How Do You Turn This Thing Off?

[Black Panel]

Age: (6/121) [21 years gained from skill]

Chakra: Normal (1800/3100) [2100 units gained from skill]

Skills:

Kagebōshi Ryūsei [Shadow Baryon Mode] (Active)[1%]: Grants the user significant boosts in speed, reflexes, strength, and overall combat ability. 

Abilities: Life Drain, Shadow Assault

Requirements: At least two types of chakra (2/?) [own and borrowed]

Drawbacks: Life Drain, permanent chakra consumption

Eien Seishin [Eternal Spirit] (Active): Users can passively gather life energy and chakra as they age.

Life Energy: 21 gathered [Live a year to increase life exponentially]

Chakra: 2100 units gathered.

Ensuring Hana was gone, Renji turned his attention to the panel before him. There weren't many changes, but he noticed subtle adjustments in Kagebōshi Ryūsei.

"Finally... it feels like I can activate the technique with just a thought."

He mused, sensing that his chakra and Hana's chakra would begin to fuse at his command.

Yet, the meaning of that one percent eluded him. He had a vague guess, though.

"I'll be able to confirm it soon enough."

He concluded, focusing on the newly unlocked abilities. Unfortunately, there was no information about them, nor could he sense how they worked.

When it came to Life Drain, Renji at least had some understanding from the original canon. But as for the shadow ability, he had no idea what he could do with it.

Renji could understand the "own and borrowed" requirement well enough; he just didn't know what would happen once the borrowed chakra was entirely spent.

"Will it make the skill 'inactive' again?"

He wondered, deciding to test it later to confirm.

"I've got about 1800 chakra units left, and Hana's chakra might be around 100 units… I won't need to worry about my chakra burning up first."

This thought reassured him. He was concerned that one type of chakra might need to be fully depleted before the skill was deactivated.

Though this wasn't noted in the great panel's drawbacks section, he knew he'd have to be careful with how much chakra he borrowed next time, just in case it did apply.

Since discovering the Panel, Renji has observed the chakra unit system it introduced. After secretly using his cursed eyes for some time, no small feat without getting noticed, he concluded:

* Less than 100 units: Normal

* 100–500 units: Genin

* 500–2000 units: Chunin

* 2000–10,000 units: Jonin

* 10,000+ units: Kage and above

He hadn't been able to confirm the "Kage and above" tier, as he felt it was far too risky to assess them.

Renji avoided checking his clan members or anyone with white eyes, focusing instead on ninjas training on the grounds or observing crowds gathered in the village.

Because of this, Renji knew his calculations might be slightly off, but likely not by too much.

Given his natural chakra growth as a Uchiha, he had a decent chance of reaching the Chunin level. However, his ability Eien Seishin had given him far more than he'd gained in the past six years, raising his chakra to Jonin levels.

Soon, Renji sat down again in a meditative state, despite knowing he could activate the skill with just a thought. He didn't want to be overwhelmed by the sudden increase in strength; he preferred to be prepared.

It took him about a minute to clear his mind and reach a state of complete concentration.

Huff.

Taking one final deep breath, he willed the fusion of the two chakras within his body.

As soon as he did, his chakra and Hana's chakra began fusing at an alarming rate, making it feel as though his chakra pathways were on fire.

His body jerked at the uncomfortable sensation, and gradually, it began to reform.

The chakra within his body swirled violently, coiling like a tempest before exploding outward in waves of dark energy. Red markings began to emerge around his eyes, intricate and sharp, tracing paths that extended up to his hairline.

His dark hair, now infused with vibrant streaks of crimson, grew longer, cascading down to his shoulders and giving him an imposing presence.

As the transformation progressed, his once-normal physique took on an athletic and powerful form. Lean muscles rippled beneath his skin, each contour defined and enhanced by the overwhelming energy surging through him.

The heavy pressure radiating from his body was so intense that his shirt tore apart, shredded by the force, exposing his chiseled upper body to the air.

His pupils morphed into a striking silver hue, glowing with an otherworldly light, while dark markings spread across his entire eyes, creating a fierce contrast that amplified his intense gaze. With each passing moment, Renji felt an intoxicating surge of strength and agility coursing through his veins.

"Ora ora... This power... it's almost too much to handle."

Renji felt a bit overwhelmed by the transformation. In his previous world, he might have paused to take a selfie at his new look. But he had no time for such thoughts, not with his chakra, Hana's chakra, and his very life force burning at an alarming rate.

Without wasting a moment, he stepped forward, and in the blink of an eye, he was a kilometer away from his starting point, stopping only because he chose to. Using his heightened senses to confirm no one was nearby, he focused on the largest tree in sight and threw a casual punch.

The tree remained still for a split second, leaving Renji momentarily confused, and then it burst apart from within, exploding into fragments as the force of his blow shattered it completely.

Renji couldn't help but stare at his hands in amazement, then began flashing around his surroundings at incredible speed. With his heightened reflexes, he easily dodged every obstacle in his path, finding it surprisingly effortless to control this newfound power.

Soon, he noticed a healthy-looking dog near the bushes, watching him with fearful eyes. In an instant, he flashed over and held the dog in his hands. Ignoring its struggle, he placed his hands on it and activated his life drain ability, sensing intuitively how to use it.

He tapped the dog's body three times, and with each tap, the dog seemed to age rapidly, transforming from a young pup into a dog in its middle years, leaving Renji completely stunned.

He now had a vague idea of how his ability worked, but rather than risk killing the dog, he released it and flashed over to the river, swiftly catching a fish. He then experimented with various animals around the area, he gathered enough insight into his skill's limitations.

Renji didn't linger on this discovery for long; he turned his focus to his other ability. The moment he activated it, his own shadow actually detached from him completely, rising and taking the shape of a human figure in front of him.

If anyone had seen the eerie shadow, looming and alive with darkness, they would have been terrified out of their wits.

On the other hand, Renji felt a thrill of excitement—he had gained complete control over his shadow, able to manipulate it however he desired. And that wasn't even the shadow's primary power.

This shadow possessed a life-drain ability and could shift between tangibility and intangibility, enabling it to attack both physical and ethereal beings.

Moreover, Renji realized he could see whatever the shadow saw, almost like he was looking at himself from a distance. He could even deploy this shadow anywhere he wished, making it a truly versatile and formidable extension of his power.

Finally, he sensed that his shadow's capabilities were far from fully unlocked—there were likely more powers, currently sealed, tied to conditions he hadn't yet fulfilled.

Without wasting time, Renji commanded the shadow to morph into a katana and strike a nearby tree.

In an instant, the shadow shifted into a completely black, nearly two-meter-tall katana and sliced swiftly through the air toward the tree.

Without waiting to see the effect, Renji recalled his shadow. It reformed beside him, settling into its original place and making him appear as if nothing unusual had happened.

As Renji turned away, the tree that had been slashed by his shadow slowly slid down in two.

"Alright, time to turn it off."

Noticing that Hana's chakra was nearly depleted, Renji decided to test if he could manually deactivate the mode.

"Off... Go off... Turn off..."

He muttered, trying various commands and focusing on shutting down the skill, but his expression soured quickly when nothing happened. Despite his efforts, the mode refused to deactivate.

Naturally, Renji wasn't just calling out commands—he actively attempted to halt the chakra fusion within his body, trying to withdraw his own chakra from the merging process. Yet, no matter what he did, the fusion remained unfazed.

Within a second or two, Hana's chakra was fully consumed, and Renji reverted back to his normal form.

With an exhausted, grim expression, Renji lay on the ground, staring up at the stars that had just begun to emerge in the twilight sky. His body ached, and he felt the toll of his transformation keenly.