9. Everything Is A Learning Experience

The system is excellent in every aspect. After discussing daily life skills, the benefits it brings to Ishigami Hara are self-evident, and explaining them in detail would take three days and nights.

However, there is one flaw with the system: it does not provide a specific description of each skill's characteristics. This forces Ishigami Hara to explore them on his own, which can be a bit troublesome.

Take the previous [Eating] skill, for example. Ishigami Hara had to discover its effects himself, progressing from fast digestion at level 1 to swallowing anything at level 5, slowly exploring its capabilities step by step.

For instance, fast digestion is easy to grasp. After a meal, the effects of the skill are immediately noticeable, and the improvement in taste buds is similarly clear after just one meal.

But starting with skills like Iron Teeth and Copper Teeth, determining their precise characteristics required constant trial and error.

Initially, Ishigami Hara ate normally and couldn't feel any distinct difference—until, on a whim, he bit into a kunai and discovered it was more soft than he expected. That's when he realized the true function of Iron Teeth and Copper Teeth.

Later, his stomach developed the ability to digest wood, enabling him to consume all sorts of substances without experiencing any physical discomfort.

This included venom, sulfuric acid, and even magma!

Of course, the prerequisite is that his mouth can withstand the high temperature of magma and the corrosiveness of acid.

So, whether it's Iron Teeth and Copper Teeth, a stomach like a furnace, or swallowing everything, the biggest benefit to Ishigami Hara now is that he has a variety of new energy sources. As long as the taste isn't too strange, he can basically eat anything organic.

Inorganic materials like stones, however, are not included. Not only are they bland and tasteless, but they also don't provide any energy, so they naturally aren't part of Ishigami Hara's diet.

Speaking of which, Ishigami Hara has already anticipated the effect of the [Learning] skill at level 4: Essence Insight. However, he still needs to test it to confirm its specific abilities.

The Senju clan's territory is vast. In addition to Mito's residence, there are many vacant areas, including several training grounds. One of these is reserved for Tsunade and her brother, but Ishigami Hara now uses it as well.

Over the past half month, aside from daily studies, Ishigami Hara has occasionally sparred with Nawaki and Uzumaki Kushina.

During one such battle, Ishigami Hara finally uncovered the true effect of Essence Insight.

As the three sparred, Nawaki formed hand seals and softly shouted: "Earth Release: Mud Moat!"

In the next moment, the ground beneath Ishigami Hara and Uzumaki Kushina's feet turned muddy, transforming into a swamp.

During this time, Ishigami Hara's eyes were on Nawaki, observing everything from his hand seals to the execution of the Earth Release ninjutsu. The entire process unfolded before Ishigami Hara's eyes, giving him an unexpected sense of understanding.

It felt as though, by simply watching, he could completely grasp the technique and perform it himself.

This sensation was like having someone guide him step-by-step, except that he was absorbing critical information instantly. These crucial insights were the essence of the technique that Ishigami Hara had seen through.

Without hesitation, Ishigami Hara formed the same hand seals. The Chakra Nature Transformation was completed almost instantly, and as Chakra drained from his body, he felt an immediate sense of relief.

"It's done!"

As expected, the ground beneath Nawaki's feet quickly began to turn swampy and muddy. 

"What?"

Startled, Nawaki instinctively looked toward Ishigami Hara and noticed that he was forming the same hand seal.

"Did you just learn the Earth Release: Mud Moat?" Nawaki asked, still in shock.

This was a B-level ninjutsu—powerful enough to trap even massive Summoning beasts like Manda. It wasn't something taught at the Ninja Academy.

Ninjutsu of this level, while not considered a secret, required significant skill to master. Clearly, Ishigami Hara hadn't demonstrated such abilities before.

Yet now, Ishigami Hara had used it, and judging by his ease, it didn't look like it was his first time.

The melee between the three wasn't about winning, but rather a way for them to review and refine their ninjutsu techniques. It was essential training to understand which jutsu to use in different combat situations.

So, when Nawaki asked his question, Ishigami Hara didn't hide anything and simply replied, "I've never learned it before. This is the first time."

"First time?" Nawaki's eyes widened, as if something clicked in his mind, an expression of disbelief spreading across his face.

"Don't tell me… you learned it just by watching me perform it?"

Ishigami Hara nodded, not denying it. 

He was building a certain image of himself, and it seemed like the "genius" persona fit him perfectly.

Not only was Nawaki shocked—Uzumaki Kushina was equally astonished. She looked at Ishigami Hara with wide eyes, as if seeing him for the first time.

"You…"

She wanted to say something, but her pride wouldn't let her.

The one who reacted most intensely, however, was Uchiha Izuna. Ishigami Hara's ability was challenging everything he thought he knew.

Just moments ago, Izuna was certain Ishigami Hara had not activated the Sharingan, so how had he learned a new ninjutsu with just a glance?

"Tell me, how did you do it? Especially without the Sharingan. You should know how difficult it is to learn a jutsu by mere observation. The chakra flow, the Nature Transformation—it's not something easily grasped! Explain!" Uchiha Izuna was clearly agitated and desperate for an answer.

Ishigami Hara's response was straightforward.

"I noticed subtle fluctuations in Nawaki's chakra when he used the technique. Though the changes were minor, I saw through its essence. From there, it wasn't hard to reverse-engineer the entire process."

I couldn't see Uchiha Izuna's face, but if I could, I'm sure his expression would be priceless at this moment.

"That's impossible! How could anyone do that? This surpasses the insight of the Sharingan…"

As a master of Dōjutsu and someone who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, no one understood better than Uchiha Izuna how difficult such a feat was.

The Sharingan is known as the Eye of Insight. While it doesn't offer the wide range of the Byakugan, its precision makes it highly accurate, allowing users to copy ninjutsu and taijutsu to a certain extent.

However, this kind of copying is more akin to imitating the technique without fully understanding its inner workings, which is entirely different from Ishigami Hara's ability to comprehend the essence of a technique at a glance.

The difference in quality between the two was glaringly obvious.

Especially considering that Ishigami Hara hadn't even activated the Sharingan, yet accomplished something that the Sharingan couldn't. It was no wonder Uchiha Izuna was so shaken.

There was one thing Ishigami Hara hadn't said out loud: After realizing the power of Essence Insight, learning techniques was no longer a matter of studying manuals. Everything he observed had become a potential lesson for him.

As long as he could see the essence of something, he could learn it.

This meant that Ishigami Hara's growth and accumulation of knowledge would only accelerate, becoming deeper and more profound with time.

It was clear from this that the power of Essence Insight was beyond extraordinary.

"I don't believe it!"

Uzumaki Kushina gritted her teeth, her red hair swaying despite the lack of wind. Several golden chains shot out from her back, and she shouted, "These are my Adamantine Sealing Chains! Let's see if you can learn this one!"

Nawaki was alarmed. "Hey, hey, Kushina! That's against the rules!"

But Ishigami Hara remained silent, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the golden chains. He was trying to discern their essence.

And sure enough, Essence Insight proved its power once again. Under Ishigami Hara's concentrated gaze, the golden chains seemed to magnify, revealing countless intricate lines that began to make sense to him.