Konoha, Year 40Ninja Academy
"Practical combat drill: Kiyosuke Asakawa vs. Mizuki. Begin!"
The slightly aged teacher announced the start of the final match of this practical class.
Under the gaze of the teacher and classmates, two young children stood facing each other. Both around six or seven years old, one had silver hair and a fair, delicate complexion—likely to grow into a smooth-talking, good-for-nothing troublemaker who would coax kids into mischief.
The other had black hair and brown eyes, a sunny-faced (shota) who would undoubtedly become a handsome young man, the really dashing type.At the teacher's command, Mizuki didn't move; instead, he jeered,
"Kiyosuke Asakawa, watch me beat you black and blue this time, until you can't even eat! Let's see if those girls will still like you."
Oh my God, just look at this kid—he's seriously delusional. I'll definitely kick his ass with my shoe!Sometimes, being good-looking is a curse. Even at this age, he'd already caught someone's eye. Sigh, the girls in school are way too precocious, aren't they? It's not my fault I'm handsome!Letting out an internal sigh, Kiyosuke didn't want to pay attention to this fool. But by then, Mizuki had charged forward, throwing a small fist. Kiyosuke dodged, grabbed his silver hair, yanked it down, and simultaneously raised his knee!Thump, thump, thump!Three consecutive strikes later, Kiyosuke released Mizuki.
The latter wobbled, stars in his eyes, dizzy, nose bleeding—completely disoriented, not knowing who he was or where he was. Staggering, he turned his back to Kiyosuke.That's when Kiyosuke kicked him flying, sending him crashing to the ground in a face-plant. Mission accomplished.Mizuki lay on the ground, wailing loudly.
"The winner is Kiyosuke Asakawa!"Amid Mizuki's sobs and the cheering of a group of girls, the teacher announced the victor.The girls cheered: "Yay! Classmate Asakawa is so amazing! Just as we expected!""Right, and so handsome!""Strong and good-looking—just like Kakashi!
"The girls unanimously agreed that Kiyosuke was handsome.As for the boys:"Haha, Mizuki's crying. He got beaten so easily he cried—what a wimp!
""Pathetic! Absolutely pathetic!""Hmph, Kiyosuke Asakawa won again. This guy is so annoying to be jealous of!""So what if he won? He's still not as good as Kakashi, who became a ninja last year."As the discussion died down, the class ended. With red-rimmed eyes, Mizuki glared hatefully at Kiyosuke's retreating back, gnashing his teeth. "Why do you get everyone's attention? It was supposed to be me first... I was the first to be popular. What are you and Kakashi compared to me? Damn it, my nose hurts! Kiyosuke Asakawa, I'll make you pay for crossing me."
With a long exhale, Kiyosuke stood on the surface of the gently flowing water, eyes closed as he meticulously controlled his chakra to stay afloat. Given his current chakra reserves, as long as he maintained focus, he wouldn't fall in anytime soon.
"Let me give this a try. The hand seals should be..." He began forming hand seals, channeling the chakra within him, then bellowed: "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" A powerful gust of wind burst from his mouth, sweeping up sand and stones across the river and making the trees sway violently.
His head spun slightly, feeling oxygen-deprived, and his chakra reserves had dwindled a bit. The C-rank Wind Release jutsu, Great Breakthrough—if used continuously, he could manage around a dozen times before his chakra approached its limit.
"Time to test my ability." He clenched his fist, and suddenly a searing flame ignited upon it. There was no trace of pain on his face, for this flame wasn't formed from chakra but from another power—one not of this world.
Devil Fruit! The Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi! This ability had come with him when he reincarnated, present from the moment he gained consciousness, though he'd had to develop it from scratch. Since this world lacked substances that could suppress Devil Fruit powers, even if he fell into water, he wouldn't turn into a helpless landlubber. Backstroke, butterfly, freestyle—he could swim however he pleased.
He tightened his fist and threw a punch at the river.
BOOM!
Flame clashed with water, causing the river to explode. Water droplets rained down, soaking his clothes. The destructive power was far less than Ace's Fire Fist. It seemed the Mera Mera no Mi had adapted to this world, consuming his chakra when used—though not as much as ninjutsu. Moreover, thanks to the Devil Fruit, his chakra reserves were growing faster than those of his peers, even surpassing some Chunin.
Glancing around to confirm no one was watching, his body suddenly erupted in flames, turning him into a torch that steamed. Once his clothes were dry, the flames vanished.
"The Second Shinobi World War has just ended, and the Third is still a few years away. I must build up my strength quickly to avoid getting killed." As a ninja, he was destined for the battlefield, and survival there required real skills
Elemental transformation was indeed a god-tier ability, on par with Kamui's intangibility. But in prolonged battles, when chakra ran low, he couldn't maintain elemental form. Even with his Devil Fruit-enhanced physique, chakra remained his weak point.
After all, if you die, you're dead!
No doubt, these were trite words, yet stark truths. If he didn't want to go to war, he could just quit being a ninja—but with a cheat ability like this, it felt wrong not to use it.
With a golden finger at his disposal, living a peaceful life? He wasn't some ordinary office worker with a hand fetish seeking tranquility.
"Better to focus on developing my Devil Fruit abilities first. Ninjutsu can take a backseat for now—I don't have any remarkable jutsu anyway, and this can indirectly train my chakra."
Practicing Devil Fruit powers would also (squeeze) his chakra reserves. After consumption and recovery, his chakra would grow, much like pirates. Surviving a battle meant getting stronger. The Devil Fruit had transformed his body, edging it closer to the constitution of those in the One Piece world.
Saiyans: "..." ( Cue awkward silence )
With this in mind, he pointed at the water's surface. "Fire Pistol!"
Sparks burst from his fingertips, shooting like shooting stars into the water. All that remained was the "sizzle" of flames being quenched.
As he lowered his hand, ready to test the next move, voices reached his ears. "Big brother, that bastard Kiyosuke Asakawa usually trains around here. He must be here! You've got to teach him a lesson for me!"
That voice sounded familiar...
Wait, who wants to teach me a lesson?
Who did I offend?