Chapter 28: The First Adept
A grim certainty settled in Takumi's mind. He turned his focus to the shuriken in his hand, methodically practicing his throws. Hatake Sakumo's return heralded a tragic, inevitable conclusion. The weight of the village's condemnation would soon become unbearable, leading to a final, desperate act. Takumi couldn't stop it. He could only use it as a temporal landmark, a fixed point in the relentless march of events.
Kakashi's graduation would follow swiftly. Then Obito's, and Rin's. The small, constant skirmishes at the borders would intensify. And then the true catalyst would come—the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, poisoned and taken by Sasori, plunging Sunagakure into chaos and igniting the powder keg of the Third Great Shinobi War.
"Takumi?"
Kurenai's voice, soft with curiosity, pulled him from his thoughts. She had noticed his initial, clumsy throws had suddenly transformed, the shuriken now flying with sharp, decisive force. She watched as his latest throw sank a full third of its length into the wooden training post with a solid thwack, a significant improvement from the shallow scratches of before. If that were a human body, it would have bitten deep into muscle, perhaps even bone.
"It was a lucky shot," Takumi deflected, shaking his head. "That spot on the dummy is softer."
He quickly found an excuse to leave the training ground, seeking the solitude of the restroom. It was time. As he focused inward, two notifications chimed silently in his consciousness.
[Entry: Robust Physique (Novice) - ACQUIRED.]
[Effect: Your muscular density and raw physical strength are increased by 5%.]
[Note: This skill is capable of further evolution.]
[Entry: Shurikenjutsu (Novice) - OBTAINED.]
[Progress: 1%]
[Effect: The force and precision of your thrown weapons are increased by 5%.]
[Note: This skill is capable of further evolution.]
The system differentiated between "acquired" for completed conditions and "obtained" for newly initiated paths. But the appearance of the Robust Physique entry was the key. A wave of warmth, like submerging in a hot spring, flowed through his limbs. He clenched his fists, feeling a new, tangible solidity in his grasp.
"Finally," he whispered. "I can synthesize the first adept-tier entry."
The [Distance Runner] entry had boosted his leg strength by 5%. Now, [Robust Physique] added a 5% increase to his overall strength. He wondered if these bonuses were additive or multiplicative.
He returned to the training ground and threw another shuriken. It flew with a sharper, more vicious whirr, embedding itself even deeper into the post than the last. The effect of his enhanced strength was immediately apparent.
"Takumi, that was incredible!" Kurenai exclaimed, her eyes wide.
"Just getting a feel for it," he dismissed again, his mind already elsewhere. He found another excuse to slip away, this time heading to a more secluded area to initiate the synthesis.
Focusing on his interface, he saw the advancement route beneath [Novice Lightning Practitioner] was now glowing steadily. He willed the command.
[Advancement Route 1 conditions met. Proceed with evolution?]
A synthetic, emotionless female voice confirmed his choice.
"Advance."
A wave of energy, different from the physical warmth before, cascaded through him, centering on his chakra pathways.
[Entry: Lightning Release Specialist (Adept) - ACQUIRED.]
[Effect: Your chakra network's affinity and adaptability for Lightning Release chakra is increased by 20%.]
[Note: This skill is capable of further evolution.]
"The chakra network..." Takumi immediately began circulating chakra, activating 'Lightning Release: Iron Fortress.' The familiar electric current spread through the microscopic pathways beneath his skin, but now it was noticeably smoother, encountering less inherent resistance. It was like a riverbed had been widened and deepened.
"Does this mean I can channel a greater volume of Lightning chakra at once?" he theorized.
A shinobi's power was limited not just by their total chakra pool, but by the capacity and efficiency of their network—the very "plumbing" that carried chakra to every cell. Techniques like the 'Lightning Chakra Mode' required immense, sustained output to specific body parts. Not everyone could handle that flow. He remembered Sasuke's first, reckless attempt at the Chidori, how the violent lightning chakra had scorched his own hand, exceeding his network's tolerance. With his network now 20% more adaptable to Lightning Nature, his effective upper limit for such techniques had just been significantly raised.
Satisfied, he closed the interface and returned to his shuriken practice, determined to raise the proficiency of his new [Shurikenjutsu] entry.
Evening
As classes ended, Takumi made an excuse to Kurenai, sending her home ahead of him. His destination was a different house altogether. He needed to see Kakashi.
In the wake of his father's death, Kakashi would plunge into a frenzied obsession, single-mindedly developing the Chidori. The technique he would later rename 'Raikiri' after famously using it to split a lightning bolt. It was a path of pure, destructive focus that would lead him to abandon the Hatake clan's traditional swordsmanship. Takumi's goal was to arrive before that path was irrevocably chosen. The White Fang's legendary short blade was a tangible link to a powerful legacy, one that Kakashi, in his grief, would soon cast aside, unable to master the precise chakra flow required for its use.
"Hey, did you hear? The White Fang failed his mission!"
"I thought his reputation was greater than the Sannin?"
"Who knows? They say this failure will cost the village and the Daimyo dearly."
The whispers were everywhere now, circulating among the off-duty shinobi on the streets. The news, suppressed yesterday, had exploded today. The Academy, isolated in its own world, was still unaware, but by tomorrow, it would be the talk of every classroom.
After a short walk, Takumi crossed a small bridge over a koi pond and arrived at a modest but well-kept house—the Hatake residence. Only Kakashi and his father lived here.
"Kakashi!" he called out from the front gate. "Are you home?"
A moment later, the wooden sliding door rasped open, revealing the dim interior and the figure standing within.
(End of Chapter)
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