[Name: Uzumaki Kurayami
Age: 12
Gender: Male
Pathway: Darkness, Sequence 9 Sleepless
Symbol: "Eternal Darkness" (Incomplete)
Status: Blessed by Eternal Darkness
Chakra: A+ [Potential S]
Vitality: S+
Chakra Control: C [Potential A+]
Nature Transformation: Unknown
Known Jutsu: Three basic academy techniques
Abilities:
– Swordsmanship Skill: C+
– Innate Sealing Technique (Status Unknown)
– Martial Arts Skill: C
Rank: Genin (official), Chunin (skill-based)]
Kurayami did not hesitate at all and used his spirit to touch the words "Eternal Darkness."
Whoosh!
A blue screen appeared, and a message box instantly popped up beside it to explain.
[Eternal Darkness: Under the incomplete symbol of Eternal Darkness, all of your attributes related to Eternal Darkness will be greatly enhanced, but without divine radiance.]
Kurayami licked his dry lips. His dark eyes revealed both shock and delight. His breathing trembled, as if echoing within the scorching and rapid summer wind.
"Even if it's incomplete, this is already enough… incredible."
The boy placed his hands under his head and lay back onto the mattress, ignoring the pain, as if he were dreaming.
He never expected the system to be this generous. Just by becoming a Genin and completing his first mission, he had obtained such extraordinary power.
Eternal Darkness was not merely eternal darkness. The things associated with this symbol included eternal rest and dreams, death and silence. Looked at from another perspective, eternal rest and sleep also meant sealing.
Kurayami brushed his hair back with a cold smile as he realized a certain truth.
Concealment, in another sense, also meant sealing. As an Uzumaki, I don't even need to guess to know that I have an innate talent in sealing techniques. This symbol further enhances my sealing abilities… If I try learning them properly, in the future, no one might be able to surpass me in this field.
The boy was not so obsessed with his own strength. He was merely thinking about the possibilities. In the end, he didn't even know how difficult sealing techniques truly were and could only rely on speculation.
His calm gaze glanced at the gleam of the sword placed on the table, and he suddenly remembered that he still had a late-night training session. He immediately stood up from the mattress without the slightest laziness one would expect from a child.
Of course, if it were something he could afford to be lazy about, he would be lazy to the extreme. But when it came to training for survival in this cruel world, even with the system, it did not guarantee that he would always live safely. Training and perseverance were things a ninja must hold onto.
He picked up the sword, sheathed it, and leapt out, running swiftly across rooftops. It was not hard to imagine how he could run on walls and trees, judging from the status panel that showed his chakra control at level C.
Kurayami could already be considered a fairly standard Genin in terms of chakra control. That was thanks to the desperate effort he had put into chakra control training for several months.
After all, as a ninja from the Uzumaki clan, he also inherited the clan's special trait — an enormous amount of chakra production and reserves compared to others his age. Without training chakra control, he would easily waste huge amounts of chakra when using ninjutsu, resulting in extremely poor efficiency and quality.
At a small training ground not far from the residential area, but still within the village walls.
Kurayami stood there panting, gripping the sword tightly. His serious gaze was as cold as icy snow, reflecting moonlight. Sweat dripped like sapphire gems as his clothes became soaked. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, sat down on a log, sheathed his sword neatly, and drank several mouthfuls of water to quench his thirst.
The wooden dummy not far away bore clear damage from the blade.
"Hah… seems like the Eternal Darkness symbol also grants combat-related abilities, just as expected."
The boy murmured while looking at the sword in his hand. As a symbol connected to multiple other symbols of Eternal Darkness, and with its authority divided into three pathways beneath it, it was not strange that it also granted him combat skills.
Combat authority lay within the Twilight Giant Pathway, where battle led to endings and death. From another angle, that also led to darkness and silence. Therefore, even though this Eternal Darkness symbol was incomplete, it still granted related skills — even if they were not as significant as sealing.
Because this authority was somewhat distant from the core symbol, and the symbol itself was only a fragment, yet even so, it already allowed Kurayami to clearly feel the difference between his past self and his current self.
Originally, he did not practice swordsmanship merely to look cool and show off. That was part of the reason, but not all of it. The real reason he used sword techniques was because his father, whom he had never met, was recorded as a legendary swordsman.
