Kangetsu was seventeen years old, and he was isekai'ed here.
He came from a purely technological universe in his previous life.
Six months ago, the mystery of his past life finally awakened.
As a transmigrator, Kangetsu understood exactly how absurd the world he'd landed in was.
Because here…
The extraordinary was real.
Early stage, mid stage, you could still talk about it like it made sense.
Late stage, the power scaling went straight to planet-busting.
For ordinary people, it was a brutally unfriendly, brutally cruel world.
Even if the original story's hot-blooded tone covered up a lot, the details didn't hold up to scrutiny.
As an honorable chūnin of Konoha, Kangetsu lived like he was walking on a frozen lake.
Could he really make it to the other shore…?
Six months ago, when his past-life memories snapped into place, Kangetsu discovered—wearing the most defeated look imaginable—that he was just an ordinary "elite genin."
No background. No kekkei genkai. No strength. No connections. No parents.
Wasn't someone like him the textbook definition of cannon fodder?
So Kangetsu submitted an application at top speed.
'Hokage-sama, even if I'm weak, I still want to contribute to Konoha.
Please allow the Third Hokage-sama to let Kangetsu join ANBU!'
At first, the old man refused.
He admired Kangetsu's will, but looked down on his strength.
You're a genin. Is ANBU appropriate for you?
The minimum for ANBU is chūnin.
But Kangetsu insisted.
He wasn't afraid of hardship, and he wasn't afraid of sacrifice.
He was only afraid that he'd die without ever contributing anything to Konoha!
The moment he said it, the whole room was stunned.
The old man slammed the desk and praised him on the spot.
What a fine young man—burning himself to light up Konoha!
The old man changed his mind and let Kangetsu enter ANBU to "test the waters."
At minimum, they'd observe him first.
Over the next six months, the old man became very satisfied with this fine young man.
Kangetsu did missions like he was putting his life on the line.
So the old man specially rewarded him with a scroll of ninjutsu—
C-rank ninjutsu: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique).
Yeah.
That's right.
The same jutsu Uchiha Sasuke—Sasuke the idiot—comes with in the original story.
And don't scoff at a mere C-rank jutsu.
With this one technique, Kangetsu promoted straight into chūnin.
In truth…
Konoha, and every major hidden village, practiced strict ninjutsu monopoly.
From C-rank to S-rank, without high-level approval, don't even think about it—and even thinking about it was a crime.
Only D-rank and E-rank could be obtained through mission contributions, plus a little money as an exchange.
In a world built around bloodline supremacy, it was almost impossible for an ordinary person to rise.
What? You're asking about the Fourth Hokage from the original story?
Sorry. That's the father of the chosen one. It's not the same thing.
And even with genius talent, the Fourth had to become Jiraiya's student.
Try having him apprentice under someone else and see what happens.
If you're not the old man's direct faction, and you want to become Fourth Hokage?
Keep dreaming…
Fortunately.
Kangetsu now counted as the old man's direct ANBU line.
Not biological, more like "adopted."
But he was still inside the Third Hokage-sama's faction.
He carried the old man's label by default.
Hatake Kakashi walked this same path in the original story—his situation was special, sure, but that didn't change how tempting the carrot was.
And also…
In the bedroom, Kangetsu closed his eyes.
In the next instant, an attribute chart appeared in his mind.
[Proficiency System]
[Kangetsu: Chūnin (Overall)
Chakra: Chūnin
Affinities: Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, Lightning
Taijutsu: Chūnin
Genjutsu: Genin
Ninjutsu: Chūnin
Ninjutsu—
Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) (E): LV3 (5%)
Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique) (E): LV3 (3%)
Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique) (E): LV3 (42%)
Kihon Shunshin no Jutsu (Basic Body Flicker Technique) (D): LV4 (61%)
Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique) (C): LV1 (98%)
Chakra Tairen (Chakra Refinement) : LV4 (87%)
Genjutsu—
Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique) (D): LV2 (39%)
Taijutsu—
Konoha Kihon Taijutsu (Basic Konoha Taijutsu): LV4 (31%)]
...
Yes.
Kangetsu had a cheat, and it wasn't turned off.
A Proficiency System—once you had it, you had it forever.
No upper limit.
As long as he kept practicing ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and so on, he could level them up without end.
That was Kangetsu's real confidence.
It was also why he could proactively take on missions as protection.
Otherwise, six months ago, as a mere genin, was he really going to treat himself like cannon fodder?
What he wanted was the identity of being the old man's direct ANBU line, not a special trip to his own grave.
But looking at his panel again, Kangetsu still felt poor and shabby.
The Three Basic Techniques from the academy.
One D-rank ninjutsu and one D-rank genjutsu, both bought with contributions.
His only "high" level technique—Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)—was something he'd earned recently, by "working himself to death," and the old man had rewarded him.
A long time ago, Kangetsu had already planned far ahead.
Early stage, he was weak, and every step was thin ice.
Mid stage, once he had some strength, everyone would develop Konoha together—those who got rich first pulling the others up.
Late stage?
Then please, all of you, develop my Konoha properly…
Still.
That was a long road.
For Kangetsu, with a Proficiency System, time was on his side.
The longer things dragged out, the better.
If his strength rose, he would do everything he could to delay the time when the great villages' contradictions exploded into open conflict.
He'd also trip up that terrifying organization lurking behind the scenes—Akatsuki.
Ideally, he'd even keep that old corpse Uchiha Madara a little more well-behaved.
As he quietly studied his panel, Kangetsu had a hunch.
Once his ninjutsu, genjutsu, and the rest reached LV5, there would be a qualitative leap.
At the same time…
Chakra refinement was also a key focus for him.
As things stood, every chakra refinement method in the shinobi world refined your own essence—your vitality, your spirit.
If Chakra Tairen (Chakra Refinement) reached LV5, would it be able to refine nature chakra from the outside world?
Kangetsu was looking forward to it.
Because…
If he could refine natural chakra from the outside world, it meant he'd taken a huge step forward on the shinobi path.
And chakra refinement itself was a blood-soaked emblem of this world's bloodline supremacy.
If your ancestors didn't have a prominent lineage, if you didn't have a special constitution, if you didn't have an excellent kekkei genkai…
Then no matter how desperately you refined, you couldn't squeeze out more than a few drops of chakra.
Worse, you'd grind your body into hidden injuries.
And that, too, was one of the reasons people here worshipped superior bloodlines so fiercely.
Without bloodline talent, you'd already lost miserably at the very first step—refining chakra.
Kangetsu went out to the backyard and spat out fire twice.
Two consecutive uses of Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique) drained his chakra dry, and he needed to recover.
And yet…
[Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique) (C): LV1 (98%) → Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique) (C): LV2 (0%)]
Feeling the more fluent, more familiar technique bloom in his mind, Kangetsu nodded to himself.
Time to 'eat'…
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]