The Wood Style clone was inferior to the main body in terms of combat capability.
Unlike Shadow Clones, there was no way to perfectly distribute chakra evenly among them.
But—Wood Style clones were far more durable.
"Wood Style: Wood Clone!"
A duplicate appeared before me. I touched my own face—smooth, without scars.
Then, the system beeped.
[Physical Proficiency +1]
'It works!'
'Because of Wood Style's physique—and with unlimited chakra backing me—I can recover from injuries quickly.'
'Even without the blessing of Sage Mode, my recovery speed may not be as overwhelming as Hashirama's, but it's more than enough.'
As long as the wound wasn't fatal, I could recover.
And not just me—
Even the Wood Style clone healed the same injury, the scar on its face vanishing in an instant.
Perhaps it was because I carried too much chakra within my body.
"Finally… I can grind Taijutsu. Today, I'll raise my proficiency through brute force."
The clone gave me a silent nod.
The body and the clone rushed at each other.
Fist against fist, bone against bone, striking mercilessly.
I ignored the pain—perverted resilience kept me standing.
And since the clone also stored a massive amount of chakra, its recovery speed wasn't much weaker than my own.
Bang!
[Physical Proficiency +1]
Bang!
[Physical Proficiency +1]
Bang! Bang!
[Proficiency +1]
[Proficiency +1]
The system prompts echoed again and again.
With every sound, my fists grew sharper, heavier, faster.
My body reacted faster than my mind—skills flowing into me naturally.
I couldn't tell when it began.
But at some point, it was as if my bones were engraved with technique, my muscles memorizing every movement.
My body fought on its own—engraved in instinct, carved into flesh.
---------------------------------
Chapter 22 – The Third Generation Must Test Personally
[Physical proficiency +1]
Bang!
A dull impact rang out.
Yuichi struck a nearby tree with full force.
Crack!
The trunk split in half, collapsing loudly. Yuichi twisted his body and dodged away.
Two figures rushed at him before he could fully stand.
A fist and a kick came flying toward him.
Boom!!
Dust and smoke burst up.
Yuichi's figure flashed out from behind them.
With a leap, he kicked both clones away with a clean double strike.
Bang! Bang!!
The clones were sent flying.
"Handling two at once really is overwhelming…" Yuichi muttered with a sigh.
The two avatars climbed back to their feet.
"The main body is too cunning—using the Body Flicker Technique like that."
"That means he's only relying on taijutsu."
Hearing his clones complain made Yuichi even more annoyed.
"You two… your attacks are either too heavy or too ruthless. I wasn't even on my feet before you pounced again. Are you trying to kill me?!"
"The body's Wood Style physique recovers quickly. This kind of injury is nothing," one clone shot back.
True enough—Yuichi could heal fast. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
At this point, Yuichi felt his body could still keep fighting, but his mind was exhausted. The constant pain wore him down.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Time to head back."
The clones nodded.
Bang! Bang!!
In an instant, both erupted into massive trees, towering sky-high.
Watching this effect triggered a thought in Yuichi's mind:
If I pour a huge amount of chakra into a Wood Clone… I could make it explode like a human bomb. That might be useful in battle.
He shook his head. "I'll test it another time."
Opening the system, Yuichi checked his character panel.
[Host: Nagano Yuichi]
Age: 12 years
Chakra Attributes: Water, Earth, Wind
Physique: Intermediate Ninja Physique (85 / 10,000)
Mastered Ninjutsu:
Three Body Technique (Perfect)
Body Flicker Technique: Advanced (965 / 4000)
Water Style:
Water Clone Technique (Perfect)
Great Waterfall Technique: Advanced (1275 / 4000)
Water Wave: Advanced (3 / 3500)
Water Barrier: Advanced (4 / 3800)
Hard Vortex Water Blade: Elementary (2 / 10,000)
Water Dragon Bullet: Elementary (3 / 800)
Water Surge: Elementary (3 / 700)
Earth Style:
Earth Substitute: Elementary (0 / 400)
Wood Style (12% Inherited):
Tree-Binding Eternal Burial: Intermediate (1000 / 1600)
Wood Ingot Wall: Intermediate (1000 / 2000)
Silent Killing Technique: Intermediate (1000 / 1600)
Great Forest Technique: Intermediate (0 / 2000)
Tree Boundary Wall: Intermediate (0 / 2400)
Thorn Killing Technique: Intermediate (0 / 2000)
Wood Clone: Elementary (3 / 750)
[Others: 0 / 700]
Illusion: None
Special Physique: Wood Style Physique
Bloodline: Wood Style
Chakra Volume: Slightly above Genin
Today's biggest gain was raising Wood Style inheritance from 1.5% to 12%.
He also acquired six new Wood Style jutsu.
Most importantly, his weak taijutsu had finally reached the intermediate level.
From novice → beginner → intermediate, Yuichi had climbed two major ranks.
But with that growth, the requirements skyrocketed.
Beginner Taijutsu upgrade: 1000 proficiency.
Intermediate Taijutsu upgrade: 10,000 proficiency.
To reach advanced after that: 100,000 proficiency.
Just thinking about the number made Yuichi shiver.
Even with clones helping, the pain was unbearable.
Still, the effects were undeniable.
Yuichi's strikes were faster, his reactions sharper, his muscles tougher. His Wood Style recovery even seemed to accelerate.
If I fought Sasuke now, I could defeat him with just taijutsu—no ninjutsu needed.
Satisfied, Yuichi decided not to push further. It was already late, and staying low-profile was best.
He strode forward, leaping ten meters in a single bound, landing on the branch of a towering tree.
The next moment, he used the Body Flicker.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished—appearing instantly on another branch farther away.
With stronger taijutsu, even my Body Flicker has sped up. Truly… no great shinobi can afford to neglect taijutsu.
His speed meant he'd reach Konoha faster than before.
Evening in Konoha.
Villagers strolled peacefully. Shinobi, done with missions, finally enjoyed rare moments of rest.
Inside the Hokage's office…
Kakashi had already left.
The Third Hokage put aside the last document and leaned back in thought.
Kakashi's words from earlier echoed in his mind:
"Who taught him all those Water Style techniques? Parents leaving scrolls could explain one or two, but he's using too many. Could he really have created some himself?"
"If he has the ability to develop an S-rank jutsu, then his Water Style talent is truly extraordinary."
Hiruzen's brows furrowed.
"No… I must test him myself. I need to know—does he truly have talent, or…"
Meanwhile, Yuichi was hurrying back toward the village.
Suddenly, he froze.
His eyes snapped upward.
Whoosh!
From the shadows of the bushes, a kunai shot straight toward him!
Yuichi twisted his head, the blade grazing his cheek—just narrowly missing.
In the same instant, he whipped his hand out, seizing another kunai and hurling it back into the bushes.
Clang!
Another kunai flew from the hidden attacker's position.
The two collided mid-air—sparks flying.
Ding!
Both weapons deflected, embedding themselves into nearby trees.