilled: Repeated an intensive training regimen to build instinctual habits.
Progress: 100%
Effect: After extensive repetition, your muscles have adapted to these actions. You can now perform them reflexively without conscious thought.
Your muscle memory is 10% more efficient than normal.
Currently unable to correct flawed muscle memory.
Note: Can be upgraded.
Seiji felt the chakra drain from his body as he climbed a few more steps and finally reached the treetop. The forest stretched endlessly below, with birds chirping in the distance.
"It seems any kind of repetitive training can trigger this… and I guess I'm not without talent either," Seiji thought.
Most Uchiha were considered elites, and Seiji had the same blood running through his veins. There was no way he was talentless.
Compared to the trees used in Team 7's training arc, this one was much shorter. Reaching the top didn't take much effort.
"Seiji, have you trained like this before in the Land of Lightning?" Rin asked gently.
"No," Seiji replied as he climbed down, breathing slightly heavier.
After all, he had the mind of an adult, allowing him to focus better than a kid like Obito—but it also meant heavier chakra consumption. His muscles were already aching.
[Trait Unlocked: Tree Climber (White)]
Condition Fulfilled: Walk up a tree using chakra.
Status: 100%
Effect: On uneven or special terrain, chakra control is more proficient. Chakra cost for tree-walking reduced by 10%.
Note: Can be upgraded.
Seiji paused, surprised that such a simple task had granted him another trait.
"So the trait system responds not just to internal growth but to external accomplishments as well," he mused.
Previously, traits like Muscle Memory or Reading Absorption were internally triggered. But now, external feats also counted.
"If I graduate early or rank first in the class… would that trigger a new trait or an upgrade?" Seiji speculated.
However, his current identity was far too conspicuous. Even if he could stand out, doing so now would only invite trouble. He needed to bide his time, grow stronger in secret, and act only when the rewards outweighed the risks.
"No way! You're hiding something, aren't you?" Obito exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
He couldn't accept that Seiji might have surpassed him this easily—did this mean he'd be stuck as the bottom of the class again?
"Believe what you will, Obito," Seiji replied calmly.
Though Obito appeared kind and enthusiastic as a child, Seiji knew he was someone who would abandon everything for love—someone capable of extreme decisions.
Obito's fall began with Rin's death, pushing him to cast Infinite Tsukuyomi and plunge the world into a fabricated dream, believing it to be true peace. He even attacked his mentor's newborn son—Naruto—on the day of his birth.
And Minato and Kushina had treated him kindly.
A man like that, who lashes out when the world turns against him, was not someone Seiji wanted to befriend.
"Alright, Obito," Rin cut in, noticing the hostility in Obito's tone. Considering Seiji's background, she chose not to press and instead tried to ease the tension.
"It's getting late—we should head back."
"See you tomorrow, Rin," Seiji said politely before heading toward the exit.
Rin watched his retreating figure and muttered, "He's nothing like those crude rumors about the Land of Lightning."
She actually found Seiji quite pleasant—not loud like Obito, and not cold and sarcastic like Kakashi.
"Hey, Rin, don't you think his chakra feels... strange? A little cold?" Obito asked.
"Chakra doesn't define a person," Rin responded quietly.
---
On his way home, Seiji walked through the bustling streets, quietly observing the crowd.
The Land of Fire had excellent geography, and Konoha, situated near its heart, enjoyed a temperate, comfortable climate. Living here was far more pleasant than in the Land of Lightning.
But this comfort could also dull a ninja's edge.
Seiji shook his head and looked away.
The Third Great Ninja War loomed only a few years away—an unavoidable storm pressing down on him like a mountain. Once he became a ninja, he would be sent to the battlefield.
If he wanted to survive, he had to grow much stronger before that day came.
Thud.
Someone bumped into him.
"Sorry," the passerby said hurriedly, disappearing into the crowd.
"No problem," Seiji replied, continuing on as if nothing had happened.
But his fingers closed tightly around the unfamiliar object now hidden in his hand. He quickened his pace.
This was the second time.
Another Cloud Village spy.
In the ninja world, information was everything. All major villages sent spies to infiltrate each other—discover one, and another would soon take their place. The cycle of espionage and counterintelligence never ended.
---
At the Naka Shrine
Fugaku rubbed his temples as the other clan members filed out, leaving only Mikoto behind.
"The Root agents have arrived. If Seiji checks out, I'll need you to keep a close eye on him," Fugaku said, his gaze serious.
Mikoto, dressed in a green flak jacket, had a serene, traditional beauty—but there was a sharpness to her demeanor as well.
"Understood," she nodded.
She caught the implication.
If Seiji was a spy, his fate was already sealed.
But if he wasn't, the clan needed to deepen his loyalty. As a child raised outside the village, his heart may still be influenced by the world beyond. He had to form… bonds with the Uchiha.
---
Back at home, Seiji didn't examine the object immediately. He tucked it into the left pouch of his pants and returned to reading the textbooks he'd brought from the academy.
His traits "Reading Absorption" and "Foundational Memory" were close to completion.
Soon, the soreness in his muscles began to fade.
"The Yotsuki clan's gift," Seiji realized.
The Uchiha were already known for their chakra reserves. Coupled with the Yotsuki clan's genetic strength, it was no wonder his body recovered so quickly.
The Land of Lightning was filled with towering peaks and dense fog. According to official manga and anime series, it was originally the homeland of the Yotsuki clan.
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