Because it was a sword art inherited from the Uzumaki clan. Its key characteristics, recorded in a sealed book that only Kurayami could open, were: silent, gentle, and full of vitality. Every strike was not merely meant to destroy, but also to seal and weaken. Beyond that, the clan sword art was barely mentioned, except for one line: only sealers could give birth to binding and imprisonment.
Even Kurayami, who came from another world and had watched Naruto before, had never heard of any Uzumaki sword art. Perhaps it was passed down through a small branch of the clan, combining sealing with swordsmanship to form the Binding Blade Art — and coincidentally, the last person who knew it was his father.
Thus, Kurayami wished to revive this sword art once more. Even if he had to walk in darkness, groping forward without seeing the right path, he believed that the Uzumaki blood flowing within him would help him get closer to the truth.
And his thoughts were indeed correct. After obtaining the Eternal Darkness symbol, he felt that his understanding of this sword art had greatly increased. And after practicing it, Kurayami discovered a crucial truth.
"The reason my swordsmanship didn't improve after so many years of training was because I lacked one thing — understanding of other branches of sword arts. I originally thought its intention was sealing for destruction. The binding blade tied the target to their end…"
A faint light appeared in his jet-black eyes. The silent wind passed over his slender body.
"But in truth, the intention of this blade and sword art is not merely sealing for destruction. Its true will is also sealing for suppression. Binding in order to bring silence. Binding only so that life may reach eternal rest."
And the reason only Uzumaki could learn it, as recorded in his father's notes, finally became clear to him.
From Uzumaki Kushina's words, she possessed special chakra capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails, even stronger than most of the clan. That was why she was chosen as its Jinchuriki. This already showed that Uzumaki clan members possessed special chakra different from other clans.
They had suppressive chakra — in other words, sealing chakra — born with the purpose and power to suppress, seal, and bind. Its strength and inclination toward sealing varied among individuals.
This sealing sword art was the same. It evolved from sealing and the Uzumaki clan's suppressive binding chakra. Therefore, only those with sealing chakra could truly use it.
But thinking about it, it was truly coincidental that the will of this sword art was so similar to the symbol of Eternal Darkness…
Kurayami narrowed his eyes but did not pursue the matter further. After all, he had already said that he was far too lazy to construct theories and data to fully support such mysteries. So he let the doubt go.
The boy hummed a pleasant tune carried by the wind. Strangely enough, in the future, he might really become a poet. His narrow eyes gazed at the moon in the sky.
He wondered with curiosity: tomorrow, as a newly recognized rookie ninja from the top academy… which team would he be assigned to, and which Jonin would be his teacher? Would it be someone he knew?
After resting for a short while, Kurayami decided to stop his training for the time being. The young man knew his own limits well—if he forced himself too much, what should have been beneficial could always turn into something harmful. Even if he only needed a few hours of rest.
…But as a Beyonder, digesting potions is necessary. For the Sleepless, their method of digestion is simply that they have many things they can stay awake to do.
This is a Acting methood
His dark eyes lit up as he realized this, and he quietly decided that this pathway was even more suitable for being an otaku.
On the way back to his rented room, a fragrant aroma suddenly drifted through the air and into the red-haired boy's nose. As if his blood were boiling, a strange hunger swallowed his mind completely. It was the smell of ramen!
Kurayami did not resist the hunger. A faint smile appeared on his calm face. He remembered that Uzumaki Kushina and Uzumaki Naruto both loved ramen. He didn't know whether it was just the two of them or the entire clan, but Kurayami had also inherited this habit strongly.
Ichiraku Ramen.
"It's so good! Can I have another bowl, please!"
Noisy voices came from the shop. The white curtain with three stripes fluttered down from the ceiling as the wind passed, revealing messy blond hair.
Kurayami raised an eyebrow when he saw the familiar boy. That was Naruto, the protagonist of this universe. The red-haired boy revealed a sharp grin.
Greeting him a little shouldn't be a problem.
"Hey, Naruto. If you're going to exploit Uncle Teuchi that much, why not try exploiting me instead?"
The curtain was pushed open by the teenage boy's hand, his teasing voice reaching the blond boy's ears.
"Dattebayo!" Naruto flinched, then continued in a softer, slightly nervous voice.
"Uh… what are you doing here, senpai?"
…
End of Chapter Two